From Ed Ford (931126.1000)
(Rick Marken 931125.1200) Blessed Responsibility
Rick, you're right, I should have taken the bate and I
didn't. However, I couldn't agree more that Annie is
responsible for her own internal world. As I mentioned
(9311250), when I asked my group of ex-cons "Do you think
people are responsible for what they do?", there was
universal agreement, even when I tried to dissuade them,
using such common arguments as environment, heredity,
etc. I couldn't get them to budge. Even last Wednesday
night, when we last met, I still tried to shake their
conviction and they still insisted on individual
responsibility.
The genius of HPCT is how much it reflects real life, not
that it shouldn't. It's just made my job of counseling
and teaching others so much easier. If you just convert
the terms systems concept, principles, and program levels
to:
systems concepts -----> values, beliefs, the way we think
things ought to be
principles------------> standards, criteria, rules, laws
program---------------> choices, decisions
Not only do these various levels interrelate, and build on
each other, but they must continually be in harmony with
each other (note: I discuss only the three highest levels
since that is where I deal most the time). When I make a
decision, if that decision is not in harmony with my
standards, which in turn, must be in harmony with my
values and beliefs, then conflict "within the HPCT" will
result. No matter what happens in Annie's environment,
which is that from which she creates her perceptions
(which includes her perceptions at her systems concept
level), her decisions or choices must be in harmony within
the rest of her HPCT or she's in conflict. That's just
the way a living control system works.
And what is most life-like about HPCT is that the lower
levels must conform to the higher levels. For example,
I'm a vegetarian. The choices of foods I eat must conform
to my high level standards, that are reflected in the idea
of vegetarianism. If I make the choice to steal money
from a friend and I have a high level belief that such a
decision is wrong, I'll put myself in conflict.
Another interesting point about HPCT is that the higher
the level, the harder it is to change. I can decide to
eat an apple rather than a banana, my higher system wont
be disturbed by that choice. But to eat meat would be in
total conflict with my belief system. In my private
practice, I've found that the struggle to reevaluate and
possibly change a belief system, especially a long held
belief system, brings on a real struggle. It is much
easier to change at a lower level. Many who divorce for
the first time and who hold a strong belief in the
sanctity of marriage go through that struggle. The second
time around is not as tough.
The beauty of HPCT is that in spite of all that happens to
us, including what is done to us, it is all perceived as
energy and it only takes on meaning or becomes
understandable according to how we create that meaning
inside our own perceptual system. And that is the key to
understanding Annie's problems and Mrs. Corrie's
influence.
What makes it all the more difficult to understand
another's world is that our understanding of the world
which we create is based on our own individual unique
experiences. I can only expose others to an environment
which offers experiences, but only each LCS can understand
any experience based on how they've created the meaning of
it from their own but not exactly similar experiences
which in turn have been created in their own perceptual
system. Mrs. Corrie can do all she wants to Annie, but
there are lots of examples in life of how people perceive
(read create a perception of) another's actions.
The reason there are such lengthy discussions on this net
about certain topics is not that people aren't being clear
as to what they are saying, the problem is that the
clarity is in the world of the sender, not the receiver.
It's the aligning of our individual HPCTs that's so darn
hard to accomplish. And also so frustrating.
And yes, I enjoyed my Thanksgiving Day meal. As a matter
of fact, after sending me to purchase a 14 pound turkey,
my wife discovered that there were only 3 out of 14 people
at table who were meat eaters.
Take care, Ed
Ford, 10209 N. 56th st., Scottsdale, AZ Ph.602 991-4860