Another Look at Conscience 145is by submitting to another absolute master. Remember that emotional
absolutes within the internal Mercy world can always be overturned by
new experiences with stronger emotions. By allowing Perceiver thought to
become mesmerized by another authority figure, Johnny can escape the
mental torment inflicted by his father.A
One option is for Johnny to hang out with his peers. Here he rebels
from his father by submitting to his fellows. Therefore, by dressing, acting,
thinking, and complaining just
like everyone around him, he
can allow the emotional stress
of peer pressure to become his
new absolute master. He
submits to this tyranny because
the god of peer pressure will
hopefully be one which does
not condemn him as being
„rotten and stupid‟ but rather
commend him for being „cool
and in.‟ Why do teenagers try
so desperately to be „cool‟? I suggest that it is an attempt to get away from
the „heat‟ of emotional involvement—to become their own persons by
shutting the curtain upon the glare of emotion emanating from their Mercy
rooms.
Another option is for Johnny to join the army. Here he rebels from his
father by submitting to the iron hand of the drill sergeant. Need I say
more?
So what is the solution for Johnny? First, we need to see what can be
done. Suppose that we try to prevent parents from acting like gods to their
children. I suggest that this is not a valid option. The mind of the child
seems to program in such a way that Mercy strategy integrates emotionally
around memories of mother and father, and Perceiver thought 'believes' the
facts of parents as gospel 'truth.' It appears inevitable that parents not only
have the power of physical life and death over their children, but also the
power of mental life and death.
If parents are stuck with being gods to their little ones, then is it not
possible for them to become benevolent deities who always accept and
never condemn their progeny? Theoretically, this might work, but in reality,
the world is cruel and children are dumb. When the child tries to pull a pot
of boiling water off the stove onto his face, or runs out onto the freeway to
play, what is the truly benevolent response? Does the parent coo soft
phrases of positive self-esteem while his child receives third degree burns
A We will see later that there is another way of growing up which involves
the building of Perceiver confidence and not rebellion from authority.