The Age of Abstraction
More and more people in advanced economies now work as knowledge workers as distinct from industrial factory workers or agricultural farm workers. The great problem with knowledge working and dealing with data, information and symbols lies in its abstract nature. Because it has less attachment to tangible issues it can prove quite easy to put a lot of effort into things without knowing precisely how we achieved the final result because the connections between effort and result have become less distinct. If we don’t clearly know what gives us a result then we tend to revert to superstitious beliefs and rituals in the hope that these will give us consistent results. This takes us back to the kind of behaviour that our ancient ancestors carried out due to their ignorance over the cause and effect relationships between natural phenomena. The growth of ‘new age’ and self-development systems that depend largely upon belief systems and rituals has sprung forth out of the desperation caused by wanting certain results but of having no clear idea of how to get them.

This proves a great problem for ordinary people as the further we move away from real world, tangible results the more likelihood we have of becoming ‘unsane’ whereby we labour under conditions and concepts that less and less fit reality. If we do not recognise the rise of such circumstances then we stand a great risk of becoming mentally and emotionally sick more frequently and for longer periods. At the dawn of this new age of working with symbols rather than objects we need, more than ever, people who can deal with abstract concepts based upon a strong grounding in the realities of cause and effect and in how the mind regulates itself based upon the desires that we seek and how possible we make them to fulfil.

In times past we could measure very clearly the productivity of individuals and groups and we could enhance productivity through improvements in working and through new technologies. In the age of abstraction the relationship between the output generated for the effort expended becomes more difficult to quantify. We now need an even firmer footing in reality for the workings of the mind than our civilised ancestors ever needed. Because our ancestors were more heavily immersed in dealing with the direct consequences of real world actions it didn’t matter so much if they didn’t properly know the cause and effect relationship of events. They could more readily intuit ways of surviving with certainty through trial and error.

In advanced economies we now live in an age where basic survival needs have become easier to fulfil than at perhaps any time in the previous history of mankind. We can readily fulfil our basic desires so that now the desires that we focus upon tend to have a higher aspirational nature. The common unfulfilled desires of today focus more and more upon having exceptionally high levels of achievement, emotional well-being and especially upon abstract concepts, such as success.

Without a recognition of what ails us (seeking desires so difficult to obtain or vague in description that we cannot properly know if we have achieved them) and without specific knowledge to understand what is happening in our minds, of why we suffer and struggle mentally and emotionally, and without the specific processes that allow us to pinpoint the cause and effect factors involved, we will see ever more stress and mental sickness and emotional whipsawing as we put our trust into concepts that turn ever more abstract and imprecise.

This website aims to help people get the grounding necessary to do well in this age of abstraction. It explains how our desires affect our emotional well-being and what we can do to manage them highly effectively. It explains how the fundamental problem that thwarts us is seeking to have or to do things that are impossible to get in the very precise moment of wanting them and methods to cope with this are given. It gives methods for better learning, for better problem solving and the combination of all of these things allows you to perform highly effectively and at consistently high levels of productivity.

Plus, the great thing about the ideas and methods promoted on this website comes from the fact that in following them you will live a life of less stress, you will experience fewer strong negative emotions, you will live more in tune with your natural self, you will tackle your problems with confidence, you will work without forcing yourself and without battling with inner turmoil, you will find greater levels of contentment and you will experience a continuous succession of fulfilled desires and cheerfulness.

I have derived these methods largely out of great frustration at the consistently awful results that I was getting in life and because I had had enough of feeling like I was running on empty month after month. These methods are robust because they are precise. I focus deeply on getting to the root cause of common problems. If you, like me, get the massive relief that comes from that “Eureka!” euphoria because you now have the complete answer to a problem that perplexed you then I want to hear from you. I would like to build a community of like-minded people who utilise these methods and who bring these ideas and methods to more and more people. So, please give your comments, subscribe to the RSS feed so that you get all of the latest posts delivered to you and don’t forget to tell your friends