186 A Programmer’s Guide to the Mind
single-mindedly everywhere and „everywhen‟ I go. In contrast, the
opinions of people can and do change—they come from the software of
situations and feelings. Humans learn, forget, make mistakes, get bored, or
find something else that is more exciting. They may give me approval
today, but who knows what they will do tomorrow.
I suggest that this dichotomy is augmented internally. With emotional
'facts,' it is the one most emotional Mercy experience which determines
'belief.' Change that one situation and 'belief' alters as well. This principle
is exploited, for example, by the advertising that presents itself on our
television screen and by the junk mail which lands every day on our
doorstep. Everywhere, advertisements bombard our senses with new eye-
catching emotional gimmicks which try to make them the source of our
'facts' and our 'beliefs.'
On the other hand, logical facts, by their very nature, are stable and
unchanging. Perceiver strategy looks for connections which do not vary—
solid anchors which can help Perceiver thought to ride out the emotional
waves of everyday experience without being shaken. Obviously, any
system of thought which has this type of mental foundation will tend to be
stable.
Second, not only do peoples‟ opinions change, but people themselves
are finite creatures with limited knowledge and awareness.A In order for
other individuals to pass judgment on my behavior, they must know what I
am doing and thinking. If they are not aware, then they cannot judge.
Therefore, approval conscience can only affect public behavior. It can have
no influence over thoughts and private actions. This means that under
approval conscience, a person will not feel guilty. Rather, he will be afraid
of being caught. A mental Perceiver connection which disappears when
people are absent is not very solid, and neither is approval conscience.
Natural conscience, in contrast, has a dogged persistence. Like a
shadow, it never leaves. Jumping off a cliff, for instance, makes my body
A Here I am linking emotional 'facts' with approval 'conscience.' This is not
totally accurate. Strong emotional experiences can come from nature as
well as from people. The combination of emotional 'facts' and natural
feedback creates superstition. However, I suggest that superstition is
mentally unstable. Eventually it will resolve itself either into natural
conscience as links between cause and effect are determined more
accurately or else into spiritism as natural events are clothed with the
personality of imaginary „persons.‟ The superstitious individual will often
end up feeling that „someone‟ is out to get him. He will think that this
imaginary „person‟ also has limited awareness and possesses opinions
which can be altered.