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The following first appeared in the private email list IVy-subscribers,
which was available to all those who subscribed to the
printed magazine, International Viewpoints.
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Primary paradoxes, or Paradoxology
by Phil Spickler
1 Dec 00

      I should like to start tonight's fresco, and while the mixture is still
fresh and wet say that Ray Krenik, who recently may have been mistaken for me
(and vice versa), by virtue of his long standing as a voice of Idiocy and the
fact that he has practiced Idiotics some time before my ego let me venture
that far, hereby has the full rights and permission forever to wear bracelet
#1.

      That piece of business being out of the way, I'd like to further state
that the study of paradoxes, or Paradoxology, is another extremely rewarding
activity.  Personkind themselves may be perceived as a living paradox, as
well as authoring, inventing, or discovering many other paradoxes.  One of
the questions I've had for quite some time that seems to involve a paradox is
the difficulty of folks who discover or invent or improve upon metaphysical
or spiritual-improvement systems often end up in big trouble, and rather than
being greatly enlightened by the works that helped to enlighten so many
others, find themselves to be in dramatically disastrous physical,
mental/emotional, and spiritual difficulties.

       I probably haven't examined the lives of enough folks to draw any
final conclusions, but it does seem to be an area that yields the
aforementioned paradox.  Now, most recently and most sadly, we hear that the
Pilot, Ken Ogger, has been in much greater trouble than was at least
generally considered to be the case., and that in spite of receiving in the
past year somewhere around a thousand hours of self- and other-administered
help, he still maintains that he is in big trouble.

      Here's a guy who, in my opinion, contributed greatly perhaps to all of
us -- his SuperScio and Self-Clearing Manual are great stuff, not to speak of
his ongoing contributions and other thoughts on the nature of existence.
Anyhow, he's going to drop or cease to create the identity of the Pilot, and
he is going to make use of his skills as a pianist, which I hope will further
his desire to have a friendly feminine friend.  It's possible that the Zen of
the 88 Keys will hasten his further enlightenment and ease the suffering of
souls.

        The paradox of what happens to some of the folks who make grand or
otherwise efforts to blaze new frontiers and to go where others have not gone
before in search of metaphysical enlightenment continues to exist as a
question for someone.  Others have resolved this question through the use of
Idiotics, and by pursuing that which doesn't seem to be the right way to the
Still Point or the Great Way or liberation or lots of other words may yet
find through idiocy, through foolishness and stupidity, real and undying
wisdom. "Except ye become like little children . . ."

       Yes, one of the very charming things about little children, before the
school system gets ahold of them, is that by most grown-up standards they are
quite idiotic, quite foolish, and even stupid (with a small "s"); and we feel
that it is extremely important that their bodies not be allowed to mature in
that condition, lest they start throwing us out windows and making us play
with them in extremely vigorous and sometimes rough play.

       Oh well, I shan't take this any further -- I think if there's an idea
there, you'll get my drift.  Yes, as my great-great-great grandfather, Elijah
Thaddeus Bonaparte Spickler, used to say, "The harder you try to figure out
life, the more complicated it gets."  He had read something by one of the Zen
patriarchs, the 3rd I believe, who said something like "Without preferences,
the Great Way is easy."

      A friend who's on the New Idiotic List wrote me the following about the
word "idiot" -- you'd best listen, because she has an advanced degree in
archeology and classical languages from a university that is pnly mentioned
with great furtiveness here at Stanford, namely that great (dare I say it)
university across the bay, which we refer to as Berkeley, but is really
called  the University of California at Berkeley.  What she sent me now
follows:


        I'd like to close now by mentioning one of the most famous
forefathers of Idiotology, a chap from ancient Athens known as Socrates.
Socrates is reputed to have theorized or known that folks really know
everything, and that if you use his method of asking questions of people and
giving them a chance to consider and answer and reconsider and answer, that
they will come up with the most astounding information and understandings.
This flew in the face of the system that goes back as far as Socrates and
much earlier, that we currently have in today's halls of learning, which in
the main operates on the assumption that folks couldn't possibly know
everything and the only real and the best way they can get there is by
force-feeding thousands or millions of bits of information into their heads
throughout their schooling.

       Well, somewheres between Socrates and what passes for education in
these days might be something in which both the Socratic method and the
injection method are used to turn out someone who might be considered
educated.  Quite a bit of Scientology was based on the Socratic method -- we
have the questions, you have the answers.

       Tha cat looked at me just now, and I could hear her saying "That's
enough, you idiot!", and we both broke up with laughter.  I don't know how
many of you have seen a cat laugh, but it's kind of scary until you get used
to it.

       Bon soir --
        Philllipppe