[Neurons] Meta Reflection #53

[meta]

L. Michael Hall

Meta Reflections #53 

Dec. 4, 2007 


"IT'S JUST A MAP!"



The power of the neuro-linguistic/neuro-semantic model of Alfred Korzybski rests in how it enables us to distinguish things. And most fundamentally to distinguish my mapping and maps of the world from the actual world that exists outside of my nervous system of sensory perceptions. Succinctly summarized in the smallest of sentences, Korzybski wrote, "The map is not the territory."

We all know this is absolutely and totally true when we go out to eat and dine in a nice restaurant. I don't know anyone personally, nor have I even heard of anyone, who ever went to a restaurant, picked up the menu and, confusing it with the food that it represents, began chewing on it, biting off sections of the menu and then swallowing. If I ever find myself in a restaurant and someone with me actually starts eating the menu, I am sure I would say, "Hey, that the menu, not the meal!" And I think most of us would do. Wouldn't you?

The menu is a symbolic representation of the food and not the food. Similarly a map is not the land, buildings, mountains, woods, houses, train station, airport, rivers, etc., it is a symbolic representation of such. And so with all of our thoughts, ideas, understandings, beliefs, decisions, memories, imaginations, and every other meta-level in our mind.

Yet there is something about us humans that is able to actually forget this and act as if our mental maps (especially our beliefs) are real. We have the exquisite ability to confuse map and territory. We can identify our maps and mapping with the territory (the reality). And, when we do, we confuse ourselves, we semantically over-load things (giving them too much meaning), and in the process create distortions and neuroses and all kinds of problems for ourselves. This also is the structure of fundamentalism.

Now the reason I'm writing about this is because of all the goings on this past week in Kartoum, Sudan with Gillian Gibbons and all of the riots, arrest, imprison, and media blitz about it (at least from what I could tell watching the BBC).

Who would have ever thought that a teacher of small children could have triggered such disturbance, even riots and that it would get so out-of-hand that people would take to the streets demanding her to be lashed and even put to death? And why? Because she asked some young children to name a Teddy Bear after one of their heros! And given that one of the most influential persons in their lives would be Mohammad, that they would innocently name their hero Teddy Bear Mohammd. And that would cause a riot?!

So what started out as a way to teach, support, and empower the children became in the minds of some people "religious blasphemy!" So what was it? Did that action mean and equate with honor and recognition of being a hero or sacrilege and dishonor? Was it being offensive and insulting or caring and respectful? Is that violating the religion or its highest expression?

The answer is that it is neither. And the truth is also that it is both. For some, it stood for and represented one thing and for others it represented the other thing. And whether it was for honor or dishonor, the meaning of these evaluative judgments depends upon the mind of the meaning-maker in so attributing the different meanings. "The map is not the territory." Those who mapped it one way, so it was to them. Those who mapped it different, so it was to them.

Yet outside of these mapping operations, these evaluations, we simply have a Teddy Bear and a name.

This again underscores the power of "beliefs" and the danger of "beliefs." Whatever anyone believes, so it becomes to that person. And since beliefs are self-fulfilling prophecies and commands to the nervous system-these explains how hundreds of people would march and protest in the streets demanding not merely the imprisonment and lashes of the British School Teacher, Gillian Gibbons, but also her death. For many of them, her 15 day imprisonment terms is far too "light" of a punishment for "insulting Isalm." For others of us, any imprisonment for that innocent act is an utterly ridiculous act that should never have occurred in the first place.

This Kartoum Violence reminded me of the Cartoon Violence that occurred a couple years ago in Denmark (if memory serves me well) when the same kind of over-serious believing in one's beliefs lead to violence against the artist and against the newspaper. And it highlights what I think is the biggest threat facing this planet-fundamentalism. Whether it is Islam fundamentalism, Christian fundamental, scientific fundamentalism, liberal fundamentalism, conservative fundamentalism -fundamentalism is the problem.

And what is fundamentalism? The structure of it is believing in your beliefs. That is, it is confusing map and territory and assuming that our ideas is the reality and that if we say something "is" something, then it is and that any other perspective, interpretation, understanding, belief, etc. is automatically wrong. Believing is what we have to do as we make guesses about things and step out to respond, but when we believe in our beliefs then we close our minds, become dogmatic, think we know-it-all, and refuse to adjust any of our thinking to new facts or to even listen and engage in respectful dialogue. And that is what initiates the unsanity. And of course, as we say in Neuro-Semantics, "When we get serious, we get stupid." Here's to the unleashing of more laughter on the planet!!

For more, see "The Magic Nature of Beliefs" on www.neurosemantics.com 

____________________________________

The Ultimate Self-Actualization Workshop: Unleashing Potentials for Peak Performance is the newest Neuro-Semantic Training.  In preparing for  the launch of the New Human Potential Movement --- for May 2008, we began the Self-Actualization Workshops around the world beginning in the USA, then Australia, South Africa, Mexico, Switzerland, England, France, Italy and other places

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2007 Schedule 

11) Dec. 7, 8, and 9, 2007. Italy, Bologna. Sponsored by an Institute of Neuro-Semantics and Lucia Guiovannini and Nicola Riva. lucia at blessyouitalia.eu nicola at blessyouitalia.eu www.blessyouitalia.eu +39 348 229 2562.

2008

1) April 4-7, Portland OR. sponsored by Apositiva, Rich Aanrich and Cat Wilson (www.apositivechange.com rich at apositivechange.com). (503) 525-0595. 

2) May 17-19. ID Com. International, Montreal Canada. Isabell David. Phone: 450-224-5398 / 514-815-5457. idcom at cgocable.ca / idcom at idcominter.com

Web: www.idcominter.com. This training will be delivered in English and simultaneously translated to French. 80% of the participants in 2007 spoke both English and French; with 20% speaking only French and 10% speaking only English. Come and enjoy a taste and feel of Europe in Montreal as you self-actualize.













L. Michael Hall, Ph.D.
Neuro-Semantics Ltd., Executive Director
ISNS - International Society of Neuro-Semantics
P.O. Box 8
Clifton, Colorado, 81520 USA
www.neurosemantics.com 
www.meta-coaching.org
www.self-actualizing.org 

Email: meta @onlinecol.com @acsol.net @mindfocus.co.za
(970) 523-7877
(970) 523-5790 FAX
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