Summary: In our hurry to be hip, to know more, to get some semblance of control over our lives we have lost what gives life meaning and texture, the context that is timeless and true: the pursuit of mastery. We have now whole generations of flunkies…
In the olden days people had the following choices in life:
- become a master of some trade
- become a master of some knowledge
- become a flunky
Most people, just like today, became flunkies. They didn’t have the ambition, the tenacity, the sticktoitiveness. They wanted everything they did to bring quick rewards, quick enjoyment, quick pay, so they never amounted to anything.
When your parents told you that you won’t amount to anything, they were judging your behavior at the time, the lack of ambition, the lack of foresight, and they said it with sadness, maybe even grief.
So, what is available for people without ambition, without tenacity, without persistence, without foresight? Being a flunky.
It was so then, it is so now.
What is a flunky’s life like?
Empty. I don’t mean they don’t do stuff… empty of meaning, empty of fulfillment, empty of a deep connection to their own self, or a higher value.
Even people that get a college degree… even people that get a master’s degree: unless they continue life as an apprentice towards mastery 1 , their “chosen” occupation is just that, and occupation; no passion, no growth, no fulfillment.
The world at large always offers escapes, and it is choosing the easy out that redirects your energies to meaningless, useless (from the point of view of your mastery) activity that keeps you a flunky. Maybe a high-paid flunky, but a flunky nevertheless.
In the foreworld 2 , the time before ours, in order to become a master of a trade, you apprenticed in the shop of a master. For years. For room and board. And often you needed to pay for it, in spite of the fact that you worked for free. For years, sometimes decades, until you could open your own shop.
Working for free for knowledge and experience is the only way to get useful, hands-on learning. Learning in school is pretty useless… after a while.
Today such work is available for students of higher education. It is called internship. It is not as effective as apprenticing with a master, a master’s shop, but can lead a student to an insight that can take them to the road of pursuing mastery.
For doctors with a specialty they call it fellowship.
The difference between studying to become a master, and working towards becoming a master is tremendous
Studying if following a prescribed path. Once one is thrown into real life, where the skills are needed, the student still has to scramble to find their footing, pick up and adjust themselves to the rhythm of real life, think on their feet, act effectively in turmoil, under pressure, under being berated, under real life circumstances.
Real life is real… and a flunky craves smooth. Real life is having other people who hate you, are mad at you, envy you, gossip about you, compete with you… unless you can handle it you slip back to flunky.
You need to become tougher, and skilled at handling life and what comes with life
Most of you came to me to learn, in an organized fashion, how to do that. But a course is a course is a course… and unless it is a lot like life, unless I am a lot like “real people in your real life” you won’t be tough enough to hold onto any knowledge you glean from me.
Soldiers are run, they are abused, they are yelled at, maybe even physically punished. The ones that stick with it, are trainable. The movie: An Officer and a Gentleman a 1982 Film with Richard Gere communicated it clearly.
Mental toughness is more important than smarts, than looks, than even brilliance, when it comes to mastery.
And unless you are on the path to mastery, any point, by the way, beginning, middle, or close to actual mastery, you are unfulfilled.
And unless you train for mastery in “real life circumstances” you are like the saints, gurus, meditators, that are clear and unfrazzled 3 on the top of the Himalayas, but totally lose it when they come down and attempt to live with people.
Unless handling adversity, hardship, shame, harassment, anger, hate, threats while you train, mastery will elude you and you will be a permanent student: still a flunky.
The context is Mastery
The context (of training for mastery, working towards mastery) is mastery, not easy life.
The Reclaim your Life, Reclaim your Self Program
In my course that I am working on I will attempt to make the work as close to real life as I can from a distance. It would work best if you lived in my city for a month or even longer, but of course that is not realistic. But you will find me a drill sergeant, and you’ll have to deal with me. And you’ll find yourself not quite willing to be persistent, consistent, and tough enough to do what is required of you.
That is why I am hellbent to select only those applicants that have a fighting chance to win. I measure your vibration, your ability to stay out of your mind, your energy available for life, and your overall willingness and ability to do the work necessary.
The course won’t start until, probably, June, to give the people that are on the cusp of ready/not ready to get ready.
Are your numbers high enough to pursue mastery?
You can get your measurements and evaluation even if you are not interested: no obligations, you’ll be on my mailing list but you can even unsubscribe from that.
If you want to find out if you could be accepted to the training, there is a fee: $7 for the evaluation.
Here is a link to paypal to pay for it —> Go to paypal to pay $7
Once you paid, you are redirected to a membership site, or at least you should be. You need to register.
If you are on an ipad or a mobile device, please let me know if it works, you need to wait after you paid maybe even a minute, so don’t click away.
If you are on a computer and don’t wait: you now already know where you are: you are either not intelligent enough, or you are maybe too much in your head, or you are going for cheap thrills: a flunky’s hallmark.
Was this article scary enough? Of course, it was intended to scare you away. Now you know who you are.
Your behavior, your relationship to hard, scary, new, unknown defines you and makes your life empty, uninteresting, and small.
If that is not what you wanted, and you can break through enough to click that button, you are moving in the right direction.
I have compassion for you: I have been small, I have been scared. But you can do it, the question is: will you?
And for the mind-candy lovers: here are some quotes. Great mastered, simply sweet read…
- mas·ter·y
?mast(?)r?/
noun
noun: mastery1.
comprehensive knowledge or skill in a subject or accomplishment.
“she played with some mastery”
synonyms: proficiency, ability, capability;
knowledge, understanding, comprehension, familiarity, command, grasp, grip
“her mastery of the language”
skill, skillfulness, expertise, dexterity, finesse, adroitness, virtuosity, prowess, deftness, proficiency;
informalknow-how
“they played with tactical mastery”
the action or process of mastering a subject or accomplishment.
“a child’s mastery of language”
2.
control or superiority over someone or something.
“man’s mastery over nature”
synonyms: control, domination, command, ascendancy, supremacy, preeminence, superiority;
triumph, victory, the upper hand, the whip hand, rule, government, power, sway, authority, jurisdiction, dominion, sovereignty
“man’s mastery over nature” - times before our culture
- frazzle means weakened, in this context weakened resolution, hesitant, phased
Thank you A. That would be an interesting arrangement given how used I am to communicate through sound and feelings only, without any physical proximity. It would probably teach me a thing or two about myself, that I had no idea about…
Sophie, this article is so powerful. It seems like we are lacking masters in our time.. Masters who do not tolerate easy, complaining, smooth life, the ones who would train you to be a Master.
Teachers are afraid of students, they speak softly and train smoothly.
When I was a child my piano teacher would hit my hands with a stick whenever I played not the way I should, she would stick my face in to the note book so I can see and pay attention. I would be crying and shaking and she would ignore it and continue like I was not there.
My grandmother was one of those masters too who trained with tough love until the work was done the right way. We got too pampered here in America and forgot how to live a winning life in a real world. Thank you so much for being one of the rarest Masters who is not afraid to teach the real way.
I would love to come and live close to you for a month and learn from the Master.
Thank you for your very clear answer Sophie.
Total misunderstanding, Catherine.
I don’t and I never ask you to not be discerning. And I ask you to use your brain, but don’t live in your mind: i.e. get the calculating bits from reality, not your memory.
Discernment is recommended… Discernment is the opposite of the person who only uses their mind…
I am wondering where ‘discernment’ comes in. I don’t think you are asking me to check my brain at the door, merely to get out of it as many times as possible each day. So where is the intersection between following orders and discernment? Does it have a place?