More on Teacher Strategy 319Oh, you want an example. Well, hopefully the next few years will
provide a sufficient illustration.
Teacher Instability
I have mentioned that Teacher theories make their way into the internal
world of Teacher strategy through the process of understanding. As with
Mercy experiences, Teacher concepts can enter this inner world either
voluntarily or involuntarily. If the theories which already reside within the
Teacher inner world carry sufficient emotional weight, then Teacher
strategy can choose whether or not to accept a new idea. However, if a
novel theory comes along which is more general than any existing Teacher
understanding, then this new concept will barge its way into the internal
world of Teacher thought, just as experiences with sufficiently strong
feelings force themselves into the inner sanctum of Mercy thought.A
With Mercy thought, the big problem is learning how to deal with the
barrage of emotional experiences which enter the mind, courtesy of the
body. With Teacher strategy, in contrast, the major concern is gaining
sufficient emotional content within the internal Teacher world to resist the
constant flow of „flaky‟ theories and half-baked ideas. In both cases, there
is a problem with internal stability. In one case the external pressure is too
great, while in the other, the internal level is too low.
Whenever a new general theory or concept enters the inner Teacher
world, it becomes the kernel of order around which complexity accretes.
Every related fact, word, action, and experience is interpreted in the light
of this general understanding, and seen as another facet of this universal
explanation, as Teacher thought attempts to hold on to its intellectual
„possession.‟ Each mental context has room for only one general Teacher
theory—new information is either interpreted in the light of what is already
known, or else it takes over and becomes the new general theory.B
I am sure that all of us have encountered people who seem to drift from
one personal philosophy to another. Each time we meet them, they have
discovered a new book, attended another seminar, or latched on to some
charismatic guru or pseudo-religious organization. A conversation with
them leads inevitably to their latest enlightenment: “I used to think that I
had the answer until I came across this amazing volume. The author is
incredible! He reads me like an open book. You know, life really makes
sense now!! No more drifting around. This time I have finally discovered
the ultimate answer,” and so on. At first, we may respond emotionally to
their enthusiasm, either arguing against them or participating with them in
A This is how a child learns the vocabulary and the grammar of his mother
tongue.
B This describes how the theory contained in this book took over my mind.