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 | Chapt. 1 -- Page. 2 "Facing the Dragons" |  |
| These files are the sum of experience, study and observation - and more than a little help from my friends. People who have known of my long interest in the means of exploring self-awareness, have at times, asked why it is that I am not the walking archetype of the methods I advocate. The reason for that is the same as my reason for writing this. This is the accumulation of a lifetime's work; but it does not have to take that long. Without a valid set of mind-maps to guide me along the way, I have spent needless time separating the chaff from the wheat, chasing Will o' the Wisps and generally reinventing the wheel. It is my hope that these texts will be of value to others wishing to play the Great Game but find themselves entangled in the paradoxical thickets of superstition, cant and misinformation that surrounds it. I was once asked, "What makes you think that you are different from everyone else?" My reply was, "What makes you think that everyone is like you?" Because of our genes, our conditioning and our reactions to them, each one of us is a unique individual. Unless we are willing to face the challenges involved we will never know what we are capable of. Change can be both an escape from a restrictive life and a way towards one that is rich and full. Strong bonds are formed when partners and friends change and grow together. |
| It has been said that personal growth and change are the prerogative of the privileged. I believe that the statement is untrue. I am fully aware that it is not easy to make changes in oneself, and that changes are made harder if one is dominated by an oppressive partner, caught in the trap of poverty, or encircled by family, friends and workmates who feel that your changes are a threat to their peace of mind. Yet, without those dragons that try to lock us in the past, we may well lack the incentive to continue making the effort. All of our evolution has been the story of response to pressure. Being financially broke does limit opportunities for wider experiences from which you can learn things; but it does provide the correct time to learn things about yourself that can show ways to break out of the poverty trap. None of us gain the most from experience until we learn how we shape the experiences for ourselves. When external avenues for change are closed to you, it is the time to learn about yourself without the bombardment of external stimuli. A time for dispassionate yet friendly examination of your strengths and weaknesses. A time to re-examine past events and to see your own role in them. Seeing your capabilities will clarify the direction that you need to go in order to reach where you want to be. It requires an effort, and the work is ongoing. But it is a challenge that you will either gladly accept, or consign to the 'too-hard' bin. Half measures are make-believe. Freedom does have to be fought for on a daily basis. There is no stage at which we are awarded a certificate stating that we have passed all the tests and are now entitled to a free ride. Constantly we have to move forward against opposition; not the least of which comes in the form of the dead hand of habit. The alternative is a cloying stagnation that binds us to the wheel of a repetitious existence, relieved only by short-lived distractions. Flies trapped in amber. |
| Inevitably, during the course of my studies, experimentation and observations, I have been led by the facts to what I consider to be inescapable conclusions. Not all of my readers may come to the same conclusions; their opinions differing from mine. This is not to say that either they or I are right or wrong. We can only go where the facts lead us; whether or not those facts support or contradict our current ideologies. In the final analysis the conclusions we draw from them will remain our personal opinions, the result of how we choose to interpret the presented facts. At times I have quoted the stated opinions of various authorities in a range of matters; occasionally using their findings as building blocks in a system that is a synthesis of many systems. Personal observation of the lives of thousands of people is the mortar that binds the structure. It must be assumed that the experts I quote may not be in full agreement with the conclusions I have come to. Differing opinions as to cause and effect do not alter the fact that the method works. If a person practices them, and their life is improved by the practice, then that is all that matters. It is largely irrelevant whether the person concerned believes that they have succeeded in attracting the beneficent attention of some external deity or force, or that they have stimulated their own immune system, or have balanced the relationship between previously conflicting elements within themselves. To enjoy a meal it is not essential that we understand the interactions of each of its ingredients, or the views of the cook. |
| The texts are all to do with people, not gods, so they include no mention of the practice of worship. There are many belief systems in the world today. They range from the charming and wishful thinking, to ugly codes that are bound up with the desire for control. If we were created by a deity who is beyond human understanding, then it seems a gross impertinence to spend time trying to understand him/her/it. If, at the end of life, we are called before a supernatural, alien being, to justify the uses to which we put our life, then it seems that the best case we can offer is that we did the best that we knew how. If we are to be reincarnated into a being whose destiny is to be formed by our actions in the here and now; then as virtual parents of that descendant it behoves us to attend to our actions, thereby giving that hypothetical, spiritual descendant the best chance going. Other than that, it is out of our hands. We cannot live our lives on the unimaginable wants of some hypothetical, spiritual offspring. If this is the only life that we are going to get, intelligence demands that we take it into our own hands and shape it as we will. Life is not a problem to be solved, life is a celebration of itself. We are alive, and the clock is ticking. |
| My own views on our position in regard to the rest of the universe, began forming when I was a Deck Boy on a tramp steamer. We had cleared Chittagong, bound for Calcutta, and were engaged in getting the ship prepared for the sea crossing. To remove the clinging mud from the anchor, the Mate, who was a decent, cheerful man, decided to lower it into the bow wave. He strained over the bulwark to see what was happening, his left hand stretching behind him to ease the controls that fed the massive chain over the capstan. Somehow, the skirt of his uniform jacket was taken up by the drum, caught between that and the chain as it slowly clanked up from the chain locker. He reached back to free himself, only to have his sleeve drawn in. By the time that I got to him, his arm had been lost. For days afterwards I hated that piece of machinery. It took a while before I came to accept that it wasn't that the machine didn't care, but that it was totally unaware. And as the drama was enacted, the sun shone on the jungle behind us, the tide continued to flow, the universe went on its way, all totally unaware of our existence. In the years since, I have been in hurricanes, an earthquake, and floods. At no time did I waste energy calling for help that was not going to come. There is no spiritual counterpart of the 7th. Cavalry standing by on the dark side of the moon. We each of us approach new information with an old mindset. If the new information threatens to modify or supplant previously cherished beliefs, we have the choice of remaining static, stubbornly clinging to outmoded systems, or changing to adapt to it. |
| The Charisma files are the embodiment of a practical psycho-philosophy based on an understanding of the human condition; the way that we think and the way that those thoughts are influenced by the way in which we view ourselves, our environment, and those who share the stage with us. The texts are concerned with the different ways of thinking and the mechanics involved. It is a truism that we see what we feel, then feel what we 'saw'. Whether or not we see an object, event, person, or life itself - as good or bad, has more to do with the way we feel, or think we should feel, than any quality it possesses. Much of the conflict in this world is based on an argument of opinion as to what is 'good' or 'bad', when all that is apparent is difference. "If you wish to find the unclouded truth, do not concern yourself with right and wrong. Conflicts with right and wrong are a sickness of the mind" Walter Jon Williams, "Voice of the Whirlwind"The attitudes that affect us at a basic level of our personality are seldom the result of reasoned argument. Our world-view - our personal viewpoint - is taken on board during our earliest years and influences our behaviour throughout our lives; frequently without ever being exposed to objective examination. There are a large number of processes going on inside our heads; some of which we are aware, many of them hidden from us unless we make a habit of self-examination and analysis. It is my intention to define a system of mind-maps for people contemplating, or currently undertaking, changes in their lives. Not necessarily changes of job or address, but internal changes of their world view and their role. Deep-seated changes to their attitudes in order to improve their own lives and, hopefully, the lives of those around them. These are a synthesis of many schools of thought and disciplines, of observation of the human condition, and a record of expeditions made by the author and other contributors. The texts are a collection of tools that can increase both the degree of change and the speed with which those changes can be accomplished. It should be fully understood that they are tools and not an end in themselves. They are based on the premise that, due to inherited, evolutionary mechanisms and external pressures, a majority of people live lives in which internal and/or external conflicts have a negative influence; frequently retarding or misdirecting their growth towards maturity. Many people get old before growing up. |