PART 3 PERSONAL VALIDITY : THE CENTRAL CONCEPT
" I must find a truth
( truths ) that is ( are ) true for me . . . the idea for
which I can ( must ) live or die" .........Søren Kierkegaard
he isn't fit to live."................Martin Luther King Jr.
With most of
the basic conceptual tools in hand, this section now
enters into the heart and mind of this work. The
first article is
all about the central concept and its relation to the very process
of our management and handling of our beliefs : especially those
that one holds as sacred, and how these impose limitations upon
our thought and experiences, and finally how
these can be
transcended by the examination of their validity or applicability
in a certain domain of interest or context.
3.1 What is Personal Validity
Personal Validity is a way of
describing the extent to which
a being's beliefs or experiences correspond or translate
into results in terms of fulfilling one's purpose . In simple
terms, Personal Validity can said to be the knowledge of
oneself and thereby the dynamic applicability (power) of
this knowledge for oneself as well
as for others .
3.1.1 Validity of Beliefs & Experiences
Therefore, according to the above definition, those beliefs or experiences
which lead to positive results should be considered as personally valid, and
those that do not, as personally not valid.
However, those beliefs or experiences which do not get desired results or
goals, can be potentially useful at another time or circumstance or condition.
Alternately beliefs / experiences which are highly rewarding currently may
not remain so for all times.
3.1.2 Opposing & Multiple Beliefs
It is a general experience of most beings that a certain belief will fit into
or account well for a particular situation ( appear to be true) and yet the
same belief may yield no results for a different situation or for another
being in a similar situation.
Yet , most human beings will not accept this fundamental truth because this
apparently creates a contradiction and confusion in the rationally managed
construct of the mind.
The nature of the construct of our belief system tends to dictate that we believe
something to be true, only if it is true under all circumstances and time.
"A believer is a
bird in a cage. A freethinker is an eagle parting the
clouds with tireless wing." .............Robert Ingersoll
The belief-concept construct of the mind feels safe and stable in a fixed system
of beliefs, and safety and stability are among the top priority goals inbuilt in
the functional structure of the mind. Typically a belief that is made or acquired
early in life remains (without questioning its usefulness or applicability) as an
integral operating belief till the very end of one's life. The opposite of that
belief
is held as a falsehood that has to be opposed or avoided .
" The "sane"
man is not the one who has eliminated all contradictions
from himself so much as the one who uses these contradictions and
involves them in his work".....Maurice Merleau-Ponty
There is a strong feature in highly " rational " people, who have a strong tendency
to be highly consistent, that any kind of contradiction is not well tolerated by them.
Rather they quickly make an issue out of a situation which conflicts with their
cherished beliefs and will reject any idea that is not consistent with what they
hold. There is no doubt that certain situations do demand a consistency of belief,
for example, in the domain of strict scientific investigation, but consistency is
only required where it is neccessary to be consistent, and most conditions do
not demand this.To know and develop which situation requires consistency, and
which situation demands completeness and wholeness of perception, has to be
a self-developed art.
However, since almost all adults in this age have been taught to think in a scientific
manner in school, this imparts a rigid pattern of behavior in which the consistency of
beliefs is the highest priority, and a "stable", "sane" or "normal" behavior is enforced ;
thereby inhibiting the potential for art and imagination.
The same story is repeated in a religious based education system, whereby no one is
encouraged to think or inquire on their own, and most beliefs are never, ever to be
questioned, only to be accepted rigidly as a matter of faith.
" Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative." ....Oscar Wilde
3.1.3 The Balancing of Contradictions
What is almost never realised is that a belief is only a sort of "temporary
working truth" or what can also be called as "operating generalisation".
Sometimes experience contradicts these beliefs, but this is usually
ignored or suppressed, lest the construct becomes unstable.
To be able to
hold different or even opposing beliefs in
one's inventory and
then instantaneously apply the one which is valid or useful for the particular
situation or context is the way to maximise one's general purpose abilities,
as
well as one's Personal Validity.
Since every belief and concept has an opposing or contrasting belief and concept,
given a being in a particular situation or context, a certain belief will fit the
perceived situation well and its opposing or differing will not, and if the
situation or context changes, then the opposing belief can become valid
and thus the earlier one becomes invalid.
"Every idea I get I have to deny, that's my way of testing it."...Emile Chartier
3.1.4 The Fluidity of Beliefs and their Valid Contexts
"The block of
granite which is an obstacle in the pathway of the weak,
becomes a stepping-stone in the pathway of the strong"....Thomas Carlyle
From the above analysis it is apparent that to maximise the operational usefulness of
beliefs, these have not only to be fluid, dynamic and flexible, but also the context in
which each becomes valid should also be fluid and open ended.
There comes an artistic, intuitive or instinctive element in the applicability of the
beliefs and concepts in the structure of one's construct of reality, that can only be
developed or refined with experience, effort, Will, purpose and exposure.
Thus one's ability to gain from one's experiences, and equally importantly, from
the experience of others, relies on the fact that those beliefs in our inventory which
are not currently useful can be so ,or at the least is another point of view that
needs space in our inventory or construct.
On being asked whether he
would be prepared to die for his beliefs,
Bertrand Russel replied : Of course not. After all, I may be wrong.
A belief or concept that is valid in a certain context or situation, may not
remain valid in another context, and its counterbelief can become valid
in a changed context. The ability to balance counterbeliefs has to be
developed by testing these for their domains or contexts of validity.
Only by this can one's Will gain effective control over one's reason without
which reason instead of being a tool becomes the blind, oppressive master.
The art of reasoning is this ability to
balance context switching on the knife
edge of
one's Will.
"The practical effect of a belief is the real test of its
soundness"....James Froude
3.1.5 The Primary Emotional States Of The Mind -
The Reward & Punishment Systems
" The
reward-punishment dichotomy or spectrum is critically important
within the human computer's operations"...........John C Lilly
Merely opposing a belief or outrightly rejecting an experience that has
produced apparently negative results is as futile a path as overvaluing an
experience or belief that has yielded highly rewarding results for some time.
In the former case one may miss out in something and in the latter case
the overwhelming danger of getting sucked in a fixed system of beliefs or
procedures - thereby putting an end to one's potential growth.
On the contrary , beliefs or experiences that produce
negative or painful or un-
satisfactory results are also strongly indicative or suggestive of our limits and
boundaries which can be broken through , transcended or avoided only if we
are first aware of
these limits.
The only way to know or reach towards one's limits is by
testing one's currently
held knowledge ( beliefs and their value ) by putting to test or exposure of these
beliefs in current
reality in accordance to one's purpose.
Even the failure of an experiment is important to the extent that it is suggestive of
what could be lacking and what needs to be corrected.
Stress , tension and pain are themselves states that are so deeply rooted in the
self that these states can be the trigger points for self analysis . A starting point
from where one can identify the associated programs and beliefs operating deep
within the sub conscious mind and which control the mind to a great extent.
Thus a state of pain or pleasure and similarly any kind of provoking situation
or experience has the inherent potential of providing an opportunity for a break-
through for oneself . ( It is generally understood by psychologists that creativity
comes from irritability - that without an irritant there can be little creativity )
"People need
trouble -- a little frustration to sharpen the spirit on,
toughen it. Artists do; I don't mean you need to live in a rat hole or
gutter, but you have to learn fortitude, endurance.
Only vegetables are happy.".....William Faulkner
The only states of mind which have little or no potential for
enhancement are
that of boredom or
aimless indulgence in pleasure.
3.1.6 The Process of Personal Validity
"Learning is the
opening of ourselves to the experience of life."
.....Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen
Personal Validity is thus a process within a
being through which the
being discovers , evaluates , examines oneself's uniqueness , purpose
& the state of one's construct in terms of applicability of the beliefs and
experiences that constitute the being. The next step in this process is the
realisation of the limitations of these beliefs or experiences and an
evaluation of whether those limitations are worth transgressing,
challenging or transcending.
The exploration or evaluation of these limits lead to further beliefs and thus a
hierarchy is formed whereby the earlier beliefs may become redundant .
The structure and the construct of that being changes as a result ,
sometimes
drastically.
More importantly , the control of the
structure and the construct passes
on from the
primitive or earlier structure / construct to the newer one.
In simpler terms , as a being acquires knowledge of himself, control and power is
enhanced within the being. The being realises that he can now more effectively
deal with his own self as well as the world around him. The being attains more
and more freedom of choice of thought, experience and action.
Although the above process is one of the weak subliminal operations of a being's
mind, it is at a conscious level that real control can be exercised in order to realise
the potential of the being's available structure and construct, assuming that self-
improvement is one of the actively pursued goals of the being.
But self improvement or betterment or development can only take place by
reaching towards, challenging and transcending basic limitations imposed
by physical survival requirements and social requirements.
3.1.7 BIOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS
The limitations imposed by the biological requirements of mere survival as well as
the default tendency to maximise pleasure and minimise pain are not only the
most formidable limitations, but also the most challenging as well as the root of
all limitations. What is the need to go beyond or transcend these limits ? Isn't it
the goal of all life to seek happiness, pleasure, make merry and enjoy ?
Obviously then, these limits need to be transcended only by those who see
a human purpose beyond merely a "persuit of happiness and bliss".
3.1.8 SOCIAL/CULTURAL LIMITATIONS
"In a totally sane society, madness is the only freedom.".......J. G. BallardApart from the limitations imposed by the biological requirements of survival, the
other "not so obvious" but still formidable limitations are those that have been
"planted" by society and culture through the education process. Since one's biological
needs for survival and security are largely dependent upon and intertwined with
the social requirements, the biological and social limitations are inter-related,
although the two domains can and should be seperately treated to be
effectively dealt with to be transcended.
When I say " to be transcended " I mean that in order to reach towards one's
limits, one has to go beyond the limits acquired from and imposed by society.
Most people have no need to do so, rather are quite comfortable within the
social and cultural limits.
What is not obviously realised is that if no
one ventures beyond
these boundaries, then the vision, imagination and foresight of an
entire culture thus remains limited, eventually leading
to its degeneration.
Due to the difficulties involved, as well as lack of motivation or will, most people
prefer not to self-examine consciously, and the basic nature of the human mind is
that it tends to rely mainly on external sources ( sensory inputs from the world
around and society).
The average human mind, by default, tends to "freewheel" in
its
environment, seeking social acceptance and general agreement as a
feedback and control
mechanism.
Since most, if not all, of one's knowledge has been acquired as a result of "growing
up" in a particular society and culture, it is but natural that the beliefs and values
of that particular society and culture permeate through all or most an
individuals thought and behavior.
So the natural sub-conscious or supra-conscious Will or predilections that can lead
to the realisation and development of one's uniqueness, tend to get suppressed
by the stronger social forces, unless it is developed well in time in order to
effectively handle the external forces.
"Every society to which you remain bound robs you of a part of your essence,and replaces it with a speck of the gigantic personality which is its own."
.........................José Rodó
Only by the strength of one's Will can one overcome the
limits
imposed by all that has been programmed as a result of
the socialistion
process.
For those persons who more or less identify themselves essentially with only
what is generally acceptable and agreeable , the concept of Personal Validity
and uniqueness may be of little or no use.
3.1.9 SUMMATION
PERSONAL VALIDITY WITHIN LIMITS:
Personal Validity is a measure of how well
different and even conflicting
experiences and beliefs have been integrated and effectively put to use by
one's
faculties,even if these are for limited goals .
PERSONAL VALIDITY WITHOUT LIMITS :
Personal Validity is a dynamic and never ending
process of restructuring
oneself
through the restructuring of one's goals, beliefs and paradigms .
"Don't listen to
anyone who says that you can't do this or that.
Make up your mind, you'll never use crutches or a stick. Then
have a go at everything.....never, never let them persuade you
that things are too difficult or impossible".......Douglas Bader
The next article deals in depth with the concept of uniqueness, the second
most important concept in this work :
NEXT PAGE 12 : 3.2 Uniqueness of Self