the WAR of ART - by Steven Pressfield [scanned book].pdf

(Dana P.) #1

THE HIERARCHICAL ORIENTATION


M


ost of us define ourselves hierarchically and don't
even know it. It's hard not to. School, advertising, the
entire materialist culture drills us from birth to define
ourselves by others' opinions. Drink this beer, get this job,
look this way and everyone will love you.
What is a hierarchy, anyway?
Hollywood is a hierarchy. So are Washington, Wall
Street, and the Daughters of the American Revolution.
High school is the ultimate hierarchy. And it works; in a
pond that small, the hierarchical orientation succeeds. The
cheerleader knows where she fits, as does the dweeb in the
Chess Club. Each has found a niche. The system works.
There's a problem with the hierarchical orientation,
though. When the numbers get too big, the thing breaks
down. A pecking order can hold only so many chickens.
In Massapequa High, you can find your place. Move to
Manhattan, and the trick no longer works. New York
City is too big to function as a hierarchy. So is IBM. So
is Michigan State. The individual in multitudes this vast
feels overwhelmed, anonymous. He is submerged in the
mass. He's lost.


THE WAR OF ART
Free download pdf