Futuristics

In the mid 1990s, I also learned from Dr. Michael A. Aquino of Robert W. Chambers' "metafictional realism" in The King In Yellow (1895), and the "godgame" and "unmasking psychology" of John Fowles' novel The Magus (1966). This period broadened the scope of the earlier to consider how the "initiatory" potential can be applied in small groups and in the construction of social reality.

Finally, in a postgraduate class run by Dr. John Batros on leadership and team dynamics, I got to experience the psychodynamic approaches of Fritz Perls' Gestalt Therapy and Wilfred Bion's Tavistock work. This period was a more "mainstream" business education which prompted me to reflect on how Perls' and Bion's insights have played out in teams, projects and organisations I've worked with. I discovered a lot of dynamics, and also experienced that this "knowledge" is not always wanted by others or necessarily "correct".

I'm still reflecting on and "processing" these lessons in emotional and social intelligence. For me, three key themes have been the "initiatory" process to knowledge acquisition; the cultures and dynamics of organisations; and the nature of power. Their experiential nature makes it difficult for me to capture into words: a real-world education similar to the novice-to-journeyman transition in the Medieval Guild model of practitioner development. Some of the information sources were chosen for highly personal reasons that may trigger "cognitive dissonance" for others.

Instead, three resources that may convey some of the above:

Tony Scott's film Spy Game (2001) contrasts Brad Pitt's novice-to-journeyman transition and the ethical challenges of Cold War espionage fieldwork with Robert Redford's master handling of power games in the CIA headquarters.

Ron Suskind's book The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O'Neill (Simon & Schuster, New York, 2004) captures the disillusionment arc of a policymaker confronted with bureaucracy and in-group power games in the first Bush Administration.

The final is writer J. Michael Straczynski's use of the Synanon Game of questions in the science fiction series Babylon 5 episode "Signs and Portents", as the raison d'etre of three alien species who play a pivotal role in series 3 and 4:

"Who are you?" (the Vorlons)
"What do you want?" (the Shadows)
"Why are you here?" (the First Ones)

In all three resources the novice-journeyman-master relationship shifts between masks, confrontations and "initiatory" games that have "initiatory" and "metacommunication" dimensions that lies beyond power politics. The novice, journeyman and master each have different perceptions about the dynamics, forces and games at play. The crucial turning point for true insight into this reality occurs in a conflict where each practitioner wears no mask/masque.