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No one is perfect and that is OK. What is essential
is that we each enjoy compassion for ourself so we are better able to
acknowledge the vagaries and challenges of the human condition with
humility and humour.
We all retain elements of psychosis (the inability
to reflect reality) and psychopathy (the inability to enjoy compassion).
Reality here refers to the universal continual change, of which we are
part and need act as stewards of our actions.
We each also have ingenious capacities for self-deceit and for
creating incredibly sophisticated systems denying our roles as stewards
amidst change. This denial
is reflected in our use of symbols and the symbol we each form for our
audience.
Modern corporations are founded in this self-deceit
and denial. They are legislated to have the rights but not the
responsibilities of individuals and in this they are the perfect
manifestation of the elements of psychosis and psychopathy that reside
in us all. Some even describe themselves as “energy corporations”
and “power companies”, which is the ultimate denial of
stewardship/change. This denial is also generated and reflected in our
media and education corporations. Thus modern corporations are a
profound source of symbols used in denial of stewardship/change.
         
Human beings tend to assimilate the social mores
and reflect those around them. Thus if you work for a modern corporation
and/or you are influenced by our media and teachers, then you are
vulnerable to using symbols in denial. This is because the lifestyles of
those that thrive in these institutions tend to be very unsustainable.
Most, at a primal level, retain a sense of what behaviour is
sustainable. Contradictions between this deep ideal and their actions
tend to be manifest in symbol uses that simultaneously reflect and
disguise the dissonance.
Perhaps the most vulnerable people of are those who
describe themselves as “environmental activists” and members of the
Green Movement. This is because any contradiction between their actions
and their enhanced awareness of the impact of their activities on
sustaining flows and balances tends to generate enhanced dissonance and
the need for denial.
    
Their vulnerability is also enhanced
by the fact that they form role models at the most pivotal points of
societal change – a fact well recognised and exploited by corporation
strategists. Worse - environmental activists are often dependent on the
corporations for funding and general support.
  
This is not to say any of these people are
necessarily liars and hypocrites. Rather it is a reminder we are all
capable of ingenious self-deceits and acting in ways that are less than
our ideal.
And nor is it a call to condemn others for their
self-deceits and denial. Rather it is a reminder that if they are our
employers, providers, informers and teachers then it is helpful to be
mindful we are vulnerable to their dissonance and denial too.
Above all it is a reminder that we have guides in the
great principles of physics that enable us to transcend our
vulnerability and employ sustaining symbols.
Page last updated:
Aug 2010
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