Protestantism

» paper_turtle - Commnication

.
Phil wrote:
My praxis has always been communications. As a small boy, I remember being fascinated by the idea of advertising.
.
I fell in love with words before I could even read or write. I remember as a really small child filling an entire notebook with squiggles (which I imagined was actual writing) because I realized, although I couldn't have verbalized it at the time, words have tremendous power.
.
I was motivated in part to study communications because I was fascinated with how dictators gain power over people through communication. If they use physical force alone, or are over-zealous in physical "persuasion" they soon run out of followers, and are out of a job.
.
It seems to me that the chief tool a dictator uses in gaining power through words is violence. They beat people over the head with the message. They threaten those who don't accept their position with loss of freedom, economic hardship, imprisonment, and even death. They use words which say, on the surface, that they think their audience is the absolute best. But the message between the lines is that the audience is stupid, weak, and desperately in need of a visionary leader/hero.
.
You, Phil, sometimes refer to weak minds, and weak minds are easily won over by a dictator. They already have a low opinion of themselves, see themselves as weak, powerless, and under threat. They therefore believe it is futile to reason things out for themselves.
.
But there are always those who are not weak minded, who see verbal violence for what it is, and refuse to be intimidated by it. (Not talking about your/Phil's communication style here, in case you were wondering).
.
Authentic spiritual practice is arrived at through peaceful relationship/interaction with (or enquirey into) one's world. I do not believe authentic spirituality can be taught or apprehended through verbal violence. Doesn't much matter what point the speaker/writer wants to make. If he/she smacks you up side of the head with it, the message is coming from the egoic mind, not the heart. He/she is not appealing to reason, but to the listener's emotional buttons. The person delivering the message wants a loyal lap dog, not a companion for the journey.
.
At least, that's how I see it.
.
peace and love,
Paper Turtle

-- posted by paper_turtle