196 A Programmer’s Guide to the Mind
Let us look now at the second „opportunity‟ which society needs to
stifle if common sense is to emerge. I have suggested that government can
encourage adult thinking by thwarting opportunities which are not based in
Perceiver logic. This ability to thwart opportunities can itself become an
opportunity. The most blatant example is the lawsuit. If you want to get
ahead, sue your opponent—it is the new „American Way.‟ Drag him into
court and convince the judge to block what he is
doing. Better yet, have the court take money from
others—the more the better—and give it to you.
What an opportunity. As for those who prefer more
subtle methods, there is always government aid.A
I suggest that any dependence upon the courts or
upon government assistance promotes childish
thought. This is because government laws are made
and enforced by people. When I pursue opportunity
through the courts or through government programs,
my goal is to influence the opinions of significant
people. In other words, I am attempting to determine
'truth' by manipulating emotional experiences.
Common sense and natural opportunity become side
issues, peripheral to persuading the authorities to see things my way. Why?
Because 'facts' and facts cannot coexist. If emotional 'truth' is lifted up,
then logical facts are automatically suppressed. The result is a government
which carries out exactly the opposite function to that which was originally
intended. Government was supposed to thwart those who followed
emotional 'truth.' Now it is infected with the disease that it was designed to
cure.
I suggest, in fact, that government intervention frustrates natural
opportunity in four main ways. First, it warps the playing field. This is
because there are now two regions of overlapping opportunity—which are
mutually incompatible. One is based in natural law and common sense; the
other is rooted in the pursuit and manipulation of official decision and
legislation. The first uses Perceiver confidence, the second exploits
emotional 'truth.' As we know, these two types of knowing fight each other
within the mind. When they collide, Perceiver thought is thrown into the
threshold of confusion. Imagine trying to follow opportunity when you
don‟t know which facts apply to your particular situation.
A If government runs a program which is based in natural law, then it can
do a fairly good job. This is because there is enough natural feedback to
limit government interference. One thinks of telephone networks, space
agencies, power grids, and military procurement. However, even here the
tendency is for political manipulation to overturn rational thought.