Conditional v. Unconditional Culture (Revised)

CONDITONAL VERSUS UNCONDITONAL CULTURE

) 2003 C. Marie

Major world problems where survival of the species is in question have
a central cause. The cause is not lack of information or lack of good
will. Rather, it is conditional culture, a syndrome in which many of
our highest world economic and political leaders participate.
Irrational interactions take place among elites, and with lower levels
of society, in this syndrome. These interactions are based in
compulsions and/or addictions. The solution to conditional culture is
unconditional culture where priority is given to the needs of the
whole, the most complex unit, over parts, less complex units.

        In this conditional culture, neither the needs of the "haves" nor the
"have nots" are met, but they are exacerbated by the application of
exponentially increasing amounts of substitutes for what would really
satisfy needs. These substitutes give the illusion of "working", but
only make matters worse by not addressing real needs, while muffling
the original cry for help, ( i. e. hiding authentic feedback).

        Needs are authentic and legitimate when their satisfaction is in the
interest of the whole organic system. When only the interests of a
limited part of the whole are addressed the interests are excessive.

The Addiction Analogy

        Conditional culture takes place in many different contexts. (Many are
interconnected.) A vivid illustration and analogy for obsessive
conditional culture is the process of drug addiction.

        Persons with extreme unmet needs ultimately for love, may accept and
try drugs to satisfy them. The illusion that drugs satisfy their needs
kicks in immediately.
But then comes the hang over when it may be seen the needs have not
been satisfied. An escalating amount of drugs is taken as the needs
become more and more acute, not having been satisfied over time and as
addicts' weakened body systems are less and less able to respond to
the drug. The addicts also use progressively more and more of their
own time and attention for drugs leaving aside other interests and
also serious commitments. And they use more and more money which they
may steal from their families, since they cannot easily maintain a job
while spending more and more energy on maintaining their habit This
stealing tends to put a rift between them and their families. They
become separated from their families leaving their families with fewer
of their needs met. More imbalance comes about due to the intake of
drugs because of the increased unmet needs. Disintegration of families
takes place. But the addict is integrated into the network of addicts,
where the illusion exists that his needs are being it. Society at
large pays for his habit in lost and stolen goods, lost lives through
drug related murders, lost contributions of work, etc. of the addicts
themselves. The addicts have a kind of single minded unidimentional
way of living. They seek only drugs or what can lead them to drugs.
Other things are wasted on them.

        Addicts are integrated into a hierarchy. So there is no equality. And
there is no freedom because they are so enslaved to the pursuit of
drugs. They also often would have no freedom to go against what
they're told from above, or to quit drugs, without the rear of death.

         As more and more needs are unmet in communities due to more intakes
of drugs, more and more people from them begin falling onto the allure
of drugs. There is a vicious circle and a chain reaction. The drug
networks experience exponential growth. As they grow the resources of
society become more and more scarce. The drug networks tend to use up
resources in one community at a time, before going to a new one and
repeating the pattern, but certain aspects change according to the new
context. The change may be from heroin to cocaine, etc.

        The drug networks' workings are secretive and so cut off from the
communities at large. They continue to create the illusion of meeting
needs and thereby promote drug intake. Those whose authentic needs are
met may not be tempted by them. Some whose needs are seriously
unsatisfied may fall into other compulsions such as over eating. Some
whose needs are seriously unsatisfied may fall into other compulsions
such as over eating.

        Drug addicts do not take into account the holistic processes needed
in order to get a feeling of well-being. The feeling from drugs is
extrinsic to the needs of whole processes. The system is manipulated
to get a feeling of well-being regardless of real needs.

        The alternative to drug culture is:
Meeting real needs especially and ultimately for love. This is very
satisfying and makes a more stable backdrop, where people are string
enough to resist the illusion of needs being met through drugs.

        As more and more people in a community have their real needs met,
they have more and more strength to help others get their needs met
and so the health of the society grows exponentially. As more human
and natural resources are used to meet real needs, society gets
stronger and stronger. It only divides up when that happens
organically as circumstances present themselves. The process makes for
balance among members of society, each receiving according to his
needs, and diversity of needs and talents is respected. There is no
hierarchy, where some get more than what they need and others outside
the hierarchy, nothing at all. There is equality. There is freedom
because people are taken care of regardless of actions and they are
not treated violently.

        Here the realization of well-being is intrinsic to the system. Real
needs are met.

        These processes of addiction are analogous to certain processes
within economic, political and social systems and are base in the same
root cause: unmet real needs of the whole are ignored while
illusionary needs of parts are addressed.

        Conditional culture is a syndrome and, as in medicine, there are
stages in its development. When a syndrome is diagnosed by a doctor he
sees symptoms, whether they are beginning stages or later stages. Here
also, a practitioner can recognize conditional culture by seeing one
or two stages of it without necessarily seeing all the stages. He
knows in theory what can happen without seeing every part of it played
out. Also there may be variations depending upon the context and
depending upon its evolution.

        I will here outline a number of operations or phenomena, (symptoms),
taking place in the development of conditional culture with examples.

        
Manipulation

        Rewards and punishments in all their subtle forms and not so subtle
forms are the basis of conditional culture. Manipulation or violence
is used by individuals to gain ends, which are not real needs but
compulsions. Some of these means are: incentives, favoritism
artificial conditioning, stimuli, rewards, positive reinforcement,
threats of violence, to property, assassinations, or even war or
torture. Depending upon the circumstances, more or less desperate
means may be used.

Example of conditional culture (c.c.) 1:
        If U. S. oil interests want a pipe line to be built through
Afghanistan, but those ruling Afghanistan refuse to agree to any kind
of deal. U. S. leaders, beholden  on behalf of the oil interests,
could force action through war.

        The alternative would e to attempt to lower dependence on oil, and
thereby, not to need to new pipe line. This would respect the larger
system and would be more logical than an expansion for those who
probably already have too much and so do not need more.

C.C. example 2:
        If a new product which does approximately the same thing as a
combination of older products, is developed and promoted through
manipulative means such as: grants for its development, and tax breaks
for both producers and consumers, when no grants or tax breaks are
given for the older products; if funds are raised in city, state, and
U. S. legislatures for the new product's use in public institutions
such as schools, offices, etc; if schools that teach courses in its
use are subsidizes; and, if those who take courses in its use are
given grants or loans. These means would be manipulative promotions of
the new product.

        A more logical approach would be to increase funding for urgent
underfunded needs such as for teachers, for less expensive technology
that does approximately what several older ones did  just in a
different way. The cost to society for the massive changeover to the
new way of doing things is very high and not worth it for the general
well being of society, although smaller interests would a gain lots of
profits- again, more than they need.

Exponential Growth:
        In the conditional syndrome at first unnoticeable chain reactions
begin taking place. Eventually, through exponential growth, they
arrive at enormous proportions. Unconditional culture, (u.c.), is more
even, in its development, taking the whole unit into account, and so
progress is slower but more satisfying and balanced than the
"progress" of conditional compulsive culture.

C.c. example 1:  If a third world farmer would buy a tractor from a U.
S. corporation with a U. S. loan, (stimulus), he'd have to start
buying gasoline which he didn't need for his oxen. He'd have to buy
parts when the tractor broke down. He'd have to raise more produce in
order to pay back his loan. Let's say his high production affects his
soil negatively. So he has to begin buying fertilizer, and eventually
his soil becomes more and more depleted. He has to buy an expensive
truck to get the produce to a larger, more distant market. The truck
uses more gasoline. Grain or vegetable prices may have gone down since
other farmers have gotten tractors the same way he has. For more
saleable vegetables he may also start buying new genetically altered
expensive seed, which cannot be gotten from last year's crop. It must
be bought each year. When the loan on the tractor comes due he may not
be able to pay it because of all the interconnected costs and
obstacles along the way. Meanwhile his old simple lifestyle where
costs were low, work load was low, worry was low, has disappeared. He
has no choice now but to deal with the bankers in regard to his
default, perhaps eventually losing his farm. A large international
corporation may buy his farm and other farms around him, thereby
introducing more sweeping changes, This obsessive culture is an our
growth of the original impetus, ( the loan, a stimulus), originating
in the corporate governmental culture.

        Rather than giving loans the international institution could respect
holistic systems of life, and not meddle them. Then the huge chain
reactions bringing upheaval to peoples' lives wouldn't get started,
Banks' profits would not be nearly as high. But they would probably be
more stable.

C.C. example 2:
        If a third world nation with an agriculture base subsidizes industry
and services in the city with funds from excess of agricultural
production, cities may seem to flourish at first. But as years go by
agricultural production may decrease; peasants may become more and
more impoverished; and some may have to leave farms; many may go to
the city; cities may become overcrowded. Eventually there would be a
huge imbalance between city and countryside causing massive damage to
social and ecological systems.

In an unconditional culture cities would not be favored like this. So
they would not grow at such abnormally fast paces; people would stay
in the county and continue in jobs with bearable wages. The country
could continue to be farmed profitable because agriculture wouldn't be
overtaxed.

Integration and Disintegration

        Another phenomenon in this conditional culture is nonorganic or
forced integration and disintegration. Through the use of manipulation
new alliances are made and old ones disintegrate. In unconditional
culture change, (integration or disintegration), is slow and can be
planned for.

C.c. example 1:
        If the U. S. offers Israel and the Palestinians economic stimuli for
their coming to an agreement of some kind, an agreement might be
achieved. But, meanwhile, certain Israeli and Palestinian groups would
become alienated from their own leadership. Disintegration takes place
within while closer unity is taking place without. The incentive
toward peace does not work, because real peace comes from the heart;
it cannot be manipulated by economic stimuli. A holistic approach
would look at peace as good for the whole region.

        The way toward peace between Israelis and Palestinians in a
non-compulsive setting would be communication with one another about
needs and how each can help the other without hurting themselves, or
where necessary, making certain less satisfying compromises. All this
discussion would proceed without any threat of force.

C.c. example 2:
        Forced integration can take place among countries in regard to trade.
An international financial institution may offer loans with special
low interest rates to those companies in the third world, which sell
products outside the borders of the countries in which their factories
are located. Those that remain local would not be offered them;
certain loans would be offered only to those companies that expand out
side their own borders; in certain areas companies who enjoy favorable
exchange rates would also be allowed special low tariffs or free entry
of products into certain and local legal requirements could be
specially lowered for international companies. Major dissention from
within a country going through these changes may be handled by
demotions, firings, disappearances, assassinations, etc.

        Local companies may not be able to compete with all this favoritism
and shut down, leaving many employees with no other choice but to seek
employment at the new favored international companies. Also, people
may have little choice but to buy the products of international
companies, now that other companies shut down. And funds, which were
invested in large local companies, are likely to be transferred to
international corporations. To facilitate trucks carrying merchandize,
special modern expensive highways in third world nations leading to
ports and international borders may be carved through mountains,
deserts, forests, etc. This would affect the environment negatively,
in addition to the probable irretrievable economic losses. The two or
more countries would become more and more integrated by these forceful
methods; but many organic social and environmental systems would
disintegrate.

        In unconditional holistic culture no loans would be offered until
there'd be an exceptional case of disastrous need where no
organization or country was willing or able to help freely. But giving
loans as a stimuli would be unheard of. Countries would develop at a
slower organic pace and according to needs. They would also
communicate with other areas about possible coordinated efforts to
satisfy mutual needs. But there would be no force or loans behind
their decisions. Nothing would be favored over anything else. Rather
the most complex whole unit would take place but according to organic
needs. Its pace would not be speeded up by favoritism.

Loss of Freedom and Equality

        Favoritism, a phenomenon in conditional obsessive culture, leads to
loss of freedom and equality. A person does not feel as free to do
what he wants of he's going to be rewarded, (i.e. favored), for
certain actions and/or punished for others. And, those who are
rewarded are not treated equally with those who are not. And so the
loss in freedom and equality.

C.C. example 1:
        Scientific and technological activity can be stimulated by paying
scientific researchers and professors more than philosophy or history
professors and researchers. This, in turn, would cause an inequality
in status and affect the social interactions between the various
levels. Students would feel more pressure and less freedom in deciding
what to study. Favoritism here diminishes equality of status and
freedom of choice.

        In a non-obsessive setting professors would all receive about the
same living wage. There would be no favoritism toward science or any
other subject. Professors would relate to one another on an equal
footing. Students would be free to choose whatever subject, without
the economic pressure, (artificial stimuli), in the background.

C. C. example 2:
        Within circles made extremely wealthy by obsessive culture there
could be great insecurity and constant use of security guards, et
cetera and therefore, a lack of freedom to come and go as they please.
Someone with extreme wealth who felt insecure because of it could
share some of it with the poor and thereby become more secure. The
more wealth he got rid of, the more secure he might feel.

        In u.c. the poor's needs would be integrated into the whole way of
life, and there would be more communication organically among all the
people involved. There would be more understanding. All needs would be
taken into account. In the process money would be saved with less need
to worry about security.

Illusion
        Illusion is another phenomenon in conditional obsessive culture.
Early stages in conditional transactions involve the creation of
illusions that needs are being satisfied. Because the real needs are
not satisfied the transactions are repeated obsessively.
        In u.c. needs are really met. So they don't become more exaggerated.
False substitutes and illusion there fore are not as alluring.

C.c. example 1:
        When a company gets a big loan there's an illusion of well-being. In
fact the illusion could pervade whole business communities when loans
are given out. Reality actually can grow worse because of the
illusion, which misleads persons from taking remedial actions before
it's too late. When loans come due they may be bankrupt.

        In unconditional culture companies would use their own resources for
expansion. Companies in general would pay their own way.

C.c. example 2:
        If major incentives, (such as tax breaks, loans, grants,), are built
into both state and federal law for computers, at first, as companies
get started federal law for computers, at first, as companies get
started with the added support, an illusion is created in which
computers seem much better and less expensive than older forms of
procedure and communication. The cost of, development and of the huge
changeover from older ways, including the cost of learning new
operations and the cost in waste is not noticed. Also, the difficulty
of always needing to be near a computer when working, and computer
repairs, etc. are not noticed; nor do we realize the huge costs of
viruses, identity theft, and other security and privacy issues.

In an unconditional setting computers would not e subsidized since
they were not a dire necessity. Without that economic stimulation they
would not look so marvelously inexpensive. In fact, their true high
cost would be seen on time. There would be more time because due to
lack of stimuli they would make their entrance more slowly, more
organically connected to real needs, (if any). There would be time for
analyses of the costs involved- not only economic but to privacy, etc.

C.c. example 3:
        If people in the U. S. are brainwashed by politicians and the media's
illusion of finding security in a military build up, there could be a
huge increase in an already huge military budget, which isn't working
or there would already be "security", so obsessive military spending
would take place. Weapons manufacturers would gain economically.  But
real security would be found by helping meet other nations' real needs
and, thereby, lowering the risk of terrorist attacks.

        Also if third world nations' leaders buy into the illusion of finding
security in a military build up, they would spend more perhaps on
Lockheed weapons. But it would be obsessive and not address the real
need for security. Regional arms races might begin. Other needs would
be neglected due to lack of funds, (spent, on weapons).

In unconditional culture more security would be found through
communication among neighboring countries, (without threats), about
mutual needs and their solutions.

Imbalance

        Imbalance is another phenomenon in conditional culture. Needs of some
persons are not satisfied but exacerbated because excessive resources
are taken at accelerating rates by those without a need, for them;
these other persons have real needs which are not being satisfied
because of their obsessive intake of what they don't need.

C.c. example 1:
        If companies are given incentives by government there may be a
disproportionate amount of their product, (whatever it is, say,
Corning Ware), produced. The company does not have to depend on real
demand when subsidized. So there can be an overproduction, an
imbalance between need, (demand0, and number of products, (supply).

        In u.c., companies would not be given artificial incentives and so
there would be more balance between supply, (satisfaction), and
demand, (need).

        People don't need that much Corning Ware, But then, if obsessive
culture were to continue and try to get them to buy what they don't
need, either a manipulative, advertising campaign would be used or
some other form of artificial incentive, such as a governmental
subsidy for those who use Corning Ware, This would cause more
imbalance.

        In u.c. favoritism would not take place. Companies would be treated
equally, not manipulated by subsidies. This would help keep production
of unneeded items, (i.e. overproduction), down.

C.c. example 2: 
        If a county generously subsidizes the price of water for farmers in
order to get them to buy land and do farming in the area, many farmers
may take up the offer; the area may become heavily agricultural; but
water may be highly overused, adding to potential drought conditions.
It may be difficult to withdraw the subsidy later on due to powerful
lobbying of so many dependent farmers. As a result the ecological
imbalance of drought conditions would probably increase. The real need
of the county is not farming when it ruins the ecological balance. The
real deeper need of the farmers is not water but, at a more complex
level, ecological balance and the social well-being of the overall
community. In holistic culture a county's overall balance would be
maintained by not specially stimulating any one sector. Then one
sector might still grow organically more than another. But adjustments
could be made more easily because the growth would be limited by real
needs in other sectors.

Disconnected Feedback

        Illusionary disconnected feedback is a dimension of conditional
culture. Artificial incentives give feedback that is not organically
connected to interrelated activity. In holistic culture the only
feedback would be that which organically results from the action
itself, Authentic organically connected feedback would be given in
non-manipulative exchanges or communication.

C.c. example 1: U.S. representatives may exchange votes for help,
(artificial positive feedback) for certain private industry, in each
other's areas while ignoring authentic needs such as healthcare.

        In unconditional culture authentic positive feedback for private
industry, etc., would depend on its own day to day production, sales,
etc., not on special help from the government.  Private industry would
not be favored at the expense of the whole, unless their well-being
served the needs of the whole.

C.c. example 2: If Milwaukee County officials OKAY'd a new "state of
the arts" stadium for the Brewers to be paid for by county residents
after being voted down in a referendum.  At about the same time the
Milwaukee County hospital was declared bankrupt and closed.

        In unconditional culture the authentic negative feedback, i.e., the
referendum, would be honored.  Needs of the whole unit would be given
priority over illusionary needs of a private baseball team.

SYNDROMES WITHIN SYSTEMS

Conditional cultures are syndromes within organic systems. They feed
off of the organic systems and grow within them, destroying them.

        In unconditional culture, the whole more complex system is involved
with interactions with the purpose of getting real needs met.

C.c. example 1: If modern industries come into a traditional area, and
they are favored with the best land, water, use of natural resources,
and the best workers, they are separated off from the rest of the area
and at the same time they depend on the resources of the rest of the
area. Little by little the modern way of life, the favored way, will
increase and pervade much of the area. This is a syndrome pervading
the organic systems.

        In u.c., no industry would upset the balance of the whole more
complex system. It would serve the needs of the whole and not take
excessive amounts of resources for its purposes.

C.C. example 2: If cars are favored over mass transit by massive
public spending for extra city streets, roads, and highways with the
latest technology and constant repairs, immense amounts of land are
lost for agriculture. The funds used on road technology are lost for
any of society's pressing needs: healthcare, education, et cetera. If
car use is favored with special up-to-the-minute reports on all media
 radio and TV stations about driving conditions, this expensive
air-time would not be used for society's need for serious information.
Asphalt parking lot land would not be used for parks with trees
providing needed shade and flood control. If parking structures where
each individual space costs $ 10,000 to construct are approved, these
structures are not available for low-cost housing for the homeless.

  
Besides this, if cars are favored over mass transit, air is more
polluted, cities are dirtier, and more warming of the earth takes
place. Favoritism towards cars (and oil) would contribute to the
destruction of social and environmental systems.

        In u.c., mass transit would be allowed its organically connected
advantage and so would naturally dominate the situation. The
generalized savings resulting from mass transit would satisfy needs
environmentally and economically et cetera of the most complex unit
involved.

UNIFORMITY

        Conditional culture includes an increase in uniformity. Whatever is
rewarded increases while diverse unrewarded forms gradually disappear.

C.c. example 1: If business and housing development are stimulated by
tax breaks, subsidization, loans, grants, or the like, leading to
expanding development, other organic surroundings languish and
disappear. Farmland becomes increasingly scarce and with it, many
diverse organic forms.

        In u.c., nothing would be artificially stimulated so diverse
varieties of reality would flourish without any part artificially
dominating any other.

C.c. example 2: If local, state and federal governments would
artificially stimulate the use of computers in various and sundry
ways, then soon all you would see and hear about would be computers,
Type-writer companies would go out of business; a person might not be
hired, say, for an art museum with an M.A. in art history unless he
knew computers. A junior college teacher who knew something about
computers might not teach in his own M.A. field but might only be
assigned computer classes. Many things would fall by the wayside
because of computers.

        In u.c., government would not stimulate computer use because
computers would not satisfy needs of the most complex system which
were not already being satisfied by many diverse forms such as
type-writers, telephones, letters, library books, magazines,
newspapers, et cetera,

MISPLACED PRIORITY

        If less complex organisms or systems are favored over the more
complex of which they are part by resources from the more complex, we
have conditional culture.

        In u.c., less complex systems serve the whole complex unit.

C.c. example 1: If a company in Milwaukee, WI is given a big tax break
by the city of Houston for relocating there, the company is
participating with Houston leaders in conditional culture.

        In u.c., a company would consider the needs of the most complex unit,
which would include Milwaukee. The loss in revenue, jobs, and socially
caused to Milwaukee, and the cost for moving, would make the change
not a worthwhile one in spite of the new jobs in Houston, and the
individual gains it as a company would get in tax breaks.

C.c. example 2:  If manufactures of computers are given local,
federal, and state subsidies and incentives and tax breaks, a
department store president may decided to computerize its functions
because it would be less expensive. The store saves by laying off
workers but the public at large pays the price of his "savings".

        In u.c., companies (whether computer or otherwise) would serve the
needs of the most complex system of resources leading to layoffs of
its workers.

ESCALATION TOWARD DEATH

        Conditional culture is syndromes within more complex organic systems.
They feed off of the larger ones causing eventual death of some
systems. They expand at an escalating rate toward new and healthy
systems, sometimes using the latest technological advances.

        Example: If corporations, with their own profits as the motive,
operate in northern U.S. areas until the areas no longer have
resources; at this pint they are offered special treatment by a
southwestern U.S. city or state and they accept and move south;
eventually the resources in the southwestern area are used up and they
move farther south where they are given special deals by Mexican
officials; eventually when Mexican resources are used up, they go
farther south to South America, each time leaving behind blighted
inner cities with chemical spills, broken down or burned out
buildings, asphalt covered parking lots and, with advanced
technologies, the destruction of natural resources, such as
deforestation, takes place each time at a faster pace.

        U.c. encourages and brings life to the most complex systems involved.

DISRESPECT FOR MOST COMPLEX LEVEL

        As the conditional systems progress real needs increase due to the
destruction caused in the pursuit of obsessions rather than authentic
needs. Needs are authentic only when the most complex organic systems
involved are respected.

C.c. example 1: If new seed for robust crops are invented and everyone
begins using them in India. Soon there is a need for a special
expensive scientific seed repository because the old seed that used to
be used is in danger of extinction. Also, there may be a new need for
fertilizer because the new products are so robust, they use up more of
the nutrients in the soil, perhaps a new need for irrigation because
the plants take so much water, and perhaps a need for more money now
because these new types of seed cannot be salvaged from last year's
crops and must be bought. Those involved in the introduction of this
new seed should have respected more complex cycles already in place.

        In u.c., the needs of the most complex system, the human community,
would take precedence. The costs of the seed repository and of having
to start buying seed, which people cannot afford, would be considered.
Also, damage to the environment (i.e. abuse of soil which could cause
bigger environmental problems which could spiral out of control, such
as erosion and desertification, due to unidimensional agriculture)
would be considered. Earlier experiences with new seed would be
studied and due to negative results for the most complex unit, the see
would not be used.

POLARIZATION

        Favoritism tends to artificially polarize and separate parts of
systems. Favored parts go in one direction, disfavored in another. I
u.c., systems maintain their organic integrity.

C.c. example 1: If a group of people made up of recent legal
immigrants who are single, are favored with higher General Assistance
checks, then the rest of the recipients. Say persons from these groups
receive $200.00 per month as opposed to $175.00 received by the
others. As these others become aware of the difference, resentment
sets in toward the new comers. Say the newcomers are also given first
places on waiting lists for public housing. Resentment grows and is
acted out toward the new comers by other recipients. So the new comers
tend to avoid the others. Eventually the antagonism becomes a
well-known fact within and outside the groups, who are polarized from
each other.

C.c. example 2: A modern society could be artificially segregated
according to ages and thereby convenient markets could be created for
companies to sell to according to age. The segregation would be
advanced by favoring people in various ways according to their age,
e.g. elderly with subsidized rent, younger rent, younger in hiring, et
cetera.

        In unconditional culture, needs would be satisfied regardless of age.

EVOLVING FORMS

        Conditional culture infests one system at a time. When it has ruined
it, conditional culture goes onto the next, changing techniques and
forms according to the context in which it finds itself, like a
chameleon.

C.c. example 1: The excessive interests of new settlers could motivate
them to forcibly and/or through manipulation tale over the areas they
arrived in. As years go on and their populations grow, they may expand
into new areas forcibly. When finally dominating the whole continent,
they may begin to take other off-shore areas. Eventually they may find
it convenient just to dominate in trade with, say, the backing of a
domineering army, over other areas buying cheap raw materials and
selling back, expensive finished products. Then, due to a changing
context, they may change their methods, setting up factories in other
nations, hiring cheap foreign labor, and sending cheap finished
products back home, without having to pay import taxes.

DENIAL

        Those involved in conditional culture have many varied ways of
denying there is any problem. Denial holds back solutions.

Denial Example 1: If four soldiers come back from war in Afghanistan
and kill their wives and military leaders respond that maybe the
couples had problems before the war, and the stress of combat just
brought them to a head. And if other wives complain to military
leaders about the macho killing mentality of their spouses, and
leaders respond that they don't know, that they never heard of such a
thing.

Denial Example 2: If someone points out the connection between overuse
of cars and the earth's warming and the other person responds, "People
must have cars to go to work. And if they have several children they
can't take the bus to shop for food."

Denial Example 3: An article could be written pointing out the
connection between the use of plutonium in weapons and subsequent high
increases in cancer rates in the population of the country where the
war took place. Such an article and information could be ignored, and
if ever confronted with the information, "experts" could make excuses.

The conditional syndrome can be followed step-by-step. We can start
with:
1) application of artificial incentives to organic systems, causing:
2) imbalances because parts receive new stimuli while other parts pay
for it and so have less of what they need, causing:
3) polarization, separation between parts of the systems, which
becomes:
4) disintegration of related parts of the systems and forced
integration between unrelated parts.
5) Since they depended on their relationship in the original system to
get needs met, more imbalances in regard to needs now occur, causing:
6) Compulsive tendencies by those with seriously unmet needs, to use
manipulative means to gain false substitutes of the real satisfaction
of them.

If they use manipulative means (apply artificial incentive  step 1)
the vicious circular phenomenon continues.

The following example is meant to demonstrate the steps of a
conditional culture.

        Let's say, a new country was created in the 1500s by process of
buying off the leaders when feasible in order to get more land, and
war against the inhabitants when the leaders weren't accepting bribes
(step1), an imbalance in land would develop between the groups (step
2); a rift would be created between the new settlers and the original
inhabitants (step 3). As the new inhabitants attained more and more
land through artificial incentives and/or war, the original
inhabitant's order would disintegrate more and more while the new
nation would become more and more integrated (step 4). Imbalances
would increase as some had much too much land and the riches it could
bring, and others not enough to sustain the barest of necessities
(step 5). The ones with too much land and riches would have an extreme
need for good friends they could trust, and not people who were
jealous, angry, and might attack them, or people who would use them
because of their riches, et cetera.  And the original inhabitants
would, of course, have an extreme need for land.  These extreme needs
on both sides would lead to a tendency for more use of manipulation to
get quick fixes and the illusion of having their needs met (step 6).
And so the obsessive culture would continue in its repetitive cycle.

        It would not have to be this way. If the new settlers would
communicate about their mutual needs with the original inhabitants
without the bottom line of manipulative force in the background on
either side, there could be a gradual organic integration of both
groups and ways of life, They could mutually find ways of helping each
other. At times, compromises could be worked out where neither side
gets all it needs, but at least some of it. As more needs were met,
there would be a decrease in the tendency toward the use of
manipulation. The good will engendered in the processes would fulfill
needs at the most complex systematic level, that of the new system
over and above the less complex systems of the two groups of original
inhabitants and new settlers.