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  %MYTH INTEGRATION REPRESSED MYSTERIES EXPERIENCES 880605

     Powerful  myths integrate the mysterious  experiences
of  those  who  are lead by the myths.    Myths  point  to
integrative   understandings   which cannot  be   captured
and contained in declarative  statements.    Through myths
people deal  with   the  essential   mysteries   of  vital
experiences;     i.e.,    the experiences of being  really
alive.

     Scientists  live according to the myth  that  through
objectivity  they  can  transcend  the  mysteries  of  the
universe.    They believe that there are objective  truths
which   transcend   their    processes   of   discovering,
knowing   and transmitting  knowledge  to  others.   Their
task  is  to discover  those objective truths  which  have
existed   apart  from  them,   and will exist  apart  from
them.    Their  quest makes sense to them because it is  a
quest  for  eternal  truths which are not  conditioned  by
human finitude and biases.     Those objective truths free
men from the limitations of needless mysteries  which have
plagued mankind in the dark ages  of ignorance.

     To  scientists mysteries are due to ignorance.    The
scientific  quest  for knowledge is the way  to  eliminate
mysteries and gain the understanding which is necessary to
predict   and control  the  forces of nature  to   satisfy
human desires.     Scientists  do  not seek  to  integrate
their experiences  of  mystery,    they seek to  eliminate
their    experiences      of    mystery    through     the
acquisition    of  knowledge.      Those  mysteries  which
cannot   be  eliminated through  knowledge  are set  aside
and   ignored;    and  are ultimately  repressed into  the
unconscious  where  ignorance of them is achieved  through
insensitivity.      Not  all  kinds  of   knowledge   help
scientists  to be comfortable with their myths.      There
is  not  enough  time to  learn   everything.   Scientists
focus  upon  the  really  important  kinds  of  knowledge.
Non-objective  realities  are  not real, and   so  are not
important.   It does not make sense to waste one's limited
time on things which are not objectively real.

     Scientists do not seek to become integrated into  the
coherent structure of the natural world; they seek to draw
back   from  it  to  understand, predict  and  control it.
Separation  between  the  scientist and  the  universe  is
essential  to  the  fulfillment of the  mythology  of  the
scientist;   the purpose of the mythology cannot be  total
integration.    Scientists'  mythology must make sense  of
compulsive analysis and reductionism.   Scientists'  myths
hold   out  great  promise  of  the  ultimate  fruits   of
compulsive analysis and reductionism.   They are the tools
of ultimate control and the elimination of tragedy.

     The  scientists'   myth  holds  out  the  promise  of
ultimate  understanding  and  control  of  all  mysterious
processes.    Scientists  are very selective  about  which
processes   they   focus  upon,   and they  pay  attention
only   to  processes    which  yield   to   analysis   and
reductionist  attitudes.     Their  successes  are as much
the   fruit  of careful initial selection,  as they are of
the power of their way  of approaching  situations.     If
they  were  not  so  careful  in selecting   what  to  pay
attention  to,  they  would  not  be  so  successful    in
eliminating  the mysteries inherent  in  the things  which
they chose to study.

     People  who  seek to be integrative as  persons  with
integrity   can   not  be as as scientists  are  selective
about what  they   pay attention   to.  Integrators   seek
to    integrate    all  significant   human   experiences,
including  those which are essentially mysterious.     The
integration  of  all  people  of planet earth can  not  be
achieved  through  careful  selection  of  easy-to-analyze
situations.  The integration of all people of planet earth
will  involve the integration of a bewildering variety  of
human   experiences   and  of different   perceptions   of
those experiences.    Such  integration will involve  more
than scientific  myths which focus human attention upon  a
very narrow range of human experiences.

     Conflicts  among  the peoples of  planet  earth  will
involve  the  integration  of the variety of  myths  which
people  use  in making sense of the experiences  of  their
diverse  lives.    Central  to such  experiences  are  the
experiences of disintegration and integration; both at the
individual  and  at  the  communal level  of  life.    The
resolution   of  apparent  conflicts  among  complementary
aspects of life will be central to the integration of  the
peoples   of   planet  earth into a   coherent   community
living in balance with all life on planet earth.

                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
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