Thursday 8 February 2007

Pic of the day: Having solid, secure walls is not a bad things. But there also needs to be an opening. (Screenshot from good old Daggerfall. Bet you didn't expect that!)

Thinking outside the walls

Two days ago I wrote about a computer game in which citizens were sorted into 6 different groups depending on their income and political views. In the real world, of course, there are many more groups. There are religious groups, ethnic groups, sexual minorities and many more. I'm not including genders and age groups here, since these don't form families normally. Some of the subcultures can be safely mixed in the same neighborhood, but depending on the neighborhood this may be risky with others. At the very least, mixing them could make property value go down.

In addition to the game, certain events elsewhere have reminded me forcefully of one thing that is unusual in my life. I see that I already mentioned it in my eight years ago entry, but I am not sure I have written enough about this. I am starting to think that it is much less common than I thought. (And I thought it was pretty unusual.) I am talking about my relatively open mind.

Or should I say "curious mind"? I do not mean that our minds should be like a house with its doors wide open day or night, or like a drunk blonde in miniskirt sleeping on the campus lawn. Trust is a good thing as far as it goes, but there are many things in this world that are not worthy of trust. I do not mean an open mind like a house without walls; I mean a house with windows and a door we can open and close.

***

Was I born like this, or raised this way? I tend toward the latter, because of two things. Already when I was young, I noticed the difference between my parents and other parents. Others seemed to see their children as an extension of themselves, and tried to impose their life on them. My parents (at that time) seemed to see us as worthy of respect, trust and freedom. Sure, they would ask us to help out at the farm or around the house. We were poor even by the standards of the 1960es, which was itself a time far less affluent than now. But overall they seemed to take for granted that we had a light in ourselves that would show us our way. I think sometimes that there may not have been other parents quite like this since Mary and Joseph. Probably there are though, just not many. I sincerely hope so.

I got the impression that my parents had started out trying to raise their first child, but pretty soon found out that children were not blank slates, rather were born into this world different and destined for different lives. By the time I can remember much from my childhood, this was already pretty firmly in place. But there is another element which I believe has been there from day one, and that is my mother's tendency to defend people who were not present. From what I gathered later, she had been that way since she was young, at least.

It is an almost automatic human activity to spread rumors about those who are not there to defend themselves, and usually those who listen will either agree or at least be curious. But my mother would seemingly on reflex bring up the other side of the matter. She firmly believed that all cases have two sides. And so do I, except I think there are more sides than two. There is, as one saying goes, my side and your side and the truth. And that's the very least.

I do the same thing as my mother. If someone is presenting any case with a bias, I automatically start to bring up the other side. But to most people, I have found, there is no other side. They are so ... so mentally misshapen that they honestly think there can be no doubt. They honestly think that those who disagree with them are either stupid or evil, and feel pretty generous when they attribute to stupidity what they might have labeled as evil.

True, I don't always pull my punches myself. I often refer to socialism, astrology and other forms of superstition as stupidity. But on the other hand, I am perfectly aware that others think the same about my beliefs and convictions. And I can even understand them. To me, there is a clear distinction between understanding something and agreeing with it, or believing in it.

A major reason why these things just go on and on is that people defend them once they have latched on to them. They make sure to only hear, read, and talk with people who agree with them. These people are like houses without windows. They may be lucky and the thing they protect may be valuable. Or they may be unlucky and protect something worthless, even harmful. To this very day there are racists, fascists, communists and religious bigots, who are hardly helping themselves or others with their cherished beliefs.

***

The theory called Spiral Dynamics predict that people on at least Yellow level of cultural development should be able to see the more basic levels fairly objectively, realize why they were useful at different times and why they may still be useful in certain circumstances, temporarily or as a limited part of society, business or individual life.

But while some (especially on the Spiral Dynamics Integral side) are eagerly exploring the psychological landscapes beyond Turquoise, the truth is probably that there are very few Yellows in the world. And those who are, probably hesitate to show it openly. After all, this will lead to instant rejection by the majority which are locked in their respective livestock pens. And you are unlikely to influence people who have already rejected you. It is a conundrum indeed.

But I have decided to give it a go. Because it is such an important part of who I am. And because I hope that I am not the sole heir to seeing things from different sides. Surely there must still be intelligent life on Earth, just not very plentiful.