Mágoulo’s School
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The Erosion of Individuality
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The Erosion of Individuality
Since the forum topic “https://unusualkingdom.com/groups/magoulos-school/forum/discussion/setting-bounds-in-the-doway/Setting the Bounds in the Do|Way”, I’ve been think a lot about creating culture and how culture has two key functions: it provides context and limits anti-social behavior. Culture’s corresponding opposite is Strategy — pushing for what I/we want.
This got me to thinking: military training is the most comprehensive and tested martial arts program in the modern world. Doesn’t most military training focus on stripping Strategy and the “executive functions” out of soldiers so it can belong exclusively to command? Is this necessary for martial training or a phenomenon of systems of oppression necessary to maintain empire?
Read this explanation of Marine corp basic training as “psychological reprogramming”: https://slate.com/human-interest/2013/03/why-is-boot-camp-so-intense.html
The following quote really struck me:
Why is the haircut so important? It is part of the erosion of individuality. What? Yes, the erosion of individuality. Why should a warrior lose his individuality? It is what makes him special and unique. It is what makes him valuable. Well, that’s the problem. Individuality makes them special and unique. It makes them feel that they might be above someone or something else. They are better than the orders they might receive. They are too good for something. Not at boot camp. From Day 1, everyone is the same. In fact, during my time, being called “an individual” was an insult as it meant that you were a person who couldn’t put the needs of the unit first. Yes, individuality is repressed as they will spend the next three months dressed the same, act the same, and look the same.
Some questions to think/write about:
- Can our existing psychology support the Do/Way of any martial art?
- If not and “reprogramming” is required, what kind of reprogramming would make our minds martial-compatible without removing individuality for exploitation?
- Does the idea of becoming an identity — “you maggots aren’t worthy to be called Marines, but you will when I’m done with you” — hold any answers? Could the transition of identity disrupt psychology enough for “reprogramming” while keeping the individuality intact to avoid exploitation and other problems?
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1 Reply
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- Not really, perhaps it could support one of the tamer and less active martial arts, but for anything that requires devotion our current psychology would likely not be able to support it.
- There is no single source of the commitment and devotion needed to learn a martial art, reprogramming has been so focused on the erasing of individuality for so long I’m not sure where we would find a method of reprogramming that could fill our need. (Edit: A powerful sense of mission could be a source of the required commitment and devotion needed to perform and exceed the requirements of a martial art.)
- Maybe, preserving the individual is difficult when you want someone united with others for a common cause. (Edit: To create an identity you could add titles and badges, perhaps add a sharp uniform if you really wanted to create that team identity while still preserving the individual.)
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This reply was modified 9 months, 2 weeks ago by Etcetera.
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