# You Get What You Project



## Adam (Mar 12, 2009)

One of the last things John Lennon commented about was the quote "You get what you project". I think he heard it from someone else, like many quotes he used, and picked up on it, which of course brought it to the attention of the rest of us.

It is true, you get what you project. 
That doesn't mean in an overly simplistic manner that if you go around pretending to be a movie star or a rock star that you will end up in movies or performing concerts.
But it means that what attitude you take will have a big effect on what results from it.

This is true not only with our own attitude and state of mind, but also with our manner of thinking. Especially in anything like psychology that is used as a tool throughout society.
If someone says "There is no such thing as an ego" and puts out the theory that we are all essentially machines without "souls" or identities, then the results we will get in our society will be a dismissal of moral or qualitative values, and everything people do will be seen mechanistically and treated as something to be manipulated dispassionately.
But if we project the notion that there are value judgements and personal accountability, the effects in how our society runs and how people behave will be very different.

Everybody chooses different thought systems to justify and support whatever they want to believe. We make the choices. We determine how we approach life.
Freud made a number of assertions about how people's minds are based on basic physical functions. Millions of people have accepted his system as being unquestionable truth. What we get as a result of these kind of notions is apparent in the society we now live in.
We could just as easily subscribe to a completely different system of belief about human behavior and thinking, and the results would be completely different.

You do get what you project.

Henry Ford said that whether you think you can or whether you think you cannot, you will inevitably be proven right. Because your attitude itself will determine your results.

People do this. They tell themsleves they cannot accomplish something, they tell themselves that they do not have the willpower to resist a certain destructive thing, and the results are that they find themselves "unable" to resist those things. As long as you wallow in attitudes of futility, you will find justification.
If, on the other hand, you make a sincere determination to change your attitudes and behaviors, it has been demonstrated many times that you can take control of your life and overcome things you thought you never could, and much more easily than you had imagined you could.

You get what you project.


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## banja (Feb 26, 2009)

I've noticed that in myself and others too, but I haven't figured out how to go about changing some long-held projections without feeling like you're not being true to yourself. It's a bit tricky. 
Interesting post. 
I had heard that quote, and I interpreted it as something similar to the Golder Rule, but I like your version better.
I gotta think about this a little, I'll add something later.


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## Adam (Mar 12, 2009)

The golden rule would be like hearing it as "You get back what you put in". Which is essentially the message, except that it's not just "putting in" but putting out, projecting meaning broadcasting. Or, as you sow so shall you reap.

It's about attitude and ideology. If our ideologies are limiting, we will be limited by them as long as we submit to them. If we want something different from what we have now, we had better change our manner of thinking.
If we want peace, we had better start thinking in peaceful terms. As long we think in terms of fear and suspicion and aggression, we will continue to have war. As long as we project war, as long as we praise militarism and flagwaving and "God bless our country" we will remain constantly at war.

Einstein had a quote expressing that the problems we are currently facing cannot be solved by the same kind of thinking that got us into them.

Whatever choices you make, they define who you are. So whether you hold onto old choices or decide to make new ones, you are being true to yourself, but each choice defines yourself differently.
Are you willing to redefine yourself, or are you locked into the old definition. It's your choice to make.
Society is resistent to change, society projects onto you the notion that you must stick with the old definitions. This societal "pressure" can be called brainwashing, and it is very effective, but only if you allow it to be.


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## snail (Oct 13, 2008)

The statement is only true conditionally. There are limitations. I agree that if we have an attitude about something being good or bad, we will live according to those values and they will alter our behavior. If they are believed on a larger scale, they will alter our culture. However, no matter how much I may want to think that I can will myself to be morally perfect, I will inevitably fail. I can believe, realistically, that it is good to try anyhow, and will likely be more successful than someone who has a defeatist attitude, who says that it is not something we can control at all. 

I use that example because it is at the root of one of my recent ongoing conflicts with someone I care about. The other person feels that if we try to make ourselves perfect, it is a denial of the idea that God is omnipotent. He feels that our desire to struggle to be as obedient as possible will make us prideful and will make us less likely to feel properly submissive to God, who controls whether we succeed or fail. I believe in free will, and that even if all love comes from God, we can choose to reject it. We have a responsibility to make ourselves receptive to goodness. He feels that it will ultimately lead to a subconscious acceptance of the non-biblical belief in works-based salvation if I continue to believe that obedience has an element of choice. He feels that even choosing to have faith is an act, and that, since it is impossible to be saved by works, we must not be the ones who choose whether or not we believe. I disagree. I don't think that "choosing to believe" is what the bible meant by "works," which I interpret to have more to do with trying to earn salvation with obedience and good deeds.

On the other side of the issue, I feel that if we do not try with all of our strength to please God, even knowing that we are ultimately imperfect and sinful, that we will become permissive and spiritually lazy. 

Regardless of whose doctrine is accurate, it is possible that each of us embraces the attitude that keeps us safe from the sins we are most likely to fall into. If I had his beliefs, I would become apathetic and would commit sins of presumption. If he had my beliefs, he would begin to feel that he was the one responsible for his own goodness, and would ultimately end up delusionally behaving as though he could save himself with his actions. Our actions are shaped by our deeper belief systems. Neither of us has the whole truth, and at the points where we are on our separate paths, it is possible that our beliefs serve a purpose. There are inaccuracies that will probably be addressed once we have grown to understand them without being tempted by them.


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## ChaosRegins (Apr 11, 2009)

Interesting post. What we project is important. It seems as people we all follow certain "scripts" in our lives. We follow "scripts" in everyday common experience. From birthday celebrations(cakes, jokes,gifts)to our expectations how a person should behave. We want a projection from our own perspective and many times we get the exact opposite. If we learn how to project who we are we may experience a better life.


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## Adam (Mar 12, 2009)

"Everybody chooses different thought systems to justify and support whatever they want to believe. We make the choices. We determine how we approach life.

We could just as easily subscribe to a completely different system of belief about human behavior and thinking, and the results would be completely different.

If our ideologies are limiting, we will be limited by them as long as we submit to them. If we want something different from what we have now, we had better change our manner of thinking."

(Snail aka Dragonfly) As long as you choose to subscribe to this religious belief system, you will continue experiencing the same feelings of conflict and anxiety and guilt and whatever else that you're feeling in debating over scriptures and sin and perfection and god.
You probably feel that changing these long-held projections would mean being untrue to yourself. But the choice is in your hands, especially as you believe in free will, you have the freedom to choose to tie yourself up in knots over these issues, which billions of other people have already spent their lives doing, with very little useful result ... or you have the choice every bit as much in your power to just recognize this stuff as essentially a waste of your emotional energy, and cast it aside.

It appears to me that you are torturing yourself over a bunch of stuff that's unlikely to really give you a positive self-attitude. All this worrying over sin and perfection is something you can subscribe to if you wish, or unsubscribe from.
Personally I think you'd be healthier to free yourself from it. That doesn't mean you should abandon your morals and go out and sin til you can't sin no more. I just think you're giving yourself unnecessary hangups that aren't particularly productive.
It's your choice, to make on your own. No one else can make it for you.


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## banja (Feb 26, 2009)

> If we want peace, we had better start thinking in peaceful terms


 
I think I _really_ understand this now, something clicks. 
I hope I don't lose my thought, dammit, so I better try and explain it...
I think I've been going about and trying to change some of my beliefs (about myself) in not the best manner, and needless to say, it hasn't worked that well, or it hasn't worked for too long. 
What I've been doing wrong is that I am being too harsh, military, and anti-peace with myself in trying to achieve peace. What it does, it makes me disconnect from myself, and avoid myself. I knew this before, but something really clicks now differently. 
I like this... to achieve peace, you gotta go about it in peaceful terms, and not with bulldozers and kalashnikovs. 
What I also recently noticed about myself is that if I go with more peaceful terms with myself, and I don't rush, or push, then I actually kinda flow, and have more energy, and I don't _need_ to be pushed. 
Remember this, banja! 
It's interesting how it all seems obvious when it comes to relations with other people, but not with myself. 
Thanks! :happy:
Are there books about this kind of stuff you know of?


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## banja (Feb 26, 2009)

I am having some kind of "aha" moment! I gotta read about this somewhere more! Know any books, do you, do you, do you? :crazy:


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## Adam (Mar 12, 2009)

"You really don't need to make life into work."





 

"The great Tao flows everywhere. It loves all things, but does not lord it over them.
Nature has no boss. If you can't trust yourself, you can't trust anything."


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## banja (Feb 26, 2009)

Shank you! 
Those are awesome!


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## Adam (Mar 12, 2009)

"I must trust myself to a Nature which doesn't have a boss.
Because a boss is a system of mistrust."


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## Robatix (Mar 26, 2009)

I project rigorous sex, but it's not working. What am I doing wrong?


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## Robatix (Mar 26, 2009)

Ah, so that's my mistake. I was putting everything into Winning Smile!


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## Adam (Mar 12, 2009)

"When you seek clarity, you will have clarity.
Moments of clarity open us to new choices.
The quiet mind is a healing mind.
The meaning of life always comes from the deeper self, not the conditioned self."


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## Adam (Mar 12, 2009)

"Our beliefs are altering our biology at every moment.
By adjusting your perceptions, you rewrite your genes."


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## Perseus (Mar 7, 2009)

In the Perseus system, the Projectors are TP.

This can be NTP or STP.


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## Adam (Mar 12, 2009)

"What we project is important. It seems as people we all follow certain "scripts" in our lives. We follow "scripts" in everyday common experience. From birthday celebrations (cakes, jokes,gifts) to our expectations how a person should behave. We want a projection from our own perspective and many times we get the exact opposite. If we learn how to project who we are we may experience a better life."

ChaosRegins is projecting a lot of violence*. Why is that?
What do you expect to result from it, if not more violence? Who has actually scripted this violence, if not in fact the militarists who depend upon people buying into their violent scripting of society.
Do you think the results of this violence will help you experience a better life?

* not in the above quote, but elsewhere, beginning with his avatar and continuing through his writings


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## BenW (Nov 10, 2008)

Adam said:


> If we want peace, we had better start thinking in peaceful terms. As long we think in terms of fear and suspicion and aggression, we will continue to have war. As long as we project war, as long as we praise militarism and flagwaving and "God bless our country" we will remain constantly at war.


I think it's pretty naive to imply that any of the above is the real cause of any major wars...
The people starting wars have their own completely separate agendas that have absolutely nothing to do with national pride.

It all comes back to economics in the end.

So, if you want _real_ peace, advocate free trade policies to your government representatives, or run for an office yourself.


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## Adam (Mar 12, 2009)

It always involves economics, but what it comes down to in the end is the fact that the people starting wars never actually fight them themselves. They send out all the hypnotized clods who have been brainwashed into a militaristic national-pride mentality, who are putty in their economic greedy hands. If we refused to swallow their militaristic bullshit they wouldn't have any power to start wars. At least for now, until they've got the robot soldiers perfected, then you damn well better watch out because the crooks will unleash their bloody wars whether anyone is gullible enough to fall for it or not.

I don't think advoctaing free trade policies is going to make any real difference. If we really want peace we have to advocate non-militarism. We have to advocate de-militarism, and anti-militarism. That's the only thing that's going to incapacitate the warlords.

I have run for office before, and I've experienced on even the smaller town-level politics what a crooked game it is and how the money and power dominate.
If possible, I plan to run for office again in the next couple months. It doesn't mean I can get elected, but for a couple months the newspaper will actually print a few sentences that you say, even in criticism of the same politicians they are really backing.


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## ChaosRegins (Apr 11, 2009)

Adam said:


> "What we project is important. It seems as people we all follow certain "scripts" in our lives. We follow "scripts" in everyday common experience. From birthday celebrations (cakes, jokes,gifts) to our expectations how a person should behave. We want a projection from our own perspective and many times we get the exact opposite. If we learn how to project who we are we may experience a better life."
> 
> ChaosRegins is projecting a lot of violence*. Why is that?
> What do you expect to result from it, if not more violence? Who has actually scripted this violence, if not in fact the militarists who depend upon people buying into their violent scripting of society.
> ...


Nope. I was pretty calm in my writing. As for my avatar, Hiruma will always project violence and strategy. *It's who he is.*(see him in action eyeshield 21) The results would vary on if i'm a sociopath, sadistic, or masochis.


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## Sleepy (Jan 18, 2009)

Adam said:


> You get what you project.



John Lennon was an ENTJ, and this quote sounds like something that would fit him very well and it probably worked in his life. Good for him. But a lot of bad life coaching has been based on this quote if it's adopted by other people uncritically.


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## Adam (Mar 12, 2009)

Anything adopted uncritically is likely to cause problems.

I still think it's a very relevant phrase, simply for us to keep in mind that the attitude we project is going to determine the kind of results we can reasonably hope to achieve.
We need to ask ourselves what kind of results do we truly desire, and then ask whether the attitude we are approaching the situation with is the sort of attitude that is likely to go with achieving those results, or is it an attitude more likely to thwart the results we want.


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