1. When the following Value is reached and other applicable goals and responsibilities fulfilled, with approval by the Wisdom Group member may progress to next Level if they desire.
Below is my best thinking to date about the necessary steps any person needs to take to grow and develop in the direction of becoming their best self:
1. Alpha Value: Exhibits compassion and concern for all other human beings. Understands the Science of Religion and Religion of Wisdom including: a SFLIHM, Principles, Rules, Premises, and Ways as well as their own personal philosophy. Also, has a general understanding of the major philosophical and religious systems including the strengths and weaknesses of each system. Accepts First Principle (Human Beings Are the Ultimate Reference System) as a working hypothesis, or convinces the Wisdom Group it should not be so accepted. Likewise with a Wise Community and the Wise Person. Able to achieve intimacy at least with their spouse, or lover.
2. Beta Value: Understands importance of physical affection and able to experience it at least in structured environments (such as massage, with close friends, etc.) [See "Body Pleasure and the Origins of Violence," by Dr. James W. Prescott, Chapter IV.]
Involved in a CPASR in such a way as to experience full communion with the group, and a deep sense that all other human beings are comrades, and worthy of whatever one can offer.
3. Gamma Value: Have taken and mastered the core ideas and experiences of a course such as the "Fire Walk" experience given by Anthony Robbins: Importance of focus. How to change one's state. Taking charge of one's life, achieving personal power. Etc. Have mastered first area of self knowledge. (See D. below.)
Experiences total openness and honesty with the group -- total trust and a feeling of freedom to be oneself.
4. Delta Value: Has a consistent and rationally based world view that is not grossly inconsistent with the best knowledge currently available.
5. Epsilon Value: Have achieved a sense of transcendence through identification with the goals of a CPASR and the efforts of those involved in building a new civilization.
6. Zeta Value: Lives consistent with their value system which in turn is consistent with the ideas and concepts of the Epsilon Level. Have mastered second area of self knowledge. (See D. below.)
7. Eta Value: Demonstrates understanding of organizations, their value, and how they work; and, how to be effective in them.
8. Theta Value: Focuses on development of their personal "Bible," a collection of ideas and writings that express their own world view. This project would vary tremendously from person to person depending on interest, ability, time available, etc. Have adopted a primary problem area of deep concern and commitment to work on possibly within an OEQHL (Organization for the Enhancement of the Quality of Human Life).
9. Iota Value: Possesses a healthy amount of humility. Ability to laugh, particularly at oneself. Insight into their own motivations. Ability to see themselves objectively. Have incorporated nurturing touch into every aspect of their life. Have mastered third area of self knowledge. (See D. below.)
10. Kappa Value: Exhibits the highest human attributes of warmth, physical affection, honesty, truthfulness, open-mindedness.
C. Levels of membership: (Any of these requirements can be waived, altered, or rearranged by the Wisdom Group -- see #A above.)
1. Friend of the CPASR:
a. Right to participate in CPASR programs except special activities for higher level members.
b. No formal voice in CPASR activities (till First Level Member).
c. No vote (till Second Level Member).
d. No CPASR responsibilities (till Second Level Member).
e. Cannot hold office (till Sixth Level Member).
f. Challenge: To understand that there is no scarcity of wealth, only a scarcity of human imagination, creativity, and understanding, as well as callow expectations. (Also see Chapter XV.)
g. Invest one to two years working to support the development and growth of a CPASR in whatever capacities are most needed.
h. [1] Alpha Value (See B. 1. above.)
2. First Level Member:
a. Formal voice in CPASR activities.
b. Challenge: To expand their awareness of the value of their role in the production of wealth as a social act to enhance the well being of all of society and provide the foundation for more individuals to achieve a SFLIHM.
c. Have worked through all questions, doubts, and reservations and willing to commit fully to the job of becoming a Wise Person and building a Wise Community.
d. [1] Beta Value (See B. 2. above.)
3. Second Level Member:
a. Can vote in CPASR business meetings.
b. Responsible for some program activities.
c. [1] Gamma Value (See B. 3. above.)
4. Third Level Member:
a. Responsible for additional program activities.
b. Takes on a service project within the larger community.
c. [1] Delta Value (See B. 4. above.)
5. Fourth Level Member:
a. Have adopted a primary problem in keeping with the EIGHTH WAY OF WISDOM.
b. Takes responsibility for an area of CPASR activities, or a service project within the larger community.
c. [1] Epsilon Value (See B. 5. above.)
6. Fifth Level Member:
a. Participation in OEQHL, or equivalent involvement. (Continued as part of all higher levels.)
b. [1] Zeta Value (See B. 6. above.)
7. Sixth Level Member:
a. More responsibility for CPASR, or community. Eligible to run for an elected position in CPASR.
b. Responsible for an area of Wisdom Group activity. (Also, included at all higher levels.)
c. [1] Eta Value (See B. 7. above.)
8. Seventh Level Member:
a. Involvement in higher level CPASR or Community activities.
b. [1] Theta Value (See B. 8. above.)
9. Eighth Level Member:
a. Can be non-voting member of Wisdom Group.
b. [1] Iota Value (See B. 9. above.)
10. Ninth Level Member:
a. Can be voting member of the Wisdom Group.
b. [1] Kappa Value (See B. 10. above.)
11. Tenth Level Member:
a. Holds office in Wisdom Group for at least four years, or until they train their replacement.
b. Encouragement and support to hold responsible positions in the bigger society.
D. AREAS OF SELF-KNOWLEDGE: First Area, Second Area, Third Area
1. FIRST AREA: Have confronted the traumas of their childhood and dealt with them sufficiently to be able to determine current motivations and obsessions. Have worked through these to the degree that self-defeating, negative behavior is not routinely followed, and/or does not unduly impair one's over-all functioning.
2. SECOND AREA: Have integrated all body functions and maintain a positive, effective state so that their physical and mental functions are congruent.
3. THIRD AREA: Through bio-feedback mechanisms, or other means are able to control body functions to anesthetize any part of the body, control heart beat, body temperature, and mental state. Other as relevant.
E. DEGREES OF COMMITMENT: In order to have a Wise Community it is necessary that those persons in critical positions are adequately committed to the well-being and proper functioning of the community. Therefore, it is essential that their degree of commitment keeps pace with their level of membership.
However, it is equally important that one's commitment to a society be no stronger than the community deserves. To be totally committed to Nazi society, or a fundamentalist religious group represents a moral tragedy. So, a key part of commitment is to be part of those efforts moving the community toward becoming a Wise Community. Anything else would be undesirable. All Not-Yet-Wise Communities maintain their inadequacies because their citizens work to keep them as they are rather than promote necessary changes.
Below are some ideas on commitment developed for communes [2]. I believe they are worth thinking about in connection with levels of membership. Because none of these communes or utopian communities had a satisfactory model for the Wise Person and the Wise Community, or knew about a Science of Religion and Religion of Wisdom, they were limited in what they could achieve. If one examines commitment-building processes from the bigger perspective of a Science of Religion, the six processes as presented (see below) are seen to have some deficiencies. Each needs to be examined and re-phrased so that the goal is commitment to every other human being, not just those in one's group. In the foregoing light, "renunciation" as discussed below is particularly mis-focused. The other processes, also, need to be refocused to be congruent with the universal values of a Science of Religion. Between a Wise Person and a Wise Community there must be total commitment.
Six commitment-building processes [3]:
1. Sacrifice (p. 76): "...asks members to give up something as a price of membership." "The more it 'costs' a person to do something, the more 'valuable' they will consider it." On the other hand the organization must be worth one's sacrifices. If a CPASR can actually deliver on the promise of a Science of Religion then it seems worthy of any sacrifice up to and including one's life. As the individual moves through the level's of membership in a CPASR, even though these levels are for the person's own benefit, they would still have a component of sacrifice felt by the individual. Each step would carry with it a financial sacrifice as well as use of time for long-term benefits vs. short term benefits.
2. Investment (p. 80): "...provides the individual with a stake in the fate of the community....leaving it would be costly." "Irreversibility." At some level it might be required that the person invest a period of time (one or two years) to advance the growth and perfection of a Science of Religion and a Religion of Wisdom, perhaps, by undertaking, or participating in a project to expand the range within one's society or other societies in which a SFLIHM is being achieved. This might involve teaching, or building, or research, or whatever was standing in the way of helping particular people achieve a SFLIHM.
3. Renunciation (p. 82): "...relinquishing of relationships that are potentially disruptive to group cohesion, thereby heightening the relationship of the individual to the group." "...community discourages relationships both outside the group and with internal subgroups...." "...institutionally complete -- residential, familial, political, economic, religious, cultural...." "Renunciation of: The outside world, the couple, the family."
Relating the foregoing to a Wise Community, renunciation might mean the renunciation of any values, ideas, habits, processes, etc. that would cut one off from moving toward achieving a SFLIHM. Until such ideas, values, habits, etc. were renounced (in one's heart of hearts) advancement to the next level would not be possible.
4. Communion (p. 91): "We are all comrades under the skin -- one family.... The feeling of brotherhood and comradeship encompassed by communion are essential to the determination to continue the group even in the face of obstacles and disagreements." (p. 93) "A certain amount of homogeneity of background facilitated communion in successful nineteenth-century communities -- common religious background, similar social or educational status, or common ethnic or national origin."
It seems to me that for a Wise Community homogeneity would not necessarily come out of a shared background, but rather would apply to the core values that are shared: 1) A deep sense that all other human beings are our comrades, and worthy of whatever we can offer. 2) A shared desire to develop a Science of Religion and Religion of Wisdom, work to produce a Wise Community made up of Wise Persons, etc. It is not until one has achieved this feeling of communion with all other people that they could rise to higher levels of membership.
5. Mortification (p. 103): "...provide a new identity for the person that is based on the power and meaningfulness of group membership...." "Mortification -- humiliation. Confession and mutual criticism. Sanctions."
To me all of this boils down to total honesty and openness. Nothing about oneself can be hidden and protected. But rather than causing humiliation, this should lead to total trust and a feeling of freedom. The new identity involves throwing off all experiences that would diminish one's power and one's ability to maximize their potential. And this total sharing of every detail about oneself would be available to any other member to study, ponder, and sometimes use to better understand the beliefs necessary to achieve a SFLIHM and those that prevent it.
6. Transcendence (p. 111): "...requires...the experience of great power and meaning residing in the community." To the degree that a CPASR can help one achieve a SFLIHM it possesses all the power -- infinite power, nothing could be more powerful. A Wise Person is one who has achieved total transcendence. They stand above space, outside of time. They have joined themselves to magnificence. By fully bonding ourself with humanity we have aligned ourself with infinity.
p. 120: Mystery. Guidance. Ideological Conversion: "Agreement, shared belief, and common purpose are indispensable to the creation of transcendence." Common purpose with all that is positive from every person who has lived or will ever live. This is the promise of a Wise Community, being a Wise Person.
p. 123: Tradition: "can serve as a transcendence-facilitating mechanism." Our traditions would be those of universality, that which joins one individual with all other people. Tradition would be made up of those things that advance and liberate the individual and never immobilize and remove their personal power.
Will levels of membership help to produce Wise Persons and a Wise Community? I think, this process has merit. However, the proof will depend upon whether there is sufficient interest on the part of others to explore this process. And, then whether or not it works. There is so much serious work to be done. What a shame that many, many lives are spent in idleness, working to achieve power over others, in mis-focused efforts to live the good life, and in self destructive behavior. Too many lives are wasted on activities that never address these critical issues. Let us share a moment of silence for all who have lived without being able to participate in the work to bring into existence a Wise Community.
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1. When the following Value is reached and other applicable goals and responsibilities fulfilled, with approval by the Wisdom Group member may progress to next Level if they desire.
