Hi Marsha You're a wonder! Thank you! Love, Dan
---------------------------------------- > Date: Mon, 2 Mar 2009 04:45:14 -0500 > To: [email protected] > From: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [MD] The System > > > Hi Dan, > > I'm sure there will lots here who have something > to say about "the system". It's important but,,, > I'm still thinking about you howling at the moon. > > > Marsha > > > > At 02:40 AM 3/2/2009, you wrote: > >>Hello everyone >> >>I want to talk a little tonight about "the >>system." I'm pretty much apolitical. Oh sure, I >>follow the candidates online and I vote when >>elections roll around. But I find I don't get >>involved beyond that. I've never thought of >>running for public office. There's of course a >>nagging doubt at the back of my mind that if I >>did run for county dog catcher or some such >>office no one would vote for me, but there's >>more than that; after all, I'd surely get my own >>vote. I found these passages while re-reading >>ZMM and thought them perhaps pertinent to this discussion: >> >>"To speak of certain government and >>establishment institutions as "the system" is to >>speak correctly, since these organizations are >>founded upon the same structural conceptual >>relationships as a motorcycle. They are >>sustained by structural relationships even when >>they have lost all other meaning and purpose. >>People arrive at a factory and perform a totally >>meaningless task from eight to five without >>question because the structure demands that it >>be that way. There's no villain, no "mean guy" >>who wants them to live meaningless lives, it's >>just that the structure, the system demands it >>and no one is willing to take on the formidable >>task of changing the structure just because it is meaningless." (ZMM) >> >>Last week I went to get my drivers license >>renewed as I must every 4 years. I dread it. The >>waiting. The snooty bitch behind the counter >>calling out numbers like she's handing out >>hundred dollar bills. Waiting. Watching little >>hand on the clock go round and round. It came to >>me sitting there this time that those poor >>people that work at these dreary government jobs >>must feel like that every day. Imagine. Going to >>work every day and dealing with knuckleheads and >>dingbats give you shit because you took too long >>getting to them. Watching that little hand on >>the clock go round and round until you could >>finally leave... It's the system. It doesn't >>care about anyone. It eats people morning, noon, and night. >> >>Who's up to changing a monster like that? Not >>me. Not anyone. That's why it just keeps on >>keeping on. And every 4 years I line up with all >>the other knuckleheads and let the system fuck >>with me. I don't know what else to do. That's >>how the system works. The meaninglessness of it, >>the inhumanity to humanity, is built right in to >>ensure everyone complies with its rules. Every >>once in a while someone comes along and shouts >>about revolution and change but nothing ever changes. Why? >> >>"But to tear down a factory or to revolt against >>a government or to avoid repair of a motorcycle >>because it is a system is to attack effects >>rather than causes; and as long as the attack is >>upon effects only, no change is possible. The >>true system, the real system, is our present >>construction of systematic thought itself, >>rationality itself, and if a factory is torn >>down but the rationality which produced it is >>left standing, then that rationality will simply >>produce another factory. If a revolution >>destroys a systematic government, but the >>systematic patterns of thought that produced >>that government are left intact, then those >>patterns will repeat themselves in the >>succeeding government. There's so much talk >>about the system. And so little understanding." [ZMM] >> >>When we begin to see the background of the >>system, then real change becomes a possibility. >>The only way to change is by attacking the >>effects of the system, not by attacking the >>system itself. That's what all the crazy-haired >>revolutionaries of history never understood. >>They'd overthrow a government and proclaim a new >>day but the peasants always knew... nothing >>changed. Money still flowed uphill, and shit flowed down. >> >>But what does it mean to attack the effects of >>the system? First, it seems difficult to >>impossible to attack from outside the system. In >>order to attack the effects of the system, the >>adversary needs to be inside, to become a part >>of the system. The problem arises though when >>one becomes part of the system. Depending on the >>strength of the person attacking the effects of >>the system, they are overwhelmed sooner or later >>by the sheer magnitude of the edifice in place, >>of the vast and omnipotent social level. >> >>This in turn may be considered the birth of the >>intellectual level, born to do battle with a >>seemingly insurmountable enemy, civilization >>itself. The early Greeks fought tempestuous >>battles with the intellectual giants of its day, >>and won, throwing the world into a long, drawn >>out dark age that only ended when the light of >>intellect once again began to shine on the >>Church. Not from outside the Church, but from >>inside! The longing for the truth of reason >>finally overthrew the centuries of dogma that >>kept 99% of the population in the world in >>darkness and disease. The Church of Reason >>overcame the Church of an Angry and Jealous God. >> >>"That's all the motorcycle is, a system of >>concepts worked out in steel. There's no part in >>it, no shape in it, that is not out of someone's >>mind -- number three tappet is right on too. One >>more to go. This had better be it -- .I've >>noticed that people who have never worked with >>steel have trouble seeing this...that the >>motorcycle is primarily a mental phenomenon. >>They associate metal with given shapes...pipes, >>rods, girders, tools, parts...all of them fixed >>and inviolable, and think of it as primarily >>physical. But a person who does machining or >>foundry work or forge work or welding sees >>"steel" as having no shape at all. Steel can be >>any shape you want if you are skilled enough, >>and any shape but the one you want if you are >>not. Shapes, like this tappet, are what you >>arrive at, what you give to the steel. Steel has >>no more shape than this old pile of dirt on the >>engine here. These shapes are all out of >>someone's mind. That's important to see. The >>steel? Hell, even the steel is out of someone's >>mind. There's no steel in nature. Anyone from >>the Bronze Age could have told you that. All >>nature has is a potential for steel. There's >>nothing else there. But what's "potential"? >>That's also in someone's mind! -- Ghosts." [ZMM] >> >>This is a great metaphor! If a person looks at >>the government as a system of concepts worked >>out in people, like a motorcycle is a system of >>concepts worked out in steel, a totally new >>perspective of government arises. There's no >>part of government that hasn't been worked out >>in someone's mind. To understand the system, to >>attack the effects of the system, it's important >>to see that the people are only shaped by >>someone's mind. There is no "government worker" >>in nature. Nature only has a potential for >>"government worker." And as Robert Pirsig tells >>us, potential is also in someone's mind. >>"Ghosts." The whole system is nothing but >>ghosts. When they talk about "ghosts in the machine" that's what they mean. >> >>"This morning I talked about hierarchies of >>thought...the system. Now I want to talk about >>methods of finding one's way through these hierarchies...logic. >> >>"Two kinds of logic are used, inductive and >>deductive. Inductive inferences start with >>observations of the machine and arrive at >>general conclusions. For example, if the cycle >>goes over a bump and the engine misfires, and >>then goes over another bump and the engine >>misfires, and then goes over another bump and >>the engine misfires, and then goes over a long >>smooth stretch of road and there is no >>misfiring, and then goes over a fourth bump and >>the engine misfires again, one can logically >>conclude that the misfiring is caused by the >>bumps. That is induction: reasoning from >>particular experiences to general truths. >> >>"Deductive inferences do the reverse. They start >>with general knowledge and predict a specific >>observation. For example, if, from reading the >>hierarchy of facts about the machine, the >>mechanic knows the horn of the cycle is powered >>exclusively by electricity from the battery, >>then he can logically infer that if the battery >>is dead the horn will not work. That is deduction. >> >>"Solution of problems too complicated for common >>sense to solve is achieved by long strings of >>mixed inductive and deductive inferences that >>weave back and forth between the observed >>machine and the mental hierarchy of the machine >>found in the manuals. The correct program for >>this interweaving is formalized as scientific method." [ZMM] >> >>Let's look at today's political scene... we have >>a new President here in the US, one who is >>promising change and ran for President by >>professing to have an audacity for hope. So far, >>his agenda seems as ambitious and far-reaching >>as any President in my lifetime. He is ending a >>war, attempting to build a national health care >>system, renewing international ties by sending >>out his former opponent turned ally into the >>world with a message of hope, and reforming >>business institutions entrenched in a recession >>all at the same time. But will it succeed? >> >>By using Mr Pirsig's motorcycle metaphor, it >>becomes more clear how to attack the effects of >>the system in order to change the system. The >>economy went over a couple bumps and is >>misfiring. It seems logical to conclude that by >>fixing the bumps the misfiring will be fixed as >>well. Our new President, however, has deemed it >>necessary to fix the machine itself rather than >>fixing the bumps. This entails changing the >>mind-set of "government workers" like that old >>gal in the drivers license facility who'd rather >>be anywhere than there. It's not going to be >>easy. But if he succeeds, President Obama will >>leave a legacy far surpassing fixing a few bumps in the road. >> >>There's always going to be more bumps. By fixing >>the machine though, those bumps become >>inconsequential and merely an annoyance rather >>than an impediment to civilization itself. I'm >>impressed enough to be thinking of running for >>some type of office myself, not for >>self-aggrandizement (although the pension would >>be nice), but to serve the machine in order to attack the effects from inside. >> >>Thoughts? >> >>Thanks for reading, >> >>Dan >> >>PS I've been buying gold since it was under $300 >>an ounce and haven't stopped yet. Fiat money sucks... gold rocks. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >>_________________________________________________________________ >>Express your personality in color! 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