134 A Programmer’s Guide to the Mind
Perceiver strategy realizes suddenly that Mercy feelings of „good‟ and
„bad‟ have no bearing upon its own labeling of „right‟ and „wrong.‟
Likewise, it dawns upon Mercy thought that its feelings of „good‟ and
„bad‟ are not overturned by Perceiver labels of „right‟ and „wrong.‟
The previous paragraph may seem somewhat repetitive and simple-
minded, but I suggest that growing Perceiver confidence really is like that.
The second stage of struggle in particular is very repetitive. The Perceiver
observer finds itself rediscovering and regrasping the same fact over and
over again. At times it seems as if no progress is being made. And, when
Perceiver thought finally reaches the third stage of acceptance it is as if an
internal light bulb goes on. The Perceiver observer bangs its head with its
hand and says, “Now I see. It‟s so obvious, so simple. How could I have
been so stupid? Duuuuuh!”
Emotional 'Knowing'
Before we go on, this is your mental tour guide speaking. Please, ev-
eryone stop and take a quick stretch. I warned you earlier that we would
get into some heavy emotional topics. As we walk through this next
section, we may find some of the mud of subjective feelings clinging to our
intellectual boots. Don‟t be concerned. Just think of it as an opportunity to
gain mental confidence. If we find ourselves bogging down, we only need
to „clean off‟ our shoes with some logical reflection and then we can
continue our slogging. As long as the mud does not cake on too thickly, we
should make it through. Everyone ready? Then, let us continue.
We have compared Perceiver thought to a person observing Mercy
strategy through a window, looking for connections. We have learned that
the Perceiver observer can only handle the glare of Mercy emotion if it has
sufficient confidence. If the strength of Mercy feeling is too great for the
level of Perceiver confidence, then Perceiver thought will be blinded by the
emotional brightness streaming in from the Mercy room. When Perceiver
strategy cannot see clearly, then belief begins to waver, confidence
crumbles, and connections shake.
If the emotional glare increases further, then Perceiver thought will
change from being blinded to being mesmerized. Rather than looking for
connections which are solid, Perceiver strategy will assume that any Mercy
experiences which are seen together, belong together. When the Perceiver
observer reaches this glassy-eyed state, then each individual Mercy
situation becomes interpreted as a universal Perceiver fact.A
A I choose the word „mesmerized‟ deliberately, because I suggest that
hypnosis is an extreme example of this same mental mechanism. The
hypnotic subject fixates upon the person of the hypnotist, and 'believes'
everything coming from the hypnotist as absolute 'truth.'