THE MINDMAP RATIONALE
When receiving information (watching, reading; listening, touching, or any other kind of observation), DO NOT JUST ABSORB PASSIVELY. Some New Age Analysts have been known to advise to “clear the mind” while attending to incoming sense-data so as not to impose one’s own categories or standards. This is a profoundly foolish and counter-productive piece of advice. The way to effectively absorb information, to make it your own is through active listening - by fitting it into what is already known. What the active listener needs to remember is to keep the attributed characteristics and categories TENTATIVE rather than PERMANENT. Every incoming piece or stream of information has a context and implications. Whether stated or not, such information reflects or entails certain beliefs (what is this, and how do we know?) and certain values (what should we do, and why?). Buried in the incoming information are clues to help answer these questions, but those answers will only be revealed if the information recipient deconstructs the message and categorizes its components. The function of every message is persuasion, whether implicit (a statement) or explicit (an argument), whether intended (social source) or unintended (natural source).
There are nine types of beliefs at the core of our sense of reality, three types of methodology whereby we categorize our experience, nine types of values we hold, and three types of modes to our sensibilities. Statements or situations are usually blends rather than being composed exclusively of a single type, but within such a blend one type tends to dominate. Little or none of this may be explicit however – it is the task of the reflective practitioner to begin to deconstruct the conversation in real time and identify the premises as they are articulated. In other words, being an active listener takes some real, and continuous effort, and considerable practice – you have to pay attention, AND try and make sense of the incoming messages. How is this done? Start by paying attention to those components of the message that occur most frequently or are emphasized most emphatically.
Why bother? Because the incoming information, no matter what the source or content, has the effect of controlling your behaviour, even if you ignore it. But no matter what you do as the result of that incoming sense-data, you can make better decisions and choices if you are capable of informed action. Like informed consent, informed action involves a state of mind that has aligned the content and context of incoming messages so that you can understand and control some of the aspects of your experience [even adjusting your attitude to the prospect of the inevitable is a form of empowerment – and often there is considerably more that you can do].
Use of the MindMap will foster an attitude of Contrarian Thinking: there is no necessity to take conventional wisdom at face value. This is a way of positioning yourself and what you know so that incoming messages are not naively accepted as the truth, or the facts, or just a description, or with nothing more implied or intended. Something more is ALWAYS implied and intended. There is no “unequivocal truth” or “straight facts” or “simple description”. Every person and idea has a history, implications, and consequences. To the extent that you don’t think about any of this, you don’t understand what is going on, and you don’t know what you are doing. The Human Knowledge MindMap helps you counter-act gullibility and complacency.
