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128 | Transcendent Deconstruction - Part 2: The Indoctrination-Enlightenment-Deconstruction Cycle

Daryl McMullen

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128 | Transcendent Deconstruction - Part 2: The Indoctrination-Enlightenment-Deconstruction Cycle Daryl McMullen

August 15, 2022

Minute of Transparency: My Personal Deconstruction - Round 2

Today's Topic: Transcendent Deconstruction - Part 2: The Indoctrination-Enlightenment-Deconstruction Cycle

  1. Indoctrination

  2. Enlightenment

  3. Deconstruction

  4. The Cycle Repeated 

// 1. INDOCTRINATION

Now I know - this term probably has negative energy behind it. Similar to using the term "brain-washing."

But at the end of the day I don't want us to be afraid to use it. Or be afraid of the fact that it exists - and is a very real thing each of us goes through.

Dictionary.com defines "indoctrination" as:

  • "The act of indoctrinating, or teaching or inculcating a doctrine, principle, or ideology, especially one with a specific point of view: As in religious indoctrination."

Interesting that the example they chose was religious indoctrination...but it makes sense because the root word "doctrine" is a very religious word - pertaining to the specific beliefs a religious institution adheres to...

But for now - let's just pull out the general attributes:

  • To indoctrinate is to teach someone something

  • However - the teaching is very specific to one point of view

Now, what I want to do next is to help us see that there is a continuum that exists with indoctrination.

There are forms of indoctrination most of us are ok with. And there are forms we would consider sinister, dangerous and possibly evil.

But at the end of the day - they're all the same. Because people are being taught something from a very specific point of view.

So let's look at a few of these in general terms - moving from simple to complex - from acceptable to unacceptable:

  • Parenting:

    • What is parenting if not indoctrination

    • Most parents have a very specific world view - and that world view is passed on to their kids

    • We call it parenting, but at the end of the day it's indoctrination - brain-washing even

    • But as long as we're teaching them socially acceptable things, and they become positive members of society - it's all good

    • Our brain-washing is deemed useful and appropriate

    • Now - obviously the opposite is also true

    • If we teach our kids anti-social behavior, and they grow up to become serial killers

    • We're going to be viewed in a very different light

    • And the terms indoctrination or brain-washing will have a much more negative connotation

  • Coaching:

    • Interestingly enough - coaching is indoctrination

    • A coach, typically someone who has played and studied the game, teaches kids everything they need to know about the sport - from a very specific point of view

    • Here are a few of those points of view to jog your memory:

      • "Winning is everything - so do whatever it takes."

      • "The team is more important than the individual."

      • "Learn something new every time you play."

    • Now there are as many of these mantras as there are coaches

    • But you get the idea - this is the motto that precedes the indoctrination

    • In other words - if this is the singular point of view: Everything that happens in practice, the way games are played and even what you do away from the game gameplay are run through that filter

    • And you can see how that might play out in the way the coach talks to kids, what is said to parents, and what the team does together

    • Again - most of us are ok with this form of indoctrination

    • Until a coach fails to let your child play - or they start cussing your child out for not working hard enough

    • Then things start to change...

  • Education:

    • Don't think teachers indoctrinate our kids?

    • Oh my - if you don't - you have your head under a pillow - choosing not to see the obvious

    • On the one hand - teachers are indoctrinating our kids with knowledge - important knowledge about things like reading, writing and arithmetic

    • They have a very specific point of view - call it core competencies - or whatever it is in your state

    • But their job depends on whether or not kids are learning those things in their classroom

    • But this is one small part of our kids school day

    • They interact with other teachers, principals, custodians, gym teachers, etc.

    • And each of those interactions are added to our kids knowledge base

    • Here's an example:

      • In elementary school our kids went on field trips to the Planetarium

      • It was a shared resource that all elementary schools in the district could access

      • And while the kids were there - they learned fun facts from the teacher that oversaw the Planetarium

      • On one of these trips - the teacher explained to the kids that the only reason we have pretty sunsets is because of the way we pollute the Earth

      • That all of the pollution in the air provides the particles that reflect the light coming from the setting sun

      • Now I'm sure this teacher meant well - and I'm sure pollutants do influence the type of sunset we see from night to night

      • But I don't think the teacher explained that a sunset is beautiful no matter what

      • So to this day - when we see a beautiful sunset - our kids will say, "Thank God for pollution!"

    • Now - we've processed this as a family - and they can laugh looking back at it

    • But this is the perfect example of ways kids can be indoctrinated in the school setting

    • Which is why there is so much polarization in the country these days about what can and can't be taught in school

    • But that's not what we're here to solve today...

  • The Military:

    • Again, one of those things we accept as necessary, but at the same time cringe a little when we hear how things really work

    • Because the military is an indoctrination machine

    • Just look at the orientation a young person gets when they join:

      • First of all - most of the people entering the military are kids - right out of high school

      • And according to the field of psychology, these boys and girls aren't even fully baked yet

      • According to an article by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health

      • The prefrontal cortex is not fully developed until age 25

      • Important because the prefrontal cortex controls the following:

        • Executive function - decision-making

        • Planning complex cognitive behavior

        • Personality expression

        • Moderating social behavior

        • Differentiating between conflicting thoughts

        • Determine good and bad, better and best, same and different

        • And according to one article: The consequence of this not being formed is often socially unacceptable behavior

      • So these kids - with prefrontal cortexes still in the oven are thrown into the indoctrination process:

        • And according to an article on Indoctrination from the APA - this involves three things:

          1. Remove characteristics that are detrimental to military life (that is, to remove self-interest, and instead to follow orders)

          2. To train individuals to kill when necessary

          3. To enable recruits to view themselves in collective terms (we vs. me)

  • Religion:

    • This one is very personal for me - as I was raised in a traditional Christian home

    • And while I wouldn't change it for the world

    • I can also look back and see that it was indoctrination, and that not all of it was good

    • Religious Indoctrination happens all the time, every day, all over the world and to people of all ages

    • It isn't just something you experience as kids in your family of origin

    • There are college students who get involved programs like YWAM - Youth With a Mission - and begin this process

    • And there are grown adults who go to church for the first time - and start a process of indoctrination that can be healthy and unhealthy at the same time

    • On the one hand getting in tough with your spiritual side is good - as it typically helps you become a better version of yourself

    • But on the other hand - spirituality can easily become religion - which can become rigid, intolerant and exclusive

    • We can see this across the spectrum:

      • Christianity which has been morphed by some to become Christian Nationalism

      • Judaism with its many customs, traditions and legalistic requirements

      • Islam - which has been radicalized by some - leading to terrorism and violence

      • Ancient religions that incorporated human sacrifice into their belief systems

      • Stoicism, Buddhism, and similar religions focus on depriving ones self of things. The idea that happiness is actually the problem - because it never satisfies. And that the endless search for happiness is why people suffer

    • So you can see how growing up in, or becoming involved in these religions is indoctrination

    • Each has a very specific world view and teaches you to view the world the way they do

    • This can be loosely taught - allowing the individual to leave if they want

    • Or it can be a bit more forced - leading people to believe there is no getting out

      • This is always the case in a cult

      • But we even see it in mainstream Christianity

      • The Catholic Church, along with many others, believes in ex-communication. The act of removing or banishing someone who does not go along with the teachings of the church

      • Similarly in Mormonism - people are ex-communicated when they question the church - which leads to complete detachment from the people they love - even close family members

      • These are examples of religious indoctrination coupled with manipulation and coercion to make it even harder to leave

      • Again - this was the real reason behind the Transcendent Deconstruction Series - and we'll dive more into that in the weeks to come

  • But let's finish up with an extreme example: The Nazi Movement in Germany:

    • History tells us that the Nazi regime - led by Adolph Hitler - was built on this idea: Indoctrination, brain-washing, radicalization, propaganda, induced fear, etc.

    • The German people were led through Nazi boot camp on some level

    • Similar to the military, they were stripped down, taught hate and sold the solution - that if "we" are to survive - we must remove everyone else in our way

    • This led to one of the most significant instances of genecide our world has ever seen

    • The Holocaust was the tangible result of hatred, high level indoctrination and people robotically and blindly following the crowd

// 2. ENLIGHTENMENT

So now that we understand the Indoctrination Spectrum - the continuum that exists from simple indoctrination to intense, and manipulative indoctrination. We're able to move on to the next piece - which is Enlightenment.

And when we move to enlightenment - we move into a strange world - one that is difficult to quantify and qualify.

Here's what I mean. When it comes to our locus of control:

  • Indoctrination is something that happens to us

  • Deconstruction is something we do - something we engage in

  • But Enlightenment isn't that simple

Where does it start? How does it happen? Where does it come from? How long does it stay? Is it a feeling? An emotion? Or is it a calling? A nudge? Something or someone outside ourselves pushing us to think about the indoctrination?

Now, when I picked the word Enlightenment - it wasn't because it was the right word. I just liked it.

I could have called it the "Awakening" or something like that.

But because I called it Enlightenment - we should probably define the word:

Dictionary.com defines it as:

  • Aside from it being a period of time in the 18th century...

  • It is the act of being enlightened:

  • Which means:

    • To give intellectual or spiritual light to

    • To instruct or impart knowledge to

    • To shed light upon

So based on this definition:

When we start to think about or apply spiritual concepts to our indoctrination - we move into the "Enlightenment" phase.

Now, we're still operating under the indoctrination we went through - but we start to question. We start to realize that something is off. Maybe what we were taught wasn't 100% correct? Or possibly - we misunderstood what we were taught and we created a belief for ourselves that isn't based in reality.

Okay - we're not going to spend a lot of time here - but just understand that there is a step between Indoctrination and Deconstruction. It's the point where we have a thought that blows our mind. A thought, a question, a doubt. And it doesn't go away. It forces us to keep thinking about it until it has been resolved.

In the movie The Truman Show, this isn't the point where he opens the door on the other side of the "ocean" and leaves his lifelong prison. Instead, it's the first time Truman see's something that doesn't make sense. A homeless man that looks like his dead father, a love interest that tries to warn him, a studio light falling from the sky. All things that made an impression on Truman - to the point where he could no longer avoid the questions. And he had to figure out the truth.

This was the process of enlightenment - and it's the same for us. When it comes to religious enlightenment - it's when you start asking why? Why do I believe this? Do I actually believe this? Why does what my parents taught me actually conflict with what my friend's pastor taught her? And the questions go on and on.

Why did my parents teach me that the Flood in the Bible was a real thing, but science is telling me the Flood couldn't have happened the way the Bible described it?

This is the enlightenment process. The minute you realize there is a disconnect between the things you were told and the reality presenting itself to you.

// 3. DECONSTRUCTION

The next piece of the puzzle is deconstruction.

Like we said earlier - this is when the locus of control fully switches back to us.

Indoctrination happens to us. Deconstruction is how we respond.

So deconstruction is our response to the things we were taught in the past. Our struggle to determine if we still believe in them or not.

Now - we're not going to spend a lot of time here today as well - because next week we're going to do a full episode on religious deconstruction, and how politics is quickly becoming part of the same conversation. Then, in Part 4 we're going to walk through the Stages of Deconstruction.

// 4. THE CYCLE REPEATED 

I thought it would be interesting to finish up this episode with a theory of mine.

My theory is that the Indoctrination-Enlightenment-Deconstruction Cycle is a real thing - and has been repeated over and over again throughout time.

Both in small ways:

  • Like adolescents and young adults questioning things their parents taught them about life

But also in big ways:

  • Like entire civilizations having to come to terms with their collective indoctrination

And my big hypothesis is that this deconstruction movement we're seeing across the world today could be one of the big ones. And depending on how close we are to the End of Time - it could be the last.

That's ominous - I know. So put a pin in that and let's look back and some of the big ones throughout time:

  • Adam & Eve:

    • The first inhabitants on Earth went through this cycle in very strange way

    • The were indoctrinated with perfection - everything in their world was good

    • Then Satan, appearing as a serpent, enlightened them which made them question God

    • And as part of the deconstruction process - Adam & Eve ate the fruit from the forbidden tree

    • We'll talk a bit more about the fallout of this later in the episode...

  • Jonah:

    • Indoctrinated to believe that there were good people and there were bad people

    • And that bad people should be left to their own devices

    • God enlightened him that the bad people of Nineveh were worth saving

    • Jonah spent a few nights in the belly of a whale

    • Eventually completed his task of going to Nineveh and warning them for God

    • Then watched as God chose to save the city

    • After seeing all of this Jonah had to deconstruct his former beliefs and recognize that God loves all people

  • People of Nineveh:

    • Indoctrinated in pagan worship

    • Assyrians beliefs led to inappropriate behavior

    • They were a ruthless and violent society

    • However, the Bible suggests that the King was enlightened by Jonah

    • And because of this he began the process of deconstructing the life he had been living

    • He led the entire city through the deconstruction process

    • And God honored this change and saved the city

    • In stark contrast to the city of Sodom - which the Bible describes as being destroyed by God because of the wickedness that existed there

  • Israelites - or the Children of Israel:

    • The Bible describes how the people of God went through numerous cycles like this:

      • Each time they would start to get away from God and His truth

      • They would start to incorporate the beliefs of the pagan cultures around them

      • And no doubt would indoctrinate their kids with these hybrid ideas

      • Then, God would send a prophet to enlighten them about how far they had moved away from Him

      • The Israelites would eventually heed the warning and deconstruct the hybrid beliefs they had been living under

      • And unfortunately, the cycle would repeat itself a few generations later

  • Jewish People when Jesus was on the Earth:

    • The Israelite people were also referred to as Jewish

    • And they had the same beliefs - but over time they had created so many rules that it had become overwhelming for the people to follow them all

    • They also had a system of animal sacrifice which was the way they could be forgiven for missing the mark on all of these laws

    • In fact - to this day the Jewish community holds onto 613 of these laws as accurate and binding

    • This was their indoctrination - something that God started, but was greatly expanded by men

    • Enter Jesus

    • He was born into the Jewish culture, but when He began His ministry on Earth immediately enlightened the people about a new way of living

    • Some heard this and believed, others remained steadfast in the Jewish traditions

    • When Jesus died on the cross, and it became clear what His mission had been

    • The Jewish people who had followed Him had to do major deconstruction in order to bring their indoctrination into alignment with the things Jesus taught

    • This deconstruction movement was the birth of Christianity

  • Christianity:

    • Now here's the interesting part...

    • As Christians, I believe we have followed the same path as the Jewish people

    • Don't get me wrong - I believe in Jesus, which means I believe in the Christian religion - the one Jesus started

    • But I believe that for the past 2000 years we've been doing the same thing the Jewish people did

    • We've been watering it down

    • Mixing in pagan ideas

    • Adding rules and restrictions that never existed

    • We've made it exclusive instead of inclusive

    • And now we're at the point where Christian Nationalism sounds a lot like previous civilizations that persecuted people for not believing as they did

    • And this is our indoctrination

    • But I believe that at some point in the recent past people started to be enlightened

    • Which has led to a massive deconstruction movement within modern Christianity

    • This is us - right now - today

At least that's my hypothesis...

And like there is with most things - I believe there is good news and bad news.

  • Good News:

    • Because like the Jews - we have added all sorts of religious things to the simple gospel of Jesus

    • And in order to get back to that - we need to deconstruct

    • If we're going to fully live out the life He called us to - we need to strip everything away and find the things that really matter

  • Bad News:

    • Simply put - deconstruction is a slippery slope

    • Most people start with good intentions - but find themselves sliding way past the point where truth exists

    • Instead of finding truth - they throw the baby out with the bath water

    • They get rid of Jesus along with the rigid religious beliefs they deconstructed

Okay - one final thing.

And I may step on some toes with this one...

As I was doing the research for this series I couldn't help but see a glaring illustration in the way the Bible was constructed.

Here's why:

  • I think the Bible is a physical illustration of the deconstruction process

  • Literally - it has a physical break in between the OT and the NT:

    • In the OT - God is very rigid, fundamental and legalistic

    • And this was the indoctrination people who lived prior to Jesus received

    • Then you have the break between the two parts of the Bible

    • In the NT - Jesus deconstructs the OT

    • The entire NT is Jesus changing things up

    • Making it obvious that there is a new way

    • He said things like, "You've heard it said, but I say this or that."

    • You've had strict laws agains murder, but I say don't have hatred in your heart

    • So let's learn to love each other

    • Jesus deconstructed all of the hundreds of Jewish laws down into two:

      • Love God

      • Love each other

    • How is that for deconstruction?

    • In fact I can't find a more obvious reason to deconstruct, or model for how to do it than this...

Let's Land the Plane:

Part 2 down. Thank you so much for joining us - we're well on pour way - with three episodes to go.

This week ask yourself the following questions:

  1. Do you feel you have been indoctrinated in your past?

    • If so, you're in good company

  2. Have you been enlightened at some point?

    • If so, how did that happen?

    • A feeling?

    • Something you read?

    • Friends asking you questions?

  3. Are there things you've started to deconstruct?

    • If so, how are things going?

Deconstruction is challenging. On so many levels.

I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. But if you're going through a rough patch - reach out. Let us know what you're going through. Because we're all in this together:

Next week we dive into Part 3: Politics & Religious Deconstruction 

Until then, have a great week, and as always, keep Transcending Human!

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