Labyrinth of the Spirit: The goal.

The Goal	Choose to open the mind and heart.
The concern	Accurately answering the question "What is the concern?" opens the mind and heart. The answer to the question depends on perceptions. Immediate concerns that need attention are distractions from the soul-searching necessary for comprehensive perception, with the subsequent accurate answer. The situation of concern, whether perceived as a problem, benefit, or is not definable, has an outcome, even if the outcome is not immediately apparent. Outcomes are important in terms of personal meaning. That meaning is defined by perceptions. The question: "What is the concern?" and the answer to that question measures perception. The value of "What is the concern?" depends upon willingness to perceive the actual concern. Can it be described? When it is described, is it seen or heard as intended? So often, communications of any kind are not understood as intended, which emphasizes the difficulty of good communications. Good communications succeed, but many fail on different levels: prejudice against the possibility of such a concern existing, misperception or misunderstanding, generalization, false comparison, blind acceptance, emotional reasoning, false relationships, pre-conceptions, false credit, wishful thinking, denial, etc., etc. Though denial is not helpful, it acknowledges that the opposite, likely the real concern, exists! Prejudice—pre-judging—disguises the real concern. Values based on prejudice are based on the unreality of false concerns. If misperception occurs, and the intent was or is positive, accurate perception might be delayed, but remains a strong possibility because the underlying motive for behavior is or was positive.
Behavior	Behavior expresses concerns through physical action, mental contemplation, or emotional action, or all of them. Conversely, behavior may also be the lack of any action or an avoidance of expression, possibly communicating the real concern. Depending upon a specific culture, the expression of certain concerns, or "feelings" about them, is anathema. You just don't do it. Even though not done, the concern remains, expressed in a way that masks its reality. The need the concern expressed remains unfulfilled. Even though many behaviors produce desired results, some don't. Certain behaviors ignore or discount real concerns, thereby satisfying limited needs. The discounted concern does not acknowledge reality, so real needs are not satisfied. Then, a feeling of incompletion pervades. Either behavior acknowledges concerns, or uses any of many diversionary tactics to avoid acknowledgement, masking it again. Often behavior is instinctive, proceeding without thought on the basis "this is what is usually done in this circumstance," or this is what "should" be done, or responding to a "feeling." In general, an instinct that seeks "the highest and best good," for all concerned is desirable. If only in one's own mind the "highest and best good": is achieved, good feelings result.
Instinct	The dictionary has three definitions of instinct. One definition: An inner pattern of behavior that is not learned. For example, nourishing behavior, like eating, satisfies the need for survival, and is not a learned, but natural instinct. The second definition: A powerful motivation or impulse describes behavior created to satisfy natural instincts. Though the need to eat is natural, what to eat and how to eat are learned. Here, thought is used to make choices that, once learned, become instinctive behavior. The third definition: A natural capability or aptitude covers them all—the unlearned instincts of nature, learned behavior, and the use of feelings or thought to make or deny change are all natural capabilities or aptitudes. For example, conviction feels natural, but is it a natural instinct, a learned behavior, or expression of a natural capability or aptitude? What is the concern that serves as the basis for the capability or attitude? Is it based on a misperception, a prejudice? Misperception of reality introduces concerns, perceived or not. Which is nature? Which is nurture? What is the real concern?
Awareness	Awareness is a measure of perception, and can be physical, mental, emotional, or combine all three. The actions or reactions to success, failure, or compromise depend upon awareness. Both understanding and misunderstanding depend on awareness, because resulting behaviors depend on them. Understanding can be deceptive: even when truth and honesty are standards, each can support falsity when reality is misperceived. Perception comes hard, because the "highest and best good," or any good, are often beyond understanding. Yet, while understanding may not be present, awareness is. Only denial and prejudice render awareness useless. Without denial and prejudice, awareness opens the door to understanding. Feel the truth of this.
Feelings .	Feelings are natural. So much so, even the denial of feelings is a feeling. Despite denial, a level of awareness is expressed through communications. Attitude is another expression of feelings—both terms are expressed through behavior. Attitude when the situation is too complicated, overwhelming, or emotional to be articulated. That is, when words don't apply. Prejudice demonstrates an attitude regarding the subject of the prejudice that manifests as behavior. Emotion is especially the mode of expression when neither the feelings or attitude are justifiable. For example, when behavior supports denial or prejudice, it may use logic for support, but the logic is usually absent of rationale. The principle of "good" is inclusive, not exclusive, because every possibility is admissible. Denial and prejudice exclude, by their very nature. When a prejudiced attitude pre-defines behavior, a predictable result is usually desired. Feelings of success may be unpredictable, but desirable. Feelings of disappointment encourage a desire (another feeling) for a change in behavior. Changes in behavior use thought.
Thought	Thought contemplates choices. Choices resolve to behavior. Each choice produces a result. One choice may be to not feel, to resist change, argue for maintenance of a certain behavior despite evidence to the contrary. But. if the result is unsatisfactory, the choice may be to change behavior . When words don't come, and the thought is too complex for articulation or too remote to be identified, feelings dominate thought. Nevertheless, often due to unsatisfied feelings or attitudes, thought is required to make a change in behavior. Thought chooses the discipline necessary to encourage behavior, eventually effecting change.
Communication	All behaviors, whether changed or static, communicate. Though communication itself is a natural instinct, different methods of communication are learned. Forms of expression like words, sounds, gestures, thought, physical action, etc. all demonstrate natural capabilities and aptitudes. Even the lack of expression is a form of communication A standard model for communication is Sender-Message-Receiver (SMR), which describes the basic elements of a communication. Depending on language, the model can also be called the Actor-Action-Acted upon, or Stimulus-Cause-Effect. In short, what creates behavior is the Sender/Actor/Stimulus, the behavior is the Message/Action/Cause, and the result is the Receiver/Acted upon/Effect. The same process applies to both verbal and non-verbal communications. Hopefully, the desired effect, and "the highest and best good" is achieved. Using logic to justify a behavior contemplated or to justify behavior that has already occurred is an uncritical use of thought. It is probably not thinking at all, but an attempt to use logic to explain faulty behavior, or use faulty logic to explain "good" behavior. Thought, by nature is critical, using the definition: "careful evaluation." Thought affects behavior. An unsatisfactory result may trigger desire for a change in behavior. Thought of change introduces the possibility of new behavior. But actual change requires more than just logic: rationale is necessary. After all, logic is habitually used to justify behavior that is exclusive and unproductive! Logic certainly is valuable, but needs a rationale supported by thoughts and feelings that are not based on denial, prejudice, or the myriad of other errors further detailed in the Process of the Labyrinth of the Spirit. Productive behavior achieves "the highest and best good." Though an uncertain definition, it is explored in the Labyrinth of the Spirit. The Labyrinth provides a means for eventually aligning with the "highest and best good" through the learned behavior of choice.
Change	Choice stimulates change, which is not a virtual process aping reality, where behavior appears different but remains the same. Real change requires real choices. Stimulus-Cause-Effect then becomes Stimulus-Decision-Effect, which says that from a stimulus a decision is made that causes an effect. The instinct is the primary stimulus, but when the primary stimulus is based on a weak premise, errors occur, and falsity is the effect. The Labyrinth of the Spirit offers choice that follows a rational Process. The Process is valid, because, at any time, either correct or error behavior is presents a rational choice. Errors do not appear "out of the blue," but are intrinsically logical results of a natural Process. It cannot be emphasized too strongly: the difference is choice. Errors are helpful because their poor results encourage correct choices. Good choices lead to good change. Good change requires proof.
Proof	Proof validates. Was the desire actually satisfied? Is the effect reproducible when the same decision follows the same stimulus? Carefulness applies proof to all three: stimulus, cause/decision, and effect. Is the stimulus perceived accurately, is the cause/decision dependable, is the effect reasonable, are the feelings trustworthy, or did fallacy dominate?
Definitions	Link to definitions of the terms used.
Copyright	Web site revised 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2008

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