Don’t Use OR Be a “Toxic Tool”

BREATHE!

And as you do, consider something. The Three Gates and Three Centers are, in combination, infinitely deep. Think about the implications of speaking Truth, kindness, and utility in life, and note the power of even a small lie to distort reality. Consider the rhetorical trick called “hyperbolic distension.” I’d not heard the term before today, but boy oh boy, can you see the results:

“(There) is a standard propaganda technique called “hyperbolic distension’ and it’s in chapter one of the black ops rule book. Oppose a movement by concentrating on the few loons in the movement, then attribute an exaggerated version of their beliefs to the entire movement. Very simple propaganda tactics”. — Rhys Hughes

Can you think of instances people have used this? Sure you have, and it works well in terms of short-term utility. But if you want to pass the Three Gates, shun it. If both people in the argument use it, nothing but a fight results. If one uses it and the other doesn’t, the honest one is at a disadvantage AND THAT IS WHAT THEY COUNT ON, to put you constantly on defense: you have to explain the extreme negatives of your position, while they insist on the right to believe only the best of theirs.

This is why you are better off to disengage and simply support those who are willing to extend the same respect to you that you extend to them. Never fight if you can see no way to win, and never allow your opponent to lower your morality and ethics. And yes, it is possible to use any…