342 A Programmer’s Guide to the Mind
It is risky to develop the physical me while ignoring the emotional me.
People acquire powers which they do not know how to handle.
Self-image erodes as objective skills outpace personal maturity.
People treat each other as objects and ignore personal feelings.When the me of our physical bodies moves ahead of the me of Mercy
identification, then I suggest that race, gender or class distinctions can only
be overcome in one of two ways: One option is to use emotional 'facts' to
overturn Perceiver categories based in the me of our physical bodies. This
happens when individuals have defining experiences with people of
different backgrounds that go beyond external appearance and meet the
emotional person within the physical shell. Thus, if the black man becomes
„great buddies‟ with his white neighbor, the feelings associated with this
friendship might be sufficient to bring Perceiver conclusions about race
distinctions within the threshold of uncertainty: “I thought that all whites
were bad, but my neighbor is actually a nice guy. Is it possible that my
ideas about blacks and whites could be wrong?” Similarly, if a black
person and a white person attend the same church and have similar
religious experiences, the emotions associated with their common religion
could cause Perceiver facts about skin color or body shape to come into
question.A
The second option is to gain Perceiver confidence in facts which extend
beyond the physical appearance of people. This happens, for example,
when individuals gain skills which require the application of Perceiver
knowledge to emotional situations. The female helicopter pilot, for
instance, will be accepted as „one of the guys‟ if she proves that she is
competent on the job. When true skill is required, Perceiver thought learns
that the really solid connections are those which are based upon ability and
not upon external appearance. On the other hand, Perceiver facts associated
with something more mundane such as an office job may never encounter
sufficient emotional pressure to reprogram Perceiver ideas about race
States, in contrast, feels that the American way of freedom and prosperity
will continue forever.
A It is important to keep clear exactly what is happening, because Perceiver
confidence and emotional 'facts' are appearing on the opposite sides of
what one would expect. First of all, as before, Perceiver logic and
confidence is being used to build up the me associated with our physical
bodies. This leads to rational facts and categories based upon the physical
bodies and external possessions of people. However, as with all Perceiver
facts, confidence in these Perceiver divisions will crumble if confronted
with sufficient emotional pressure. This emotional attack is coming from
the me of Mercy identification and its emotional experiences with people
of different race, gender or class.