To be conscious is to mediate one’s desires with reason, apply logic to problems, and understand the importance of being calm, rational, and analytical in situations which provoke irrational responses.

Desires are necessarily transient and can be distinguished from actual needs on the basis of the effect which their satiation will achieve. When one consciously confronts a desire, the gratification of the desire should be weighed against the necessary cost of satiation. To pursue desires which do not justify the cost of satiation is to invite unsustainable living practices and, ultimately, denial of needs.

Problems take many forms. Common problems include debt, interpersonal issues, insufficient self-esteem, and inability to understand complex relationships. Problems may be created autonomously by an individual, however, many are manufactured for the purpose of social control or selective manipulation and lack a basis in reality.

The logical approach to problem solving consists of five steps:

1. Identification
   1. What is the difficulty?
   2. How does the difficulty affect my goals or perceptions?
   3. Under what conditions can the difficulty be considered resolved?
2. Analysis
   1. How long has this difficulty persisted?
   2. What factors contribute to the difficulty?
   3. What has already been done to address the difficulty?
   4. How have past efforts to ignore or otherwise address the difficulty resulted?
3. Prognostication
   1. If the difficulty is ignored, what will happen?
   2. What other courses of action may be pursued to resolve the difficulty?
4. Experimentation
   1. Which hypothetical courses of action work in practice?
   2. Are any unforeseen results apparent?
   3. Has the difficulty changed or otherwise adapted to the action taken?
5. Summation
   1. Was the difficulty resolved?
   2. Which course or courses of action were the most effective?
   3. Can the information gained from addressing this difficulty be applied to other difficulties?

Overcoming the tendency to react emotively, irrationally, and without analysis is the most difficult aspect of maintaining consciousness. The uninterrupted onslaught of information which one is presented with over the course of the day is not consciously calculable - in many cases, unconscious calculation is the only means for interpreting complex relationships and events which literally transpire “in the blink of an eye”. In some situations it may not be possible to apply rational analysis or remain calm in the face of apparent chaos, however, the preponderance of evidence would suggest that reflexive responses to situations is often deleterious.

Emergency medical personnel, soldiers, and others in high-stress occupations which require immediate response to crisis situations undergo training to eliminate irrational reactions in the event of extreme stress or disaster - equally important, however, is the ability to see beyond provocations toward irrationality (whether they be the appeals of marketing material, the distortions of a confidence artist, or tendencies toward addiction). Daily introspection and meditation are useful tools in developing the clarity of mind necessary to maintain consciousness.

There are many reasons to remain unconscious, however, before one professes the desire to remain unconscious, one should bear in mind that the intensity of one’s own desire to avoid the effort of consciousness pales in comparison to the desire of others that one should remain unconscious.

The variety and severity of threats necessitates extreme caution on the part of the actor in any real-world system.

Whether the actor is operating in virtual or physical space, the following precepts apply:

• Threat Assessment: Refer to Threat Assessment Overview.

• Information Management: All information should be handled in the following order, as applicable:

  1. Withheld
  2. Encrypted
  3. Obfuscated
  4. Poisoned
  5. Retracted

  Relevant items of information:

  • Identity of actor
  • Identity of recipient/resource
  • Intent of actor
  • Method of transmission
  • Transmission origin
  • Transmission destination
  • Payload

The use of a proxy or series of proxies is generally preferable over any direct interaction on the part of the actor.

Ingredients

• (2) Rack pork loin ribs
• (2) Bottle extra dry champagne
• (4) Small can of pure pineapple juice
• (1/2) Bottle mesquite liquid smoke
• (1) Can of beer
• (2) 15oz bottle of Smoked Bacon Chipotle Sauce
• (1) 12oz can of Coca Cola
• (1) 7oz can chipotle peppers in adobo

Preparation

1. Cut ribs into manageable sizes for marinating
2. Add ribs, champagne, 2 cans pineapple juice, 1/4 bottle liquid smoke, and beer to large stainless steel stock pot
3. Refrigerate mixture and marinate overnight
4. Place stock pot on range and simmer at medium heat for 1.25 hours
5. Allow mixture to cool while preparing sauce
6. Mince chipotle peppers, remove stems and reintroduce adobo upon completion
7. Mix barbecue sauce, remaining liquid smoke, remaining pineapple juice, Coca Cola, and chipotle peppers (with adobo) in large saucepan
8. Simmer sauce until significant (20%) liquid evaporation is observed
9. Baste rib racks in sauce and place on barbecue - coals should be white with red glow through core
10. Flip rib racks regularly, basting meat opposite grill immediately after each flip
11. Remove cooked rib racks from grill and consume

(Page 1)

1. Entropy is the substrate and end result of all social systems - Any ordered social system is necessarily temporary by virtue of its constituent members’ longevity and will become imbalanced over time
2. Social systems are governed by the the basest activities of their constituents - Any social system which includes individuals willing to take malicious action against fellow members will reward malicious action
3. Knowledge is the denominator of currency - Any currency’s face value is bound to a complex system of trust on the part of those who accept use of the currency whereas its actual value is known only to those who can effectively control the trust of those who accept use of the currency
4. Distribution of knowledge favors the possessor of knowledge - Any transaction involving a party which possesses greater knowledge of and greater forethought toward the transaction’s outcome has the effect of a conspiracy against other participants in the transaction
5. Useful knowledge is never common knowledge - Any knowledge purported to be useful and provided freely is propaganda
6. Secrecy is an offensive tactic - Any group which employs secrecy does so to preemptively undermine the potential for others to disband it and increase the number of opportunities for its members infiltrate other groups

EFFECTIVELY ACQUIRE COMPLEX OBJECTIVES

(A footnote from page 89)

1. Identify objectives.
2. Identify objective dependency conditions.
3. Commit identified objectives and dependency conditions to hard copy.
4. Perform necessary background research.
5. Construct a procedural specification (linear/threaded-linear) to acquire identified objectives and objective dependency conditions.
6. Identify target metrics, deadlines, accountabilities, and potential externalities pursuant to procedural specification.
7. Proceed with iterative target metric evaluation, procedural improvement.