What You Ought to Know

about

An Open Mind
(A.K.A. Life Level 4)

Today we would like to introduce you to What You Ought To Know, a podcast by The Brothers Winn. Here we have 6 episodes in which Brett Winn tells us about the importance of having an open mind... only to then test us to see how open-minded we really are by explaining what we ought to know about 4 controversial subjects: Global Warming, Liberals vs. Conservatives, Darwin's Intelligent Design, and Racism. Will you pass the test? Watch and find out for yourself if you're Life Level 4 enough to make these and other controversial topics seem uncontroversial!

Start with the first video below, then watch the others by clicking on their links. Once you've successfully watched each one, come back to this post and finish up with the second video below. Got your mind open? Ready to look at multiple sides of some pretty serious issues? Then ready, set, GO!

Part 1: An Open Mind

Here are the other videos:

Part 2: Global Warming

Part 3: Liberals vs. Conservatives

Part 4: Darwin's Intelligent Design

Part 5: Racism

Be sure to watch all of the above videos before moving on to

Part 6: Open Mind Closed

We hope you enjoyed the presentation! (and that you were able to find your way around well enough) Post your comments about LL4, talk about it with others, but most importantly, start now to make all of your decision-making driven by an open-minded LL4 mentality.

Oh, and thank you, The Brothers Winn!

Life Levels vs. Skills and Virtues

Life Levels are a measure of one’s underlying method of operations; they are not a measure of one’s virtues or skills, though it can be all too easy to mistake skills or virtues for Life Level.

For instance, the openminded empiricism of LL4 naturally leads people to develop patience (a virtue) and good listening skills. Those are inevitable outgrowths of LL4. However, this does *not* mean that all good listeners are LL4, nor that all patient people are LL4. The skill and the virtue are symptoms of LL4, and they do naturally result from the LL, but they can (with some difficulty) be attained at lower LLs as well. They are symptoms, but they are not the LL itself.

Life Levels are a matter of modus operandi, not a matter of skill or virtue. In the case of LL4, this LL operates in all aspects of life according to one overall method: seeking the truth of all things at any personal cost. This method of operations does, eventually yet inevitably, lead to all the symptomatic virtues and skills of LL4, but none of those symptoms are the LL itself.

Someone who operates fully according to LL4 methods, but who is relatively new to this method, may not yet have had time to accumulate all the telltale skills. But that is immaterial; all that matters for Life Level is one’s underlying method; the symptoms come later, as gradual by-products.

For instance, people who have spent a lot of time operating at LL4 (or above) tend to adopt a particularly openminded way of speaking. They become more and more careful to constantly and verbally acknowledge the limits of their own understanding, using terms like “this seems to be such-and-such a way” rather than “this *is* such-and-such a way,” and “this suggests that” rather than “this *proves* that.” This way of speaking is a skill, reflecting the attitudes resultant from LL4. However, being a mere skill, it is only a symptom of the LL. A person might operate upon pure LL4 methods while not having yet developed this particular skill. But does their failure to verbally communicate their openminded attitude somehow mean that they do not have an openminded attitude? No. The underlying LL is what matters; the related skills and virtues are just telltale signs.

This means that we can never judge another’s LL by the surface; we cannot merely appraise someone’s virtues and skills in order to judge their underlying method of operations. An older LL1 person may have had time to develop many more skills than a younger LL4 person (albeit at a much slower rate), yet it would be foolish to conclude that the skilled LL1 person employs a better method than the as-yet unskilled LL4 person. Higher LL does always result in faster growth in both virtues and skills, but even the fastest growth requires some amount of time before it can bear fruit. We must be careful and not condemn unskilled or unvirtuous people who are, in fact, rapidly growing in skills and virtues even as we speak. A high LL person may start out with few virtues and skills, but they will not remain that way for long.

This is why investing time and energy toward improving one’s underlying Life Level is better than investing toward improving virtues or skills alone, let alone investing toward improving mere factual knowledge or external possessions.

On a personal note: We peasants are doing all we can to grow as quickly as we can in all areas we can. And we are learning more every day…but that necessarily means that, as we learn new things, we come to see flaws in some of our past efforts. We come to notice deficiencies of skill in some of our earlier posts. We come to realize that some things, which we thought had been communicated clearly, in fact came off in a way totally alien to what we intended. In such instances, we try to smooth off the rough edges and proceed more skillfully than before.

Nevertheless, we hope you can be patient with us. We hope that, when our skills at communication fail, you can give us the benefit of the doubt that it is merely a matter of skill deficiency, rather than virtue deficiency, and then proceed to ask clarifying questions to determine whether we really meant to say what we seemed (perhaps inadvertently) to say. Likewise, we try to be very careful in how we react to the things that others write or say. If we do say that a particular person’s words *seem* to be LL3, for instance, then we are very careful to make sure we have good reason to say so (and we stay willing to change our minds).

Living Life Levels, Episode 1

Living Life Levels

Life Level Examples, Both Real and Fictitious

Linus Van Pelt

Life Level 3

Linus Van Pelt has an undying devotion to the Great Pumpkin -- a being which, he says, comes out on Halloween night to give candy and gifts to the good little boys and girls who believe in him. Not the belief itself, but rather the reasons and causes for his belief show us that Linus is a prime example of Life Level 3.

How do we know he operates at Life Level 3 (LL3)? Well, we can rule-out LL0 since he is able to think coherently and isn't some sort of raving lunatic. We know he is not LL1 because he does not believe in the Great Pumpkin for personal, selfish gain. Though he wants the Great Pumpkin to appear and give candy and gifts to him and others like him, this desire is not the primary source for his belief, enthusiasm, or actions regarding the Great Pumpkin, or anything else for that matter. And unlike an LL2 person, there is no popular trend, or anything anyone (be it his friend Charlie Brown, his sister Lucy, or his would-be girlfriend Sally) can say that can make him believe or disbelieve in the Great Pumpkin's existance. Linus' beliefs are self-sustained, and nothing can affect them except Linus alone. Life Level 3 has this advantage over LLs 2 and below, making him a generally better and happier person than he would otherwise be. He has his beliefs and he is sticking to them, come Hell or high water.

Though sometimes "Hell or high water" are exactly what we need to align our paradigms with Reality, with what is actually true. It would be best, of course, if it didn't have to come to such drastic measures; if instead we could be fluid enough to match our beliefs with what's real. If we want to be happier and operate in a better way than LL3, we can choose to drop all preconceptions, biases, and beliefs and leap fearlessly into real truth, whatever and wherever it might be. Linus is given the opportunity to do this many times, but any consideration that the Great Pumpkin could possibly be a figment of his imagination is appalling to him, and once he even shouts at Charlie Brown for suggesting it. Life Level 4 is all about being open to all possibilities, giving everything a chance to be good or true, and dropping all prejudices, preconceptions, and biases. It is willing to be wrong at the drop of a hat, and earnestly seeks for truth, no matter the cost or the change required in one's paradigm. Linus is not willing to do that, so we can assess that operates squarely in LL3.

What thoughts or beliefs or ethical codes are you afraid to question? What "Great Pumpkins" do you have? If it's a true belief, then there should be no problem questioning it, but you must look on every side of it honestly, earnestly, and with the same sort of strictness you would use on an idea you may not like, or think is false. Run everything unbiasedly through the same tests, and don't hold back what you hope to be true out of fear of it being false, because real truth will sustain itself, and you'll be immeasurably better off for holding to actual truth. Research, dig deep, think it through thoroughly, and then, as Mar in Light of Ar puts it, always be ready to eat your own beliefs.

And soon enough, you'll discover that Reality is a lot cooler than the Great Pumpkin could ever be.

Life Levels: Operating System for Life

The following is the text and pictures from the Life Level brochure that can be downloaded here. We have posted this as a convenience for any who cannot or do not wish to download a file in .pdf format, and we invite you to read and share this with your friends.

The Worst Decision...Ever

Stan was a busy man. It was all he could do to keep up with his bills and debts and the necessities of life. He tried to make time for his family, and he tried to unwind when he could. But despite his best efforts, the harsh realities of finances had sucked away all the ambitious hopes of Stan's younger years. Stan was a very busy man.

So when Stan heard a knock on the door, he closed the microwave and rushed to see who it was.

"Stan Puce?" the two men asked.

"Yes."

"Mr. Puce, we are attorneys with Vita, Libertas, and Felicitas. It turns out you have an anonymous benefactor. You have inherited over ten million dollars."

"Well, that sounds very nice," Stan hurried to say.

"But you see gentlemen, I'm going to be late for work, so I really don't have time to chat about things like this. I have to make enough to buy food, after all. So thank you, but I'm not interested."

"Well, sir," the lawyers began, but Stan cut them off.

"I really have to get going now," he rushed. But not wanting to be rude, Stan quickly offered the men some of his microwaved pastries before sending them away. He then stuffed the rest of his meal into his mouth and dashed off to work.

Don't be like Stan. Take a few minutes, now. What this pamphlet offers is worth more than ten million dollars.

Internal Empowers External

You know the saying: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." In other words, though possessions can be short-lived, someone who knows how to gain and keep things will never have to worry. It's one thing to have stuff on the outside, but it's another thing to have knowledge, on the inside, of how to gain more.

Knowledge is deep and internal, and it empowers us to get good external things. Think of it like a house. The roof of the house is like our external possessions – they give us comfort and shelter. And the walls that support the roof are like our internal knowledge. Now if we forget about walls and just throw a roof on top of some planks, then that will offer shelter for a little while...until a slight breeze comes along and blows it over. A roof with no walls is like a person with no knowledge; what do they do when they lose their possessions? When the unexpected storms come along, do we know how to recover? A house with walls is secure, just like a person with knowledge.

A lot of people offer to teach knowledge, and there are countless seminars that teach skills and tricks. Such motivational programs seem to work for some people, but not for everyone. Why? Well, just as knowledge empowers us to gain more belongings, deeper qualities like perseverance, confidence, creativity, and optimism empower us to gain and use more knowledge. Some people have more of those qualities than other people, and those qualities enable them to succeed where others fail.

Good personal qualities are like a good foundation under a house. Walls and a roof are good, but a firm foundation will support a house through the darkest storms. People with many healthy qualities do well in life, even in the hardest times. But how do we gain such deep qualities? Books and workshops may teach knowledge, but how do we improve ourselves in the lasting qualities that empower us to gain and use knowledge? Is there something deeper than these qualities, something that would empower us to gain them?

Life Levels

You can see where this is leading. There is something deeper than even a person's deep qualities. We each have certain basic methods by which we live life, certain processes for approaching the world and every single thing that happens to us. These methods are the Operating Systems of our lives. Everything we do, and everything we've ever become, is the result of our individual Operating System.

These Operating Systems are like the very materials that a house is made of. A house made of good materials will be more stable than a house made of shabby ones. The roof, walls, and foundation will last longer if their materials are good, and the house can become truly enormous if its materials can support the weight. Rotting planks may be enough for a shack, but only the best materials can raise a palace.

But if these materials are like our methods for approaching life, how can we say that any method is better than another? Which methods are like the best materials?

It turns out that, while not everyone has the same method of operating, all the methods of everyone in the world fall into distinct levels. These are levels because some of the methods naturally evolve into others, forming an unavoidable progression. Just as the Stone Age led to the Bronze Age, which later led to the Iron Age, so also the lower level methods lead to the higher ones. We call these Life Levels.

This pamphlet is an invitation to learn more about Life Levels. Unlike qualities or knowledge, Life Levels (or LLs) are actually easy to learn and apply. They get right to the root of things. And as we improve our own LL, our personal qualities will naturally and permanently improve. Knowledge and even possessions follow as a result. Through most of history, the majority of people have lived their whole lives without growing much at all in LLs. This Life Level system, however, is extensive enough and simple enough to get to the core of things and help anyone grow in this deepest area. We invite you to visit the website listed on the back of this pamphlet. Find out for yourself what the Life Level system can do for you.

The Big Deal

There are already many ingenious systems that measure levels of living, but the Life Level system does more than that. It is not a model for describing observed human behavior; it's a tool that anyone can use to improve every part of their deepest self. And unlike most other systems, there is no highest LL. There's always more! The Life Level system is detailed, comprehensive, yet unlimited.

So many of us are doing the best we can, but still see little improvement in our lives. The problem is that all our best efforts tend to be confined within our own accustomed LL. As soon as people know how to improve their LL, they can rocket forward in every area of their lives. Few people have ever known how to improve themselves on such a deep and all-encompassing level, but the Life Level system illuminates the way so that everyone can revolutionize their whole life.

There are so many problems in our world, and we usually try to solve them with surface solutions like legislation, money, or simplistic tips and tricks. While charitable service does much to help, it tends to help only the surface. It would take a change in the very hearts of people, in human nature itself, to actually heal the pains that have plagued humanity for so long. Life Levels empower change that deep. It does take time and effort to work on our innermost selves, but the benefits that result are unreachable otherwise. It may be faster to make a house of straw or sticks, but the effort of building a strong stone house pays off when the huffings and puffings of life come along. It takes more effort to prepare a lobster dinner, but isn't that better than the microwaved pastries we're used to?

It's tempting to try to explain everything about Life Levels right here in this pamphlet. They affect absolutely every part of life. Just as a plant without strong roots cannot last long, so also a person using a lower LL has difficulty gaining good qualities and knowledge and external things, and has even more difficulty keeping them. At higher LLs, everything in life just works better and is more satisfying. Relationships, talents, and ability to succeed all improve automatically as LL increases. That's how basic and important Life Levels are.

But we'll resist the temptation of saying too much in this little pamphlet. Visit the website and see for yourself…

Life Levels at a Glance

These are the general classes of methods that people use to approach life, in their naturally occurring order:

LL0 — Savagery: There is no thought or philosophy, no planning or introspection, only emotional reactions. Life Level 0 acts on natural impulse alone. It is the lack of any real Life Level, thus it's LL0.

LL1 — Self-Interest: All that matters is getting one's own good, regardless of anyone else's needs. Life Level 1 people need not be conniving, but they are primarily selfish. They will act moral or friendly in order to gain something, but it's still just an act. This is a very cold and lonely way to live. Many LL1 people say that everyone is LL1 at heart, and that anyone who appears to use a higher LL must be faking. This is a very self-justifying thing to preach, and LL1 is all about self-justification. Life Level 1 people love to be right, and they love to be superior to others.

As people master the self-interest of LL1, they eventually realize that working with people is more profitable than working against them or in indifference to them. Life Level 1 masters pursue a selfish form of genuinely cooperative friendship, but the pleasure of human connection soon becomes an end in and of itself. This leads to LL2.

LL2 — Social Awareness: Life Level 2 is all about social interaction. It's more pleasurable and more effective than LL1 in every area. Real human friendship is more powerful than ambition without friendship. Cooperation enables prosperity, faster learning, and better development of lasting personal traits. Life Level 2 is very vulnerable to social pressure, whether from peers at school or a boss at work, but at least LL2 people are capable of being genuine friends. Life Level 2 people love to be liked.

As people master the social awareness of LL2, they begin to strive to be true to themselves. They know that people like you better when you're sincere, and they care enough about that to be willing to make the effort to be true to themselves. The resulting self-esteem soon becomes its own reward, which leads right into LL3.

LL3 — Self-Respect: Life Level 3 is all about integrity, honor, and overall self-respect. All this results in a very strong sense of self that cannot be swayed by social pressure, and which prevents many of the self-destructive actions of lower LLs. Life Level 3 self-esteem is not flighty like LL2 or isolated like LL1, thus LL3 people get much more out of life in every way. The LL3 sense of honor results in strong opinions, with a somewhat rigid opposition to any differing views. This need not have anything to do with religion or morals; a LL3 atheist may be rigidly opposed to religions in general. Life Level 3 people love to be the good guys...and those who disagree with them are bad in some way.

As people master the self-respect of LL3, they try to be more and more exact in doing what they feel is good. They begin to seek consistency in their personal code of honor so that they can better follow all of it. This leads them to think deeply about their code, forcing them to face any inconsistencies it may have. Life Level 3 masters end up seeking to understand the world as it really is, so that they can always do whatever may be truly best. This is the beginning of LL4.

LL4 — Unbiased Rigor: Life Level 4 is all about openminded thought. It seeks all truth, clinging to no preconceptions while being open to consider the oddest opinions. Life Level 4 people never demonize those they disagree with, but instead listen to opposing views in order to learn whatever they can. They don't care about being right; they're quick to admit a mistake in order to learn to do better. Life Level 4 people do not see the world simplistically divided into good guys vs. everyone else. Their open courage to face the world as it really is, regardless of what they want to believe, enables incredible learning and growth. The world is a wondrous place full of opportunities. Life Level 4 people love learning, and they love people. They love truth, they love the surprises and complexities of reality, and they just love life.

As for LL5 and above, you'll have to visit the website to find out...

The

PeasantWatchNetwork

www.PeasantWatch.blogspot.com

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Crystal Palace photo Copyright © 2004-2010 by Michael Gerth
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