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Communication Between the Communities by Winged Wolf
Date: 12/08/2006

"So, the reptilians landed on earth, and interbred with humans, and their descendents have been at war with us ever since".

"OMGWTFBBQ?"

The above isn't a real conversation...but it could be. What it is, is an example how communication between different schools of thought in magery and psionics OFTEN appears...to one or both parties involved in it. The biggest barrier between creating any sort of unity in the OEC (and the offline communities) has been the fact that these groups can hold wildly disparate views of reality. Some of them seem very mainstream, while others seem absolutely insane, or ludicrous...and everywhere in between on the spectrum. Every group is convinced that their view of reality is correct. Communications between groups rapidly break down when these views conflict, and the conflict cannot be moderated out or resolved. This is ALWAYS going to happen. So what is the solution to this problem, which has been not just a stumbling block, but a 50 foot glass wall in the road to trying to unify the communities?

Some 'newage' folks say, 'well, everyone is right'. I'm not going to toss out that cliche. I'm going to offer you a different perspective. Everyone is WRONG. You're wrong. I'm wrong. Psionics and magick do not work the way we think they do. The things we KNOW, and the things we perceive, are WRONG. Somehow, we manage to work effectively in spite of that. AND SO DO THEY--all of those other communities who have the whacky beliefs.

IT IS NOT NECESSARY FOR US TO AGREE ON WHAT IS REAL IN ORDER TO WORK TOGETHER EFFECTIVELY.

How's that for a novel concept? YES, it helps when people can share information between groups effectively, and in order to do that, they DO need some sort of common language or means of communicating. But it is NOT NECESSARY. We have SO many times made finding common ground the most important point, when in reality, we DO NOT NEED TO DO IT. When you demonstrate a technique for someone who is a different school of thought completely, they will not necessarily see what you think you are demonstrating. But they will see SOMETHING. And you have just communicated and shared information with them, even though you have no beliefs or words in common to talk about it.

If you want to work with people in other groups, on a regular basis, this is what you HAVE to do, unless you stick only to those whose belief systems are closest to your own. Doing that will shut you out from half the metaphysical world (if not more), and you'll have opportunity to learn a lot less. If this simple idea can be spread widely enough, it will become increasingly possible for different communities work on projects--from their OWN perspective, with their OWN language--and still share that information with others, and benefit everyone.

How To Listen:
First, you don't have to listen to it all. You don't have to fully understand another group's belief systems in order to talk to them. When someone from different system is demonstrating something for you, and you don't understand what you're looking at, of course you ask them to explain it--but you are not going to hear an explanation that makes sense to you. Don't TRY. Take what they are saying, and for a brief moment, assume that it's true--examine what they did, and how it fits with what they said...THEN see if you can understand what they did in YOUR terms. Don't attempt to EXPLAIN your outcome to them--it will make no more sense to them than their explanation did to you. It doesn't matter how much more correct you think you are...you achieved your goal, which was communication of techniques, and you managed it....here's the real clincher....WITHOUT ARGUING.

How To Share:
Someone from another group isn't necessarily going to understand any sort of verbal explanation you give them. If they're curious, sure...tell them. But if they start staring off into space, you know you've lost them. If you want to teach them something, then simply demonstrate it for them--if one demonstration isn't enough, try it a few different ways, more slowly, faster, whatever. Give them the simplest explanation you can for it, but don't leave out what you feel are important details. This is the surest way for them grasp what you're showing them. If they fire back with "Oh, well you're just doing THIS", and a long crazy-sounding explanation...well, just ignore it. It doesn't have to make sense to you--you know what you did, and it worked. If they can duplicate it, then you SUCCEEDED. Again--you did it without arguing.

So, What's A Fluff?
Yes, there are still people out there who pick up random ideas, compile them into a reeking heap, and spew them back out to others without testing them themselves. There are people who promote insane ideas as facts, and who don't have any ability or evidence to back them up. There are plenty of people who are absolutely sure that they are right, and absolutely sure that you are wrong. There are still fluff-bunnies out there. What you have to be EXTREMELY careful about, however, is labeling someone as 'fluffy' simply because their view of reality doesn't make sense to you, or sounds crazy. If those 'crazy' people can actually produce consistant results from their work, they are NOT fluffs. No matter how they sound. They deserve your respect for their accomplishments, if not for their beliefs or ideas. Extending respect based on results is the best way for the communities to begin to unify, and put an end to the continual squabbling so that we can all concentrate on progress.

Feel free to reproduce this document ANYWHERE, just leave credit for it intact.
copyright 2006, Winged Wolf Psion

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