The impeachment process could legitimately exist in the past because the two party system in America functioned. The two party system consisted of roughly equal numbers of liberals and conservatives in both the Democratic and the Republican Parties and their members were strongly pro-American. The functional political relationship of members of both Parties to each other at that time was one of attractive opposition. Under these conditions, members of both Parties were able to work together cooperatively for what was in the best interests of America.
With the anti-authoritarian transformation of American society and the shift to the left of center in American politics, the relationship of the two party system changed and became one of antagonistic opposition. Members of the two Parties could not work together. This was because the Democratic Party became riddled by and under the control of leftist ideologues. Their anti-American agenda for that Party became to destroy the American nation in every way possible. For example, the Impeachment process that is being brought up against President Trump has nothing to do with criminal charges. These are being concocted and promoted in the hope that the public will sooner or later buy into them. The longer that they can keep their false accusations alive in the media and the longer they can repeat them, the better are the chances that they will succeed in destroying the American system of government.
Even if these far-left emotional plague characters do not succeed in destroying America today, their chances in the future for another, new tragic communist takeover will be greater because the infestation of the emotional plague will have spread further in the Nation.
107 Comments
Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI
Neither Left Nor Right
The Emotional Plague
Charles Konia, M.D. 
So clear … thank you!!
Judy O’Meara
You’re welcome.
“Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips and spreads slander is a fool” -Proverbs 10:18
(The Bible on the emotional plague).
David, I have my problems with this because of the alternative transalation: “Whoever secretly hates is a hypocrite; but those who openly slander must have lost their minds!”
Better on lying lips and destructive action:
Titus 1:16 They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.
Good one!
David, it seems to me that people who do such things often do not know they are ‘concealing’ because they are exhibiting the symptoms of the emotional plague – in other words, they are contactless.
True. The Biblical verses are moralistic, not functional. So you are right to point that out. I do believe that no matter how repellant people are in the political arena, they do not know what they are doing. They are “sincere.”
Although “sincere” and contactless people can still be a vehicle for evil. They are not generally aware they are being evil. Actors know this: when portraying an evil person, the actor dies not portray the person as consciously evil. Nobody wants to view themselves that way. Only certain psychpaths consciously revel in being evil! Most people who are carriers of the plague are not like Shakespeare’s Richard III, giddily monologuing to the audience in their imaginations.
The wider point is that at least to some degree, we are probably all carriers of the plague to some degree.
And then there is the question of the “little man” in us all, who may not be actively plaguely but who stands by and does nothing to fight the plague, and perhaps secretly admires or approves of it.
Reich, W. (1953/1956). The Murder of Christ. New York: Pocket Books
Appendix: The Weapon of Truth
Who is the Enemy?:
“There is…a silent agreement, as it were, between the plague and its victims over a long stretch of time. The silent rule was: ‘NEVER MIND THE UGLY PLAGUE. THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN AND ALWAYS WILL BE SO. THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO BUT IGNORE IT. IF YOU FALL PREY TO ITS MURDEROUS WAYS, TOO BAD. IT HAPPENED OVER THE AGES. THE TRUTH ALWAYS HAD TO SUFFER, AND THERE MUST BE MARTYRS OF TRUTH. NO PROPHET WAS RECOGNIZED IN HIS OWN HOMELAND, BECAUSE TRUTH HAS ALWAYS BEEN PERSECUTED. THE WORLD IS AS IT IS AND NOTHING CAN REALLY MAKE IT BETTER. DO NOT GET EXCITED ABOUT IT. YOU WILL ONLY BURN UP YOUR WINGS IF YOU FLY INTO THE FIRE OF HUMAN MADNESS AND TRY TO RESCUE LIFE. MANKIND IS ROTTEN AND WILL REMAIN ROTTEN. KEEP OFF POLITICS AND DO YOUR JOB QUIETLY AND WITHOUT CONSPICUOUS BEHAVIOR. BE A GOOD CITIZEN, SHOEMAKER, AND STICK TO YOUR LASTS. DO NOT TRY TO IMPROVE THE WORLD; IT CANNOT BE IMPROVED. SIN IS INBORN, MALIGNANCY IS THE VERY ESSENCE OF MAN. BE COURTEOUS TOWARD YOUR KILLER, SAY “THANK YOU” TO YOUR HANGMAN AND SHOW MODEST RECONCILIATION WITH THE ILL FATE THAT KEPT YOU IN THE PEN FOR 20 YEARS FOR NO COMMITTED CRIME. DOESN’T IT SAY IN THE HOLY BOOK, “LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF” AND “FORGIVE YOUR ENEMIES”? IT DOES. THEREFORE, KEEP QUIET. YOUR LIFE IS SHORT, AND YOU ARE AN UNIMPORTANT WORM ANYWAY. THEREFORE BEHAVE WITH DIGNITY AND DO NOT PAY ATTENTION TO THE MURDER OF CHRIST….THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT. IF YOU WISH TO DO SOMETHING, TRY TO BE NICE TO YOUR ENEMY AND TO CONVINCE HIM OF YOUR GOODWILL. YOU MAY OR MAY NOT SUCCEED IN CHANGING HIS HEART.’ All such talk was created by the plague underground to maintain itself. Nobody at the source of living Life has ever said that one should forgive the enemy, not even Christ, who punished his enemies and the enemies of mankind and cursed the hell out of them. It was the plague which, in order to protect itself against the just wrath of living Life, changed the meaning of Christ’s words from ‘understand your enemy’ into ‘forgive your enemies under all circumstances and by all means. Do not touch your enemy, do not fight for your life, your honor, your reputation against the plague that defiles you. TURN THE OTHER CHEEK to receive another blow.’…the pestilent carrier the plague is being supported by the principles of liberalism, wrongly interpreted and based either on unconscious sympathy with or on fear of the plague.” Pages 242-243, emphasis in original.
“It is the Little Man…who admires the cunning efficiency of the strong-armed plague…” Page 243.
“How can ‘good will among men’ and ‘peace on earth’ ever be built on earth…? The answer is: Learn to know what Life is and how Life works. LEARN, FINALLY, TO FIGHT FOR LIFE AS HERETOFORE YOU HAVE ONLY FOUGHT FOR EMPERORS AND DUKES AND FUEHRERS AND IDEAS AND HONORS AND WEALTH AND EPHERMERAL FATHERLANDS AND MOTHERLANDS. FINALLY, START FIGHTING FOR LIFE! And: LEARN TO DISTINGUISH THE EXPRESSION OF AN HONEST, OPEN FACE FROM THAT OF A SNEAKER AND CHARACTEROLOGICAL LIAR. IF YOU LOVE YOUR CHILDREN….Do not be patient with the killer of Life…” Page 244, e in original.
“What is your goodwill worth if you dare not expose the poisonous rot…?….Your calm poise in the face of hidden evil is evil itself….The enemy is your reluctance to fight for the Life and happiness of babies as you fight for your high ideals….The enemy is your secret sympathy for the killer of Life; a sympathy based on your fear of deep sorrow and exuberant joy. The enemy is your own dullness which is to protect you against the full feel of Life….The evil attracts you because you shun the stir connected with the good. You want…the little meaning in the big teaching, the little and small and tight and dull and uneventful in everything.” Pages 244-245.
“Truth, as a manifestation of Life’s fullest contact with itself and its environment, is inextricably bound up with Life’s energy economy. Truth, accordingly, if lived fully, stirs up the deepest emotions, and with the deepest emotions it stirs to high activity the urge for the genital embrace. SINCE, NOW, THE CORE OF THE ENERGY RELEASE OF THE LIVING HAS BEEN EXCLUDED AND OSTRACIZED BY MEN FOR AGES, TRUTH NEEDS MUST BE EVADED, TOO….It is, therefore, no wonder that every truth-seeker was accused of ‘immorality’ at all times and in all cultures built on genital suppression, and that the reactionary mind always fought truth as the way of the devil toward ‘immorality.'” Ibid., page 220, emphasis in original.
“There must be some crucial truth of a DIFFERENT kind that obstructs the truth proper. We call it the COUNTERTRUTH.” Ibid, “The Meaning of Countertruth,” page 263, ibid., emphasis in original.
“People avoid the truth because the first bit of truth uttered and lived would draw more truth into action and so on indefinitely, and this would rip most people right off the customary tracks of their lives….people….support the lie because the lie has become a crutch without which life could not be possible.” (Ibid., page 226-227)
“There is only one common rule valid in finding the special truth valid for you. That is to learn to listen patiently into yourself, to give yourself a chance to find your own way which is yours and nobody else’s way. This leads not into chaos and wild anarchism but ultimately into the realm where the common truth for all is rooted…the basic truth in all teachings of mankind are alike and amount to only one common thing: To find your way to the thing you feel when you love dearly, or when you create, or when you build your home, or when you give birth to your children or when you look at the stars at night.” (page 175)
David, I have read the “Murder of Christ” both in French and English in the early seventies. No other book has reached my core for the truth it contained. .I had to stop every half dozen pages because It was too much to take in one reading. It was a very disturbing, yet comforting experience. Thank you for bringing it up. I will re-read it again.. Maurice.
P.S. “Listen Little Man” was my introduction to Wilhelm Reich.
Maurice, glad you enjoyed it; and I know what you mean about the simultaneous beauty and “too muchness” of Reich’s writings. I have found after about 40 years that I can tolerate it better! Now I simply enjoy reading his words over and over again, each time learning something new. One has never “read“ Reich, as far as I can tell, because one is never finished with Reich. One never understands it all. One can keep going back to that well and get something new from it every time. Do you “know” Beethoven’s ninth Symphony after you listen to it once?
I too thank you for bringing in the relevant quotes from the “Murder of Christ”. I think it is Reich’s most profound work, deeply moving in his grasp of the terror and beauty in man. It is filled with hope, and is very timely as “America is slowly boiling in a pot.”
Ed, thank you.
What do you think of the situation in Italy? (Dimission of Luigi di Maio(5star), elections in two region of Italy yesterday and victory in one (Emilia Romagna by the Left Party) and other (Calabria by Right Party)
I don’t have any idea of what’s happening in Italy, but from what you describe it looks like disorganization and chaos to me. The Nation of Italy is disintegrating. The old authoritarian system of government doesn’t seem to be working any more. It is the result of the anti-authoritarian transformation of the Italian Nation into some kind of Socialist State under the eventual control of the extreme Left or the extreme Right.
Any major mistake in my “analysis” below? Still too much faith in politics?
I guess one should always ask whether the masses vote according to their own best interests. Logically self-regulation should be the guiding principle. In today’s world this is the fight against “globalism,” the crazy “one-fits-all” ideology, in Europe the EU, the Euro and the Islamisation as well as Africanisation of Europe. In former times Italian Fascism and, in Germany, National Socialism were able to break through the social façade of Western civilization (intellectual defense) – and as a result exposed the masses to the mercy of savage madmen. Therefore the movement of the Sardines tries to mobilize the intellectual defense to hinder a new disaster but, actually, they keep today’s crazy psychopaths, namely the “fascist” globalists, in power. Currently both Italy and Germany are destroyed by globalism in a way akin to Mussolini and Hitler – but Salvini, the last hope to stop this madness, is fought as a new Mussolini/Hitler… The only way to leave this trap is to decipher and publicly expose the madness by way of Drs. Reich’s, Baker’s and Konia’s sociopolitical characterology. Here we have not only to consider the role of fascists, reactionaries and conservatives on the one side and liberals and communists (pseudo-liberals) on the other side but also (1) the dramatic “red shift” (Konia) in Italy and Germany (and Europe in general) and (2) the dramatic political polarization due to the anti-authoritarian transformation (Konia), i.e., the breaking down of the very sociopolitical structure Baker described in MAN IN THE TRAP. Thus, “political analysts” might place Salvini at the far right (right beside Mussolini and Hitler) but, due to the red shift, FUNCTIONALLY he is a conservative while, due to the polarization, FUNCTIONALLY the other side is dominated by Communists. Quite like in the U.S. where the alleged “fascist” Trump is the last conservative, while his alleged “liberal” opponents are, actually, Communists!
It is beyond idiotic and, frankly, criminal that so-called “Reichians” use Reich’s analysis of Mussolini and Hitler in THE MASS-PSYCHOLOGY OF FASCISM to rescue the world from Trump and Salvini! This is the mechanical application of functional knowledge – and, ultimately, the emotional plague itself – all in the name of “Wilhelm Reich”!
Now for 2000 years Italy and Germany together are the Roman Empire with a shared destiny. The very destiny of the world is shaped here. This means, concretely, Salvini and his movement in Italy and the AfD in Germany will either stop the spread of globalism or there is no hope for self-regulation in this world. The red-fascist China will dominate the African-Eurasian continent – and the vote base of “Trumpism” is eroded daily by the “Latin-Americanisation” of the USA and the relentless Communist indoctrination of the American Youth.
First of all, the disease of armored humans, the emotional illness, must be understood as a highly destructive medical disease just as the Bubonic Plague had to be recognized before anything could be done about its eradication. Imagine if the Bubonic Plague was dealt with by politicians in the past!
How long will it take to install a “socio-medical” approach to control the emotional plague? Reich’s “Emotional Plague Prevention Office” or whatever. Meanwhile: already in 20 years Germany will be gone, more than 50% of the populace will be people who are actually occupants, most of them Turks, Arabs, and Blacks. The same with France, Sweden, England, etc. More and more children suffer from early disorders. Digitalisation and “entertainment” makes people dumber by the day. Society collapses due to the ever more accelerating antiauthoritarian transformation. Etc. pp. ad nauseam. Something has to be done NOW a la Graf von Stauffenberg.
In Europe you are dead if you dare to fight the emotional plague: https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/01/16-year-old-french-girl-insults-islam-absurdity-robert-spencer/
The only answer is for people to recognize that the EP is a real disease that is destroying society. This is a problem in people’s clueless state of being. The existence of people’s cluelessness is, therefore, the primary problem that must be addressed.
I think what Dr. Konia is implying here and when he writes, “Imagine if the Bubonic Plague was dealt with by politicians in the past!” is the following, hopefully I don’t have it wrong:
Politics is a superficial manifestation of biosocial process such as the emotional plague. Therefore, politics cannot cure politics. A more superficial phenomenon like politics cannot be used to understand or deal with a deeper phenomenon such as biosocial processes. This is a perceptual problem: cluelessness (contactlessness) prevents people from recognizing the functional principles beneath the façade of politics. So society has to be addressed in the same way one treats a patient in medical orgone therapy: start with the ocular segment, in other words, with perception. Perception has to improve before if can become integrated with deeper, excitatory processes. Integration of perception and excitation is necessary for contact to occur.
Peter, you ask: “How long will it take to install a “socio-medical” approach to control the emotional plague?” Install” is a mechanical term. Functional processes cannot be “installed.” Functional processes such as freedom, as Reich points out in the passages I posted in this discussion, simply exist. They always exist. They need not and cannot be created. All that can and should be attempted is to remove the obstacles to functional processes. And this is what Dr. Konia keeps saying over and over again in a simple manner.
Another example of what I am trying to articulate: one cannot “make” contact. Contact exists already. What has to be done is to remove the obstacles to contact. And that is what Dr. Konia is trying to do by making people aware of how cluelessness (contactlessness) works. Cluelessness is the obstacle to functional understanding (perception).
Reich, W. (1953/1956). The Murder of Christ. New York: Pocket Books
“There must be some crucial truth of a DIFFERENT kind that obstructs the truth proper. We call it the COUNTERTRUTH.” (“The Meaning of Countertruth,” page 263, italics in original.)
“The FULL truth…always includes the COUNTERTRUTH.” Page 266, emphasis in original.
“The eye…should be centered primarily on the plague [DH: part of the countertruth] and not on the truth, on the prevention of draught and freezing rather than on what the seedling will or might do. The seedling will know its ways toward the Life-giving sun….It is not the learning to walk in the infant, but the rock or the precipice in its way that is to be watched.” Page 229.
On this blog you said we need prisons und borders to control the secondary drives and the emotional plague. Quarantine, in medical terms. Like-wise drastic authoritarian measures, stemming the all devouring tide of social madness, are necessary to gain time in order to deal with the emotional plague and the all-encompassing contactlessness.
Agree, authoritarianism is needed to regain control of the unleashed secondary impulses from the 1960’s, which were over-excited by Obama’s machinations.
What is meant by authority? It is the rule of law that allows a society to function at a high level of personal freedom, while safeguarding the populace from destructive activities. The levels of tolerable freedom are culturally depended and there can be too little or too much (as in America’s case) freedom.
I think it was a serious error for Trump to accede (through McConnell) and allow the impeachment trial. This is dirty politics and truth has absolutely no place where closed-thinking, and backstabbing are the usual convention. However, Trump is a decent, fair-minded man who wanted to play by the rules and hopes to “prove” his innocence. As stated above, it is irrelevant, the votes are already cast, and hopefully there aren’t too many turncoats on the Republican’s side. If Trump is removed now, the possibility of healthy-freedom gaining a foothold is doomed. That is why a mass-movement with a leader(s) is so urgently needed to shut-down the impeachment.
These words are harsh, but what other possible choices are there? Trump did not use his executive powers to imprison the many treasonous, seditious politicians. Nor was a military coup (as in Bolivia and Egypt) implemented to restore law and order. I am thinking of the 20K plus peaceful Virginia gun rally. If so many people can amass for the protection of a physical object (and it has some real value in the preservation of life), then why shouldn’t they gather to save the President and the Republic?
How do you expect to “assault” a campaign against all the evil-doers in this world if you expect us to be humble satisfactoids to your authoritarian regime? I feel like there are missing steps invovled here…especially for women. Could you throw me a few crumbs?
It is important to make the distinction between rational authority, a core biological function, and authoritarianism, a social symptom originating from the secondary destructive layer of armored humans. You must have an understanding of the layers of the bio-psychic apparatus: the biological core, the destructive secondary layer and the superficial layer or facade. Reich discusses this in the first page of his book, The Mass Psychology of Fascism.
DH: I think everyone in this discussion is aware of the passages that Dr. Konia is referring to, but just as a reference and refresher:
Reich, W. (1946). The Mass Psychology of Fascism. Third, revised and enlarged edition, translated by Theodore Wolfe. New York: Orgone Institute Press.
“…in judging human reactions, we have to take into account three different layers of the biopsychic structure….these three layers are autonomously functioning representations of social development. In the superficial layer, the average individual is restrained, polite, compassionate and conscientious. There would be no social tragedy of the animal, man, if this superficial layer were in immediate contact with his deep natural core. His tragedy is that such is not the case. The superficial layer of social cooperation is not in contact with the biological core of the person, but separated from it by a second, intermediary character layer consisting of cruel, sadistic, lascivious, predatory and envious impulses. This is the Freudian ‘unconscious’ or ‘repressed’; in sex-economic language, it is the sum total of the ‘secondary impulses.’ Orgone biophysics has shown that the Freudian unconscious, THE ANTISOCIAL ELEMENT OF THE HUMAN STRUCTURE, IS A SECONDARY RESULT OF THE REPRESSION OF PRIMARY BIOLOGICAL IMPULSES. If one penetrates through this second, perverse and antisocial layer, one arrives regularly at a third, the deepest layer, which we call the BIOLOGICAL CORE. In this deepest layer, man, under favorable social conditions, is an honest, industrious, cooperative animal capable of love and also rational hate.” (Page vii)
“In the ethical and social ideals of liberalism we recognize the representation of the superficial layer of the character, of self-control and tolerance. The ethics of this liberalism served to keep down ‘the beast’ in man, the second layer, our ‘secondary impulses,’ the Freudian ‘unconscious.’ The natural sociology of the deepest, nuclear layer is alien to the liberal. He deplores the perversion of human character and fights it with ethical norms, but the social catastrophes of the century show the inadequacy of this approach.
All that which is GENUINELY revolutionary, all genuine art and science stems from the natural biological nucleus. Neither the genuine revolutionary nor the artist or scientist has been able thus far to win over and lead masses or, if so, to keep them in the realm of the life interests.” (Ibid., page viii, emphasis in original)
if you haven’t read it yet I would also recommend Dr Konia’s book Neither Left Nor Right. In it you will find a good overview of the historical developments that lead to the creation of the U.S. constitution and the distinction between rational authority, authoritarianism and anti-authoritarianism.
In addition it helps provide a deeper understanding of the relationship between individual health from bio-emotional perspective and the social agreements that influence people’s social functioning.
Peter, Ed, and Stephanie: authoritarianism is not the answer. If you think that Dr. Konia has ever advocated authoritarianism, that is incorrect as far as I understand.
Konia, C. (2008). The Emotional Plague. Princeton, NJ: A.C.O. Press:
“Anti-authoritarianism: The social system that is opposed to both neurotic (irrational) and rational authority at every level of social organization.” (Page 453)
I hope Dr. Konia will correct me if I am wrong, but my understanding of his definition of anti-authoritarianism above Is that when he refers to “neurotic (irrational) authority,” he is referring to authoritarianism. But although he is describing authoritarianism as irrational, he also believes that authoritarianism has mixed in within it some contact with rational authority, which comes from the core. My understanding is that furthermore, Dr. Konia is saying that anti-authoritarianism also has rational and irrational aspects: antiauthoritarianism opposes irrational authoritarianism, but it makes the mistake of not recognizing the aspects of core contact (the source of rational authority) that is mixed in with the irrational elements of the old authoritarian order.
My paraphrase of what I understand to be Dr. Konia’s overall message is: “Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater.” In other words, when anti-authoritarianism wants to throw out authoritarianism, it unfortunately throws out rational authority along with it. Until our wider culture learns how to recognize the functional and healthy qualities emanating from the core, our rational and well-meaning efforts to oppose authoritarianism carry with them the danger of overthrowing all contact with the core, and with that, all healthy, rational functional authority is overthrown. And that is what Dr. Konia is describing in his books: the destruction of rational authority in the process of the overthrow of the old authoritarian order.
Thank you for your explanation and definitions, Mr. Holbrook. I get a glimmer of my own core (at least it feels like that) when I read this. I’ll just have to keep at it…to understand what simultaneous contact with the core, the secondary layer and the facade really feel like.
You’re welcome, Stephanie, hope it was helpful. I actually believe that it can happen that one slowly starts to become aware of the differences between one’s core. one’s middle layer, and one’s superficial layer, and what is coming from what. I think every human being senses these things intuitively at least to some degree. But the three layer theory of Reich is so incredibly helpful. Just in the last year or two I have found myself, after 40 years, starting to actually perceive these things more and more clearly. It’s a wonderful journey and we owe so much to Reich and Baker and Konia and others.
In a state of emergency all, really all, considerations about “good or evil,” or whatever alternative there is, like “just or unjust,” are null and void. Act or die! The necessary thing has to be done, period. And I believe we are in such a state of emergency. You either take drastic measures right now or the country is lost and any further considerations are null and void, anyway. For example I believe in democracy because if you force people they resist and the outcome will be mediocre because people will then always act in defiance. (This is why the military is always so frustrating dysfunctional!) But when I see that Islamists or Communists get the majority and democracy will thus end, anyway, I will take the most drastic measures and accept gross injustice on the way. This was, e.g., done when the military stopped the Islamist completely democratic take-over in Algeria and took out the lawfully and rightfully elected Islamist government in Egypt. In the West I know that authoritarianism will solve exactly zero problems but, at least, it will stop a development which will bring an end to all of our freedoms soon, anyway. A good example is how the Communists (sic!) stopped the drug epidemic which was destroying China from within. They simply declared that everybody who is not sober at a certain date, six months from now, will be shot automatically. Completely inhumane and unjust! But, oh wonder, it worked! With such measures the reasons for drug use will persist but, at least, one gains space and time to deal with these reasons, something completely impossible with a drugged populace. Even a medical orgonomists will apply or endorse all kinds of “authoritarian” medical measures, like drugs and surgery, which will leave the biopathy untouched but gains space and time and maintains the opportunity to approach the biopathy later on. Without these mechanistic and “authoritarian” measure the patient would be doomed, anyway. I am sure the orgonomists hate everything about it – but these “drastic measures” are necessary. Everything else would be, for lack of a better term, “orgonomy peddling.”
How can authoritarian rule by armored human beings (including us) foster work democracy and freedom?
The Mass Psychology of Fascism, Third Edition (1946), Wolfe translation
Chapter X: Work Democracy
The biological miscalculation in the human struggle for freedom (first published in International Journal of Sex-economy and Orgone-Research 2., 1943, 97-131)
“What is meant here by freedom is the genuine freedom of personal and social development, the freedom from the fear of life, from economic suppression of any kind, from reactionary inhibitions of development; in brief, the free self-determination of life. We should not have any illusions about it: There is at work, in the masses, a reactionary, murderous, development-inhibiting force which brings to ruin again and again all the efforts made by the fighters for freedom. This reactionary force in the masses expresses itself in a general fear of responsibility and fear of freedom. These are no moral judgments. This fear is deeply rooted in the biological constitution of man of today.” (Pages 283-284, italics in original)
“The some total of all natural work relationships we call work democracy. These work relationships are functional and not mechanical. They cannot be arbitrarily established or organized; they can only develop spontaneously from the work process itself.” (Page 303, italics in original)
“The natural functions of the work process are out of the grasp of human authoritarian arbitrary action. They function freely and are free in the strict sense of the word. They alone are rational. Only they, therefore, can rationally determine social existence. Love, work and knowledge comprise the whole meaning of the concept of work democracy.” (Pages 303-304, italics in original)
“Work democracy is not a political program…It is a fact…”. (Page 304, italics in original)
“Work democracy cannot be organized any more than freedom can be organized….The growth of an organism is, on the strength of its biological function, free in the strictest sense of the word. So is the natural growth of society. It regulates itself and needs no legislation or regulation.“ (Page 304, italics in original)
“The essence of all kinds of authoritarian rule is that it inhibits the natural self-regulatory functions. The task of a genuine free order can be nothing but that of preventing any inhibition of natural functions….Democracy, If it is serious and genuine, is identical with natural self-regulation of love, work and knowledge. Dictatorship, human irrationalism, on the other hand, is identical with the inhibition of this natural self-regulation.
From this it follows that the fight against dictatorships and the irrational longing for authority on the part of the masses can consist only in two fundamental measures: 1) in the elucidation of all natural vital forces in the individual and in society; and 2) the elucidation of all obstacles which counteract the spontaneous functioning of these vital forces.” (Page 304, italics in original)
”Although freedom cannot be organized—more, any organization contradicts freedom—the conditions can and must be organized which guarantee free development of the vital forces.“(Page 305, Italics in original)
“In our professional organization we do not tell our workers what and how they should think. We do not organize their thinking. But we demand of every worker in our field that he rid himself of that lack of freedom and thought and action which he has acquired as a result of his upbringing. If he does so, his spontaneous rational reactions are set free.“ (Page 305)
“…freedom need not be first achieved; it is spontaneously existent in all natural life functions. What has to be achieved is the elimination of all the obstacles that stand in the way of freedom….Nothing extraordinary has to be fought for. Life is to be set free; that is all.” (Page 305)
Reich, W. (1946). The Mass Psychology of Fascism. Third, revised and enlarged edition, translated by Theodore Wolfe. New York: Orgone Institute Press:
“In the rebellion of the masses of abused people against the empty niceties of a false liberalism (I do not mean genuine liberalism and genuine tolerance) the character layer of the secondary impulses was expressed.” (Pages xi-xii, italics in original)
Reich, W. October, 1950. Finity and infinity; determinism and freedom, Orgone Energy Bulletin Vol. 2, No. 4, pages 175-176:
“…it appears that development, freedom, infinity and indeterminism group together are one set of variations which is paired with the other set, structure, law, finity and determinism. Again, this grouping has nothing whatsoever to do with ideologies. I personally would feel inclined to prefer the first set of variations to the second. The ideologically conservative mind, on the other hand, would prefer the second set.”
[DH: There is an equation with the CFP being: ORGONE ENERGY METABOLISM and the paired variations being: CHARGE, ORGONOMIC POTENTIAL (from low to high) & DISCHARGE, MECHANICAL POTENTIAL (from high to low). Following this equation is this passage:]
“Within this framework of thought, which is in agreement with actual natural functioning, the conservative finds his place as well as the rebel against the status quo; both have their function in the course of events. Law and freedom, determinism and indeterminism, finity and infinity are no longer absolute opposites, irreconcilable and mutually exclusive. They are inseparably paired functions of opposite signs which are rooted in a fluid common natural foundation. This is a major solution to a major problem which has pained humanity for thousands of years. It has nothing to do with the glib idea of ‘compromise.’ Natural functions know no compromise. Neither has it anything to do with so-called ‘smoothing out of differences of opinion.’ It is not the result of bargaining in matters of natural law. It is natural law itself. This means, furthermore, that conflict, movement and freezing of motion, upward toward existence and downward toward decay are paired natural functions, independent of preferences of any kind. It means basically that sharp contradictions can be solved functionally only outside their own realm by applying the “third force,” the common functioning principle.”
Reich, W. 1953/1976. People In Trouble: Volume Two of The Emotional Plague of Mankind. Translated by Philip Schmitz. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
“Only the factual, not the political, way will finally come to grips with the sexual revolution of our times and master the emotional plague (EP).” (Pages 3-4)
“For years I was both a political man [i.e., a man vitally interested in social affairs] and a working man without ever realizing the incompatibility of work and politics. The politician in me perished…” (Page 8)
“The exclusion of the concept of political parties does not represent a regression to academic, socially disinterested natural science. Quite to the contrary, it is an immense step forward–leading away from the realm of political irrationalism into the rational thought system of natural work democracy.” (Page 9, italics in original.)
“I would feel constrained to protest immediately and publicly if anyone ventured to exploit my name or my writings in support of socialistic, communistic, parliamentarian, or any other type of power politics…. Experience shows that ordinary party politics and orgone biophysics react to each other like fire to water.” (Page 10)
“The concept of a natural work-democratic life process in society precludes political activity in the old sense.” (Page 12)
“…we have no alternative but to automatically oppose politics of every sort.”(Page 13)
David, you quote Reich from “The Mass Psychology of Fascism” , “The essence of all kinds of authoritarian rule is that it inhibits the natural self-regulatory functions”. Then, two paragraphs later “Although freedom cannot be organized -more, any organization contradicts freedom- the conditions can and must be organized which guarantaee free development of the vital forces|” The last part of the last sentence here,”…the conditions can and must must be organized which guarantee free development of the vital forces”. leaves me thoughtful. And, I am not concerned with the apparent paradox here. I’m thinking: how can this be done? and, outside of politics? The ACO is one organization that can and does protect the living but who else? Are there other organizations that “can and must” and would be approachable? Can the ACO reach out to them even if they never heard of Reich?
Any ideas?
Politics can’t cure politics.
The posts on this blog, while highly informative and enlightening (esp those of Mr Holbrook)), appear to this mere mortal to constitute the need to keep Orgonomy & Reich’s brilliant work under wraps, underground, and out of the mainstream of public discourse. All the while the ever creeping evil of the emotional plague descends relentlessly upon Western civilization, and most ominously, upon our great country. It feels like some folks want to keep Reich and the science of orgonomy locked up and under glass in some type of museum setting. Endless discourse about the need for the world to be exposed to Reich’s work are heard by so very few, and given the state of emergency that society currently finds itself, one wonders what is the point of it all ? I say the above with the highest respect for Dr Konia (1st and foremost!) as well as the other intelligent well-intentioned good people who post on here. Is there not any way at all to push Reich’s work out into the mainstream without being accused of being some sort of truth peddler? I don’t know, but it seems like a rational question to me.
I more or less tend to agree with Elliott Grey but only because Dr. Reich and his work were misunderstood, shamed, slammed and shut down years ago. So, the dilemma is, what to call it and how to disseminate it? I think that the work itself is extremely important and needs to reach people. Any ideas?
All that needs to be done is to educate the public to be able to think functionally and to provide people with the knowledge contained in the science of social orgonomy. This is what the ACO is doing.
Thank you Dr Konia, and what important work the ACO is doing! One can only hope that it will start to reach a much wider audience before it’s too late.
The answer to your question is to present the world with the knowledge contained in the science of social orgonomy. To this end, the ACO is presenting seminars to the public on current topics regarding the EP, socio-political characterology, the anti-authoritarian transformation etc. to educate the public about the wealth of knowledge that is available.
Elliott
Have you had any personal success reaching out to people who are unfamiliar with Reich’s work in general and the Emotional plague specifically? I have a few people who over the course of my adult life have had varying degrees of attraction to what I have shared with them about Reich and the EP but for the most part it has been my experience that most people do not have an interest in being drawn into the depths of Orgonomy and the EP.
I can clearly relate to your frustration on this subject matter but over the last 5 years or so I have come to accept that Reich laid out a body of knowledge for humankind that could realistically take a good 1000 years in order to have any hope of being integrated into armored human society so that the general population could benefit. That does not mean that those individuals who have had the good fortune to have acquired and incorporated a decent amount of orgonomic functionalism into their thinking and way of life can not have a positive influence on their immediate environment.
There have been times when family members or friends have had to deal with emotional plague behavior in their lives and I have been able to help them navigate the difficult circumstance and they were very grateful that they were able to resolve the situation in a satisfactory manner. The gratitude that I feel when this occurs is enough to keep any frustration that I may have when looking at the bigger picture of life (i.e. the current EP outbreak and the tame push back against it due to lack of knowledge) at bay.
The lessons of history help explain why it takes so long for great new knowledge to gain a foothold in the greater social realm.
Many times since I had the good fortune of finding the ACO by chance a few decades ago I have often thought that it was an absolute miracle that Dr Baker, Dr Konia and a few others had been able to keep the essence of Reich’s work alive and developing with such limited human resources. As I became much more familiar with Reich’s life and work and the history of the ACO and in consideration of the rise of anti-authoritarianism in the U.S. during the last 100 years, miraculous seems quite appropriate and not an exaggeration.
Steven, I agree with you 1000% and I’ve had the same kind of experiences over the course of the last 45 years that I have been interested in Reich. There is the old saying, “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.” I would modify the saying. I would have it read, “You can’t even lead a horse to water! all you can do is to provide the water and hope that the horse will find it.“
As to apocalyptic visions and fears: I have experienced that sort of thing years ago in my youth. And I survived. And the world survived. If I can do it, others can do it. Life will find a way. I personally have a tremendous amount of optimism in my heart. Whether it takes 1000 years or more than that or less than that, life does and will find a way, because that’s what life is: something that finds a way.
During periods of profound individual or social change, an individual or a society may panic. I believe that is what we are going through today in American society and probably all over the world. Perhaps it could be said that under conditions of panic, functions have a tendency to become less integrated. So the “cure“ to this lack of integration is to enhance the integration of perception (starting with superficial layer, conscious processes) with excitation (the core). The individual or society must come into better contact with itself, with the core and the way the core functions in the individual and society, and become less “clueless.” Once this is accomplished, the individual or the society can move forward in a productive way. I would say this is what Dr. Konia is trying to do by focusing the discussion on the need to understand (perceive) the plague (the middle layer, which is the layer that prevents contact between the superficial layer and the core). He is focusing on, exposing, and elucidating both superficial layer and middle layer processes in society in order to pave the way for us to come into better contact with the functional processes of the core, which need to govern individual and social life.
Amen and well put David. And I sure hope you’re right!
Just to clarify David: I was responding to your “life finds a way” post.
Thanks, Elliott.
Thank you much for your post Steven, and yes, my experience with sharing my orgonomic knowledge with others has been similar to yours. There does indeed seem to be a “too muchness” about Reich’s work for most people. In recent years Ive backed off from sharing because I feel it’s somewhat of a fruitless undertaking. Either that or I’ve become with age a bit of a coward. However, like you, have been able to recognize the EP in friends (and in myself) and family situations, and this has helped me immensely in navigating the social as well as political scene. Being in the entertainment business, having a knowledge of EP has been a definite help as the mere mention of Trump’s (or any conservative’s) name, or policies elicits murderous (no exaggeration) reactions. Ive learned to keep my mouth shut in the company of my peers or risk loss of work. And finally, it’s miraculous for sure that Reich’s work has survived at all since his untimely death as a victim of the very EP we’re n ow discussing. The brave folks of the ACO have much to be proud of. Just need to reach lots more people.
my pleasure Elliott
You have a tough industry to work in during the era of Trump.
That’s putting it mildly Steven! You have no idea how profound and deep seated the hatred of Trump is in the entertainment community. Kind’ve frightening really.
Elliott: A couple of things interesting to contemplate: your experience and other people’s experiences Point to the same difficulties the ACO has had in “spreading“ orgonomic knowledge. Just think of it, why should your experience be any different than the ACO’s?
The EP can work in a number of different ways. One way is to just ignore someone or ignore an institution or a body of knowledge until it dies.
You can’t actually fight the EP directly with knowledge. it’s not rational, so you can’t reach it or alter it with reason. You can’t fight an infection with reason. All we can do is shine our light and try to attract the health in people. And then the healthier people need to work to try to expose, sequester, and disarm the plague.
Thanks David and couldnt agree more. Confronting EP direct with the knowledge of Reich’s work would be a fruitless (and quite dangerous, I might add) undertaking. Makes far more sense to expose and shine a light on it in the hope that the healthier citizens among us might take up the fight and work on sequestering it, as one would do with any outbreak of a deadly virus.
Mr. Elliott Grey’s COMMENT certainly makes sense to me. Sometimes I feel like I’m being smothered by a pillow to keep my mouth shut…but I’m the dramatic type (as of now anyway) and I tend to get a little exercised…but do not fear…I never get myself in too much trouble or hot-water anymore. Ever. We’re certainly going down with the boat however.
Thank you Stephanie! Let’s hope the science of orgonomy provides us with a life raft. I for one am not a good swimmer.
Most people are full of despair like “we.” They look for a better way and some of them have already “the solution.” I have the distinct impression it is the wave of the future. Unfortunately the coming tide will bring final doom because “the solution” will be AI (and nano tech). AI will replace all irrational politics, will save the environment, and will bring paradise on Earth after the looming world-wide economic collapse in the wake of negative interest (a first in human history!). Since only orgonomy knows what “life” actually means, therefore only and solely orgonomy could safe mankind from Zeitgeist. https://zeitgeist-ai.de/
Dr. Konia, yes, and thank you. Thank you. Judy
A very stimulating discussion!
I certainly “got” what you’re talking about Mr. Holbrook…re the physical sensations of the three layers. When you’re off (in the gut primarily) and when you’re out of whack… does the secondary layer ooze out of you like “leaky gut syndrome”? Makes sense to me, anyway. My, oh my, this conversation got really interesting…once I joined it! Thank you all, and especially Dr. Konia. I’m very stimulated to do some reading.
All what is said here by Dr. Holbrook and others can be reduced to one issue – something very profound and, to my knowledge, never quoted, although it is all decisive. Reich in the late 1930s when he wrote the original manuscript of PEOPLE IN TROUBLE: “One alters history only when one recognizes in time the processes and problems that are obscured from the general public.” (FS&G, p. 34) Or under Reich’s control: “One makes history only when one sees, at the right time, the processes and problems which are concealed from people in general.” (OIP, p. 17) This is the only chance orgonomy has!
If I were try to reduce everything that has been said here by myself and, as I understand it, by Dr. Konia, I would put it this way: “Work from the surface.“ And “the surface“ is cluelessness (contactlessness). In a way, your quote from Reich does relate to that, because contactlessness hides things from people. But it’s clear that Dr. Konia is also pursuing a tactic: where do you start? how do you approach the cluelessness the blinds people so they can’t see? You start by pointing out the cluelessness itself. It’s like sociological character analysis.
We have here the cluelessness of the masses and the deep core-knowledge of Dr. Konia et al. But this would mean nothing as long as the masses have not somehow a vague feeling, a vague idea what core functioning means. Again, this is the only way orgonomy might someday leave its isolation. To pick people up where there are already without knowing what, how, why, where. Or as Reich put it in 1944: „A social scientific view having some intellectual range can push through and become social practice only if it is spontaneously absorbed by the masses in life itself.“ (FS&G, p. 211) Or Wolfe: „A sociological concept of any considerable weight can penetrate and become practically important only if it has already been spontaneously acquired by the masses in their own lives.“ (OIP, p. 180) Google translation: „A social science view of some format can only penetrate and become social practice if it has already been acquired spontaneously by the crowds in life.” The “absorbed” in the Higgins-translation does not reflect the German “erworben” accurately.
I would like to add that there is another element to cluelessness that needs to dealt with in most people and that is ignorance (from the original root of the word “to ignore”).
Cluelessness and ignorance usually go hand in hand. The ability to focus on the essential is not a given even with sufficient core contact. Core contact isn’t magic, it is the minimum criterion to be able to use functional thinking to move forward into the greater social realm with some degree of success. This can’t be easily dismissed. Baker and Konia followed up on Reich’s work and have brought us to this point in time where the basics of socio-political characterology and the application of orgonomic principles in the social realm is possible. What is called for now is the time, focus and patience to begin to design a method of making contact with individuals in the social realm in a way that can be effective and lasting. One important aspect of this “making contact” that I have mentioned before in my comments is the idea that there needs to be a distinction made between the micro and the macro in the social realm in order to best design a strategy. The micro realm represents individual relationships with another person or persons, group, political group, religion etc. The macro represents the sum of all the micro relationships and is related to but somewhat distinct from the micro. I believe that it is in the macro that the plague takes root and spreads to the micro and individuals. The character structure of the person or persons who have the most influence over the macro is the key factor in what social agreements govern society.
Food for thought
Thank you. Does not the term, macro refer to Reich’s term Mass Psychology?
I haven’t read the Mass Psychology of Fascism and am not sure if that is what I am referring to. In some sense I would say yes. Is Mass Psychology a representation of the ideology supporting social norms?
The reason that I chose to distinguish the micro from the macro was for the specific reason of dealing with the current outbreak of the EP in the form of anti-authoritarianism. In my thinking it seemed like the distinction might provide a way to combat the infection that is pervasive in most people to some degree in a way that helps disarm and replace the ideology and social agreements supporting anti-authoritarianism over time.
Steven, the chapter of the Mass Psychology book that we tend to cite most often is chapter 10 on work democracy, especially the section titled “the biological miscalculation in the human struggle for freedom.” I highly recommend reading all of chapter 10. You don’t have to read the rest of the book to understand chapter 10, because chapter 10 mostly focuses on general principles of understanding and doesn’t refer a lot to the specific events of the 1930s. What I am starting to realize now is that even the rest of the book, most of which I haven’t read, can be extremely helpful in understanding social processes even though the rest of the book is very specifically referring to Nazism and specific historical events that might not seem at first to be relevant in today’s world. But as you read, you can just substitute current events for what Reich was describing in Germany.
In the mass psychology book, Reich also writes a lot about ideology, what it means and how it is formed and what functions it performs. Specifically he writes about the interaction between ideology on the mass level and ideology on the individual level. I have to say that I also have not really understood in what way your terms micro and macro differ from the individual and societal processes that the orgonomic literature describes. What you have stated seems redundant to me when viewed through the lens of that literature, so I have wondered whether what you were writing about is something new or merely re-discovering the wheel. Maybe you could specifically describe how what you were trying to express is different from the orgonomic literature.
Thanks for the info David
I do see some difference in the way to approach an emotional plague outbreak from the extreme left as opposed to the Nazi outbreak in the last century. As Dr Konia has described red fascism is much more insidious and a better form of repression than black fascism. It seems like a different set of tools and strategy may be needed to combat the destructive ideology embedded in the today’s social arena and institutions. Black fascism was destroyed through military combat where as red fascism can not be defeated by military means.
One also has to read the preface to the first edition of MASS PSYCHOLOGY because it’s the very foundation of everything Drs. Baker and Konia have written on socio-politics!
The book has three parts:
BLACK FASCISM The original MASSENPSYCHOLOGIE DES FASCHISMUS published in 1933 with some additions, for example about religious mysticism, added later on in the 1930s.
RED FASCISM Chapter 9: The Masses and the State. Reich’s critic of Stalinism written in 1935 when Reich was still an ardent socialist.
WORK DEMOCRACY In the original edition chapter 10. In the new (mediocre) edition chapters 10 to 13. Beginning in 1937 Reich began to formulate his concept of work democracy which lead to his break with socialism.
You write: “The character structure of the person or persons who have the most influence over the macro is the key factor in what social agreements govern society.” Reich in MASS PSYCHOLOGY OF FASCISM: “Only when the structure of the fuehrer’s personality is in harmony with the structure s of the broad groups can a ‘fuehrer’ make history.” (FS&G, p. 35) Way better is Wolfe: “Only if a Fuehrer structure is concordant with the structure of the average mass individual can a ‘Fuehrer’ make history.” (OIP, p. 29) “Fuehrer structure” or “Fuehrerpersoenlichkeit” clearly means any modern leading politician not just Hitler.
As becomes clear from my Reich quotes above (and from my study of Drs. Konia, Harman et al.) the functional (orgonomic) social scientist tries to get in contact with the vague core feelings (somehow still represented in the social façade and ego ideals of the masss individual), while the irrational politician solely operates in the secondary layer and tries to build an alliance with the irrational character structure of the little man, his guilt (super ego) especially.
Peter
I agree. Is what I have written in disagreement with the quotes and your comment above?
Sorry, I should have been clearer. No, I do not see any disagreement.
BTW: Wow, this will be the 71st comment!
True
Definitely broke Dr Konia’s all time comments record by a lot
Spreading Orgonomic Knowledge: Factors That Need To Be Taken Into Consideration
This is what we are up against, and this is why we can’t force orgonomic knowledge on any individual or on society as a whole:
Reich, W. (1953/1956). The Murder of Christ. New York: Pocket Books
“…the use of truth is an art in itself…”. Page 232.
“Freedom peddling robs the truth of its opportunity to prove itself, to sharpen its tools, to structuralize its conduct, to know its enemy, to cope with trouble, to persist in danger, to learn where it can turn into a lie worse than the native lie. Therefore, no rules can be given as to how to use the weapon of truth.” Page 228.
“Never has direct killing of the plague been successful; it only infected the arm of justice. The answer is so far, with the given means of knowledge about the ways of the plague: ISOLATION AND QUARANTINING OF THE INFECTIOUS PLAGUE-RIDDEN PERSON OR GROUP.” Page 242, emphasis in original.
“There must be some crucial truth of a DIFFERENT kind that obstructs the truth proper. We call it the COUNTERTRUTH.” (“The Meaning of Countertruth,” page 263, italics in original.)
“The COUNTERTRUTH…may tell you that in a certain group or in a certain situation the application of the basic truth would be disastrous.” Ibid., “Truth and Countertruth,” page 231, italics in original.
“The FULL truth…always includes the COUNTERTRUTH.” Page 266, italics in original.
The difference between an orgonomist and a “Reichian” is that the orgonomist perceives the countertruth, and therefore avoids becoming a freedom peddler.
“The countertruth is in the beginning of a new development, often more important than the truth. The truth will be the firmer and the sounder, the better comprehended is the countertruth.” Ibid, “The Meaning of Countertruth,” page 266.
“Using the truth as a weapon implies not only telling what has been found true but also, in the first place, knowing why this particular truth had NOT been found or mentioned before….Therefore, before proclaiming a truth, one should know the OBSTACLE to this truth. Otherwise, the evasion of this truth will be counteracted only by way of freedom peddling, i.e., by proclaiming truth as salvation. And this is exactly what is far worse for the establishment of truthful living than the institutional lie….there is no sense in proclaiming a truth ‘on principle.'” “Truth and Countertruth,” pages 230-231, emphasis in original.
“All this tells us that, though crucial and the only weapon capable of disarming the plague as the truth is, it cannot possibly be commanded or injected or taught or forced upon anybody who has not grown it in his organism from the very beginning. TRUTH IS BEING EVADED BECAUSE IT IS UNBEARABLE AND DANGEROUS TO THE ORGANISM WHICH IS INCAPABLE OF USING IT. Truth means full contact with oneself as well as with the environment. Truth means knowing one’s own ways as distinct from the ways of others. To force upon the fellow man truth which he cannot live, means stirring up emotions impossible for him to carry; it means endangering his existence; it means kicking off balance a well-set, even if disastrous, way of life.” Page 221, emphasis in original.
“Truth should be used cautiously against the FEAR of truth WHICH IS JUSTIFIED by actual conditions. Truth cannot be used as a tool without the infliction of pain, often severe pain….It is an integral part of the way of life of the future and HAS TO GROW ORGANICALLY WITHIN THE SENSES AND PRIMAL MOVEMENTS IN OUR CHILDREN FROM THE VERY BEGINNING in infancy….All truth as A WAY OF LIVING requires an opportunity to express itself freely. It then will grow by it’s own devices.” Page 225, emphasis in original.
“An orgonomist who starts upsetting a whole hospital and endangers his own position by proclaiming truth about orgonomic medicine, is only a nuisance. People in distress sense the truth and will COME TO YOU if you wait patiently and give them an opportunity to mature up to what they need. Then meeting them will not be difficult.” Page 242, emphasis in original.
“TO KNOW THE RATIONAL IN THE DEEPLY IRRATIONAL IS THE MARK OF TRUTHFUL LIVING, that is, of fully alive perception of the conditions of one’s life. Only the stupid self-righteousness within the empty bag of a freedom-peddler manages to believe itself fully perfect and the enemy fully bad.” Page 222, italics in original.
“This [the inadvisability of forcing the truth on people] must be constantly born in mind as a protection against the prophets who, it is true, see the light but do not know how to enable their fellow men to take it in peace and full enjoyment. This, now, amounts to advocating the devil.” Ibid., page 222.
“IF ANYONE HAD THE GUTS AND POWER TO DECREE THAT FREEDOM AND SELF-REGULATION BE ESTABLISHED OVERNIGHT, THE GREATEST DISASTER IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND WOULD INEVITABLY SWAMP OUR LIVES LIKE A FLOOD.” (Page 250, italics in original)
“…freedom can NOT be established by decree or force, because fear of freedom IS IN THE PEOPLES THEMSELVES. As long as people fear the streaming loving Life in their bodies, they will fear truth and avoid it by all means.” (Page 250, emphasis in original)
“Just as rotted meat brought together with fresh meat will make the fresh meat rot, and never will fresh meat make rotted meat fresh, so also will knowledge of the ways of healthy Life in the hands of rotted life, always poison good Living, never the other way around. Healthy Life will never make good living out of rotted life, pestilent life. The pestilent, rotted life knows well that this is so and therefore hates good living worse than anything else. You cannot ever make a crooked tree grow straight again….THE ENEMY IS THE INFECTIOUS ROT ITSELF, NO MATTER WHERE YOU FIND IT, AND NOT A SPECIAL GROUP OR STATE OR NATION OR RACE OR CLASS. The remedy is not fighting-contact with the plague. This will always cause infection by the plague of the healthy life….happy children will easily pick up the ways and expressions of sick children. But sick children will never pick up the ways and expressions of healthy children. A single messed-up, pestilent person can upset a whole group of well-functioning men and women.” Page 240-241, emphasis in original.
“…the TRUTH PEDDLER….will do more harm than any lie has ever done. “Ibid., page 223, emphasis in original.
“No solution of any major social problem is possible without the full support of the public…”.
Reich understood that the so-called sexual revolution that would come after his death would be a disaster, although I’m not sure he truly anticipated what Dr. Konia has come to call the antiauthoritarian transformation:
“By far the most likely result of the principle of ‘orgastic potency’ will be a pernicious philosophy of 4-lettering all over the place everywhere. Like an arrow released from the restraining, tightly tensed spring, the search for a quick, easy and deleterious genital pleasure will devastate the human community” Page 246.
“Had early sex-economy in the late 1920s succeeded in fully developing a mass movement on a ‘SEX-POLITICAL’ basis, one of the greatest disasters in the history of mankind would’ve been set into motion; not because what was told in public at that time was not the truth, but because it was not the FULL truth, which always includes the COUNTERTRUTH. And the countertruth in this case was: THE GENITAL SUPPRESSION OF INFANTS AND ADOLESCENTS WAS NECESSARY; ITS OMISSION WOULD’VE BEEN FATAL, SINCE THESE CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS HAD TO ADJUST TO A SOCIAL STRUCTURE WHICH REQUIRED ARMORING AGAINST EMOTIONAL FREEDOM. UNARMORED CHILDREN COULD NOT HAVE EXISTED IN THE SOCIETY OF 1930 ANYWHERE ON THIS PLANET.” Page 266, emphasis in original.
“It is not a matter of ‘proclaiming truth’ but of LIVING TRUTH AHEAD OF ONE’S FELLOW MAN.” Page 227, emphasis in original.
Back to square one. We’ve established through fruitful discourse that truth cannot be forced on people and they have to be at minimum in “contact” to be attracted and maintain it. However, to speak the truth one needs the protected environment that a Republic theoretically offers, otherwise it is done in a “hidden” way—much as is spoken about here.
The other crucial detail is the need for “quarantining”. But what happens when the disease does not want to be treated, or worse, maintains it is actually healthy and fights the medical treatment with cunning and dirty tricks (this physiologically occurs with microbes that fight to live as all other organisms do)? The medical model then forces itself on the disease to overpower it such as is done with the straightjacket or antibiotics—permission is not requested.
How would one quarantine in an anti-authoritarian society? Laws that are already enacted would have to be mobilized (i.e., inciting riots, sedition, libel, exposing psychological diseases, etc.), by the proper authorities. Further, new laws would have to be written for the modern psychosocial ills. Barring the above, the healthier population would have to personally quarantine the plague—again without permission or guilt, and this does mean fighting the plague head on in one facet.
At the end of his life Reich thought in terms of a “planetary emergency” and, subsequently, in military terms (much to the shock of Neill, Peter Reich and others). Time had become the all important factor. An atmosphere of pressure which destroyed Reich (via Dr. Silvert’s action). I also remind you of a similar situation which led to the “conflict with Freud” in the Vienna of the late 1920s (civil war in 1934!) and in the Berlin of the early 1930s (the opening of the gates of hell in 1933). At that time Freud, in effect said, “Be calm. The Eros will make an effort.” Today we know that the “hysterical” Reich at that time was the only sane one among his psychoanalytic fellows.
What do I want to express with this? Only to bring some additional perspective since, in effect, we say, “The orgone will make an effort!” But there is always the “military” option – and in Vienna/Berlin Reich was more militant, indeed, than he ever made public later on.
Reich made clear later in his life (including in some of the passages I provided above) that his earlier enthusiasm for rapid change was a gross error. The fever dream of revolution is clueless—whether revolution from the left or a revolution from the right. And whichever direction it comes from, it is always ushered in under claims of “an emergency.“
You can’t cure dictatorship with dictatorship. Dr. Konia has never advocated such an approach. He has not advocated authoritarianism as a solution. What he advocates is recognizing how the antiauthoritarian transformation throws the baby out with the bathwater: the fever dream of the left and it’s effort to overthrow authoritarianism throws out contact with the core in the process. Trying to cure the antiauthoritarian transformation with a new wave of authoritarianism from the right would just be a repeat of the same old cycle that goes on and on throughout history. Under such conditions, orgonomy would be outlawed as well.
Over and over and over again, Dr. Konia stresses that the only solution is a medical approach; and that involves educating the public about the emotional plague. This is also implied in the passages that Peter offered we are Reich talks about how constructive changes impossible without the cooperation of the public. So how to usher in work democracy? How to gain the “power“ to sequester the plague? It has a start with education, not revolution. The plague will not be overcome by power. It will be overcome via contact!
The feeling that there is an “emergency“ is a form of panic. The outcome of acting based on a feeling of panic is not constructive.
David, I agree with you. “But” it is not about implementing work democracy but simply about the survival of the Republic. And – the Jews in Germany and Austria did not panic enough! I am reminded of the Turks at Vienna in 1683. If the Turks had succeeded Europe would have been conquered! The Europeans could not have enough “hysteria” at that time! The same with America and her Communist threat. These Communists who are not at the gate but in the very center of town:
This movie is also pertinent to the theme of Dr. Konia’s current blog entry.
It looks like, for the time being, America is righting itself and pushing back. Trump’s reelection looks virtually guaranteed. Although the polls and pundits don’t currently seem to predict gains for the Republicans in the House and the Senate, I believe there will be. From what I see, the Democratic Party is on the verge of collapse. The impeachment is over and will be voted down on Wednesday. Trump’s State of the Union speech is Tuesday. Health is reasserting itself in the United States. As far as Europe, I’m not sure what to say. Europe may be lost. But I wouldn’t count it out yet.
Two comments from the video above, answering you in a way:
“It’s not difficult to see why the Lefties are so determined to exterminate Donald Trump. He MUST survive or we will all be finished.”
Replying to this:
“I live in Europe and think you are right. Donald Trump cannot be replaced by any other political figure at this moment in western history – if USA loose him now you – and people in Europe – can forget about freedom , freedom of speech and the way of life in freedom which a lot of people have fought and died for.”
Me: It’s really a “Gate of Vienna” situation (at that time, shortly before the industrial revolution, the Turks were the superpower with way superior cannons, guns, etc.)
BTW: The above video also reminds me of the Red Threat in the 1950s, McCarthyism, etc. Today we know that McCarthy was right.
Contact and countertruth on both the individual and societal level
The following passage from an article by Dr. Konia in 1989 illustrates the technique on the individual clinical level that also has to be used on the sociological level: making contact on “the surface,” at a level where the patient or where society at large is likely to be able to make contact. This kind of approach takes into account the countertruth of the contactlessness (cluelessness): the countertruth is that the contactlessness (armor) is needed by the organism, be it an individual or a social organism (see the passages from Reich that I provided). When you push on the armor or at too deep level, you actually strengthen it. For example, when working with an individual patient, there is the danger of opening lower segments before loosening the armor of the upper segments, which creates a disastrous situation. We see this on the social level when societies collapse, releasing secondary layer social phenomena and resulting in anarchy. This is what we currently see in the Western World and I suppose that counts for the antiauthoritarian transformation. It is A result of the sexual revolution which proceeded to quickly. Viewed in this way, the rise of right wing traditional cultures makes sense.
This is a principal which is absolutely essential to making contact—my mind, it is the essence of contact: recognizing, at least intuitively, the countertruth of any situation or interaction.
“The question often arises, which aspect of the armor, psychic or somatic, does the therapist deal with first? The answer depends on which function is most ON THE SURFACE. In other words, which aspect of the armor is the patient in contact with? To illustrate, when an oral block manifests as a fear of speaking, does the therapist first mobilize the oral and cervical segments physically (somatic intervention) or focus on the fear behind the inhibition (psychic intervention)? Stated in this manner, the answer is clear: Addressing the patient’s fear mobilizes the ocular segment and, because the upper segments are mobilized BEFORE the lower ones, it is imperative for the therapist in the situation to focus on the psychic aspect of the armor first….Focusing on the psychic or somatic defenses of the patient increases energy movement. This leads to an increase in orgonotic charge. With sufficient buildup of charge, energetic discharge in the form of emotional expression or vegetative reaction follows….” (Konia, C. 1989. Orgone Therapy Part IX: The Application of Functional Thinking in Medical Practice. Journal of Orgonomy 23/2: 237-247, pages 243-244, emphasis in original)
Having said all of that, and just to be clear: I don’t think this means that we have to “hide“ the deeper aspects of orgonomy, such as the function of the orgasm, the phenomenon of orgasm anxiety, the existence of the orgone energy, etc. In fact I think it’s important that we not downplay these things or appear to be shy about them. After all, if we don’t talk about these things, who will? I And if we are shy about talking about these things, then we are cooperating with the plague. I just think that generally speaking, we have to try to make contact on the surface.
It’s all about being direct. But being direct doesn’t mean we have to always go too deep. We can make contact at the surface without hiding the depth.
Hiding just encourages the plague. it’s like running from a predator. If you don’t want to be prey, don’t act like prey.
I agree with David about making contact at the surface without hiding the depth and assessing the situation. Otherwise people are scared away and end up labeling and targeting .. and who needs or wants that? Most people will stay exactly the way they have always been, unless something confronts them that creates an opening which can enable change, however gradually and for however long.
There is so much to say (as opposed to write in a format like this) based on the lively and serious discussion. Dr Konia’ has been posting on his blog for close to 10 years and this is the most in depth back and forth that has been produced since its inception. Thanks to Dr Konia for his time and effort and for all the commentators. Peter, David, Ed and Elliott have expressed in different ways their desire to have some influence in the greater social realm in order to deter or destroy the current manifestation of the EP through the application of functional thinking.
I have had the privilege of engaging in a lengthy weekly discussion with my best friend for the last 12 years on the topic of the EP and how to deal with it in a rational and effective way. This began after reading Dr Konia’s first book.
I like to view life as a continuum or an interplay between an individual’s relationship with themselves (i.e. degree of contact with the biological core) and the ever changing variables in the environment (i.e. the relationship between the individual and their micro social engagements and the macro social engagements)
Because of this I think that the use of Reich’s writings and experience with the macro social realm are not necessarily effective and sufficient in today’s world. This is not an attempt to disprove what he wrote or think that he was wrong. It is just that he did not have the experience that comes from actually living the transformation that occurred in the 60’s even though he had a good sense of what might happen and wrote about it. The advancement in mass communication and technology and its effect on the masses allows the EP to spread so much more covertly than in the past. This is something that has to be taken into consideration when exploring the different ways to effect change in today’s world.
In short, Reich took over from Freud, Baker built the bridge from Reich to the ACO along with the documentation of socio-political characterology, Dr Konia took on the Baker challenge to write a book on the EP and the ACO took up the task of training the next generation of therapists and educating the public about Reich’s work and science.
Their work has been extraordinary and successful but not yet complete with regards to the EP and finding a realistic way to deal with, contain and minimize the destructive effects of the current manifestation of the EP.
It is/was my hope several years ago that under the supervision of Dr Konia or someone he designated that of group of 10-15 functional thinkers who had the time and desire to meet on a regular basis (weekly or monthly) via video conference if necessary could be formed in order to explore avenues by which the knowledge that flows from orgonomic functionalism with regards to the EP could begin to gain recognition in the social arena. This task in not something that can be accomplished in the short term. At minimum this would be a 10-15 year project and would be ongoing for the long term. Due to lack of adequate human resources it was not to be but if possible in the future I think that this type of project could of great value not only to deal with the EP effectively but for the ACO to gain the social recognition it so deserves and thus insure its long term survival.
One point that seems clear to me on the subject of the EP and its acceptance in the social realm is the following:
In today’s anti-authoritarian society if the adequate safeguards we not in place, there would be a good chance that knowledge of the EP in the greater social realm would be used by the plague characters as a weapon against health as opposed to being used by structurally healthy individuals for its life positive purpose. With this in mind it is my contention that we need to prepare the “soiled terrain” for a concept like the EP and be careful and wise to use the appropriate functional knowledge that can expose the destructiveness of EP without having to “educate the masses” about it in the short term.
In addition, It is not clear to me that the principles used by the therapist in individual therapy apply exactly the same way that they do in the greater social realm. The actual principles are correct and would be used in the social realm but the method of application of those principles into the greater social realm need to be tried, tested, evaluated etc to see what works and takes hold and what doesn’t.
I could go on but do not want to belabor my point for the purpose of this back and forth discussion.
Reich was, at least, exposed to some fuzzy and pale foreshadows of the antiauthoritarian transformation:
He was born and raised in “Nietzschean” times where the “death of God” (the highest authority) and the “reevaluation of all values” (the end of civilization as we know it) where the central features.
His very first book, THE IMPULSIVE CHARACTER, already describes what the end result of the transformation is, i.e., even the armor structure breaks down.
At his time mass communication exploded, especially cinema. This was a central theme of his sexpol.
Peter
I agree and mentioned that in my comment with regards to his awareness of authoritarianism. My point about Reich is that while it is obvious to acknowledge his greatness it is important to remember was that he was human and influenced by his time and place even though he could see into and anticipate some of the future. He also made a serious error late in his life that greatly effected the future of his life’s work. It was understandable to some degree.This is the human part I am referring to.
With regards to the cinema of his time, this is a great way to compare that experience to what a child now has access to. Most children did not get to see most movies etc.
Peter and Steven,
Today, the pervasiveness of media, is structuring the minds of the youth like never before. In my youth until Elvis and the Beatles came along, I did not listen to radio or watch much television. Today’s youth are greatly influence by all kinds of entertainment to such an extent that they don’t have to think for themselves. No wonder they are becoming clueless. Both the medium and the message may be contributing the eye block on the left. As for medium itself, I would rather go for a 20 minute walk in the forest with all my senses open than watch someone on television doing the same.
I do not oppose anything written! The quantity and quality of everything post-1960 is, for lack of a better term, a quantum leap away from everything people had experienced who were already adults in 1960. But, still, take my father, born 1926. He was exposed to things unimaginable for his Kaiser Reich parents. He and all of his friends saw things like below since they managed to enter the cinema even for, in the terms of that time, “adult movies.” Take this German movie from 1942 (sic!), cross-dressing and everything:
The most famous German song of 1938: the devaluation of all values, the destruction of sexual morality:
Can love be a sin?
Can love be a sin?
May no-one know,
when one kisses,
when one forgets everything,
out of happiness?
Can it really be a sin,
when one only thinks of one person,
when one gives him everything,
out of happiness?
I will never regret
what I did,
and what happened through love,
that you must forgive me,
that’s why love exists!
Love cannot be a sin,
but even if it were,
it wouldn’t matter to me,
I’d rather sin
than be without love!
Every little prig makes
life a pain for me,
for he speaks only of morals.
And whatever he thinks or does,
one unfortunately sees,
that he is unable to see anyone happy.
If he says:
In my time
one didn’t go on like that!
I ask quite modestly
with a smile on my face:
“Can love be a sin?
Must no-one know,
when one kisses,
when one forgets everything,
out of happiness?”
Can it really be a sin,
when one only thinks of one person,
when one gives him everything,
out of happiness?
I will never regret,
what I did,
and what happened through love,
that you must forgive me,
that’s why love exists!
(“Hello, my lady!
Look here!
Here’s the sin!”)
Love cannot be a sin,
but even if it were,
it wouldn’t matter to me,
I’d rather sin
than be without love!
I think of Reich in his younger years when he had more opportunity to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, and all the vibrancy that German culture had to offer. Perhaps he knew this song, and gave him hope, just as it did for all the other millions who heard it.
Please, no! This was written in 1955 by the Communist Pete Seeger und was made popular in its German version in 1962 by Marlene. Has nothing whatsoever to do with Reich.
The kind of stuff Reich sung in his early time in Vienna, trying to make up for his youth lost in war:
Reich would have hated this Communist drivel! AND QUIET FLOWS THE DON. Give me a brake!!!
https://www.city-journal.org/html/america%E2%80%99s-most-successful-communist-12882.html
“In 1955, the House Un-American Activities Committee, holding hearings in New York on communist influence in the entertainment industry, subpoenaed Seeger. He refused to answer committee questions, including whether he was a Communist Party member, not on the usual Fifth Amendment grounds but on the grounds that he had a First Amendment right to sing and associate with those interested in hearing him. (…) Shortly after his contempt indictment, Seeger wrote “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?,” adapted from a Ukrainian folk song (quoted by Soviet writer Mikhail Sholokhov in his novel And Quiet Flows the Don): [the text this EP song] Under duress, Seeger had replaced propaganda with a softer idealism. The song portrayed all war as futile, only implying that those who saw the Soviets as a threat worth fighting were—like warmongers historically—misguided, or worse.”
I’m not trying to step on any toes here…just a comment: I don’t know about Pete…but Marlene too? What about all the recognition the state of Israel gave Marlene for entertaining the troops at the front lines during WWII. Is there any chance she could have been a true liberal? I know she was a “sex kitten” but who wasn’t in the entertainment industry in those days? Also, I’d like to speak up for Arlo Gutherie. Have you ever heard Arlo’s utube singing an “Elvis song in the middle of Europe”? Quite the performance if you ask me. Is it all just “freedom peddling”? Again, I reiterate about Pete: he may have been a tough customer and a very hard “nut” to crack…who needed orgone therapy, ideally.
I say nothing against Seeger and Guthrie and Marlene as artists. The flower song of 1955/1962 as such is a very good song. Hitler loved Carl Orff’s CARMINA BURANA, a product of Nazi Germany. Does this make this piece of music bad? Can one listen to all the wonderful Russian neo-classical music written for Stalin?
I would like to know what Dr. Konia has to say about this complex as a (“former”) musician? Dr. Holbrook? How can the plague produce such wonderful art?
Thanks for stepping in with your views Stephanie. My point was the sexual beauty of Marlene, who I would say opened up the restrictive sexual mores of her period towards the later sexual revolution (without being pornographic). Sex was now linked with pleasure and not just marriage–a big step towards sexual freedom for the single and youth.
Such is the power that one person can have on the world through their intelligence or art.
I think this conversation is dead, as is the impeachment process.
O.K.! Thanks very much for your “beautiful” clarification. Much appreciated. Relieves my “mind” a bit…and also the rest of what gets really tense. Thanks to all of you. I’m really enjoying your dialogue. Apropros of nothing really, yesterday I was reading about what Candide is all about. A little knowledge is extremely helpful…and a lot of knowledge like you all have…even better.
Stephanie, if you want to yak about music and film, etc., try me. You can find me on FB as Judy O’Meara (living in the Bronx, NY). It might be fun to do. You can also get to me on email: judyellenomeara@gmail.com. Just be sure to put your name in the ‘sender’ box so I open it. This goes for the other Konia bloggers, too. Great! Best to all from JUDY O’MEARA