Mental Processes 11 & 12
As cultures mature from primitive to more advanced they enter an age of transition. The result is “cultural lag.” “Cultural lag” means that people are trapped between the old, traditional ways and the new ways. Life in an age of transition is a battle between Nature's Intent and the culture’s momentum.
Nature’s Intent directs your Life-Energy towards high Integrity choices to further evolutionary excellence. The culture's momentum fights to continue to control your Life-Energy and direct it towards the culture’s priorities.
MENTAL PROCESSES THAT AUTOMATICALLY DIRECT YOUR LIFE-ENERGY TOWARD THE CULTURAL PRIORITIES
11. OVERLOAD, BLATTO AND WHITE TAPE
These mental processes are essentially three different ways your mind closes down:
A. Overload occurs when too much cognitive information is coming into your mind without enough time to take the information in and assimilate it. The feeling of being overloaded evidences itself through headaches, nausea, yawning, sleepiness, exhaustion, floating euphoria, low grade irritation, boredom and/or inattention. People who are overloaded appear glassy eyed and slack bodied. People who are overloaded rarely recognize it in themselves and will vehemently deny the possibility when it is suggested. The strength of their denial and their unwillingness to seriously consider taking a break from whatever may be overloading them is suspiciously confirming.
B. Blatto (blaw'toe) occurs when too much emotional activity is occurring in your mind and body in too short a time or at too intense a level to be assimilated. Feelings of apathy and numbness are typical of this state. Blatto is outwardly evidenced by a loss of color in the face, blank stares, a general state of confusion and self-doubting.
C. White Tape occurs when you are thinking through some issue and, in doing so, you approach some anxiety provoking insight which threatens your image of yourself and/or the images of a significant person in your life. White tape then evidences itself when your mind goes blank. It is more than momentarily losing a thought, a white tape wipes out all mental processing. It has been likened to a T.V. screen being filled with snow. For a period of time nothing comes to mind. When you are experiencing a white tape you are simply unable to continue thinking about the issue in question.
12. MONSTERS-IN-THE-MIND
Monsters-in-the-mind evidence themselves through frightening images, thoughts and/or dreams that symbolically tell you to turn back to "the tried and the true" because you are approaching forbidden territory. Monsters-in-the-mind are triggered as you begin to Consciously confront issues which are labeled taboo by your culture. Monsters-in-the-mind reflect the terrors that were programmed into you as a child. They reflect the fears you have about what will happen if you do not behave in socially prescribed ways.
An example of these monsters-in-the-mind is when you find yourself being threatened by thoughts like, "Nobody will understand, and nobody will like you if you …" or "If I keep this up I will have no one in my life and I will grow old alone." These are culturally loaded threats designed to scare you back to the traditional ways of being, back to the "tried and true."
Monsters-in-the-mind begin to appear in very young children as cultures instill in them the fear of the dark, the fear of the bogeyman and the fear of God. They come in all shapes and forms. They make you shut your eyes to avoid seeing what you see. They close down your mind so you can not think clearly. They freeze your body so you are paralyzed back into the old ways of behaving. Some of the disguises these monsters-in-the-mind wear are listed below.
- Cowardice - Fear of encountering the unknown
- Embarrassment - Fear of appearing foolish
- Shame - Fear of being known
- Guilt - Fear of not measuring up
- Ignorance - Fear of appearing stupid
- Confusion - Fear of not having all the answers
Monsters-in-the-mind let you know you are Consciously entering territory that will take you too far from the mainstream of your socially acquired belief systems and behaviors. Monsters-in-the-mind will try to frighten you out of Consciously evaluating your culture’s myths and traditions. If they are strong enough, monsters-in-the-mind can unconsciously chain you to behavior which will continue to violate your Integrity and deplete your quality of Life.
CORRECTIVE ACTION: When you are being bullied by your monsters-in-the-mind recognize them for what they are and find the courage to challenge your fears. Know that if you surrender to your fears they will direct your behavior and control your life.
SUMMARY OF MENTAL PROCESSES THAT AUTOMATICALLY DIRECT YOUR LIFE-ENERGY TOWARD THE CULTURAL PRIORITIES
These, then, are a few of the many mental processes that interfere with your ability to Consciously take in the world around you and Consciously assess for yourself what will or will not violate your Integrity, what will add and/or detract from your quality of Life. If you are astute you will find one or all of these mental processes triggered in yourself as you expose yourself to this websit because some of the information here may threaten the images you have of yourself, others and life. This website requires you to reevaluate the ways you think and live.
We can only speculate on the reasons why Nature gave us the capacity for all this potentially Self-destructive mental activity. One possibility is that in primitive cultures these mental processes were aligned with Nature's Intent because they continually directed individuals back to the group, and back to the time-tested ways that afforded individuals more opportunities to maximize Life.
Perhaps these mental processes only become Self-detrimental when the culture matures and enters an age of transition and culture lag. Whatever their intended usefulness, in an age of transition, these mental processes, especially if we are unaware of them, make you the victim of your own distorted reality.