Authenticity and Pursuits of Excellence are a fine method,

for resisting the overwhelming power of Cultural Indoctrination.

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It is easy to trick ourselves that we know enough, that we will do enough,

but to test ourselves we only need to see if we can write a meaningful book.

But there is other trickery at play,

one that is related to the level of our knowledge, and the content of the culture we grow up in.

This is a more formidable problem,

thus the Thinking Tools are more complex.

Authenticity exposes weakness and lessons,

and The Culture of Pursuits of Excellence, sets us on an adventure of the lifetime.

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The Problem of Knowing Enough.

We tend to make decisions that result in not what we wanted,

our intent suffers from not enough experience, knowledge and information.

A good abstract example of that,

is navigating dark woods.

Without a map we maybe headed in the wrong direction,

with a map; we may turn around and begin moving in the opposite one.

The more we know, the better we navigate,

a powerful intermediate solution to this problem is Non-Fiction Audio Books,

Memoirs and Biographies about Growing Up and Learning.

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The Problem of Content of Culture, more specifically Cultural Indoctrination.

Is in observations of the surrounding world,

and hopes of living a meaningful existence in harmony with it.

If we are taught a falsehood about the world,

we will make decisions, of our own free will, that will be wrong.

A good example of that is the propaganda of warring tribes or nations,

teaching their children that the other is evil.

It is very difficult to catch ourselves as being under control of a cultural falsehood,

we tend to accept the culture we are born into, as a source of absolute truth.

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Let me give you an example,

that your mind will actively work to reject, paragraph by paragraph.

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When we went to school we were convinced it would teach us knowledge,

even though nearly every month there was more and more evidence to the contrary.

No matter what,

we still believed.

We saw unfair grading, bullies and violence, hate, racism and indifference,

we saw that everyone was cheating by cramming, and that teachers loved it.

We saw many kids get into drugs and alcohol,

some of us even foresaw that some of the staff were predators looking for prey.

We accepted grades,

and we accepted it as a measure of our intelligence.

We accepted grades, knowing about cheating by cramming, and knowing about unfair grading,

we still though of ourselves as B or C, or D level humans.

In the end we saw, that everything we gained, we gained by working on our own,

and finally noticed that a diploma didn't even guarantee a well-paying job.

Late on in life many of us noticed that many schools are not a source of knowledge,

but a source of regret, a force of erosion.

Many of us became so confused, that we immediately assumed we were wrong,

and never said a single bad thing about schools.

The tragedy of organized education,

is a good example of the Overwhelming Power of Cultural Indoctrination.

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Now let us take a look at Authenticity and Pursuits of Excellence with a bit more detail, as those two combine to help with both

The Problem of Knowing Enough and The Problem of Cultural Indoctrination.

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Authenticity.

Accept authenticity the way you accepted Dignity, and Goodness, and Class.

that's how you become more sensitive to inconsistencies that are surrounding you.

Next time you ask yourself, am I classy, and I a good person, am I a dignified person,

also ask; am I an authentic person that lives an authentic existence.

Dignity, and Goodness, and Class, are things we strengthen in our Soul and Heart as we grow,

now add Authenticity to help you see a little bit better.

Often times when our intent is noble, but results end up wrong,

it means that we were purposefully misled.

With Authenticity in our Heart,

we get an extra moment to ourselves.

In context of education, if a teacher is forcing you to cram for tests so you get good grades,

you are more likely to walk out and talk to the Dean, or Principal.

No longer will you feel compelled to cram,

because it will feel inauthentic.

After all, faking test results by means of cramming, or temporary memorization,

is not what you intended when signing up for school, it is something you were pressured into.

Authenticity presents many more challenges in life than just going along with everyone else,

because one of the strong points of moving along with the surrounding culture, is that it is easier to move with the flow and play by the rules.

However, the price we pay for ease,

is that we don't really learn anything, we just pretend to learn.

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Pursuits of Excellence are by definition difficult, and challenging, however they result in Real Knowledge, a Real Functional Education.

You start with Audio Books, Video Lectures, Survey Courses and learn with whatever means are at your disposal.

This is more challenging, than cramming for tests,

but this is not difficult because you are working with material you love, with knowledge that touches and moves you.

The reward for Standing in Relentless Pursuit of Excellence and Authentic Achievement,

is the Complete Knowledge of the subject you Love.

If that takes you to a Science, Medical, Technology or Engineering School,

or a Startup Accelerator, or your own company from zero.

Then you are faced with a much smaller challenge, there is no more cramming, or pretending,

as you are now filled with Athletic Knowledge from across thousands of books.

Knowledge that you connected in a sequence that served you best,

and at a pace that helped you retain most.

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Authenticity and Pursuits of Excellence,

put us on a path to becoming Wiser Beings.

They will help you see in a world obscured by indoctrination,

or one that lacks real education.