A different Golden Rule for different levels of maturity.

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Classic versus Modern Golden Rules, Golden Rule and maturity, How to improve humanity, How to treat humans, Levels of the Golden Rule

Below is the Maturity Chart from the 1995 Probaway – Paths. Click it for a bigger image or go to Probaway – PATHS TO MATURITY – Chart expanded.

Paths to human maturity.

The chart is a 3D image that covers five developmental levels of maturity – Immature, Adolescent, Adult, Mature and Sage, and three levels of present Environmental Stress – Pleasurably stressful, Dangerously stressful, and Overwhelmingly stressful, and four levels of where current attention is placed – Objects, People, Perceptions, and Ideas.

This blog post will explore the Golden Rule in relationship to this Chart of Maturity. Here is a link to my earlier (February 28, 2010) post, How many Golden Rules are there? Many but there’s one really good one.

Every culture has some form of how we as individuals should treat other people. Here in the Christian West it is called the Golden Rule, but if the basic idea is pursued it varies greatly, and here is a list arranged by date:

Egypt – 2040 BC – The Eloquent Peasant – Do to the doer to cause that he do thus to you.

Mesopotamia – 1780 BC – the Code of Hammurabi had a balancing of one’s personal behavior with a reciprocity “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth“. That is, you get what you have given.

China – 500 BC – Confucius – Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself.

Greece – 500 BC – Sextus – What you do not want to happen to you, do not do it yourself either.

Iran – 500 BC – Pahlavi – Whatever is disagreeable to yourself do not do unto others.

India – 500 BC – Mahābhārata, – Treat others as you treat yourself.

Tamil – 200 BC – Tiruvalluvar – Do no evil, even in return, to those who have cherished enmity and done them evil.

Rome – 43 BC – Publilius Syrus – Expect from others what you did to them.

Israel – 30 BC – Hillel – That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow.

Chicago – 1893 AD – Parliament of the World’s Religions – We must treat others as we wish others to treat us.

Wikipedia – Golden Rule “All versions and forms of the proverbial Golden Rule have one aspect in common: they all demand that people treat others in a manner in which they themselves would like to be treated.”

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What was Jesus’ Golden Rule?

What Jesus was reported to have said in his Golden Rule was best stated in the King James version. Here is a link to 53 Bible versions of Matthew 7:12; 11 of these English translations use the word should, 6 use like and 21 want.

The difference between should and want is critical to your human development, because at every level from infant to sage a person knows what they want, and they have an idea of what they should want. They know that what they should want is available to them if they try to achieve it, but to reach that level will require some personal effort and knocking at the right door.

To see the above chart go to the original click Google Ngram.

In the year 1820 the favorite Golden Rules were “should do to you”, “should do unto you”; the popularity crossed over in 1940, and in 2000 the favorite renditions were, “want them to do”, and “would have them do”. What has happened is a total revision of what the Golden Rule told us to do in the last 200 years.

Here is how the concept of the Golden Rule has changed over the last four millennia:

Mesopotamia – 1780 BC – the Code of Hammurabi had a balancing of one’s personal behavior with a reciprocity “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth“. That is, you get what you have given. — It would seem fair to place this moral method of operation into the Immature – Dangerously stressful area of the Maturity chart.

Israel – 30 BC – Hillel – That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. This view has an fundamental understanding of the other person’s feelings, but it has an underlying tone of extreme stress, thus Adolescent – Dangerously stressful.

Chicago – 1893 AD – Parliament of the World’s Religions – We must treat others as we wish others to treat us. This group agreement recognizes the inherent worth of other human beings, and is basically adult in its tone of reciprocity of treatment. By the trajectory of my proposed idea the Golden Rules that are post 1940, “want them to do”, and “would have them do”, are Adult – Pleasurably stressful, as they are positive, but they seem weak because they seem motivated by selfish self-interest.

The favorite Golden Rules before 1940 were, “should do to you”, “should do unto you”, which have an element of responsibility built into their basically positive self-controlled world view. It would seem reasonable therefore to place them into the Mature – Pleasurably stressful location on the chart.

To the Sage – Pleasurably stressful person, the Golden Rule would approach the problem as – Propagate a method that will help humanity live a long and interactive life.

The moral quality of humanity is still improving and humans are becoming more humane.

People are incapable of thinking beyond their maturity level.

Tags

Personal realities, Speak to the individuals interest.

Paths to human maturity.

I’ve been observing people based on the Maturity Chart I created back in 1994, but I am only coming to realize that it is futile to talk with people about things outside of their personal experiences and world view. So, observe where the person you are speaking to is at on the Paths Chart above and address them and their interests as of that moment. I’ve been making a joke of it by saying there is an opportunity to make some money from an ad in the Bend Bulletin, “If you are constipated or your life is meaningless, come talk with me for five minutes, and you will have to go to the toilet, and find your life has meaning elsewhere!” The problem comes about because I like to talk about abstract subjects, which some people love, but most Bend people can only find interest in discussing personal problems, skiing, cars, TV, sports, and these days the horrible multitudes of potholes in our streets, and the absurd statements by Trump.

But, scan back over the subjects in these blog posts, and those are the things that I was interested in on a particular day, and that is what I would like to talk about, and often did. If it doesn’t happen to be about some observations made about a person’s particular disease of the moment, they have absolutely no interest. Why should they have an interest in something that doesn’t concern them personally? Okay.

My latest comeuppance has been the total public avoidance of The EarthArk Project Memorial Day – February 29th – ! Of course I must take total responsibility for my promoting this technique for saving humanity in such a wrong way that not a single person, other than myself, displays the slightest interest. There are many good ideas explored on the 3,037 Probaway posts. I know they are good ideas because I made them work before I posted them. People will complain that they trust science, and I respect that, but one doesn’t need a year-long double-blind study with a thousand people to test the How to stop Itching method I proposed in 1994. A five-minute experiment will work every time; at least it has in my experience. You don’t need a lot of experimenting to see if a ball tossed into the air will fall toward the ground. So …

At the beginning of a conversation discover the interests of a person, and speak exclusively to those.

How people can move from maturity to sagehood

Tags

Human maturity, Paths

How does one stimulate mature people to strive to move on to a sage level of human development? Normal people routinely move through the stages of infancy, childhood, adolescence, adult to mature, but why do some move on to a more developed worldview and others don’t? Perhaps the question can be approached by asking why do some people stagnate at any of the even more youthful reality orientations?

Paths to human maturity.

For a breakdown of this chart into sentences go to Probaway – PATHS TO MATURITY – Chart expanded. Then return to the chart above to make your conception of the paths to maturity multidimensional.

Every mature person has probably spent some time in all thirty-six locations below their mature level, and it would seem reasonable that to achieve a sage worldview it would be necessary to also experience all twelve of the mature locations. To progress horizontally along the chart from any state of maturity to a higher one is most easily done at the top of the chart where the person has more mental and emotional flexibility. At the bottom of the chart the stress level is too high and a person is forced into various conditions of reflexive fight, flight, or freeze strategies, and there is no creative thinking going on, only reacting.

When a person is in an expansive frame of mind, at the top of the chart, they have the ability to think, to consider alternatives, and to realize the greater pleasure of being at the expansive top moving toward contented maturity, rather than at the contractive bottom and moving toward psychotic failure. Even at the sage level, when a person is in a maximally stressful condition they are reacting, rather than thinking creatively, but because they are highly developed their methods of reacting are beneficial for the rest of the world. The maturity of a person is observed in the habits they choose to cultivate. Thus, a sage-level person’s habits would be cultivated toward helping other people, even though they themselves were in a stressful situation.

At each horizontal stage of maturity when the person is on the top level of the chart they can advance horizontally. That is because at that level they feel expansive and have the flexibility to think and to consider their possibilities and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of possible new behaviors. Thus it is important when in a new situation to maintain as positive an attitude as possible so one’s responses can be as flexible and as adaptable to the new situation as possible.

Most people most of the time would be oscillating between the top level of pleasurably stressful, and the middle level of potentially dangerously stressful. This would be a typical work situation, or a social situation where things can easily become difficult. It is when they are in a frequent or consistently overwhelmingly stressful situation that they fall to the bottom of the chart and into a psychotic, neurotic, cynical, or realist mind set and tend to move to left, toward psychosis, if they can’t get out. In each of these overwhelmingly stressful mental states the people are not operating at a level that gives opportunity to be flexible and grow.

The revelation of this line of reasoning is that for mature people to move on to a sage level of being and behaving they need to move to the top level of maturity, and while in those enjoyable states of being to practice moving into the sage levels. When in a mature state of altruistic giving to achieve common goals, they need to consider Lao Tzu’s no-exampling to generate universal well-being. And, when they are in a state of exposing people to common problems, to practice Jesus’s methods of the Golden Rule and do to others as they should do to you. And when they are in the role of being a mature leader, like Moses, to give goals to people that aid in the creation of their self identity. When in the mature mode of thinking about creating attainable solutions to problems, to think like Buddha did when meditating, that is, when he is in his deeper meditations he explores beyond the attainable solutions and develops even better ones.

In each of these examples the goal was to get to the most expansive level at the top of the chart and then to move one group to the right. When a mature person is doing this they will be moving into the sage level of human development.

People grow in maturity when they are feeling expansive and take more responsibility for human welfare.

A Dictionary of New Epigrams – Maturity

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Happy Healthy Wise Wealthy, How to live better, How to reach old age, Maturity, The Angel's Dictionary of Aphorisms

A Dictionary of New Epigrams

MATURITY

1. To be understood, you must speak to what the other person is prepared to hear and understand.

2. We grow rigid with age when we cease to observe the world around us and instead project onto the world what we wish to be there.

3. If you look and act like you are eighty years old, people will treat you like they would treat an eighty-year-old.

4. I know eighty-year-olds who still ski, but they injure easily and die even when they take easy falls.

5. When we ask for help, ask for the ability to hear and learn better habits from other people’s mistakes.

6. If you tell your personal stories as if they happened in a faraway place and an ancient time, people will relate to you, and your life is a fairy tale.

7. To be current and alive, tell your stories as if they just are just happening.

8. Among the greatest blessings of any moment is the intentional awareness and use of its opportunities.

9. Adding years to our lives brings to the fore those habits, both good and bad that we have cultivated.

10. Live life at the moment with an enthusiasm that fills up that moment.

11. Living to be old requires good sense and some good luck, but living well requires good character, and that is founded on good habits.

12. Some people grow more rigid as they age, and others more flexible; it depends on the habits they have chosen and cultivated.

13. Some grow more stoical as they age and cease worrying about things over which they have no influence.

14. Growing old can be a beautiful path filled with wonderful events, even to the end, but it requires being on a good path with the right responses to what is found there.

15. Our bodies will weaken with the years, but our minds can mature into an ever healthier condition if we think and do the right things.

16. Even a child feels old and decrepit if he cultivates habits of worry and regrets.

17. Personal growth can continue after death in that portion of a person’s personality that is invested in the health of his community.

18. Wisdom is in knowing which habits to cultivate and which to overlay with other habits.

19. Time will age one’s body, but abuse will age it faster.

20. Even when the clouds and night of infirmity prevent us from seeing, we can know that truth and beauty are still there in the world.

21. Growing old is delightful if you have chosen the right habits.

22. We are given our bodies and place of birth, but we can choose to cultivate a healthy body and mind and take good care of them.

23. Do what you can with your life to help others live theirs more abundantly. Not only does it help them, but it also helps you to see better what they and you need.

24. It is a pleasure gaining maturity, moving away from the problems of youth and adulthood.

25. Fit your actions to their appropriate time; what needs doing today do today, and what needs doing now do now. Put off forever what shouldn’t be done, or at least until tomorrow.

26. When we see successful people, we can observe what works, and when we see failures, we can observe what doesn’t work. Need it to be said, “Do what works, and avoid what doesn’t work.”

27. Watch for the antecedents of contentment, and search for ways to help others find their own way to contentment by exposing the antecedents.

28. Contentment could be had in youth if those who had it said how to attain it and demonstrated the way.

29. Find important things that need doing, and do what you can and promote those things.

30. Those who pay attention to their surroundings and participate are alive, they may eventually die of old age, but they are forever youthful.

31. A mind with an inflexible attitude isn’t thinking, and it’s functionally dead.

32. Old age is wonderful if one has behaved well and continues to behave well. Of course, it requires wisdom to know what behaving well consists of and how to do it.

33. Tranquility within and contentment without can be learned and cultivated.

34. We are all students of life, and we are all young, adult, and mature some of the time.

35. Avoid offensive behavior, be kind, speak and behave honestly.

36. First, get wisdom, and what is wisdom but knowing what to learn and what habits to cultivate and when to apply them?

37. Most people find it difficult to grow old gracefully because their lives are awash in sophisticated propaganda to value things they don’t need.

38. It is impossible to slow the years from passing, but we can influence our health.

39. We improve with age if we have cultivated wisdom and rot with age if we haven’t.

40. Those who disparage old age are destroying their chance of ever enjoying it.

41. Those people who live for bodily pleasures will grow despondent with their advancing years, but those who live to help others find their way will find their own years gladdened.

42. Wise people are content with what they are and what they have made of themselves.

43. As we age, we become more uniquely like ourselves.

44. To grow old, pay attention not only to the good things you might seek but also to the bad things to avoid.

45. Every moment of your life, you can grow in experience and wisdom, and then every future moment will have more potential for what you want than every preceding one.

46. Waking up in the morning or in the middle of a conversation is always a surprise.

47. A neurotic is often a physically healthy person who has cultivated some poor habits.

48. When we use our adult years’ time and attention well, our old age will be tranquil and content.

49. Everyone has problems, and to have the discernment to see what leads those people to success or failure with their problems is a good guide for us.

50. The desirable childlike qualities of old age see the world with fresh eyes and then being content with what you see there.

51. An mature person avoids taking risks because risks sometimes cause problems, and almost always, you can avoid risks by doing something else.

52. Being creative is using what is available to a good end.

53. Occasionally, I have to tell people how old I am, and they are always startled. I tell them I chose my parents carefully and kept my face out of fights. That gets a chuckle.

54. When you are doing something important, you are alive and feel young, but when you stop doing anything, you are instantly old and feel decrepit.

55. Cheerfulness is based on a life of good habits, but happiness is always only of the moment.

56. Fools grow more foolish with age, and their thinking grows even more confused as they practice their poor habits.

57. Maturity is a potential reward we receive for not getting ourselves killed in our youth.

58. Every new moment of a mature life is getting better because it has a better base to build upon.

59. People easily forget that the function of the brain is to promote the health and survival of their body and their species.

60. We carry our habits to our last breath.

61. To the end, the best thing to improve your life is to be observing other people and trying to find ways to improve their lives.

62. A life being well lived can be departed at any time because it is complete at every moment.

63. Live life to the fullness of the moment, even when that moment is one of dying.

Love and Emotional Maturity

Tags

Creating contentment, Human emotions, love, Love and be loved, Maturity

“We love the things we love for what they are.”
― Robert Frost

As a person becomes more emotionaly mature they reach a condition where they appreciate everything in the world as being perfect, which is a similar attitude to Dr. Pangloss’s view in Voltaire’s book Candide. Pangloss considered this the best of all possible worlds and from a mature point of view this is a good attitude, and with Pangloss I would concur that we must accept the world as it is as perfect. The past is gone and past changing, the present is as it is and therefore might as well be considered perfect because it is as it is and can be no other way. It is the future which might not be perfect, but on the other hand every moment of the future will be just another example of the present now, and with this attitude, or call it philosophy if one wants to be kind, it will also be what it is and thus another moment of perfection.
However, if we could change the future, in even some very tiny way, it would no longer be the same example of perfection, but some alternate perfection. Perhaps from our personal perspective this alternate perfection could be a more perfect perfection than another one which might otherwise exist. From this perspective it makes sense to do what is necessary to bring about this perfect condition rather than another one. This is not to imply that any perfection will be better than the perfection which actually comes to pass, but it is one which at the present we may consider to be better, and therefore the one that we ought to exert our energies to bring into being. No matter how momentarily that perfection might actually exist.
It would appear that if we want to love and be loved in this future present we should do things in this present which will bring about that future condition, but to do this must mean that we accept the present moment as perfect.
That is okay because we should love our other and ourself exactly as they and we are, and if we can do that it is the best possible way to achieve the future state of acceptance. If we love what exists and what we have then it is easy for this state to continue to exist until any moment in the future, and if we develop the habit of loving what is and therefore treating it with respect and kindness, which is easy to do when we have the belief and habit that what is is perfection, then it becomes very easy for our interlocutor to relate to us in this very pleasant way. Our personal world becomes even easier to live with and accept because it is reacting wholly to positive emotional input. Most people find themselves mirroring the emotions which come their way, and if you are in an emotional condition of projecting warmth and acceptance then it becomes very easy for others to reciprocate.
Love becomes a natural reciprocation for a mature person.

Probaway – PATHS TO MATURITY – Chart expanded.

Tags

Controlling habits, Human habits, Human maturity, Paths to maturity, Probaway paths

Probaway Paths of human maturity was first published in 1994 as a three-dimensional chart measuring five levels of time-binding maturity against environmental stress and current attention.

1. Time-binding maturity
   1. IMMATURE Childish behavior is okay for children but very poor for older people.
   2. ADOLESCENT Why are adolescents so stupid? I don’t mean low IQ I mean stupid.
   3. ADULT Adult behavior isn’t stupid but it isn’t smart either.
   4. MATURE Mature behavior is helped by a higher IQ
   5. SAGE To behave as a sage requires intelligence, experience and thoughtfulness.
2. Environmental stress,
   1. EGO EXPANSION when pleasurably stressful
   2. EGO DEFENSE when dangerously stressful
   3. EGO CONTRACTION when overwhelmingly stressful
3. Current attention
   1. IDEAS
   2. PERCEPTIONS
   3. PEOPLE
   4. OBJECTS

 To maximize happiness behave at your highest maturity level. 

 

Paths to human maturity. Click to enlarge.

 

The resulting chart makes conceptual sense but it is difficult to read and so below is the chart expanded into complete sentences, which makes it easier to read but it is more difficult to follow conceptually. The best way to combine the advantages of both of these renditions of the same information is to have them viewed simultaneously side by side in printed forms or in seperate windows. 

 Probaway – Paths

PLEASURABLY STRESSFUL

1. When the environment is pleasurably stressful then the IMMATURE person’s expressions of ego expansion are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a DREAMER fantasizing self-worth by DELUSIONAL THINKING about personal qualities when his attention is dominated by his ideas.
2. When the environment is pleasurably stressful then the IMMATURE person’s expressions of ego expansion are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a DREAMER fantasizing self-worth by SILLY LYING to get attention when his attention is dominated by perceptions.
3. When the environment is pleasurably stressful then the IMMATURE person’s expressions of ego expansion are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a DREAMER fantasizing self-worth by FABRICATING RELATIONSHIPS about people when his attention is dominated by people.
4. When the environment is pleasurably stressful then the IMMATURE person’s expressions of ego expansion are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a DREAMER fantasizing self-worth by GRABBING THINGS and just holding on to them when his attention is dominated by objects.
5. When the environment is pleasurably stressful then the ADOLESCENT person’s expressions of ego expansion are taking control of his environment by using the methods of an IDEALIST claiming self-worth by EXCITABLE-THINKING about personal situations when his attention is dominated by his his ideas.
6. When the environment is pleasurably stressful then the ADOLESCENT person’s expressions of ego expansion are taking control of his environment by using the methods of an IDEALIST claiming self-worth by BOASTING about personal qualities when his attention is dominated by his perceptions.
7. When the environment is pleasurably stressful then the ADOLESCENT person’s expressions of ego expansion are taking control of his environment by using the methods of an IDEALIST claiming self-worth by FORMALIZING RELATIONSHIPS into exclusive categories when his attention is dominated by people.
8. When the environment is pleasurably stressful then the ADOLESCENT person’s expressions of ego expansion are taking control of his environment by using the methods of an IDEALIST claiming self-worth by CONTROLLING THINGS and over-stressing them when his attention is dominated by objects.
9. When the environment is pleasurably stressful then the ADULT person’s expressions of ego expansion are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a PRODUCER acquiring self-worth by CALCULATING solutions to personal problems when his attention is dominated by his ideal.
10. When the environment is pleasurably stressful then the ADULT person’s expressions of ego expansion are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a PRODUCER acquiring self-worth by LECTURING about knowledge to enhance esteem when his attention is dominated by his perceptions.
11. When the environment is pleasurably stressful then the ADULT person’s expressions of ego expansion are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a PRODUCER acquiring self-worth by ACHIEVING STATUS by productive actions when his attention is dominated by people.
12. When the environment is pleasurably stressful then the ADULT person’s expressions of ego expansion are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a PRODUCER acquiring self-worth by EARNING PROPERTY for personal accumulation when his attention is dominated by objects.
13. When the environment is pleasurably stressful then the MATURE person’s expressions of ego expansion are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a LEADER giving goals to people by CREATING attainable solutions to problems when his attention is dominated by his ideas.
14. When the environment is pleasurably stressful then the MATURE person’s expressions of ego expansion are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a LEADER giving goals to people by HUMORING to aid in the creation of self-consciousness when his attention is dominated by perceptions.
15. When the environment is pleasurably stressful then the MATURE person’s expressions of ego expansion are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a LEADER giving goals to people by EXPOSING people to common problems when his attention is dominated by people.
16. When the environment is pleasurably stressful then the MATURE person’s expressions of ego expansion are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a LEADER giving goals to people by ALTRUISTIC-GIVING to achieve common goals when his attention is dominated by objects.
17. When the environment is pleasurably stressful then the SAGE person’s expressions of ego expansion are taking control of his environmentby using the methods of a PROGENITOR giving skills to evolve worth by MEDITATING teachable paths to higher realities when his attention is dominated by ideas.
18. When the environment is pleasurably stressful then the SAGE person’s expressions of ego expansion are taking control of his environmentby using the methods of a PROGENITOR giving skills to evolve worth by PROPHESYING to create the conditions for human growth when his attention is dominated by perceptions.
19. When the environment is pleasurably stressful then the SAGE person’s expressions of ego expansion are taking control of his environmentby using the methods of a PROGENITOR giving skills to evolve worth by GOLDEN-RULING Doing to others as they should do when his attention is dominated by people.
20. When the environment is pleasurably stressful then the SAGE person’s expressions of ego expansion are taking control of his environmentby using the methods of a PROGENITOR giving skills to evolve worth by NO-EXAMPLING to generate universal well-being when his attention is dominated by objects.

DANGEROUSLY STRESSFUL

1. When the environment is dangerously stressful then the IMMATURE person’s expressions of ego defense are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a CRAZY blunting feelings of self-worth by FORGETTING of even non-threatening memories when his attention is dominated by his ideas.
2. When the environment is dangerously stressful then the IMMATURE person’s expressions of ego defense are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a CRAZY blunting feelings of self-worth by DENYING of perceptual reality and of experience when his attention is dominated by perceptions.
3. When the environment is dangerously stressful then the IMMATURE person’s expressions of ego defense are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a CRAZY blunting feelings of self-worth by DELUSIONAL-PROJECTING of a fantastic persecution when his attention is dominated by people.
4. When the environment is dangerously stressful then the IMMATURE person’s expressions of ego defense are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a CRAZY blunting feelings of self-worth by DISTORTING REALITY in a reversed way when his attention is dominated by objects.
5. When the environment is dangerously stressful then the ADOLESCENT person’s expressions of ego defense are taking control of his environment by using the methods of an AMBULATOR warping feelings of self-worth by SCHIZOID-FANTASIZING to repel stress filled reality when his attention is dominated by his his ideas.
6. When the environment is dangerously stressful then the ADOLESCENT person’s expressions of ego defense are taking control of his environment by using the methods of an AMBULATOR warping feelings of by HYPOCONDRISING of self and passive aggression when his attention is dominated by his perceptions.
7. When the environment is dangerously stressful then the ADOLESCENT person’s expressions of ego defense are taking control of his environment by using the methods of an AMBULATOR warping feelings of by PROJECTING personal problems onto others when his attention is dominated by people.
8. When the environment is dangerously stressful then the ADOLESCENT person’s expressions of ego defense are taking control of his environment by using the methods of an AMBULATOR warping feelings of by STEALING objects to acquire control when his attention is dominated by objects.
9. When the environment is dangerously stressful then the ADULT person’s expressions of ego defense are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a RATIONALIST distracting ideas of self-worth by INTELLECTUALIZING about action but with no real action when his attention is dominated by his ideal.
10. When the environment is dangerously stressful then the ADULT person’s expressions of ego defense are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a RATIONALIST distracting ideas of self-worth by DISSOCIATING behavior into proper but rigid channels when his attention is dominated by his perceptions.
11. When the environment is dangerously stressful then the ADULT person’s expressions of ego defense are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a RATIONALIST distracting ideas of self-worth by FORMING reactions opposite to impulses when his attention is dominated by people.
12. When the environment is dangerously stressful then the ADULT person’s expressions of ego defense are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a RATIONALIST distracting ideas of self-worth by DISPLACING attention to less anxiety ridden things when his attention is dominated by objects.
13. When the environment is dangerously stressful then the MATURE person’s expressions of ego defense are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a STRUGGLER substituting others’ self-worth by ANTICIPATING and mentally practicing future actions when his attention is dominated by his ideas.
14. When the environment is dangerously stressful then the MATURE person’s expressions of ego defense are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a STRUGGLER substituting others’ self-worth by SUBLIMATING attention to alternate but worthy goals when his attention is dominated by perceptions.
15. When the environment is dangerously stressful then the MATURE person’s expressions of ego defense are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a STRUGGLER substituting others’ self-worth by ORGANIZING people to defend the group when his attention is dominated by people.
16. When the environment is dangerously stressful then the MATURE person’s expressions of ego defense are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a STRUGGLER substituting others’ self-worth by INVESTING goods to maintain their value when his attention is dominated by objects.
17. When the environment is dangerously stressful then the SAGE person’s expressions of ego defense are taking control of his environmentby using the methods of a SAINT promoting others’ self-worth by FORGIVING ALL, the bad and good alike when his attention is dominated by ideas.
18. When the environment is dangerously stressful then the SAGE person’s expressions of ego defense are taking control of his environmentby using the methods of a SAINT promoting others’ self-worth by BENEVOLENCING needed feelings into everyone when his attention is dominated by perceptions.
19. When the environment is dangerously stressful then the SAGE person’s expressions of ego defense are taking control of his environmentby using the methods of a SAINT promoting others’ self-worth by COMPASSIONING required attentions onto others when his attention is dominated by people.
20. When the environment is dangerously stressful then the SAGE person’s expressions of ego defense are taking control of his environmentby using the methods of a SAINT promoting others’ self-worth by RAINING BENEFITS to all people and things when his attention is dominated by objects.

OVERWHELMINGLY STRESSFUL

1. When the environment is overwhelmingly stressful then the IMMATURE person’s expressions of ego contraction are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a PSYCHOTIC suffering failure by TORPORING avoidance of all mental stimulation when his attention is dominated by his ideas.
2. When the environment is overwhelmingly stressful then the IMMATURE person’s expressions of ego contraction are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a PSYCHOTIC suffering failure by COWERING avoidance of all bodily stimulation when his attention is dominated by perceptions.
3. When the environment is overwhelmingly stressful then the IMMATURE person’s expressions of ego contraction are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a PSYCHOTIC suffering failure by PANICKING avoidance of all people when his attention is dominated by people.
4. When the environment is overwhelmingly stressful then the IMMATURE person’s expressions of ego contraction are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a PSYCHOTIC suffering failure by TANTRUMING to avoid intrusion by reality when his attention is dominated by objects.
5. When the environment is overwhelmingly stressful then the ADOLESCENT person’s expressions of ego contraction are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a NEUROTIC avoiding ideas of failure by DESPAIRING of success of grandiose expectations when his attention is dominated by his his ideas.
6. When the environment is overwhelmingly stressful then the ADOLESCENT person’s expressions of ego contraction are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a NEUROTIC avoiding ideas of failure by DEPRESSING of effective emotive energy when his attention is dominated by his perceptions.
7. When the environment is overwhelmingly stressful then the ADOLESCENT person’s expressions of ego contraction are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a NEUROTIC avoiding ideas of failure by RECOILING from contact with strong people when his attention is dominated by people.
8. When the environment is overwhelmingly stressful then the ADOLESCENT person’s expressions of ego contraction are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a NEUROTIC avoiding ideas of failure by ACTING-OUT failure against alternate objects when his attention is dominated by objects.
9. When the environment is overwhelmingly stressful then the ADULT person’s expressions of ego contraction are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a CYNIC confining ideas of failure by REPRESSING needs of value arising from self when his attention is dominated by his ideal.
10. When the environment is overwhelmingly stressful then the ADULT person’s expressions of ego contraction are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a CYNIC confining ideas of failure by CLUTTERING values with irrelevant data when his attention is dominated by his perceptions.
11. When the environment is overwhelmingly stressful then the ADULT person’s expressions of ego contraction are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a CYNIC confining ideas of failure by DISPARAGING values held by other people when his attention is dominated by people.
12. When the environment is overwhelmingly stressful then the ADULT person’s expressions of ego contraction are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a CYNIC confining ideas of failure by ABDICATING responsibility for group values when his attention is dominated by objects.
13. When the environment is overwhelmingly stressful then the MATURE person’s expressions of ego contraction are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a REALIST temporizing failure by SUPPRESSING present problems for later solution when his attention is dominated by his ideas.
14. When the environment is overwhelmingly stressful then the MATURE person’s expressions of ego contraction are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a REALIST temporizing failure by HYPOCRISIZING self about relationships to problems when his attention is dominated by perceptions.
15. When the environment is overwhelmingly stressful then the MATURE person’s expressions of ego contraction are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a REALIST temporizing failure by DISSEMBLING personal and group failings when his attention is dominated by people.
16. When the environment is overwhelmingly stressful then the MATURE person’s expressions of ego contraction are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a REALIST temporizing failure by HEDGING against losses with counter actions when his attention is dominated by objects.
17. When the environment is overwhelmingly stressful then the SAGE person’s expressions of ego contraction are taking control of his environmentby using the methods of a PROPHET co-opting ends with failure by RETURNING TO CORE self as to the universe when his attention is dominated by ideas.
18. When the environment is overwhelmingly stressful then the SAGE person’s expressions of ego contraction are taking control of his environmentby using the methods of a PROPHET co-opting ends with failure by TRANSCENDING THE CORE self to the world when his attention is dominated by perceptions.
19. When the environment is overwhelmingly stressful then the SAGE person’s expressions of ego contraction are taking control of his environmentby using the methods of a PROPHET co-opting ends with failure by BESTOWING MIND to humanity when his attention is dominated by people.
20. When the environment is overwhelmingly stressful then the SAGE person’s expressions of ego contraction are taking control of his environmentby using the methods of a PROPHET co-opting ends with failure by RETURNING ALL to nature as the source of all things when his attention is dominated by objects.

The maturity of a person is observed in the habits they choose.

To maximize happiness behave at your highest maturity level.

Tags

Adolescence, Adult behavior, Childish behavior, Childishess, Mature behavior, Sagehood, What way is better

Almost all of our behavior is a playing out of our learned habits. Even that tiny bit of rational based thinking is itself a habit. It’s from those rational moments of self awareness that we do have that we can find ways to improve our habits and raise us to greater maturity. Thus, when you encounter any situation stop and think for a moment, “what would be a way to cope with this problem more permanently”. This moment of thought will maximize your happiness in the long run relative to that problem by forming a new habit for coping with that type of problem. When you choose to behave at any given moment at your highest maturity level you will soon be habitually living at that higher level and the higher levels ultimately give more pleasure and less pain.

This weeks posts explored five basic levels of maturity, Child, Adolescent, Adult, Mature and Sage. Anyone can cultivate the habits which will function on any of the maturity levels but in general the mature levels will give more long term satisfactions and the childish ones more instant gratifications. Everything needed to grow from childhood to sagehood is available to everyone of normal intelligence and experience but it requires some self observation and a long term orientation to decision making.

One should ask of their innermost directing-self, “Direct me along the proper paths — the paths that will lead me to my heaven”. By heaven I mean the state which will give you and the people you love, the most vigor, (life-force, abundance) as measured from some point in the distant future. Many people find that they get the most self control by directing their attention to helping others correct a problem which they themselves are having. It is similar to the known experience of teachers that the best way to learn a subject is to teach it. That is true only in the abstract understanding of a subject and to do something well requires practicing it oneself. Practice the way you play, play the way you work, work the way you lead and lead the way that others can follow.

Pause occasionally and consider — What is a better way to do this?

A Maturity Quotient MQ-test to replace IQ-tests.

Tags

Human problem solving, IQ tests, MQ tests of maturity

IQ tests attempt to measure human learning abilities. That is important for placing people into situations which can best use those abilities. A person who has an excellent command of their native language at a young age would be a good candidate for success at a language translator school. Vocabulary tests in one’s native language can be quickly administered and it is a good proxy for the intelligence needed for a language based occupation.

Unfortunately, many important situations which people encounter routinely are not helped much by the ability to think more quickly. Usually it is more helpful to be able to think about problems in a way which will bring about better outcomes. Usually being quick just gets a poor answer more rapidly, but thinking maturely gets better results more consistently. What this post attempts to measure are those qualities of maturity which tend to get the better long-term results and to present them in an orderly fashion.

The following immature coping strategies were mentioned in the book What Intelligence Tests Miss: The Psychology of Rational Thought by Keith Stanovich, p. 149.

1. Need for closure
2. Belief perseverance
3. Confirmation bias
4. Overconfidence
5. Openness to experience
6. Faith in intuition
7. Counterfactual thinking
8. Categorical thinking
9. Superstitious thinking
10. Dogmatism

 However useful that list may be for identifying poor coping strategies, it lacked a structured form which would be helpful for identifying the relative levels of performance.

My1995 Probaway called Paths – to human maturity are charted from infancy to adulthood and on to sagehood, does offer a clear structure and gives ways for identifying levels of maturity from observed and measurable behavior. A  pencil and paper test with questions which would probe a subject’s underlying personal strategy for solving problems can be derived from the chart. It would be helpful for anticipating future behavior from an individual when confronted with general problems. Questions and potential answers to this MQ-test would be of the type shown below:

1. When I meet new people I like to:
   1. get control and tell them what to do
   2. impress them with how important I am
   3. do things to make them more comfortable
   4. find problems we can solve together
   5. do worthwhile things which they can do too
2. When people give me trouble I:
   1. ignore them and think about my friends
   2. think about ways to get even
   3. control my anger and do my work
   4. work harder on other things I like to do
   5. help them get what they want
3. When nasty people get in control I try to:
   1. stay home and totally avoid them
   2. leave their presence as quickly as possible
   3. work but disparage their values and methods
   4. try to understand and work with them
   5. find a common goal for everyone’s benefit

This questionnaire, if answered honestly and without preconceptions, would show the typical coping strategy of the person. The questions and answers may appear vague but there is an underlying time binding quality to them which the less mature persons will not recognize as being very meaningful. In the example above the answers are arranged by level of maturity but in a full test of twenty questions of this type the answers would be arranged randomly.

 Stanovich’s list for poor thinkers is made up of problem solving techniques normally associated with children and problems arise for adults when they apply these immature coping strategies to more complex adult problems. They have learned strategies with limited scope and flexibility and have not grown beyond them. When more data is presented to these people they fit the new data into their preexisting worldview and because their worldview is a childish one these new ideas will be used to support that limited view. The new data are brought in only to support their already existing conceptions and there is no improvement in coping strategies. Thinking quicker with poor coping strategies will not give better results because their tools are limited. Groups of people with poor coping strategies but mixed backgrounds can by arguing about various problems come up with better solutions than any individual because group discussion can cancel out each individual’s flawed thoughts.

Adults can communicate faulty thinking to children as was done in the famous newspaper story, Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus in which various trusted adults lied to a girl about the Christmas myth. The adults perpetrated this story on the girl as absolute truth and the readers of the story thought it was just harmless fun but it was very destructive to all concerned. Virginia probably suffered considerable embarrassment in the short run but for the rest of her life she probably cultivated a healthy doubt of authority figures’ veracity. The writer and the readers of the article are much the worse off, because it contaminated their perceptions of proper perceptions and behavior. This type of thinking feeds back upon itself and ruins the mind’s ability to perceive the world correctly and thus it becomes impossible for it to relate to the world and other people in fully appropriate ways. They have fouled their perceptual apparatus and will suffer for it their entire lives.

Even the short MQ-test above would probably identify the people who would be most susceptible to the contamination latent in the Virginia story. Those who most enjoyed it and believed in the conclusions at the bottom of the story would probably be choice candidates for poor life coping strategies.

Having considered how destructive of a young person’s mind that kind of thinking would be, go and read the original article. And, please remember,

When a child asks you a question answer it truthfully.

The easy paths to human maturity.

Tags

Adult, behavior, Maturity, Neurosis, Psychosis, Sage

Paths to human maturity.

Click for a bigger, and better Probaway – Paths To Human Maturity Chart

Example sentence, 1 of 60 . . . . . . When the environment is pleasurably stressful then the immature person’s expressions of ego expansion are taking control of his environment by using the methods of a dreamer fantasizing self-worth by delusional thinking about personal qualities when his attention is dominated by his ideas. . . . .

This long sentence was created for the top front box, and a similar, but unique sentence can be created for every one of the sixty boxes each of which represent a level of human development under certain general conditions.

Human maturity is a difficult concept for many people to understand, and this chart gives some help with that subject by providing a multidimensional plotting of several factors affecting human development. The vertical dimension is environmental stress upon an individual, and the various ways that they can relate to that stress depending upon their maturity, and their current activity. The left-right axis relates the time-binding predilections of the person, and how long they are able to put off gratification of various desires. The depth axis develops some relationships with what the activity being pursued is related to.

The stress is discussed on three defined generalized levels. The top one is where internal stress permits a state of ego expansion where the environment is under the individual’s control and the person can do whatever is within their power.

The middle stress level is where the there are clear challenges to what is being attempted and various strategies of offense and defense are required for coping with the various imposing realities.

The bottom stress level is one that is so severe that it cannot be coped with, and the person is forced to contract, and acquiesce to external compulsions.

From the center of the chart on the left to right axis the quality being rated relates the time-binding maturity predilections of the person, and is labeled with age maturity levels on the far side and mental maturity levels upon the near side, immature-crazy. These are roughly related to one another, and a normal person grows through the various stages with time and experience.

Those bands on the top expansive level are: Immature-Dreamer, Adolescent-Idealist, Adult-Producer, Mature-Leader, and Sage-Progenitor.

On the challenged level are: Immature-Crazy, Adolescent-Ambulator, Adult-Rationalist, Mature-Struggler, and Sage-Saint.

On the ego contraction level are: Immature-Psychotic, Adolescent-Neurotic, Adult-Cynic, Mature-Realist, and Sage-Prophet.

One each level and crossing all of the bands are the belts of focus of interest at the moment: Objects, people, perceptions and ideas.

The normal development of a human being would be through all of these developmental stages, and by late adulthood they should have experienced some time in every one of the defined conditions. However, the more developed a person becomes the more time they spend in the more positive and more highly developed states of happiness. The more time that people spend in the higher states the better off, and more fulfilled they are, and the more the rest of humanity benefits from their existence.

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The Blue Zones 2nd edition, 9 Lessons for Living Longer by Dan Buettner, Lesson #9

RIGHT TRIBE – Be surrounded by those who share Blue Zone values

To get moving in your Blue Zone, try some of my replacement comments on Dan Buettner’s tips.

Identify your inner circle.

Google search: “According to a 2021 survey, 12% of American adults have no close friends. This is up from 3% in the 1990s. The 2021 survey also found that 27% of millennials have no close friends, and 22% have no friends at all.”

That is an American tragedy! What is even worse is that younger people are not developing friendships. When walking downtown, I see some younger people actively try to ignore other people by listening to their earbuds.

People tend to meet others:

• In high school (87%) or college (70%)
• Through work (75%)
• Through neighborhood (61%)
• Through church or spiritual community (44%)
• Informally (started talking at a park or café) (38%)
• Through children (playgroup, children’s sports) (38%)
• Through sports or fitness activity (33%)

The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on young people’s social isolation was one of the problems. Unfortunately, a new problem is coming this year in the form of fake information surrounding the elections from what was formerly coming from trusted media. That will make it difficult for anyone to tell the truth from falsehoods, and because friendship is based on truth, there will be a lack of trust. The fake information will probably cause waves of social chaos that will interfere with young adults’ perceptions of reality.

Be likable.

I ask ChatGPT

How does a person become likable?

Becoming likable involves a combination of behaviors, attitudes, and interpersonal skills that are generally appreciated and valued in social interactions. Here are some key factors that can contribute to being perceived as likable:

1. Empathy and Understanding: Show genuine interest in others and their experiences. Try to understand their feelings and perspectives. Empathy builds strong, relatable connections.
2. Positive Attitude: A positive and optimistic attitude is often contagious. People are generally drawn to individuals with a positive outlook on life and can uplift others.
3. Good Listening Skills: Active listening shows you value what the other person says. It involves hearing the words and understanding the underlying emotions and intentions.
4. Authenticity: Be yourself. Authenticity builds trust, and people are more likely to be drawn to someone who is genuine and sincere.
5. Respectfulness: Respecting others’ opinions, time, and boundaries is crucial. Respectful behavior demonstrates maturity and consideration.
6. Humor: Good humor can lighten conversations and make interactions more enjoyable. However, it’s essential to be mindful of the type of humor used and ensure it is appropriate for the situation.
7. Good Communication Skills: Clear and effective communication helps in expressing thoughts and ideas in a way that is easy to understand. This includes both verbal and non-verbal communication skills.
8. Kindness and Generosity: Acts of kindness and a generous attitude can significantly impact how likable you are. Small acts of kindness often leave lasting impressions.
9. Confidence: Confidence, without being arrogant, can be attractive. It shows that you are comfortable with yourself and your abilities.
10. Reliability and Integrity: Being someone others can count on and displaying integrity in your actions builds trust and admiration.

It’s important to remember that likability is subjective and can vary based on cultural, social, and personal preferences. What is likable to one person may not be to another. Additionally, these qualities should be cultivated genuinely rather than as a means to an end, as people often can sense when someone is being inauthentic or manipulative.

Create time together.

In the Blue Zones, people spent most of their time engaged in social situations like cooking, eating, and just having pleasant conversations. In modern America, this doesn’t seem to be happening with many people, and therefore, these people will probably not achieve the long and happy lives analyzed and described in this book.

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My study of Buettner’s Blue Zones book didn’t go where I hoped and intended. It showed the path to a long and happy way of living, but it inadvertently exposed that modern civilization is moving away from that path. David Sinclair’s Age Reversal Community is extending the health span, and that research is resulting in an increased life span, but the current social trend is shortening it.