Exercising Influence

The exercise of influence invariably involves some level of control or coercion, coarse or fine, to get others to do or believe what they do not presently do or believe. It is only natural for anyone who believes in something to try to use modalities of persuasion he considers legitimate in order to extend this belief to others. The force applied can be physical, emotional, intellectual or a mixture of these. Effectiveness is a function of the kind of modality used, of the ambient conditions, and of the characteristics of the individual who is the target of the influence.

Perhaps the gentlest application of influential force is through "example." On reflection, some might even conclude that this modality is free of force. But think of how a Nazi mother and father would feel if their daughter were somehow to be influenced, if only by example, to convert to Judaism. (Don't laugh, I know of just such a case.) They might consider such influence to be the insidious and seductive application of persuasive force akin to low-keyed advertising or a "public service announcement." Do you remember Vance Packard's book, popular in the early 1960's, "THE HIDDEN PERSUADERS"? We were then just becoming aware of the subtleties of media manipulation although, in spite of our sophistication, none of us are really immune to it even today. And if you think about it, all things, animate and inanimate, wittingly or unwittingly, exert some degree of influential pressure, if by no more than their mere existence.

I can think of only one condition that would render us immune to subtle and subliminal influences (other than the pure cosmic variety, of course). We would all, would-be influencers and influenced alike, have to be completely aware of the full scale of forces at work inside ourselves and around us. This awareness would have to include full objective knowledge of social reality and also of our own inner susceptibilities. In a word, we'd have to be awake - awake to inner and outer reality. (Not conscious, mind you, just awake.)

History is replete with examples of people reaching for a state of awakedness. But from all indications, such attainments, where claimed, appear to have been either relative, short-lived or both. I'm sure that many of you reading these words have had similar experiences. I, for one, continue to exercise myself in such efforts but maintain the same healthy respect for the enormous forces working against me that a high-jumper has for the force of gravity. You'll notice that the public nature of high-jumping tends to inhibit the creation of sports myths such as jumpers achieving earth orbit. There's a famous saying: "If you wish to lose your faith, make friends with a priest." I trust you see the analogy. I like to have my feet on the ground and keep a reminder of the true state of the world by frequenting rabbis -- no disrespect intended.

The urge to influence others is, in no small measure, a product of material scarcity and one of many needs that stem from our vulnerability that is rooted in the physical nature of our body and its needs. We are quite literally slaves to our needs (hence the term wage-slavery) owing to our ignorance of the secrets of physical nature and our inability to subject matter to our will. Unable to command inert matter, we end up manipulating one another for relative material advantage. If we conceive of existence as being finite and the goods that we need, including medical care, as limited, then our dilemma becomes: how to maximize our competitive advantage for these benefits? We seek a measure of social influence to assure ourselves of an advantageous place at the feeding trough.

As far as I can see, there is only ONE (and I challenge the reader to find another) strategy left to this world which is in dire, imminent peril from the polluting and treacherous results of fragmented science and technology. That strategy is to eliminate our physical vulnerability and, along with it, our obsession with matter including the illusions that issue from that obsession.

In the short time that remains to us, that means the swift termination of our ignorance of matter and the lack that stems from that ignorance. For this we shall need holistic science driven by the higher and more conscious creativity called "Accelerated Thought" described in Kun's book, PROJECT MIND.

Please note that the revelation of unlimited global abundance, while it will have a spectacular influence upon all humans, is not a modality of persuasion, gentle or harsh. This is the only form of pure influence there is. If given a chance, it will allow humanity, as a whole, to awaken to the reality of metaphysical existence including the reality of our present spiritual poverty, our unlimited creative potential, and the great and limitless compassion of the cosmic intelligence that created us.