Why Is Any Of This Important ... Values|Part 2:

Mornin' all'ya'all ... Let me begin by picking up from yesterday's blog comments, Values|Part 1. One of the massive distinctions I made in that posting was about how Graves Model - Fours and Fives notice for transgressions ... what jumps out from the background for Fours and Fives. Fundamentally, I propose that Fours notice most for mistakes in judgement, and when they find them punish transgressors harshly. In the same vein, I propose that Fives notice most for lack of decisiveness and/or action, and they punish harshly for that particular type of transgression. Of course, in the case of both Fours and Fives these 'transgressions' are particular ways of describing events through very specific and particular filters built on the value set held. Extending the conversation that accompanied this observation, about the structure and form of Northern European style educational systems, the value set held by any particular group or individual will be highly influenced by the context in which they mature. Part of accepting that we are social beings includes acknowledging we live a a kind of ubiquitous social soup that to us remains largely invisibile. The stock that forms this soups can be said to be mostly comprised of the beliefs held by the group/culture/society that are then inculcated in the individuals who in turm comprise the group/culture/society. In many ways it could be said we most know who we are in relation to the group/culture/society we belong to and are a part of ... in fact as much as the group/culture/society forms us, we in turn reinforce and reform it as well.

If we truly want to know ourselves, we must first know the group/culture/society within which we have been formed.

The values we hold are often not our own, but rather those we have been told are how the world simply "is" ... fait accompli. For all intents and purposes the 'reality' we are presented with becomes our reality ... THE REALITY! This illusion ... maya ... becomes real when we accept it as real, regardless of the evidence perception overrides any extant experience.

Virtually all value sets, regardless of what they are or who holds them, are built on the premise of very specific and particular illusions accepted and held as being real as defined by some particular group/culture/society.

When we unmask the group/culture/society as defined by the illusions they hold, we free ourselves from the power of the illusions that are expressed as values within that group/culture/society. This experience of becoming free begins the movement towards liberation from illusion ... those that have been manufactured and imposed upon us by the group/culture/society in which we have been born and live as well as those that we ourselves have manufactured (or helped to manufacture). If you wish to notice for the illusion, first begin to notice for context ... NOT CONTENT. Context holds the key for what content represents. Only from context can and does meaning get ascribed to content. When you first read the context and only then read the content as the figure residing on the ground of that particular context you have begun to separate substance from style. Each position within the Graves Model of defining social value sets by default also holds the skeleton key to unlocking the context within which content will be read within that position. What something means within that context will always be in relation to the value set that forms the filters of perception. In relative terms the extant experience will be meaningless.

Any and all the information you need and/or desire exists, people cannot help but to give themselves and their positions away in every breath, the choice to notice or not remains open for you to choose.

One of my favorite authors, Frank Herbert of the DUNE series, observed that noticing for a liar requires no special training or skill ... only the willingness to pay attention to rote repetition ... the same phrasing or expression used again and again exposing the lie of commission. I'd only add to that noticing for equivocation will add to your expertise in teasing out those amoung us who scheme for themselves often housed in the lie of ommission. Thanks for today ... Joseph Riggio, Social Onotologist Princeton, NJ PS - I'd love to here from you about the value of these blog posts for/to you ... are they useful in some way? PPS - I'd also love it if you do think these posts are useful to feel free to spread the word about them them to anyone you think would benefit from the reading ... send them here to read them online or copy them out and send them along in an email directly if you prefer ... either way you already have my thanks. PPPS - If you haven't yet readi it here's a link to Amazon.com for DUNE the book ... enjoy! (WARNING! Reading the DUNE series can be addictive ... proceed with due caution.)