[Neurons] 2013 "Neurons" --- Meta Reflections #48

[L. Michael Hall]

From: L. Michael Hall


Meta Reflections 2013  #48

Nov. 11, 2013


 

 

 

THE GAME OF GOVERNMENT

 

In Neuro-Semantics (as in NLP) one of our governing premises is that where
there are problems, the person (or people) is not the problem; if there's a
problem, the frame is the problem.  That's because behind what people do is
what they think.  And as they think (believe, understand, assume, etc.) so
they feel and act.  So you are never the problem, what you feel and do are
not the problem.  Feeling and doing are symptoms of your frames.  And
because frames govern in this way, that's why "Winning the Inner Game" is
not only an introductory book to this field, it is the basic theme for how
to win whatever game you're playing- whether it is the game of love, of
business, of wealth creation, whatever.

 

All of this holds equally true for the Game of Government.  For us-as a
group of people-to create a governing system of rules and processes that
will enable us all to win, we need to first win the inner game of
government.  In last week's post I used Meta-Model questions and wrote about
what government is, who it is, what it is for, how it works, etc.  In that
description, I hope it became clear that when we talk about "government" and
"politics," we are talking human psychology, that is, about how we humans
function, operate, interact, and communicate with each other.  And all of
these symptoms are functions of the frames that we bring to the experience.

 

So, what do we assume about these semantically loaded terms of government,
politics, political parties, etc.?  What are the various frames that we hold
about these aspects of governance?  What are the frames that set the games
that we play and those that we want to play?  One set of frames about human
beings and government creates a Story that goes like this:

People are selfish, egotistical, narcissistic, survival and self-protection
is their primary concern; they are like animals or little children in being
irresponsible, lazy, ego-centric, etc.  So you have to control everything
that they do; they will not manage it on their own.  They need a strong,
central government to take care of them.  Government should be there to
provide all their needs- safety, money, job, house, medicine, insurance,
etc.

 

Another set of frames about human beings and government is very different.
These frames describe a completely different Story and it goes like this:

People begin life undeveloped and childlike and grow to become disciplined,
highly skilled and responsible, they move naturally from dependence to
independence to inter-dependence because they are social beings and are made
for even higher virtues- as they are all driven by a self-actualization
drive to become the best they can become.  When this drive is inhibited
persons become diminished.

 

Now in the field of business, Douglas McGregor took Maslow's psychological
paradigm shift to the bright-side of human nature and articulated it in what
is now recognized as Theory X and Theory Y of management and leadership.  In
the fields of business and organization development, this was a radical
shift.  It moved people from Authoritarian Leaders and Bosses to
Facilitative and Visionary Leaders.  When we apply this Theory X and Y of
government and politics, it invites the same kind of radical paradigm shift
from one of believing we need as much government as possible to need as
little government as possible.

 

The old set of frames viewed government as the Organization that will save
us from ourselves.  And why do we need that?  Because we can't make it on
our own: People are too irresponsible, too lazy, too undisciplined.  They
are like children.  So someone who knows better needs to take care of them.
Now who can that be?  Why "The Government."  So as political children this
is actually one of our rights that we are entitled to-we have the right to
expect that government will provide everything for us and take care of us as
our parents once took care of us.  Of course this makes government paternal
and controlling.  Throughout history this has been the primary Story of
politics.

 

No wonder the opposite set of frames about government is so radical.  It is
radically positive about human beings in that it views people through the
positive psychology of self-actualization: People want to become
independent, responsible, and disciplined to make real what is potential
within them.  People, when healthy and growing, are ethical, caring, and
collaborative.  This form of government assumes that the best government is
the less government and accordingly it gives government a new direction,
vision, and purpose: Government is to facilitate self-governance.  The best
government governs in a way that empowers people to handle the
responsibilities of citizenship.  It secures the freedom of people so that
they can learn how to use freedom of speech, of thinking, of gathering, of
uniting, etc. so that they can be an informed and active participants in
governing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L. Michael Hall, Ph.D.

                Neuro-Semantics Executive Director 

                Neuro-Semantics International

P.O. Box 8

Clifton, CO. 81520 USA                             

                1 970-523-7877 

                Dr. Hall's email:
<mailto:meta at acsol.net\hich\af31506\dbch\af31505\loch\f31506> meta at acsol.net


     

    

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