278 A Programmer’s Guide to the Mind
and apply it to our own person—in the dimension of time, then our
problem would be solved.
Well, actually, our problem might be solved. We may have given wings
to the me of Mercy identification, but the me associated with our physical
bodies is still sitting forlornly on the edge of the cliff, gazing longingly up
at the freedom of the birds flying overhead. Therefore, any Teacher theory
within which we choose to live will have to be consistent both with our
physical bodies and with the external world, since the me of my physical
body is programmed by events which I observe are repeated within the
external world. In other words, any theory which we develop is going to
have to contain a healthy dose of common sense. Why? Because this will
allow us eventually to stop „flying‟ ahead with the first „foot,‟ and finally
bring it back down again to the solid ground of real experience. Only then
will we be able to „lift up‟ the second „foot‟—the other aspect of me.A
The Fractal Nature of the Mind
As usual, we do not yet have sufficient information to answer all of the
points which were raised in the previous section. However, I suggest that
we can examine the first two points of „lift‟ and „flying.‟ They relate to an
understanding of something that I call „the fractal nature of thought.‟
In our tour through the mind, I have tried to demonstrate how various
aspects of human thought can be summarized by the operation of a few
simple mental strategies. For instance, we have seen how Perceiver mode
deals with all types of facts and objects, regardless of their shape, size,
appearance, or even external existence. I may be gazing at a skyscraper,
eyeing a flea, or thinking of the idea of freedom. In all cases, Perceiver
thought is working with a mental object. Sometimes this object or fact is
something that exists in the real world; at other times it describes an
abstract concept. Similarly, we noticed that Mercy strategy works with all
sorts of experiences, real or imagined, intensely personal or highly
objective. In the same way, Teacher thought looks for order within
complexity, wherever it can be found. As we continue through this volume,
A Remember that this book is focusing on the path of patience, which starts
with the me of Mercy identification and then alters the me of the physical
body. The path of suffering, in contrast, first changes the me of the
physical body, through methods such as science and technology, and then
discovers that the me of Mercy identification also needs help. Then,
surprisingly, it finds that it also needs patience. So, our discussion really
applies universally.