Message from Shoi...

Hi

Greetings! Thanks for joining us today. We have many new readers who have recently come onboard... and I would like to warmly welcome you to our in-the-loop community.

This past week has simply whizzed by... bringing with it many exciting new challenges, developments and alliances on the business front. I'm still buzzing with the sudden quick change in tempo, so why don't I let Ray tell you all about it in his special announcement further below.

NB: Readers from Southeast Asia, do drop us an email and introduce yourself! -- As some of Ray's new business initiatives cover this region, there might be potential business opportunities to explore together.

Before I hand the soapbox over to Ray, just a couple of items to note...

Part 2 of our Series "The Coming Alive of Internet Marketing" continues with an incisive (and I suspect, controversial) article by Ray entitled "Intelligence Trap" -- I think you'll find it an interesting read, so don't miss today's article.

OK, next. The articles from our Series to date will be compiled into a standalone viral ebook, "Inner Child - Spirituality & Business". There will be sponsorship ad spots available in this viral ebook -- More info in Ray's announcement and you can also view the viral ebook sponsorship details below.

Oh, one more thing... I've got an Easter goodie for you too -- It's an excellent booklet by Neale Donald Walsh. Be sure to pick it up below.


Till the next time... Have a great week ahead, and blessed be.

Editor

in-the-loop™ Ezine

Email Shoi

Sponsor Message

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Special Announcement from Raymond...

Hi

There have been several new developments in eMasters over the last one week.

I have just been appointed the SEA Bureau Chief for The National NetWorker over the weekend. I will have my own column, so do join me there as well.

I have also been invited by RNIA (Relationship Networking Industry Association) on an iniative with N3P to lead a group in discussing business ethics for Web 2.0 on the www. I am still getting more details on this.

And, I am also in discussion with FounderContact.com, which is a Web 2.0 portal with 3,500 investors in Europe. They have given me complimentary membership to try out their facilities with a view that I will represent them in Malaysia and Singapore.

I would like to thank Adam Kovitz for his confidence in me for the new Bureau Chief position in The National NetWorker as well as his personal introduction to both RNIA and FounderContact.com.

In view of the recent developments, I have decided to split my viral ebook up. Today's article will complete the first book entitled "Inner Child - Spirituality & Business" -- This eBook will be viralised (please see Overview of eMasters' Signature Viral Promotion System), not only from eMasters, but hopefully also via my new alliances' networks. I haven't asked yet as this was a weekend decision. I will also attempt to viralise this book with other community builders, in the hope of working with others to start an Online Community Building Workshop under M. Scott Peck's model. I am in discussion with some individuals as well as CBPartners -- I welcome any sponsors for this initiative (Shoi has the details below).

I will continue with "The Coming Alive of Internet Marketing" series when I have further explored Web 2.0 and have understood better the new responsibilities I have undertaken or am exploring to undertake. I will keep you posted on the progress of the discussions. I thank you for your support and for following the series.

Business Development

eMasters

Email Ray

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The Coming Alive of Internet Marketing - The Series

Intelligence Trap

© 2007 Raymond Siew

I have found that performing my own due diligence not quite an easy task. To understand deeper why, I need to tie up the "inner child" and my statement that "reality is God's imagination".

M. Scott Peck in his book "The Road Less Travelled" said that in the main, there were two types of personalities: One he defined as character disorders and these are people who blame others and the world for their woes; they avoid responsibility. And the other are neurotics who are people that take too much responsibility for problems that are not theirs; they become stuck in self-recrimination. Of the two, he describes the neurotics as the easier candidate for psychological resolution.

In my model, BOTH personality types exhibit illusions created by the angry inner child to thwart the reality of God's purpose for us, to learn more about her creation and him, to stop us from hearing the God in us -- Both types practise avoidance, deny evidence, etc. to defend their mental constructs. And this is all part of the journey, the journey to self (God is us) discovery, or NOT. To overcome, to develop character, to regain our confidence.

And, a way back to getting in touch with reality (God) as an adult is through our emotions. But remember, our emotions aren't true to reality any more, they have become a victim of our imaginations, our fears and past hurts.

In those with character disorders, emotions can be suppressed and mental constructs erected (so that they can continue to hurt and not feel), in defence against a hostile world. I think this is usually the first response in childhood because it allows easier passage to adulthood. (The study of dialetics or "the unity of opposites" may go towards explaining the relationship between character disorders and neuroses. If it applies, then possibly neurosis is the more advanced stage of character disorders... which could be why they are often found in symbiotic relationships.)

In neurotics, somehow they have chosen to respond to their childhood hurts by punishing themselves, by denying themselves. They don't trust themselves and so can't trust others, and in doing so sever real connection. By their own negative thinking they create their own reality.

And Scott says we all have both these characteristics to different degrees. I have argued we are all hardwired for it. As children, we didn't have the tools to deal with the world. And so many wrong assumptions are formed.

An aside: A reader, Judy, made this statement, "Mental constructs are all we have to work with, all is an assumption of one kind or another." I absolutely agree. Assumptions are the building blocks of mental constructs. And both types (character disorders and neurotics) have formed layers of wrong assumptions about events into a distorted interpretation of reality, and this gets hard-coded into our emotional responses. Furthermore, all arguments are logical provided they follow from the assumptions. And logic doesn't solve complicated problems (see my previous definition in "Inner Child II").

Allow me another example: Say, you're weighing out the pros and cons of starting a business or remaining an employee. You can state the pros and cons of each and still not have resolution because both arguments can be equally logical, based on its assumptions, and be of equal weightage. However, if you bring in your personal values (the need for independence, for growth, to take risks etc), then the answer becomes more obvious. But values and the character to stick by them don't come easy (see "Inner Child II").

But since all we have are mental constructs (guided by our inner child spirit), in the search for truth, then I would say the one that is nearer the "truth", "reality" or as the ancients would call the tao... would be one without the false assumptions, without baggage caused by past fears and anxieties... the answer that is appropriate to the moment, the solution that works. (A concept and practice called "emptying" is well-articulated by M. Scott Peck and can take us much closer to this "truth".)

In case you're still wondering why all this hard work. I think, and I've also said it earlier, it's the way back to being the child, going back to God, to wisdom, to heaven. That is the process and the journey. But we need adult learning and understanding to begin this process.

So what do I mean by intelligence trap? The word is coined by Edward de Bono, but I give it a different treatment here -- To me, both personality types further exhibit strong tendencies to cling on to their emotional states. Over time, they want to have their hate, their anger, their fears and anxieties. Somehow they don't feel right without them. So, if you show them proof that their anger is inappropriate, then they will find something or someone else to be angry about. If you prove to them that their fear in one situation is inappropriate, then they will search out new fears, etc. And if they are intelligent, they will defend this well. They will nit pick, adopt inappropriate defensive postures, split hairs. They employ avoidance, lies, semantics, etc. to defend their EMOTIONAL states. They become truly trapped by their intelligence.

To me, it seems the only way out is if there is an impetus to move forward towards God, towards his purpose and reality (and losing the baggage along the way). They need a stake in something bigger than their emotional states. That is what I found in Neale Donald Walsch's work. He provided a Vision, a plausible answer that is in the main, true to the new evidence of science, a direction.

M. Scott Peck said that his work would find its highest expression in business, but I understand it only met with partial success. In many ways Scott, to me, dissected the parts but couldn't provide the whole. I have never experienced any community workshops he started, but I understand that it provided release and a sense of community for the participants. To me, that is an important part to business, to provide release from the substantial pressures of business, and to foster a truer sense of community in a "safe" environment. A necessary but maybe incomplete solution.

From Neale's work I found a Vision and a philosophy behind it that I can accept for now, but I believe he has over-simplified certain parts. One of the things he says is all you have to do is "remember". That doesn't ring true, it conflicts with my understanding of reality and it also seems to conflict with evidence. The adult can't just remember and lose all the baggage. There is too much unlearning to do. Here, I believe Scott's methods ring truer. But at some point in the process of unlearning, then I see another of Neale's point as being really valid. He said "you don't have to suffer, you just need to let go" -- I hope my argument about the inner child will help you understand why it is not so easy to just let go. But I think Scott's methods can take you to the point where you can do just that, understand how the parts work in your life, integrate it with new learning, drop the pain and not look back. At least it worked for me. Another way of looking at this is to be independent and then seek inter-dependent relationships. Perhaps Stephen Covey's "7 Habits" applies here.

So why would all this be important to a businessman?

In the writing of this series, I got to speak to a leader of a community building group that is carrying on Scott's work. He said to me that he didn't trust business people. He found us "sassy and quick". I spoke to Adam Kovitz (The National NetWorker) about this and he replied, "Can't blame him, Ray, business hasn't made a good name for itself."

I think we need new standards for business. I think there are businessmen who realise that profits can be made responsibly, that community is the ultimate expression of networking, of team building. That shared values, group conscience as well as individual conscience are important. (Judy also quoted Jung who said that he would rather be whole than be good. To which I replied, "when I am whole I must be good". So another way of looking at this is that compartmentalised constructs create conflicts.) There is a need for congruency in business.

That we would rather work with honest businessmen than crooks. That way, we won't have to keep watching our backs. That partners are meant to cover and complement each other, not play games. This creates weakness in organisations and saps it of its energy. So we need community too.

I also don't understand why spiritual organisations are always asking for donations, can't pay their staff, etc. To me, people like M. Scott Peck and Neale Donald Walsh are huge brands. Many businesses would love to have that kind of branding. But my own experience in communication with spiritual organisations prove a little challenging. There seems to be little in terms of established business protocols/etiquette or rules of engagement. We seem to talk a different language or have separate relative realities.

I see businessmen, rightly or wrongly, as the supreme realists. I also see success in tasks as the supreme confidence builder, a powerful bond builder. I also see this confidence as a necessary ingredient to overcoming neurosis, character disorders. Think on this -- Would a supremely confident person need to hide away, be arrogant? An aside: Isn't another word for supreme confidence....humility? So, without success in tasks, there is no balance to the hard work of growth and the danger of spirituality spiralling into co-dependent relationships (and spinning new illusions).

And I can't see how "hugging walls in Jerusalem" would bring world peace, for instance. It's a little airy fairy to me. I think there is justification for suspicion of business. I think businesses/organisations/governments run by hurt children are a danger to us all. And I think there also may be some grounds for ethical business to talk to spirituality if we can find a common language and common cause. I think the cause exists today. World peace. We all have different parts that I think can make an interesting whole.

In the writing of this series, I have borrowed from the work of M. Scott Peck as well as Neale Donald Walsh (although in his case, I may not have articulated his thoughts as much). I do recommend that you read their life-changing works. If I have missed giving credit to somebody else's ideas, this is not intentional. I have not made used of any references in the writing of this series. I have used many ideas from many different authors, not with the intent to write, but to make sense of my journey. So a lot is from my memory and even quotations may not be exact. I have postulated a working model which works for me. I make no claims that this is an intellectually rigorous study, nor am I a psychologist. So partly, this is the observations and musings of a businessman. But I also believe this model is sufficiently fluid and robust to allow for changes in evidence. Having said that, I believe that this interpretation of the inner child is mine. I have also not seen the idea that reality is God's imagination elsewhere, at least not the way I have defined it. I also believe the interpretation of intelligence trap could also be mine since I have not read the same anywhere else in this manner either. And I also think the term spiritual realist is mine as well.

In conclusion, I submit the argument of the inner child as a part that may lend cohesion to Scott's identification of character disorders and neurotics. That they are both by-products of an illusion spun by an angry and hurt inner child. I submit that Scott's work in process, can lend authentic communication and cohesion to both business and spiritual organisations like Neale's. I submit that ethical business can be of benefit to spiritual organisations and vice versa. I submit my thoughts for examination by more qualified minds in the hope that this may lead to discussion towards the important cause of world peace and towards a world community.

Email your feedback to Raymond

About the author: Raymond Siew is the Business Development Strategist at eMasters (www.eMasters.info). He has 21 years of corporate experience in deal-making, negotiations & business strategy and now shares his personal insights and knowledge. Raymond is also the author of the work "The Sentic Negotiator", a book that he is still writing and hopes to publish soon. The word "sentic" comes from "sentient" and denotes "awareness". In his book, Raymond demonstrates that self-awareness is the cornerstone of any successful negotiation. NB: This article DOES NOT come with reprint rights. It can only be distributed, reproduced or published in any ezines/websites in its entirety and with the author's resource box intact.

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Book Your Sponsorship Ad in Inner Child - Sprituality & Business Viral eBook

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Authored by Raymond Siew (eMasters' Business Development Strategist), the "Inner Child - Spirituality & Business" viral ebook will be launched via in-the-loop Ezine AND lodged on future ezine issues and our eMasters website. At launch, we also plan to distribute this ebook to selected eMasters' publishers networks, as well as other networks (eg. M. Scott Peck's community builders, spiritualists like Neale Donald Walsch, business networks interested in community building, etc)... for the ebook's onward/ongoing viral circulation.

Note: This ebook is created to be passed along for free... and contains built-in viral features to encourage its self-targeting viral promotions throughout the www. For more info on eMasters' signature Viral Promotion System, please read this FAQ.

NB: Sponsorship ad spots inside this viral ebook are limited (only ONE sponsor ad display per page, view sample here) -- Please place your orders early...

Viral eBook Sponsorship Package * Reserve Price: $250 per package Your Package includes: 1 sponsorship ad display in "Inner Child - Spirituality & Business" viral ebook * Custom ad design for your sponsorship ad display * 1 free revision to accommodate any ad design edits Ad tracking to monitor clickthrough performance of your ad You will also receive a special "Advertiser's Edition" of the viral ebook which allows you to personalize & rebrand your copy of this ebook before passing it along via your own lists, networks, websites, etc. Viral features include: 1 rebrandable "With Compliments from..." box, where you can personalize your copy of the ebook with your name/business name + link. 1 rebrandable "Sponsor Ad" box, where you can insert an additional sponsorship ad for yourself. *Please visit the following links to view samples and for more information: Sponsorship Ad/eBook Layout Sample   |   Ad Design Portfolio   |   Terms of Service   |   Overview of eMasters' Signature Viral System

Please note Sponsorship alternatives... Clíck here to email us if you'd like to order 2 (or more) Sponsorship Ads... Let us know the quantity and we will prepare a special order/payment link for you. If you're not interested in purchasing a sponsorship ad package, but feel moved to support with a contribution towards Raymond's initiative to request for a dialog between spirituality and business... Please enter the amount of your contribution $ OR clíck here to email us if you have any questions or would like further clarification.

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Part of The Change

Booklet by Neale Donald Walsch, author of "Conversations with God"

Reading the booklet will give you 10 wonderful tools with which you can equip yourself as you seek to become the change you wish to see in the world.

Download your free Booklet here

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