238 A Programmer’s Guide to the Mind
„German‟ and well-developed, there is still a me of Mercy identification
which remains „Russian.‟
This statement may sound extreme to a North American, so let me back
it up with an example or two. For instance, I am acquainted with one older
German lady, currently living in North
America, who literally writes to her doctor in
Germany for advice about bowel movements.
Can you imagine a native North American
doing this? Germany, on the other hand, has a
whole entourage of towns, called Kurorts,
dedicated to the sole purpose of pampering,
soothing, and giving healing rest to the body
of the German. If a German doctor decides
that one of his patients needs some rest and relaxation, he will prescribe an
all-expenses-paid trip, courtesy of the government, to a lengthy session of
treatment within one of these health spa towns.A This is how seriously me
is taken. Finally, you can tell that the me of the average German person is
not really German because me tries to escape the logic of the German
country as often as possible. Germans probably have longer paid vacations
than any other workers in the world. During these extended holiday times,
they flock to places where me can feel free of rules, such as Spain and
Greece with their Latin temperament, or Canada with its untamed
wilderness.
I do not make these strong statements to denigrate the Germans. After
all, with a last name of „Friesen,‟ I myself have somewhat of a German
background. However, I do want to emphasize that the paradise of
Perceiver confidence has no native sons, only immigrants. And, emigrating
from „Russia‟ to „Germany‟ is a difficult process. Even when the body and
the mind live amidst the external paradise of a „Germany,‟ the heart may
still remain stuck in „Russia.‟
This leads us to a paradox. On the one hand, I have suggested that an
earthly paradise like Germany can be created only with Perceiver
confidence. On the other hand, I have also stated that Perceiver confidence
can be learned only by holding on to facts in the face of emotional pressure.
But, isn‟t paradise a location which is free of emotional pressure—a place
of ease and luxury without want? After all, this is the traditional view of
„paradise.‟ If so, this means that any person who is born and grows up in
„Germany‟ cannot gain the Perceiver confidence which is required for him
to become a true „citizen‟ of „Germany,‟ because he lives in a world which
is free of emotional pressure. Instead, it is only the individual who is born
AAny town name that starts with a Bad, which means “bath,” as in Bad-
Füssing, is a Kurort.