Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan Posted May 16, 2013 what is the secret to being (ultra) smart?Well how about i ask this in return:What is the need for being (ultra) smart? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manitou Posted May 16, 2013 what is the secret to being (ultra) smart? Â Well how about i ask this in return: Â Â What is the need for being (ultra) smart? Â Â I think you're absolutely right. It depends on what we consider 'smart'. Is it facts we carry around in our heads? Is it our ability to think through something logically? Does it involve intuition and non-quantitative elements? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan Posted May 16, 2013 i think the ultimately smartest thing a person can think is to leave people to their free will, so long as it harms no one.Be they stupid, be they brilliant, be they man, be they animal. leave them be. That is (ultra) smart... in my opinion... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hydrogen Posted May 16, 2013 From a reincarnationist perspective, IQ should be largely derived from thinking patterns, the latter of which are developed over multiple lifetimes--not dictated by the genes one is bequeathed with at conception. Â Is that possible that "thinking patterns" can be part of "gene" as well? Â 98% of DNA is consider "junk" and not studied by scentists. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Neophyte Posted May 16, 2013 Is that possible that "thinking patterns" can be part of "gene" as well? Â 98% of DNA is consider "junk" and not studied by scentists. In a materialist perspective, I think you may be right. Our intellects develop mostly during our childhoods and teenage years, when our bodies are still growing. Most people mistake our intellects as being something we each have, as if it's a trait (or set of traits), similar to eye color, finger length, etc. Moreover, they mistakenly think that our genes give us this substance (this intellect). They perceive it as something we have, or as if intellect is a reservoir from which we draw our ideas, memories, mathematical skills, etc. I think that our genes just set the trajectories of our minds. Over years of following those trajectories, each of us ends up in different places, which is outwardly perceived as being different levels of intellect (IQ). Some people get bogged down with inferior thinking patterns, and end up getting called "stupid." Others end up geniuses. As each of us follows these trajectories, we shape our respective brains. So, from my perspective, someone who is stupid has the equal potential to a genius (because intellect is not a "thing"). A stupid person has just been hindered by following the wrong trajectories. By changing those trajectories, he can in theory end up a genius, by reshaping his brain, by changing the way he thinks at a more and more fundamental level. Â So genes set trajectories; they don't bequeath intelligence. Â The damage to reincarnation notions is that our thinking patterns should be developed over lifetimes, not reset to different trajectories each time we are born. I'd really like to believe in reincarnation, but to think that something as fundamental as our thinking patterns is changed, each time we are born, in consequence of the genes we were given, is very vexing to me. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manitou Posted May 16, 2013 You could say that the separate trajectories create separate universes. Apparently we all meet somewhere in the center, as a spinning gyro or something. My guess is that the center focal point at which we meet is Love and Oneness, the rest an illusion based on senses. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tatsumaru Posted May 16, 2013 (edited) This is becoming quite not what I wanted it to be... Bunch of people selling their ideas about life to each other. Â How can you ask "What's the need of being super smart ?". There is obviously no need. There is no need for anything. Nothing is wrong and no goal is useful. There is no good and there is no wrong. There is no purpose to life, there is no God. I want to be super smart because I enjoy the idea of being so. Nothing more nothing less. Â You just talk too much. You can't seem to focus. Instead every one of you is trying to prove himself wiser and more spiritual than the rest. Quite sad actually. Â I will stop following this thread now as it has become useless. Good luck and be well. Edited May 16, 2013 by Tatsumaru Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hydrogen Posted May 16, 2013 So genes set trajectories; they don't bequeath intelligence. Â I think you overlooked the obvious. You can't teach a money how to speak. Why? They have different gene. The gene does indeed effect intelligence. Â The problem you have is you think there is only one path to be "smart" and only one standard of "smart". Â I don't see how the gene theory is in conflict with reincarnation theory, which you seem to think the case. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
liminal_luke Posted May 16, 2013 (edited) i think the ultimately smartest thing a person can think is to leave people to their free will, so long as it harms no one. Â Â Â For me, it's relatively easy to leave people to their free will when their actions harm no one. Things get trickier--require more intelligence--when people's actions do harm some one. Is it still best to leave them to their own free will? What if the person they are harming is themselves? What if it's your significant partner and the person they are harming is you? Â If the intelligence fairy would grant me a wish this is the cognitive kindness I'd ask for: to know how to negotiate interpersonal gridlocks where my desire and somebody else's clash-- without controlling or allowing myself to be controlled. Edited May 16, 2013 by liminal_luke 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan Posted May 16, 2013 Things get trickier--require more intelligence--when people's actions do harm some one. Is it still best to leave them to their own free will? What if the person they are harming is themselves? What if it's your significant partner and the person they are harming is you? Â Â Â Â Act from the heart. no intellect necessary. When the actions of another person harm others, do nothing. when others make apparent their dis-consent to this harm, step in and END it. if you are resisted, do not fight, simply use as much effort against the attacker as is used against you. if you have no choice but to kill them in order to end the conflict, they brought it upon themselves by initiating violence. NEVER initiate violence. you'd be wrong. Â Â Â If the person is harming themselves, only they have the will of consent in the matter, and unless they accept what help you offer, there is naught a thing that can be done to help them but to do as they ask. this may seem subserviant, but if your aim is to heal them and help them, then so long as they ask nothing of you that is violent or infringing upon the free will of another person, then why NOT follow their plans? If their plans result in harm, point it out and if they care, they will reevaluate their plans. you are always free to offer advice if it is sought. But you cannot enforce anything on a person. ever. Â If your partner is hurting you, then you need to establish communication and find resolution or dump their sorry ass in the sewer where they belong and go home. dont look back. If you dont mind the hurt and pain, if they are worth it, then you are beside yourself. Â Â The law of free will is too simple to expect me to keep explaining it to everyone. honestly, what's so hard to understand? it's self evident! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mYTHmAKER Posted May 16, 2013 I don't deny my own existence. Â I don't know what kind of "God" power you have to make think you're "God". Â The only power I have is to confirm my own existence. My birth is real, my dad and mom are real, my ex SO is real, my kids are real, every one and everything I've ever encountered, read, or heard are real. My life is true, my history is true, whatever I've got is true. Such Whatever circumstances I am in is the truth. Â That's the only thing I have, nobody can take away from me. LOL I don't and didn't claim to have any God power. I wasn't trying to make you think i am God. Didn't you read my original post or were you too busy focusing your response. There is no need to be defensive. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
teknix Posted May 16, 2013 LOL I don't and didn't claim to have any God power. I wasn't trying to make you think i am God. Didn't you read my original post or were you too busy focusing your response. There is no need to be defensive. Â Jeeze man, clam down, you don't gotta be on such a ego trip all the time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan Posted May 17, 2013 Jeeze man, clam down, you don't gotta be on such a ego trip all the time. Â the second one, myth. too busy. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
teknix Posted May 17, 2013 "smart" is just another silly label people give to other people, some choose to carry it around, some flaunt it, and others don't accept the gift realizing it is really a TRAP! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan Posted May 17, 2013 Pretty much! intellect is highly overrated Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mYTHmAKER Posted May 17, 2013 Jeeze man, clam down, you don't gotta be on such a ego trip all the time. interesting you interpret this as an ego trip. I will take your advice and clam down Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
teknix Posted May 17, 2013 (edited) Sarcasm lost in transcription. Edited May 17, 2013 by teknix Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thelerner Posted May 17, 2013 This is becoming quite not what I wanted it to be... Bunch of people selling their ideas about life to each other. Â How can you ask "What's the need of being super smart ?". There is obviously no need. There is no need for anything. Nothing is wrong and no goal is useful. There is no good and there is no wrong. There is no purpose to life, there is no God. I want to be super smart because I enjoy the idea of being so. Nothing more nothing less. Â You just talk too much. You can't seem to focus. Instead every one of you is trying to prove himself wiser and more spiritual than the rest. Quite sad actually. Â I will stop following this thread now as it has become useless. Good luck and be well. That's why I only discuss the Big Questions with Myself. I don't necessarily get smart answers but it's easier to tell myself 'Shut up you idiot' then others . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PLB Posted May 17, 2013 (edited) edited Edited May 17, 2013 by PLB Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manitou Posted May 17, 2013 Sarcasm lost in transcription. Â Not really, lol. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hydrogen Posted May 17, 2013 Didn't you read my original post or were you too busy focusing your response. . Â Which one is the original post? I have no idea. Â Response? That's only thing I have been trained to do. Â When I generate an original idea, I'll let you know. I won't hold my breath waiting for it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mYTHmAKER Posted May 17, 2013 Which one is the original post? I have no idea. Â Response? That's only thing I have been trained to do. Â When I generate an original idea, I'll let you know. I won't hold my breath waiting for it. My original post was really inane - I deleted it as it is not worth repeating - Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mYTHmAKER Posted May 17, 2013 Here we are trying to say the unsayable. I agree, we are God, as it were. Putting aside my huge ego for a moment i was speaking of the idea of what the physical world is made of. Different vibrations of the same thing. Can you think of one thing, one person , one animal, that is separate. Once this is understood without mind we are. something like that Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gettodachopper69 Posted May 17, 2013 We need to keep this topic alive with relevant conversations and information. Please take the side discussions to another post on the forum. I am really committed to pursuing this goal of ulta-high intelligence and I am hoping that some other people here are willing to pursue this as well. If you don't agree with this goal, instead of arguing, put your time and energy into something that does matter to you and you will probably be far happier and have better self-esteem pursuing something worthwhile instead of trying to save face and defend the ego.  http://www.mind-trek.com/reports/tl11.htm  I found this article. Old, but has some great points.  HOW TO INCREASE YOUR INTELLIGENCE © Copyright 1994 By Frederick Mann, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Dedication This report is dedicated to Dr. Win Wenger, to my knowledge the world's foremost increaser of intelligence. Win Wenger, Ph.D. is the founder of The Institute of Visual Thinking, Project Renaissance, and Psychegenics Press. To a considerable extent, the principles advocated in these Reports, as a solution to individual and world problems, are a result of the application of some of the phenomenally powerful creativity- and intelligence-increasing techniques developed by Dr. Wenger. I first made contact with Dr. Wenger about seven years ago. I immediately started practicing his techniques. I quickly started generating creative solutions to all kinds of problems. For several months, Dr. Wenger and I engaged in a sometimes heated dialog on the subject of "government." Over the ensuing years I continued to generate ever more sophisticated solutions, including some solutions to the problems of marketing and implementing "solutions." At a certain point I realized that a "solution" is no solution, unless you can profitably and viably produce, market, distribute, and implement it. Our organization seems to be a solution that meets these criteria. Note This report should be read in conjunction with Report #15: How to Achieve Ultimate Success. Reports #11 and #15 really cover facets of the same territory. At some level, most of our publications are attempts to increase intelligence... Also, this report is incomplete. It's a report that can never be completed. I will probably forever find more aspects of intelligence-increase that need to be added. Introduction "Freedom Technology" is one of our key concepts. Freedom Technology consists of the practical knowledge, methods, skills, and techniques to live free. It includes the means used to defend yourself and your property against criminal intrusion by agents of coercion (often masquerading as "government"), as well as the means to counter-attack, if necessary and expedient. Ultimately, Freedom Technology also includes the methods to blow away the bogus power of agents of coercion. A very important part of Freedom Technology is the development of your own creativity and intelligence, coupled with the transcendence of any self-imposed mental, psychological, or emotional limitations you may be subject to. Dr. Wenger's work constitutes an important means to achieve the purpose expressed in the previous sentence. I highly recommend his techniques. By all means call or write him for information: Win Wenger, Ph.D., PO Box 332, Gaithersburg, MD 20884; (301) 948-1122. Essentially, Dr. Wenger teaches thinking skills. By practicing the thinking skills he advocates, you not only increase your intelligence, you also generate creative solutions to all kinds of personal and other problems. Defining Intelligence My Webster's defines "intelligence" as: "the ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situations; the skilled use of reason; the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate one's environment or to think abstractly." It defines "intelligence test" as "a test designed to determine the relative mental capacity of a person." Intelligence could also be simply defined as the ability to solve problems. As I indicated in Report #05A: The Nature of Freedom, definitions result in consequences. I think we need a much more powerful definition of intelligence. For example, intelligence is the ability to produce desirable results. "Desirable results" by whose standards? Desirable results in the eye of the beholder. My intelligence is my ability to produce desirable results according to my standards. And - because I live in an interdependent world - if nobody else thinks my results are desirable, then I have a problem. One way of describing my occupation is that I'm in the business of producing and selling information. A desirable result for me is that enough people buy my information so I can live from the proceeds. Another desirable result is that people call or write to praise my information. Yet another is that people take it upon themselves to help me sell my information. I am thrilled when people tell me how they implement my information to improve their lives and affairs. A long-term desirable result is that my information helps to bring about a quantum jump in human maturity - see Report #15: How to Achieve Ultimate Success. Take another look at my bold new definition, "intelligence is the ability to produce desirable results." What's wrong with this definition? I'll tell you. What use is an ability if it's not being actively applied to produce desirable results? Let me propose a more powerful definition: intelligence is the combination of actions that produce desirable results. Thinking is one of these actions. Intelligence, as I define it, includes the combination of all the other actions that actually produce desirable results. And what is an "intelligence test?" Life is an intelligence test. You are intelligent to the extent that your life consists of desirable results you produce. The relevance of traditional "IQ" tests is very limited. Some psychologists say that IQ tests primarily test the ability to perform in IQ tests! The Most Powerful Intelligence Increaser In order to produce more desirable results, we need to learn. In general, we live in a world in which things either get better or worse. Things seldom remain the same. If we stop learning we can expect that our ability to solve problems and produce desirable results gradually diminishes - our intelligence declines. By continuing to learn, we increase our ability to solve problems and produce desirable results - our intelligence increases. But there is a much more powerful intelligence increaser. Imagine that every week - or even every day - you could find at least one little thing that accelerates your rate of learning. Think about it. Imagine that today you can find something that enables you to learn new things faster than you did yesterday. Tomorrow you can find something that enables you to learn new things faster than today. Try and imagine what kinds of things might be able to accelerate your rate of learning day by day. As you read this report, try to identify things you can apply to accelerate your rate of learning. The Twenty-Two Elements of Intelligence One way of defining something is to list its components. Fecundity or fruitfulness is a measure of the usefulness of a definition. I propose the following twenty-two elements of intelligence as a most fruitful definition: Belief Health Consciousness Knowledge / wisdom Learning Communication / feedback / feedforward Skills Integration Creativity Imagination Freedom / change / flexibility / adaptability Conation Brainpower Self-discipline / self-control Self-dependence Business dynamics Leadership Mastermind Success Love Life - biological or physical immortality Semantics. 1. Belief In Changing Belief Systems with NLP, Robert Dilts wrote: "Our beliefs are a very powerful force on our behavior. It is common wisdom that if someone really believes he can do something he will do it, and if he believes something is impossible no amount of effort will convince him that it can be accomplished. ...Our beliefs about ourselves and what is possible in the world around us greatly impact our day-to-day effectiveness. All of us have beliefs that serve as resources as well as beliefs that limit us... Our beliefs can shape, effect or even determine our degree of intelligence, health, relationships, creativity, even our degree of happiness and personal success." Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) could be described as the science of personal representational systems. The human brain can be described as a simulator. Something goes on in the brain that attempts to mimic, copy, simulate, or represent what's going on "out there." In our brain we have "something" that represents (or attempts to!) ourselves and what's out there. This "something" is a representational system or a structure of beliefs. Robert Dilts's book deals with the nature of belief systems and procedures for changing them.  "Is there a something, a force, a factor, a power, a science - call it what you will - which a few people understand and use to overcome their difficulties and achieve outstanding success?... When I started out years ago to teach this science through the medium of lectures and my brochure, I wasn't certain that it could be or would be grasped by the ordinary individual; but now that I have seen those who have used it double and triple their incomes, build their own successful businesses, acquire homes in the country, and create sizable fortunes, I am convinced that any intelligent person who is sincere with himself can reach any heights he desires." - Claude M. Bristol, The Magic of Believing. The first area to tackle, if you would increase your intelligence, is the domain of your beliefs about yourself. If you believe, like some psychologists might tell you, that your intelligence is a fixed quantity you cannot change... Mr. Bristol also wrote: "I am cognizant of the fact that there are powerful forces at work in this country that would dominate us, substituting a kind of regimentation for the competitive system which has made America great among nations. They would attempt to destroy individual thinking and initiative, cherished ever since our Pilgrim Fathers established this country in defiance of Old World tyranny. I believe that we must continue to retain the wealth of spirit of our forefathers, for if we don't we shall find ourselves dominated in everything we do by a mighty few and shall become serfs in fact if not in name. Thus this work is written also to help develop individual thinking and doing." In Changing Belief Systems with NLP, Robert Dilts identifies six levels of belief: Spiritual - "Trans-Mission" Identity - Who? - Mission Beliefs/Values - Why? - Motivation Capabilities - How? - Direction Behaviors - What? - Action Environment - Where? When? - Reaction, Boundaries, Constraints. On each of these levels we have beliefs. I have a friend who in several letters has written to me "I'm just a dumb dentist." Even if something like this is said jokingly, it probably reflects a deep-seated belief. I believe most of us can become considerably more intelligent by changing our beliefs, by finding out who we really are (See Report #04: How to Find Out Who You Are), by adopting the most workable values, by developing those capabilities most congruent with our identity, by constantly seeking to do more than we think we can, and by creating our environment to satisfy our needs. 2. Health See Report #09: How to Achieve Superhealth. 3. Consciousness The Report: How To Increase Your Consciousness, provides essential information on consciousness, thus I strongly recommend reading (or re-reading) it, before continuing further into this section, which continues on from there... Mr. Stout sent me a lengthy critique of the above mentioned Report, wherein he described it as "a delusionary fantasy," then proceeded to argue whether each aspect of it was "right" or "wrong." He concluded that it was worthless and recommended that I remove it altogether. At first I experienced some dismay at some of my writing being so severely criticized. Then I experienced a thrill that someone would go to such length - he had probably invested many hours of his time - to critique my work. My greatest leap in intelligence was stimulated by Dr. Julian Jaynes's book, The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, which I regard as the single most important book on psychology which I know. My leap in intelligence occurred as I shifted my focus from "proving that I'm right" to producing results. Before this shift, I probably would either have filed away Mr. Stout's critique, or I would have attempted to systematically refute all his arguments. Having made the shift, I asked myself, "What would be the ideal result I could achieve?" The result I wanted most was for Mr. Stout to also critique some of my other writings, thereby assisting me to improve them. So I wrote to Mr. Stout thanking him for his letter, and for his time and effort spent in analyzing the Report; and indicated that I'd like his correspondence with me to continue, because I think we could all benefit - even if we continue to disagree on certain issues. I also described my objectives for our continued interaction, and suggestions on the manner in which it could be best conducted, and that I would appreciate his questions, comments, and suggestions. If I hadn't made this shift, I could have interpreted his letter as an unwarranted attack, and responded in kind, writing back to him how wrong he was. That may have ended our relationship. There are many factions in the freedom movement - Patriots, Conservatives, Libertarians, Objectivists, Neo-Tech readers, Anarchists, War Tax Resisters, Syndicalists, Survivalists, Voluntaryists, etc. There are huge differences between factions concerning what is and isn't freedom, and the means to achieve freedom. Some of the factions regard other factions as "enemies." People in such factions tend to believe that their faction is the "only faction," for example, Dr. Wallace has written an article, "Why Neo-Tech will succeed while all other systems must fail." We need to build bridges between the factions. We should recognize that freedom will expand as a result of a combination of many strategies and tactics, battles fought on many fronts. One of the first steps is to identify our most fundamental philosophic and semantic beliefs and assumptions. We can recognize that we adhere to these different basic "to-us-axioms." Then we can ask, "On what basis can we cooperate, despite our different basic to-us-axioms?" This is essentially a thinking skill we can use to bring about worthwhile cooperation with others for mutual benefit, despite the fact that we may continue to disagree about any number of to-us-axioms (self-evident truths). "External Authority" Syndrome Julian Jaynes points out that human beings have a kind of "need" for seeking out "external authorities." This "need" for "external authorities" is actually a vestige of the bicameral mind. Traces of bicameralism can still be found in modern humans in various forms such as the urge to consult an "oracle" for guidance (e.g., astrology and tarot card readings); the "need" to belong to a group (e.g., church, cult, etc.); the belief in a messiah figure (e.g., followers of David Koresh and Jim Jones); the belief in "gurus," "gods," "popes," "prophets," "diviners," "demon possession," "Ouija boards," "worshipping," "praying," etc.; and particularly in areas of uncertainty. I suggest you study Jaynes's The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind and start examining yourself for signs of the "External Authority" Syndrome. As a child I lost respect for my parents as authorities of knowledge and wisdom at a very early age. I didn't trust any of my teachers as authorities either. I went to the library to learn for myself. By the time I reached my early twenties I had a profound disrespect for all fake authority figures: religious, political, professional, police, military, philosophical, psychological, etc. Consider the possibility that the world's coercive institutions (so-called "governments") are a mirror of the most prevalent primitive structures of individual consciousness. The so-called "laws" of a "country" are the primitive bicameral "voices of the gods" that "must be obeyed." Political and religious institutions are structured on the assumption that people can't think for themselves and must be told what to do and what not to do in the form of "laws" and other directives. People are expected to obey "external authorities" rather than think for themselves. Do people believe in "government" to the extent that their mentality is stuck in the archaic, bicameral, hallucinatory past? One of Jaynes's chapters is titled "The Quest for Authorization." He writes: "We, at the end of the second millennium A.D., are still in a sense deep in this transition to a new mentality. And all about us lie the remnants of our recent bicameral past. We have our houses of gods which record our births, define us, marry us, and bury us, receive our confessions and intercede with the gods to forgive us our trespasses. Our laws are based upon values which without their divine pendancy would be empty and unenforceable. Our national mottoes and hymns of state are usually divine invocations. Our kings, presidents, judges, and officers begin their tenures with oaths to the now silent deities taken upon the writings of those who have last heard them..." Some of the strongest independent evidence in support of Jaynes's thesis can be found in the brilliant classic by William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience (written around 1900). James recounts numerous religious experiences as reported by many subjects. Many reports are of the nature, "It was as if God was in my head, talking to me..." Example: "God is quite real to me. I talk to him and often get answers. Thoughts sudden and distinct from any I have been entertaining come to my mind after asking God for his direction. Something over a year ago I was for some weeks in the direst perplexity. When the trouble first appeared before me I was dazed, but before long (two or three hours) I could hear distinctly a passage of Scripture: 'My grace is sufficient for thee.' Every time my thoughts turned to the trouble I could hear this quotation. I don't think I ever doubted the existence of God, or had him drop out of my consciousness. God has frequently stepped into my affairs very perceptibly, and I feel that he directs many little details all the time. But on two or three occasions he has ordered ways for me very contrary to my ambitions and plans." Based on my reading, the evidence for Jaynes's thesis is overwhelming - probably much stronger than he himself realizes - he may not have read James. In my opinion, Jaynes's major error is that he regards modern man as conscious, when most of us are half-asleep most of the time - see also Report #15: How to Achieve Ultimate Success. 4. Knowledge / Wisdom Knowledge is what you know; wisdom is what you do with what you know to produce desirable results. Knowledge is a minor element of intelligence. Wisdom is intelligence as I define it. Individualist Philosophy is my synthesis and integration of some of the writings of a number of thinkers listed below, together with my own insights. "Philosophy" is used here in a wide sense to include the topics below. As the foundation of thought and action, philosophy is crucial to intelligence. Here is a summary of Individualist Philosophy: (a) Human Nature: Individuals are naturally free and sovereign, whether they realize it or not. Every individual is free and sovereign because he/she and only he/she controls the life-energy that animates his/her brain and body. This individual control of life-energy constitutes choice or free will. The most important factor that distinguishes humans from other life forms is our ability to reason or think. Sources: Rose Wilder Lane (The Discovery of Freedom); Harry Browne (How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World); Ronald E. Merril (The Ideas of Ayn Rand). (Ethics: The values of ethics derive obviously from human nature. Respect individuals and their property - expanded as our Basic Principles For Civilization (Report #01). Do what works, subject to respecting individuals and their property: "qualified pragmatism." Practice "compassionate selfishness." Manifest your freedom; find the practical ways to live morally and free. Develop your thinking skills (reason). Become as productive as possible. Develop your fullest potential; become the best you can possibly be (self-actualization). Sources:Murray Rothbard (For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto); William James (Pragmatism and four essays from The Meaning of Truth); Robert Fritz (The Path of Least Resistance), Ayn Rand (The Virtue of Selfishness); David Seabury (The Art of Selfishness); Abraham Maslow (The Further Reaches of Human Nature). © Politics: All coercive political systems contrary to individual freedom are fraudulent hoaxes. Although there is more to it, the following two sentences basically refute all the "government-is-necessary-to-do-X" arguments. Government consists of people. When anyone says "government is necessary to do X," they are really saying "people are necessary to do X." See the article: On Government for more detail. Sources: Éttiene de la Boétie (Discourse on Voluntary Servitude); Lysander Spooner (The Constitution of No Authority);Friedrich Nietzsche (Thus Spoke Zarathustra). (d) Ontology: For optimum survival we operate as if there is an objective reality independent of the individual. When we see a bus coming at us, we get out of the way or get flattened. Nevertheless, each individual has a unique experience and interpretation of objective reality. Source: Hans Vaihinger (The Philosphy of As-If). Consider the ancient conundrum, "Does the tree that falls over in the forest make a sound if there's nobody to hear it?" Common sense tells us that a falling tree produces soundwaves, whether or not anyone with an ear is available to receive the soundwaves. The answer to the conundrum depends on how we define "sound." I regard a soundwave as "potential sound." For sound to occur there has to be an ear coupled with a brain to convert the soundwave into sound. An important principle, central to Individualist Philosophy is reflected here. I call it the principle of "tacit personal creation." Generally, we are not aware of how we use our ears and brains to convert soundwaves into sound. The principle of tacit personal creation applies to all perception. Perception is an active act of creation. (e) Semantics: Meaning is individual; symbols in themselves have no meaning; words don't have meanings; people have meanings for words. In fact, different people often have different meanings for the same words. (The notion that there is "objective meaning" independent of the individual, denies the centrality of the individual - collectivist semantics?) Sources: C.K. Ogden (Bentham's Theory of Fictions); Alfred Korzybski (Science and Sanity); also Reports #50A and #50C. Meaning is created by each individual in accordance with the principle of tacit personal creation. The same applies to our emotions. We each, individually, create our emotions in response to our perceptions and our interpretations (meanings) of our perceptions. Generally, we are completely unaware of the procedures we use to create our emotions. (f) Epistemology: Knowledge is individual. Knowledge develops from the interaction of the individual with other individuals and with objective reality. The acquisition of knowledge follows the principle of tacit personal creation. Knowledge is partially subjective (individually created) and partially objective (reflecting objective reality). Potential knowledge can be transmitted in the form of objective symbols. This potential knowledge only becomes knowledge when an individual who has meanings for the symbols interprets them. (The notion that there is "objective knowledge" independent of the individual, denies the centrality of the individual - collectivist epistemology?) All knowledge has a degree of probability of being correct - the likelihood that its application will produce predictable results. In general, multi-valued "probability thinking" is more powerful than two-valued "right-wrong" thinking.Sources: Richard Gelwick (The Way of Discovery: An Introduction to the Thought of Michael Polanyi); Michael Polanyi (Personal Knowledge: Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy). (g) Psychology: Consciousness is a continuum. Individuals need to raise their consciousness, increase their intelligence, discover their unique individuality, increase their competence to become the best they can be, achieve emotional control, and in general focus on continual improvement and maturing. There is a major domain of knowledge below our awareness, called "tacit knowledge" by Michael Polanyi - for example, the knowledge used to ride a bicycle and how we create emotions. Generally we don't have the means to articulate this knowledge. Through the application of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), much of the "tacit domain" can be articulated and made conscious, resulting in greatly increased competence. Sources: Julian Jaynes (The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind); Dilts, Grinder, Bandler, DeLozier (Neuro-Linguistic Programming: Volume 1 - The Study of the Structure of Subjective Experience); Aaron T. Beck (Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders); Martin E.P. Seligman (Learned Optimism); Win Wenger (numerous publications on intelligence-increase). (h) Freedom Technology: Nathaniel Branden (former associate of Ayn Rand) drew attention to the need for a 'how-to' methodology ("para-ethics") for people who want to be moral in an immoral world. Freedom Technology (see Report #01), Personal Power and Business Dynamics constitute the 'how-to' methodology to maximize the degree to which we live morally in an immoral world. (i) Personal Power: Reports #10: How to Achieve and Increase Personal Power and #15: How to Achieve Ultimate Success provide some guidelines for increasing personal power. The recognition of the principle of tacit personal creation can further increase personal power and responsibility. When you realize that you personally create all your thoughts, meanings, knowledge, feelings, and emotions, you become more powerful. If you think in terms of "he upset me," you relinquish personal power. (j) Business Dynamics: By "Business Dynamics" I mean the principles and practices of real or true free enterprise, business in accordance with the maxim: respect individuals and their property. Business dynamics includes the profitable production, marketing, and distribution of valuable products and services. (Operating on the basis of a charitable organization that solicits funds for a "great cause" is contrary to Business Dynamics.) The application of Business Dynamics to expand freedom is the most intelligent way to defeat the forces of tyranny. Individuals and organizations applying Business Dynamics subject themselves to the discipline of the market - a ruthless "intelligence-increaser" - learn to swim, or sink and drown Some of the books listed above apply also to other "divisions" of philosophy. Some of the authors, particularly Rand and Nietzsche, wrote several books in addition to those listed that greatly influenced the development of my thinking. Many libertarian authors not listed also helped develop my thinking. Most of my learning about semantics came from reading the works of Korzybski's followers. The seven thinkers who have contributed most to the development of Individualist Philosophy are Ayn Rand, William James, Friedrich Nietzsche,Julian Jaynes, Alfred Korzybski, Michael Polanyi, and Abraham Maslow. Naturally, I regard them as the greatest philosophers and psychologists! 5. Learning The ability to learn is obviously central to intelligence. We can learn from all we do and don't do. It is intelligent to constantly observe what works and what doesn't work. This is a thinking skill - a pretty advanced thinking skill! Can we assume that people who seem unable to observe the difference between what works and what doesn't have a learning disability? What about people who continue to do what obviously doesn't work? What about politics? Every time you learn anything useful, you increase your intelligence. Every new word you learn increases your intelligence. When you stop learning your intelligence stagnates. You canview your life as a learning experiment. Part of the reason for doing anything could be to learn from it - every action becomes a learning experiment. In addition to thinking in terms of success and failure, you can think in terms of learning from the outcomes of each action. This is particularly important in marketing. We can think of marketing in a wide sense here. Every time we interact with another, we are in a sense involved in marketing. Some of our marketing efforts work in that they produce intended results. Others don't work so well. But most important is that we learn all we can from our marketing efforts. Blaming others is a major obstacle to learning. There is a fine line between evaluating others to determine their levels of knowledge and thinking, and denouncing them as stupid, having closed minds, etc. The blamer says, "Those people are too stupid; you can't get through to them." The learner says, "I must learn how to get through to those people at their level." Of course, for the sake of efficiency, we direct our marketing efforts at the most likely buyers or hottest prospects. We learn how to do this. How? We observe who responds favorably to our marketing efforts, and who doesn't. We observe the differences between them. We compose profiles of our buyers, and non-buyers. We learn that people with certain characteristics are more likely to buy. The most intelligent learning is never-ending. Learning needs to be self-directed. I suspect that many educational institutions brainwash their victims into believing that education is something you get from someone else, as opposed to something you do to yourself. If educational institutions are necessary at all, their first purpose should be to assist people to learn how to learn. Their second purpose should be to assist people to accelerate their rate of learning. If you haven't been reading this report, while looking for and finding ways to accelerate your rate of learning, I strongly recommend that you start doing so. You may want to review what you've already read in order to identify things you might be able to apply to accelerate your rate of learning. One thing that has probably accelerated my rate of learning more than anything else is the application of Jaynes's bicameral-mind theory.  Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gettodachopper69 Posted May 17, 2013 6. Communication / Feedback / Feedforward Some of the most powerful intelligence-increasing techniques involve expressing your most subtle perceptions to recipients in a feedback environment. One such procedure, developed by Dr. Win Wenger, is called "Image-Streaming." You close your eyes and describe whatever mental images or perceptions you spontaneously generate to a live listener. This expressive activity activates different parts of the brain at the same time and stimulates cooperation between them. According to Dr. Wenger, Santiago Ramon y Cajal is widely regarded as the father of brain anatomy. He is the author of Vertebrate Neurogenesis and The Histology of the Brain. His extensive research indicates that the physical growth and development of the brain depend on feedback to the brain's activities. To grow and develop your brain - increase your intelligence - you want to engage in activities which involve self-expression and receiving feedback. Writing these reports is thus for me a personal intelligence-increase exercise. People like Mr. Stout provide the vital feedback that helps grow and develop my brain and increases my intelligence. Making it a habit to write down or record otherwise the ideas you generate is a very important technique to increase your creativity and intelligence. What you reward gets done more. By recording your ideas, you "reward" (or re-inforce) the idea-generating activity - so you generate more ideas. I don't know if any research has been done to determine the role of feedforward in increasing intelligence. By "feedforward" I mean feeding information into the future. It's a a form of prediction, but more than prediction. It's a kind of self-fulfilling prediction. The prediction has a quality to it that makes its coming true more likely. It's creating a positive future and then having that positive future pull the present into it. (It can also be done negatively.) How to practice feedforward is a thinking skill. A superb example of feedforward was described in The Arizona Republic of February 14, 1994: "Rocky Thompson had 10 birdies in a record-tying 61 Sunday to post the biggest comeback in Senior PGA Tour history, a 1-stroke victory over Raymond Floyd... He had five birdies on each side to equal the lowest round ever shot on the Senior PGA Tour. "It's kind of funny what you can do if you just think about it," Thompson said. "If I was going to win the tournament, Saturday night I calculated that I needed to shoot 10-under par. I sat in the room for over an hour trying to figure out how to do it and get in the mental frame of mind that I could do it."" Belief in yourself and what you'll be able to achieve in the future is an example of feedforward. So is setting goals - and a business plan. Feedforward is very important in marketing. Telling people what benefits they can derive from being involved with our organization is a form of feedforward. There is a sequence involved: feedforward, self-expressive communication, feedback. Dr. Wenger has formulated a "general model of human development" along these lines. Contact him for more information - Win Wenger, Ph.D., PO Box 332, Gaithersburg, MD 20884; (301) 948-1122. 7. Skills The principles advocated by our organization are essentially true civilization - where individuals and their property are respected. To expand our civilization we need to develop intellectual and communication skills to persuade more people to abandon their violent, coercive, criminal ways. We need to develop the business skills to create voluntary institutions as civilized alternatives to our current institutional travesties. As individuals and organizations we need to develop the skills to prevent those who masquerade as "government" from destroying our rising civilization. Central to all this are the thinking skills we need to develop to raise our levels of consciousness and intelligence. A few days ago a colleague gave me a "special promotional column" from USA Today of February 1, 1994, written by Dr. Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: "I'm five years into a professional career - unsatisfied and unfulfilled. It's just not me. Where do I begin to learn where my real interests and abilities lie, and find a career at this stage of my life that taps into them? I've spoken with many, many people who feel the same way. They are putting in their time at work - busy, but running on no more than two or three of eight cylinders of capacity, and finding their real enjoyment off the job. They literally feel trapped, living out scripts and expectations that have been handed to them their whole lives by parents, friends, teachers and work associates. Years ago, as I was wandering between the stacks of books at a university library, I came across a book in which I read one of the most powerful, significant ideas I've ever encountered. The essence of it was this: "Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom." That idea hit me with unbelievable force. I reflected on it again and again. It had a powerful effect on my ideas about life. I began to discover in that space my own ability to make a consciously chosen response. The place you begin learning of your abilities and interests is in the full realization that you are neither a product of your past nor of the expectations of others. There are talents and capacities that are entirely unique to you. Though you may not yet fully detect them, most likely you have a sense of what they are. This self-awareness is one of our unique endowments and capacities we possess as human beings. Through it, we can detect our abilities and "stand apart from ourselves" to examine our thinking, our motives, our history, our scripts, our actions, and our habits and tendencies. What a powerful gift! Exercise your self-awareness by asking yourself such questions as: What do I really enjoy doing? What am I good at? What kind of activities have I been drawn to - even as a child? There may even be areas in which you have innate talents but have never developed them into a real skill... ...[T]rust yourself. Have the courage to detect, develop and use those talents that will enable you to make real contributions and that will bring you deep satisfaction..." [emphasis added] The "promotional column" provides the following contact information: Fax a question about your career to Dr. Covey to 703-276-6554; or write to USA TODAY, CAREERS, 6th fl. PRM, 1000 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22229. Receive free career leadership materials by calling the Covey Leadership Center at 1-800-255-0777; 8am-5pm MST. Humans in bicameral stage 2 (proto-conscious) are half-asleep stimulus-response machines. Most of us operate this way most of the time. The branch of psychology called Behaviorism is based on the assumption that humans are automatic stimulus-response machines. To become more conscious and intelligent, you need to delay your response - except in emergencies such as while driving, when an immediate response may be required. Dr. Covey talks about the "space between stimulus and response." By delaying your response you create that space. A.E. van Vogt has written a brilliant science fiction trilogy, as an introduction to General Semantics - The World of Null-A, The Pawns of Null-A, and Null-A Three - in which his protagonist Gilbert Gosseyn ("Go-sane") discovers himself and increases his intelligence and consciousness by shedding false beliefs about himself and practicing the "Null-A cortical-thalamic pause," which creates the space between stimulus and response. The Null-A trilogy will introduce you to a range of thinking skills vital to raising your consciousness and increasing your intelligence. 8. Integration Earlier I wrote about factions in the freedom movement. There are also many factions in philosophy and psychology. More often than not, the founder and followers of a faction believe that their faction constitutes the total answer to everything and that everybody else is wrong - typical of bicameral stage 2 proto-consciousness. Integration requires that we accept that no single faction will ever have all the answers because human perception of reality is always partial and knowledge continues to grow as we discover more. Our organization is based on identifying, integrating, and applying the most useful knowledge from as many factions as appropriate. (See Report #15: How to Achieve Ultimate Success on the "we-don't have-all-the-answers" approach.) My Webster's defines "integrate" as "to form or blend into a whole... to unite with something else... to incorporate into a larger unit..." Integration is a thinking skill. It involves taking information from different sources and perspectives and putting it together in a coherent whole. People who go through life on the basis that "my guru has all the answers" are like horses with blinkers - the true believers of bicameral stage 2. The same applies to any faction of the freedom movement that claims their approach is the only approach. Such mind-sets tend to block integration. Note that integration is implicit in my definition of intelligence: the combination of actions that produce desirable results. The more you integrate, the greater your genius! 9. Creativity Here is a powerful creative principle: Position yourself on the future path of human evolution. This is what Einstein did. With the formulation of his theory of relativity he placed himself on the future path of the evolution of the knowledge of physics. Henry Ford did the same by implementing assembly-line mass production. The concept of the Sovereign Individual follows this principle. Having "placed yourself in the future," the challenge becomes: How to "reach back into the present in order to pull others into your future." Thinking in these terms is a thinking skill. In the case of individuals living their life as free sovereign individuals, only a relatively small percentage of people are ready to be "pulled into the future." How do we find the people who are ready? 10. Imagination An image in the mind can be materialized in the physical world. At night we can imagine a result we want as already achieved. The following morning we can wake up with some of the answers as to what we have to do to achieve the result. The world's greatest achievers may be the world's greatest practical dreamers! A useful definition of an entrepreneur is a dreamer who does. 11. Freedom / Change / Flexibility / Adaptability Freedom can be regarded as the number of positive options available to you. The freer you are, the more choice you have, the more options or possible actions. Thus freedom is related to intelligence. Many things can inhibit our intelligence. For example, the certainty that a particular view is correct and all others are wrong. Increasing your intelligence depends on your willingness to change that which may inhibit your intelligence. Flexibility enables you to adapt your actions to suit specific people, situations, and events. 12. Conation One of the single most important books on increasing your intelligence - the combination of actions that produce desirable results - is The Conative Connection: Uncovering the Link between Who You Are and How You Perform by Kathy Kolbe.  "Conation (koh NAY shun) n. Conation is the area of one's active mentality that has to do with desire, volition, and striving. The related conatus (koh NAY tus) is the resulting effort or striving itself, or the natural tendency or force in one's mental makeup that produces an effort. Conative (KOHN uh tiv) is the term in psychology that describes anything relating to conation. All these words come from the Latin conatus, past participle of the verb conari (to try). The Scottish philosopher William Hamilton (1788-1856) considered conation to be one of the three divisions of the mind, the one that included desire and volition, the other two being cognition (perception, awareness) and feeling... Conation differs from velleity (the wish without the effort)." - quoted by Ms. Kolbe from 1000 Most Challenging Words. Some basic principles of Ms. Kolbe's theory of conation: Quoting Abraham Maslow: Man seeks "to be true to his own nature, to trust himself, to be authentic, spontaneous, honestly expressive, to look for the sources of his action in his own deep inner nature." And "capabilities clamor to be used and cease their clamor only when they are used sufficiently." Each individual has unique ways that work of doing certain things. "...[A]ll of us are born with unique ways of approaching everything we touch..." There are certain things we will do by nature and we will do them in certain ways. There are other things we won't do by nature. We resist doing them because we hate them. "I will" is more important than IQ. "I will" is more a driving force than "I wish." "I will" is a distinct aspect of the mind - the power of creative instinct or will - separate from thinking and feeling. The conative part of the mind was accepted as a given by thinkers such as Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Spinoza, Hobbes, Descartes, Kant, Hume, Freud, and Piaget. It's part of the center brain or "executive" brain. But, about 80 years ago, mention of the conative mind disappeared from academic literature. According to Ms. Kolbe: "The conative for these philosophers was the source of all striving, longing, ambition, and self-expression. It was the root of a person's persistence against obstacles, the very essence of the person, for it is through conation that we strive toward goals or self-actualize. And it is through the conative that one is productive, for as Hume and others point out, intellectual awareness alone cannot move us to do anything...By focusing on how people actually succeeded, as opposed to how well they followed instructions, I found that there were different knacks, or capabilities, that propelled people toward their goals. I discovered that achievement multiplied when individuals of any age or status were able to use their knacks for getting things done. These knacks, I realized were so basic that they were, in fact, instinctive - the human "wills and won'ts" that determine not what we think or feel or what we wish or hope, but how we most naturally deal with detail, with structure, with risk, and with the three-dimensional world. These creative instincts determine our most natural way of approaching problem solving, of arranging ideas or objects, and of using time and energy. I observed that people's actions clustered into four sets of behaviors, or Action Modes™, as I came to call them. The behaviors within each set did not overlap with the others and were distinguishable from them."  The four Action Modes™ are Fact Finder, Follow Thru, Quick Start, and Implementor. Each of us has a natural modus operandi (MO) which can be described in terms of how resistant, accommodating, or insistent we are in each of the Action Modes™. Through discovering our MO, we greatly increase our ability to achieve our goals - that is, our intelligence. Understanding conation is the key to understanding how thought and emotion are translated into action. For maximum productivity in organizations certain mixes of MOs are optimum. Ms. Kolbe has revealed to us a most important element of intelligence - the combination of actions that produce desirable results - that most of us, including our modern philosophers and psychologists, know nothing about. To increase your intelligence her book is an absolute must. Get it from your local bookstore or contact KolbeConcepts, Inc., 3421 N. 44th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85018; (602) 840-9770. Here's an illustration from The Arizona Republic of February 17, 1994 of why it's important to do things your own way: "Hal Sutton, again playing golf his way, shot a 9-under 63 Wednesday... Sutton, the 1983 PGA national champion and once one of golf's brightest young stars, has been in the throes of a career-threatening slump the past two seasons... Sutton, in desperation, sought help wherever he could find it. "I went to a number of guys who had me doing a number of things I was completely unable to do," he said. "I would throw all my knowledge in the waste basket... I would put myself in their hands, in effect say, 'Here I am; do with me what you will.' Finally, I went to the money (winning) list. I saw I'd won $3.3 million playing golf my way, and $100,000 playing golf their way. Which was best?" With the help of teaching pro Jimmy Ballard, Sutton has gone back to his own way of doing things..." Ms. Kolbe's second book Pure Instinct: Business' Untapped Resource has just been published. I highly recommend it. She writes: "Philosophers have generally agreed that instincts provide the force that drives natural urges. Striving Instincts are power sources, and they must find outlets. They compel us to be productive. When we function according to them, we fulfill our destinies and make our best decisions. When we act contrary to them, their power works against us. The human spirit is actualized through these instincts. Any attempt to thwart our Striving Instincts is an effort to crush our spirit. The very energy within our striving capacities will battle anything blocking free expression. Throughout history, despots have tried to limit instinct-driven action. Dictators have attempted to control freedom of speech, freedom to barter, freedom to work according to natural methods. Sooner or later every society overthrows such forms of oppression. The Chinese entrepreneur risks imprisonment to negotiate deals despite government restrictions on bartering; the writer in a totalitarian society knowingly faces punishment in order to express inner drives by putting pen to paper. All of us have a power within us that forces us to accomplish our purposes through pure instinct." 13. Brainpower There are many ways to increase your raw brainpower. For an information package, send $5 to Win Wenger, Ph.D., PO Box 332, Gaithersburg, MD 20884; (301) 948-1122. You may also want to read the book Megabrain: New Tools and Technologies for Brain Growth and Mind Expansion by Michael Hutchison. 14. Self-Discipline / Self-Control Living your life under the control of someone else or some "external authority," reduces your choices and your flexibility. By developing and increasing self-discipline and self-control, you increase your intelligence. 15. Self-Dependence If you depend on someone else, you also depend on that person's intelligence. This reduces the pressure on you to develop your own intelligence. "If you give a man a fish, he eats for one day. If you teach him to fish, he eats for the rest of his life." 16. Business Dynamics The end-result of the application of intelligence is the creation of value. The more intelligence, the more value. By "value" I mean that which aids human survival or improves the length and quality of human life. Business Dynamics tends to maximize the creation of value because individuals attempt to make choices that are mutually beneficial. Consider four modes of operation: (a) Compulsion, violence, or coercion mode; ( Charity mode; © Pseudo-business mode; (d) Business mode. The people called "government" generally tend to use compulsion, violence, coercion, and brainwashing to achieve their ends. These are called "politics." Generally, the recipients of these treatments take actions they would not take freely of their own volition. "Government" tends to be a destroyer of value. Generally people in charity mode make a promise of future value in order to obtain support in the present for their cause. Supporters are asked to make sacrifices for potential future value. There are people who practice a mixture of business and politics. Generally, they constitute the "private sector." They tend to obey and finance the people who call themselves "government." They often seek special privileges to be coercively enforced. People in pure business mode practice real or true free enterprise. They respect individuals and their property. They practice voluntary exchange. They seek to maximize value. 17. Leadership Effective leadership depends on the integration of a wide range of attitudes and skills. The following is adapted from a "Leadership Manifest" sent to me by Mr. C. Berry: (a) A Leader is Resourceful. He is a person with imagination, initiative, and fresh ideas. Because of his many plans, projects and creative ideas, he feels a kinship with Victor Hugo, who said, "I need a thousand years to do what I have in mind." A leader is ever conscious of the Biblical warning: "Where there is no vision, the people perish." Likewise, he is fully confident that where there is vision, originality and resourcefulness on the part of the leader, his efforts will ultimately bear fruit. ( A Leader is Persistent. He takes heart in the words of the great social reformer Thomas F. Buxton: "With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable." He knows that persistence is the forerunner of success, the father of victory, and the ancestor of accomplishment. A leader is constantly aware of the truth that failure comes from following the line of least persistence. When he is tempted to give up, a good leader gets his second wind. He keeps on keeping on. © A Leader is Dependable. His word is his bond, his duty is a sacred trust, and his acceptance of a position is always a forerunner of a job well done. When he accepts a position of leadership, he is more concerned with shouldering responsibility than with receiving honors. More interested in serving than in seeking, he can always be counted on, never counted out. He is consistently a man of his word. (d) A Leader is Patient. He reflects the sage advice of William James: "The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook." He realizes that patience is not only a virtue but a daily necessity, not an elective but a required course in the school of service. He is patient with others because he is at first patient with himself. He remembers this truth: the mushroom appears overnight; the giant redwood reflects the patience of centuries. (e) A Leader is Courageous. He stands for what he believes to be right, even in the midst of conflict and criticism. His physical, mental and moral courage is contagious to those around him. He dares to be an individual whose honor and integrity are respected and admired by all who know him. He represents strength to the weak, faith to the faint of heart, and confidence to the fearful. He believes in and personifies the words of Andrew Jackson: "One man with courage makes a majority." (f) A Leader is Mature. He takes his responsibilities seriously, but he is able to laugh at himself, his mistakes, and his shortcomings. A leader knows that a sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to his steps as he walks the tight wire of life. He has learned to react maturely to the immature actions of others. He measures up favorably to Dr. William C. Menninger's six criteria for the emotionally mature person: He finds greater satisfaction in giving than in receiving. He creates satisfying and permanent loyalties in give-and-take relationships. He uses his leisure creatively. He contributes to the improvement of his own home life. He learns to profit from his mistakes and his successes. He is relatively free from fears, tensions, and anxieties. (g) A Leader is Encouraging. He is generous with well-deserved praise, prompt with well-earned commendation, and ever alert to recognize and emphasize the best efforts of everyone. He knows that an ounce of sincere praise is worth a pound of fault finding. He remembers the advice of the great poet Goethe: "Correction does much, but encouragement does more. Encouragement after censure is as the sun after the shower." He inspires others to rise to new heights of achievement, to outdo themselves, to stretch, to stand on tiptoes, and to set new records of service and advancement. (h) A Leader is Adaptable. He has a plan and works his plan, but he is always wise enough to change his course or to adjust his sights when necessary. He is unafraid of dangers, difficulties, and detours. They may delay him, but they do not discourage him. He frequently uses blueprints and action plans as guideposts, but he never lets them use him. He is guided by the lessons of experience, but he is not a slave of conformity. A good leader can change his mind without sacrificing his integrity. He can adapt to new and changing circumstances without compromising his principles. (i) A Leader is Optimistic. He has a reason for every success, not an excuse for every failure. He goes out and rings bells, never gives up and wrings his hands. He turns the impossible into the possible. He pleasantly ponders how high his kite will fly, and never woefully wonders how soon his kite will fall. He sees a green near every sand trap, never a sand trap near every green. He is confident that opportunity is now here, not afraid that opportunity is nowhere. (j) A Leader is Grateful. He never takes for granted the responsibilities and opportunities that have been given to him; rather, he is grateful for the privilege of leadership. Like Cicero, a leader recognizes the truth that "a thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues." He is grateful for the gift of life, for the blessings of friendship, and the challenges and joys of leadership. (k) A Leader is Dedicated. He throws himself wholeheartedly and unreservedly into his responsibilities, and can say with Nicholas Murray Butler: "The forty-hour week has no charm for me. I'm looking for a forty-hour day!" He makes a habit of punctuality, attendance and follow-through. His motto is "Let me help," not "Let George do it." He is conscientious but not contentious, determined but not dictatorial, dedicated but not demanding. (l) A Leader is Enthusiastic. He employs the magic of enthusiasm to inspire others to believe in him, to work with him, and to follow him. He walks with a spring in his step, he works with a sparkle in his eyes, and he speaks with confidence and assurance. He accepts the challenge of Bruce Barton, who said: "If you can give your son only one gift, let it be the gift of enthusiasm." As a leader, he knows that his co-workers are in the same boat with Ralph Waldo Emerson who wrote: "What I need most is something to make me do what I can." The "something" that can inspire others to do what they can and ought to do is a leader who possesses and practices the most contagious quality in the world: Enthusiasm 18. Mastermind Two minds are better than one. The "mastermind principle" is described in the classic Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. It's possible for a group of two or more people to cooperate in such a way that the intelligence of each enhances the intelligence of the other. Thus a group can be capable of more intelligence than any individual within the group. 19. Success See Report #15: How to Achieve Ultimate Success. 20. Love Love is more intelligent than hate. Cease hating and you free yourself from negative emotional energy. Mastering Love. The basic procedure for achieving the love relationship you want is to choose it. Make a fundamental choice like "I choose to be loving and to be loved." Eliminate all blame and make-wrong. If you have not yet found your ideal partner, make a list of the qualities you want that person to have. Books on Mastering Love: Emery, Stewart: Actualizations: You Don't Have to Rehearse to Be Yourself (Doubleday, NY; 1978). Excellent how-to-manual for managing a wide range of relationships. Highly recommended. Brothers, Dr. Joyce: The Brothers System for Liberated Love and Marriage (Avon Books, NY; 1972). Useful guidance for managing a successful relationship. Brauer, Alan P. & Donna: ESO*: How You and Your Lover Can Give Each Other Hours of *Extended Sexual Orgasm (Warner Books, NY; 1983). Excellent how-to manual. Duck, Steve: Friends, for Life: The Psychology of Close Relationships (The Harvester Press, Brighton, England; 1983). A practical methodology for establishing and managing relationships, based on scientific research. Gillies, Jerry: Friends: The Power and Potential of the Company You Keep (Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, NY; 1976). Superb how-to manual for handling friendships. Highly recommended. Fast, Julius: The Incompatibility of Men and Women: And How to Overcome It (Evans and Company, NY; 1971). Psychological differences between men and women. Fantasy exercises for resolving the differences. Buscaglia, Leo: Love (Ballantine Books, NY; 1972). A loving analysis of love. Peele, Stanton: Love and Addiction (New American Library, NY; 1975). How to transform an unhealthy love relationship into a healthy one. Highly recommended. Jampolsky, Gerald G., M.D.: Love Is Letting Go of Fear (Celestial Arts, CA; 1979). A simple, down-to-earth manual for increasing your ability to love. Lee, John Alan: Lovestyles: How to Pick the Perfect Partner (Sphere Books, England; 1978). Classification of different styles of love. Tanenbaum, Joe: Male & Female Realities: Understanding the Opposite Sex (Candle Publishing, Texas; 1989). Biological, emotional, and intellectual differences between men and women. Keirsey, David & Bates, Marilyn: Please Understand Me: Character & Temperament Types (Prometheus Nemesis Book Co., CA; 1984). Classifies 16 different character types. Important keys to human behavior. Fast, Julius & Bernstein, Meredith: Sexual Chemistry: What it Is, How to Use It (Arrow Books, London; 1984). The sexual chemistry that attracts and binds people together. Miller, Sherod, Ph.D., Wackman, Daniel, Ph.D., Nunnally, Elam, Ph.D., & Saline, Carol: Straight Talk: A New Way to Get Closer to Others by Saying What You Really Mean(New American Library, NY; 1982). Comprehensive manual for improving communication. Highly recommended. Jampolsky, Gerald G., M.D.: Teach Only Love (Bantam Books, NY; 1983). More simple, down-to-earth advice for increasing your ability to love. 21. Life - Biological or Physical Immortality In the The Immortalist magazine, April 1994, Robert Ettinger wrote: "Speaking once to a Mensa group (high IQ organization), I was reminded of the many facets and definitions of intelligence. Some say intelligence is the ability to organize thoughts toward attainment of goals, and that our goal is happiness or contentment; if we also accept the adage that ignorance is bliss, it seems the object of intelligence should be to know as little as possible. Then there is the "contented cow." If indeed the dairy cow is the most contented of creatures, it seems the goal of an intelligent being should be to eat grass, chew your cud, and have someone squeeze your tits twice a day. Whoever is keeping score would have to say, Mensa member, high of brow, Ran second to contented cow. Another well established school of thought holds the main question to be, "If you're so smart, why ain't you rich?" But those who notice all those moldering millionaires ask, "If you're so rich, how come you're dumb?" Be that as it may, most of us share the goal of personal survival - at least, we usually dodge the taxicabs and take our penicillin; surely intelligence gives priority to important goals. Imagine, then, the chagrin of a Mensa member as he approaches an ignominious end (the only kind there is) and finally realizes: My epitaph, It could be read: "If he was so smart, How come he's dead?"" Life is more intelligent than death. 22. Semantics We live in a sea of words. Our perception of the environment, other people, and ourselves is usually converted into words. Much of our thinking is done in the form of words. Much of our communication between each other occurs in the form of words. Many of us take these words for granted, treat them as givens. To a large extent, most of us, much of the time, react to our word-based interpretations of events, rather than respond to the events themselves in an unbiased manner. Our words color what we see and hear. Let me suggest that the unquestioning acceptance and use of certain words have a stupefying effect. This phenomenon is covered in detail in our reports on Semantic Freedom, starting with Report #50A.  In addition to the above elements, there are also some general principles concerning the increase of intelligence: Play games like Chess, Bridge, and Poker Question Everything Consider the Opposite Jumping out of Systems The Breakthrough Spirit Read the books of Robert Anton Wilson. (a) Play games like Chess, Bridge, and Poker These and other games can be played as exercises to increase intelligence. In The Arizona Republic of April 6, 1994, Herb Whitney quotes Frank Honsik, a 74-year-old retired physician: "If you touch a piece, you have to move it. You take your hand off and that's it. And that's how life operates. Very strict. The game teaches you logic and the discipline of the mind. It also teaches you for every act there's a consequence." ( Question Everything A few days ago I was looking through some old files and came across a metaphor I wrote about 10 years ago: "Sometimes I think my brain is a bird-cage; and I think of my ideas as birds, brain-birds. Until I was about 25-years old, I didn't allow many of my brain-birds to escape. So I had quite a collection - a veritable aviary - of brain-birds of all kinds of colors, shapes, and sizes. Some birds were parrots. Some brain-birds were small and timid, like little white doves. Some were birds of prey, vicious killer hawks. Some brain-birds buried their heads in the sand, like ostriches. Some were owls, active only at night. There were even a few turkeys, who fell over their own feet. Some birds sang beautiful songs, like nightingales. Some were vultures that ate only carrion. Others were exotic brain-birds that embarked on fabulous flights of fancy... My brain-birds fought each other incessantly. Most lived in fear and hate. Many were vicious and voracious and devoured smaller, weaker birds. I never had the courage to open my bird-cage to look inside my bird-brain. I never cleaned my bird-cage. The accumulated bird-shit, decaying carcasses, and other filth was unconfrontable. In any case, I had never learned how to clean a bird-cage. And I had no inkling of the art and science of keeping brain-birds. You might think that the birds were prisoners in my brain, but one day an old witch told me, "Your birds, dominate, control, and rule you totally; you are the prisoner of your birds; you are a bird-brain! By imprisoning you brain-birds, you imprison only yourself." I begged the old witch to teach me the art and science of keeping brain-birds. She refused. She said it was too dangerous. If I opened my bird-cage and looked inside, I would be so shocked, disgusted, and sickened that I would go stark, raving, ranting mad. I became disappointed, depressed, desperate... I started hating my brain-birds. I wanted to kill them all. I considered blowing them to smithereens with a shotgun, but that would kill me too. Now I knew I had a problem: how to kill my brain-birds without killing myself. I went to the old witch, told her my problem, and begged her to help me. "My dear boy," she said, "I think you're now ready to start working." She offered to teach me one lesson every week in the art and science of keeping brain-birds. During the first lesson she taught me how to open the smallest door of my bird-cage and to let one small brain-bird escape. During successive lessons she taught me how to open bigger doors and to let some of the larger birds escape. During the tenth lesson she showed me how to get the bird-shit out of the bottom of my bird-cage. By the twentieth lesson I had learned to keep my bird-cage more or less clean and tidy. By the thirtieth lesson I knew how to call the brain-birds I needed, and how to let them go when I had done with them. By the fortieth lesson I had learned how to let brain-birds of all kinds come and go freely as they wished - and I could also control them if I wanted to, while they were in my brain. By the fiftieth lesson I had learned how to flush my brain clean whenever I wanted to. Now there is only one big brain-bird left. I like him more than all the others. I allow him to be a permanent resident. He is an enormous, voracious, omniverous parrot, who can devour any other bird. He is the mightiest bird of all creation. And he speaks only two words: "QUESTION EVERYTHING!"" © Consider the Opposite Sometimes the exact opposite of what's generally accepted, turns out to be more intelligent. Most people think that cooking food is a good thing. What if eating all food raw is more intelligent? - see Report #09: How to Achieve Superhealth. Most people believe that "nothing is as certain as death and taxes." Consider the possibility that we can largely eliminate both death and taxes from our lives - if we become clever enough! The opposites of many beliefs of the "average person" need to be considered. For example, "government is good" vs. "government is evil"; "selfishness is bad and altruism is good" vs. "selfishness is a virtue and altruism an evil." (d) Jumping out of Systems Thinking or operating within a system limits your choices. Jumping out of systems may provide you with unexpected positive options. The entire conception of our organization is based on jumping out of existing systems. A powerful intelligence-increasing question is: What system might I be stuck in? (e) The Breakthrough Spirit Is it possible to live every day of your life, expecting to make at least one significant breakthrough? Could this be a great learning accelerator? (f) Read the books of Robert Anton Wilson. In The Illuminati Papers, Robert Anton Wilson wrote: "The genetic portion of stupidity is programmed into all of us and consists of "typical mammalian behavior." That is, a great deal of the human nervous system is on autopilot, like the closely related chimpanzee nervous system and the more distantly related cow nervous system. The programs of territoriality, pack hierarchy, etc., are evolutionary stable strategies and hence work mechanically, without conscious thought. These evolutionary relative successes became genetic programs because they work well enough for the ordinary mammal in ordinary mammalian affairs. They only become stupidities in human beings, where the higher cortical centers have been developed as a monitoring system to feed back more sophisticated survival techniques and correct these stereotyped programs with more flexible ones. In short, to the extent that a human follows the genetic primate-pack patterns, without feedback from the cortex, that human is still acting like an ape, and hasn't acquired facility in using the New Brain." Mr. Wilson has written many other books. Primarily, he persuades us to think about things in different ways. He also introduces us to new things to think about. Mr. Wilson has been inspired by, among others, Georgei Gurdjieff and Dr. Timothy Leary - two of the greatest intelligence increasers - whose works are also worth reading. Conclusion There's much more to be said and written about increasing intelligence. I hope this is a good start. If you have any questions, comments, and suggestions, please let me know. And remember, to increase your intelligence you have to keep learning; and, to really boost your intelligence, you have to accelerate your rate of learning. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
