The Invisible Architect: How "The System" Conditions Us From Birth
Introduction: The Early Stages
Have you ever felt like choices are just illusions? Like you are stuck in a system which you have never chosen to be a part of, yet there is no way out? If so, you are not alone. Every human being at birth enters not a blank slate, but a meticulously constructed reality known as ‘the system’. From the outset it shapes our perceptions, beliefs, values, and behaviours through a pervasive network of institutions, cultural norms, economic structures, and social hierarchies. The system is designed in such way that ensures all but those in control are trapped and forced to conform or face punishment. From the moment you take your first breath you become part of the system, you are given a name (one that must be approved by the state of course), then you are added to a state register, assigned a number and given a certificate to make it official. The aim is to transform raw potential into a form deemed acceptable and functional within the existing framework.
The Primary Conditioning: Parents and the Family Unit
In our first stages of life and the initial system conditioning begins with arguably the most powerful agents; your parent and the immediate family. While seemingly operating out of love and individual choice, parents are themselves products of the system, and therefore unknowingly raise you in accordance with it, internalising its values and passing them on.
-Language: It is more than just communication; it’s a framework for understanding the world. From the first words you hear, you are learning not just labels, but the system categories, its accepted narratives, and its biases. Think about words like ‘success’, ‘failure’, ‘good’, and ‘bad’; these are loaded with systematic implications.
-Socialisation into Norms: Parents teach us how to interact, what to respect, what to fear, and what to desire. They teach us gender roles such as ‘boys don’t cry’ or ‘girls play with dolls’, expected behaviours such as obedience and politeness, and even emotional regulation such as how and when it is acceptable to express feelings. These are not just universal truths but culturally specific directives from the system.
-Economic Realities and Aspirations: Discussions about money, work, and future aspirations within the family subtly introduce the economic realities and values of the system. The emphasis on certain careers, the pursuit of financial stability, or the value placed on material possessions all stem from the prevailing economic system.
-Transmission of Belief System: Religious, political, and moral frameworks are more often than not inherited from parents, providing a foundational view that aligns with the system’s dominant ideologies.
In essence your parents and close family teach you to conform, follow social norms, obey laws, understand consequences, punishment and highlight to you the importance of material possessions. This conditions you to be predictable, controllable, and motivated to work. Anything missed by your parents you will pick up through targeted media, which will also enhance your understanding of what you already know and push you in the right direction.
School and Education: Growth and Knowledge or Further Resource Conditioning
Beyond home, once you reach the age at which you are deemed ready, formal education becomes a critical, highly structured mechanism for systematic conditioning. Schools are not merely places of learning, but institutions designed to produce compliant and productive citizens within the existing order.
-Main Curriculum: What is taught and what is omitted in schools is a deliberate choice, reflecting the values and priorities of the system. History is often presented from a particular national or dominant perspective, science focuses on established patterns, and arts may be confined to acceptable forms.
-Hidden Curriculum and Discipline: Beyond the subjects, the hidden curriculum teaches obedience, conformity, punctuality, ad respect for authority. The structure of the school days, the grading system, the rewards and punishments, all condition individuals to function within hierarchical and bureaucratic environments.
-Standardisation and Categorisation: Standardised testing and inflexible academic routes categorise students, often reinforcing existing social inequalities and guiding individuals toward predetermined roles within the economic system. The ‘smart’ are groomed for leadership, the ‘average’ for stable employment, and the ‘struggling’ may be channelled elsewhere.
-National Identity and Patriotism: Schools are instruments in fostering national identity and loyalty, often through anthems, historical narratives, and civic education that reinforces the legitimacy and superiority of the current state and its system.
When you reach the age of adulthood, which is also decided by the state you are given a further number which is used to track your employment, health, movement, and used for tax purposes so that you have no choice but to pay a large percentage of your hard-earned income to the state.
Beyond the Foundations: Media, Culture, and Institutions
As your mature, the conditioning expands to an even wider array of systematic influences:
-Media and Narrative Control: Television, internet, social media, news – all consistently bombard us with information, shaping public opinion, setting trends, and reinforcing social norms. They often showcase a pre-approved reality, highlighting certain narratives while silencing others, effectively controlling the information we are exposed to.
-Consumerism: Advertising endlessly promotes consumerism, linking happiness and success to the acquisition of goods and services. This fuels the economic system and conditions us to always desire more, creating a cycle of production and consumption.
-Workplace Structures and Expectations: Entering employment brings in a whole new set of further systematic rules – hierarchies, deadlines, productivity metrics, and corporate cultures. These further solidify the conditioning around discipline, competition, and pursuit of material gain.
-Legal and Political Frameworks: Laws, regulations, and political systems define what is permitted and punishable, dictating our rights and responsibilities. Our understanding of justice, fairness, and governance is shaped by these established frameworks, which themselves are products of the system.
Final Thoughts
The persistent systematic conditioning, which we are exposed to our whole lives can feel overwhelming, suggesting lack of individual choice. However, recognising these mechanisms and understanding how they shape you is the first step towards freeing yourself from the system.
-Question Assumptions: Challenge narratives, norms and values.
-Seek Diverse Perspectives: Expose yourself to alternative perspectives and knowledge outside of the mainstream sources.
-Critical Consciousness: Analyse the underlying structures and motivations behind societal phenomena.
-Freedom and Choice: While complete escape from the system is likely not possible, conscious choices, resistance (within reasonable limits), and the pursuit of alternative ways of living can ultimately lead to a form of freedom.
Ultimately, the system is not an abstract concept but rather reality which takes hold of us from the moment we are born and begins to shape us into exactly what the system needs. Through our parents and family, structured education, and constant presence of media and other institutions, it conditions us to fit within its predefined structure. Understanding the system and its process is crucial, not to feel misery or rebel, but rather to empower ourselves and perhaps, to envision and build alternative futures.
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