"David Gerrold - Chtorr 3 - A Rage for Revenge" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gerrold David)

Training as a real or even as a possible event.
(I particularly do not want to attend a science fiction convention and discover to my horror that someone
has appointed himself a "Foreman" and is charging $5 a head to abuse an unsuspecting audience. Worse,
I do not want anyone to think that such an experience validates them as an enlightened human being. If
enlightenment were that easy-well, never mind; that's a whole other story.)
Let me also take this opportunity to discuss the source material for The Mode Training.
First, let me tell you what it is not bawd an,
The Mode Training is not based on Lifespring, Summit, Insight, Esalen, The Experience, or any other
workshop, course, or seminar series. It is not derived from Dianetics, Scientology, The Rosicrucians,
Silva Mind Control, Science of Mind, or any other religious study.
However, the extrapolation of such a course as The Mode Training is based on the fact that such courses
as the ones listed above do exist. In fact, only a few years ago, the United States Army was investigating
the possibility of adapting or including the est training as part of its basic training procedures for new
recruits. That triggered this thought: What would a military version of est be like? No, forget est for a
minute-that carries connotations that I don't want attached to this idea. But do consider this: What would
a nation be like if its process of education was not one of indoctrination, but training? What if human
beings could actually be trained to succeed-not only in their personal lives, but in their larger
responsibilities to family, nation, and species? What would it be like to live among such people?
I was fascinated with the thought, intrigued by the idea of a nation training itself to be responsible. It was
a remarkable question to consider. What will the next step in the evolution of human consciousness look
like?
It was early in the writing of this book that I realized that it was not sufficient to extrapolate simply the
alien ecology of the Chtorr; I also had to extrapolate a believable future for the Earth. It is unacceptable
for a novel of the future to demonstrate only the technological advances that could occur in the next fifty
years; a truly visionary novel must also explore the spiritual and psychological shifts that are possible, and
how they might have come about.
I have to acknowledge that the question demanded considerable research into a number of courses,
seminars, workshops, and even a couple of cults. I was looking for the underlying principles behind their
ability to produce results. I became fascinated by the philosophical as well as the psychological
underpinnings of many of these courses, and the astute reader may notice the occasional sideways
reference here and there; however, no specific influence should be considered the sole source material or
foundation for The Mode Training.
If anything, The Mode Training is nothing more than the study of Zen, as taught by a rather savage
Socratic dialogue.
I make no claims that The Mode Training is anything more than the extrapolation of a possibility. That's
all that it has ever been intended to be.
It is not an opinion.
It is not a prediction.
It is not a warning.
It is only an extrapolation. I like to play with ideas. I was interested in the idea of a "Mode Training" and I
took it as far as I could for the sheer fun of seeing how far I could take it. Anyone who tries to read
anything deeper into the Mode chapters will only be making an ass of himself.
Which brings me to my last point:
Please do not assume that because something is written in this book or in this series, that I endorse it or
that it represents my personal philosophy. It may; equally, it may not. I have deliberately written much
into these books that I disagree with, if for no other reason than to confound critics and academics, but
primarily because you cannot have an interesting argument unless both sides get a fair hearing. In either
case, armchair analysts will be on much safer ground to assert that my characters have seized the
responsibility of speaking for themselves and their own concerns.
If you find the didactic parts of this book to be disturbing, troublesome, or annoying, then please consider