174 A Programmer’s Guide to the Mind
about absolutes, they introduce their children to the idea of general
principles. And by encouraging active exploration, with an awareness of
consequences, parents help a child to discover Perceiver rules which are
general.
That brings us to the next point. How can parents teach their children to
combine Perceiver thinking with a sense of time? I suggest that the concept
of time, like generality, cannot be taught directly to a child. While parental
discipline can make it possible for a child to learn about the relationship
between rules and time, it is common sense, learned through repetition,
that teaches the actual lessons.A
A rule of conscience which involves time cannot, by definition, operate
immediately. Instead, the action is performed first, and the consequence
comes later. I suggest that this delayed reaction—the vital component in
teaching about time—can be taught through the use of boundaries. A
boundary is a wall set at a distance. It is a line which must not be passed.B
I suggest that the same backyard which allows a child to discover
general principles of common sense can also help him to learn about time
and sequence. If the backyard is surrounded by a fence which must not be
crossed, then it will take time for the child to cross the boundary.C He will
never find himself immediately in forbidden territory. Instead, he must
always go through the permissible to reach the prohibited.
As usual, we find ourselves promoting a concept which has currently
fallen out of favor. However, look at the alternatives. One is the taboo.
This boxes a person in completely and does not permit any freedom of
movement. For instance, political correctness makes it a taboo to raise any
subject which is deemed to be offensive—including the current topic of
boundaries. Similarly, conservatism makes it a taboo to analyze any
experience which is deemed to be immoral. In both cases, there is no
„backyard.‟ Is a conscience that is based in taboos compatible with life? I
suggest not.
A With a very young child, time is taught through moderate doses of pain
followed by love. As soon as possible, and where feasible, the parent
transfers this responsibility to the environment. Nature, and natural law,
now do the spanking. The parent becomes the interpreter, pointing out
cause and effect.
B We will see in a later book that a boundary is a Perceiver rule which
permits Exhorter excitement. It does not squelch activity, but rather
channels it.
C This boundary, set by parents and consistent with the child‟s
development, determines the experiences with which he may experiment in
order to learn common sense.