Friday, November 07, 2008

DETERMINISM AS OPPOSED TO CHOICE, LOGIC, AND REASON, Part Eight

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FROM A SITE VISITOR: What did you mean about varieties of determinism?


FROM ANOTHER SITE VISITOR [Referring to the book CASTING LIGHT ON THE DARK SIDE OF RELATIONSHIPS]: My girlfriend read your book--found it biologically deterministic but is willing to consider its questions.

FROM ANOTHER SITE VISITOR: "A" kills person "B.” What's the cause? If "A" reads the point that the cause of all is all, then he does not feel guilty. Raja

FROM ANOTHER SITE VISITOR: “Where there are two, one sees another, one hears another, one welcomes another, one thinks of another, one knows another. But when the whole has become That (Atman), who is seen by whom, who is to be heard by whom, who is to be welcomed by whom, who is to be known by whom?” ginny

F.: “Part Seven” of this series offered this consideration:


“another ego-defense mechanism called “denial” will drive the arrogant to believe that they are in charge of their “lives,” that they are making choices, and that they are conscious of everything that is determining what their thoughts are and what their words are and what their deeds are. With those beliefs, they could not be more blocked from the realization of truth.”


To understand ego (the false “I”) as well as the egotism and other mechanisms that the “mind” employs to try to assure the false self (as well as other persons) that "the self is real" is to understand why sages over the ages have invited seekers to abandon not only body and “mind” identification but personality identification as well.


PERSONALITY DETERMINISM

A person's primary personality type is set by age six. While other personality types can also impact thoughts and words and deeds—all the way into and throughout adulthood—the primary type will generally by the prime determiner of thoughts and words and actions.


“Liberation” refers to the state in which one is free of living under the auspices and control of personality (that is, of unconscious and subconscious motivators) and is—by contrast—awake, aware and conscious.


Rather than sleepwalking through the relative existence and believing falsely that one is making choices, it is only those few that are free of being controlled by such unconscious factors that function naturally…that instinctively behave in constructive rather than destructive manners, and that speak and behave in a manner that allows logical and reasonable “choices” to happen.


More accurately, those “choices” happen automatically in the absence of any "chooser" as the pure consciousness allows spontaneous and natural functioning to happen. Conversely, to live under the auspices of personality will generate behaviors that are not in the interest of persons. Consider two recent examples:


At the seminar/workshop conducted earlier this week, an employee (driven by the Personality Type Two and playing the role of “Helper,” “Savior,” “Rescuer”) was facing both “personal” and “work-related” problems as a result of being driven by personality.


The primary motive of all Type Two's is to be loved, excessively, and to that end the Two will always put the interests of others above his/her own interests (all relatively speaking, of course). So in two week’s time, driven unconsciously by the agenda of the “Helper” persona and “Rescuer” persona, this man…


…lost his home as a result of (self-serving) benevolence;

…lost $6000.00 in an act of “kindness”;

…and was pulled into a third “act of kindheartedness” that caused problems in the workplace.


When a friend was scheduled for back surgery, he requested that this man with a Type Two personality sit in the hospital during the surgical procedure. While this act would typically happen automatically with a mate, this case was different since the friend was little more than a casual acquaintance.


Yet the Type Two “People Pleaser”—unconsciously motivated by personality determination—could not say, “I’ll drive you to the hospital, and I’ll come by later, but I really need to go to work since I can’t afford to miss another day right now.


“You’ll be unconscious all day during the seven-hour procedure and then in post-op recovery anyway. By the time you’re moved to your room, I’ll be off work and will stop by to see how you’re doing.”


So the man missed work, pleasing his friend but displeasing the boss and his co-workers who had to complete their work and his work as well. He sat downstairs for 12-1/2 hours as the medical procedure unfolded upstairs. After a few hours, he began to question his actions.


He said, “It hit me, ‘What the hell am I doing here? He’s unconscious, the hospital workers are the ones who can help him if he’s to be helped. There’s not one thing I can do and he doesn’t even know I’m here. I could go to work and get paid for the day and then be back here'.” He continued, “But I couldn’t leave, so I just sat there, grew angrier by the minute, and worked up resentments towards him and myself.”


He was asked, “Between the two of you, do you really believe that he was the only one who was unconscious during that entire procedure?”


When driven by personality determiners, a person will think and talk and behave in ways that are totally illogical and unreasonable and destructive.


(Tomorrow, a second example will be offered of a nephew who is in Iraq as a result of being driven by his Type Six Personality while all along believing that he made a conscious choice to “fight for the honor of his nation’s flag and the safety of his homeland,” that he made a conscious choice to “serve his nation’s highest good,” and that he made a conscious choice to be “willing to die for his country.”) Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON TODAY’S POST:

  • Click CASTING LIGHT ON THE DARK SIDE OF RELATIONSHIPS

  • Click FROM THE I TO THE ABSOLUTE (A Seven-Step Journey to Reality)

  • Click LIBERATION

  • Click IT’S ALL BULLSHIT

  • Click SPIRITUAL SOBRIETY

  • Click WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I DIE?

  • Click THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS “PEACE OF MIND” (There Is Only Peace If You’re Out of Your Mind)

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