“All of us are hampered to some degree by our need to justify our actions and words.” (ODAT, 10 April)
JEDI mind-tricks:
Justification, Explanation, Defence, and Intentions.
Sometimes I am overtly asked ‘why’, in which case a
justification or an explanation is required.
Then, I keep it short and factual. I don’t start with, “In
1973, …”, or “In a galaxy, far, far away, …”, or “I was born in the wagon of a
travellin’ show …”. I keep it to one sentence. If they want to ask for further
and better particulars, they can do that.
If no one asks for a justification or explanation, no one
wants it, and they certainly do not want my attempt to manipulate how they see
me. People can make up their own mind, they know when they’re being
manipulated, and it’s really annoying.
In any case, almost every justification and explanation
wears thin: they’re attempts to indicate I am not really responsible for my
actions or the consequences; something or someone else is to blame. This also
enervates people. Justifications and explanations merely reflect my mistaken
priorities, my disorganisation, my incompetence, my inability to take
responsibility, my inability to think ahead, my misapprehension of the situation.
I’m saying: don’t trust me, because, when it goes wrong, it won’t be my fault.
Defences are never necessary, because any useful information
that genuinely needs to be conveyed already comes under the headings of legitimate
justification and explanation.
The only thing that can be defended is the self, and it is
the establishment and reinforcement of self that makes something to be attacked
in the first place.
The truth needs no defence.
If there is no self, there is nothing to be attacked, so no
defences needed, and there is nothing to defend against.
The way to eliminate the monsters is to eliminate the thing
they might attack.
No monster food, no monsters.
Intentions:
Saying I did not intend to do something is never quite
right. I always did, because I have agency. I may have been unaware of the
intention, but the intention was there. If I’m not responsible for my actions,
that’s worse, because it means I could do anything at any time, and I would not
be responsible. I would be a danger to myself and others. If I regularly do
things I did not intend to do, I should be locked up, and the key should be
thrown away, because there’s no treatment for that. No, it’s far better simply
to admit the action and leave intentions out of it.
Intention with regard to consequences is a little different.
Saying I did not intend particular consequences may be true, but then my real
problem is my failure to foresee foreseeable consequences. Again, I’m saying
I’m either inconsiderate or short-sighted, and neither admission works in my or
anyone else’s favour.
Saying I intend to do something in the future—trying to get
credit now for something I may do later—is merely trapping myself, setting
myself up either for failure or my own or others’ disappointment.
Sometimes I must commit, but most commitments do not require
communication to others. Only if others have to organise themselves around what
I will or will not do must I notify my intentions.
All in all, it is best to just silently act and let things
play out. If something goes wrong, admit it, and move on.