I Made a Vlog Asking Elliot Page To Read My FREE Online Novel
An Open Letter (with Vlog) to Elliot Page
CLICK HERE FOR A VIDEO MESSAGE FOR ELLIOT PAGE
It seems to me that we all look at Nature too much and live with her too little.
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If you want to be a grocer, or a general, or a politician, or a judge, you will invariably become it; that is your punishment. If you never know what you want to be, if you live what some might call the dynamic life but what I will call the artistic life, if each day you are unsure of who you are and what you know you will never become anything, and that is your reward.
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The error of Louis XIV was that he thought human nature would always be the same. The result of his error was the French Revolution. It was an admirable result.
- Oscar Wilde (16 October 1854 – 30 November 1900), playwright & poet
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When considering the above quotes, I suggest that you compare that against the excerpt of ancient scripture that opens The Gnosis Of Elliot Page. I further request that you take you take your conclusions and compare them against my essay.
I apologize for all of the homework. You don’t even know who the heck I am.
And speaking of Mr. Page, this piece – along with the video log that it partners – is directed at him. I feel that he clarified some things for me. Subsequently, I feel a debt of gratitude. But…hey…you can also take a look.
Mr. Page, I feel this affinity with you because you provided a needed piece of the puzzle.
As I discuss in the Prologue to ‘Brandon’, I was blocked from being my pursuit of my personal Authentic Self by a decades long problems caused by my former alcoholism and drug abuse. The drug problem was a combination of street drugs and a massive overprescription of powerful drug. This overprescription caused foreseeable side effects: suicidal ideation, depression, acute confusion, behavioral disorders. I was very literally insane for that period. Long story short – very short – I overcame most of this.
The reason for my alcoholism – which lasted from my mid-teens to mid-thirties – was the gleeful encouragement from my parents. This sounds nuts: but my parents went out of their way to facilitate and actively encourage my drinking.
Alcohol causes seizures. I was heavily seizing in HS. This is the ‘70s: I’m fine now. My parents had to attend repeated consultations with my neurologist. And I looked like a stoner heavy metal fan (which I was). Unless he was incompetent, he would have told them about the problem with alcohol.
The reason for the massive overprescription of an indescribably powerful anticonvulsant was the feckless ineptitude of the medical professionals that I depended on while a teen. By the end of high school, I was taking 600% more of the drug than I am taking now. Even though I quit drinking in my 30’s, I kept taking the overprescribed amount of the anticonvulsant until my late 50’s and suffered the side effects that turned me into a lunatic.
The side effects made me literally crazy. Mr. Page, I am talking about suicidal ideation, depression, acute confusion, behavioral disorders. I was ultimately rendered homeless: pissing in trash cans & screaming at strangers. I am now 180 from that former self.
As I said, Mr. Page, you can go the Prologue for more detail. This is not about tawdry exhibitionism. I’ve worked my way through some stuff and your positive example assisted me. I am writing my online novel and essays because of that example.
I cut back on the dosage in my 50’s. Subsequently, I detoxed to the point where I glimpsed sanity.
In both cases, the actions of external actors (my stupid parents and a feckless medical establishment) perverted my development and kept me realizing my inherent self.
Your situation could not have been more different. There was, nonetheless, commonality. The people around you kept you from manifesting who you were.
But what was the missing piece of the puzzle that you provided? I’m getting to that.
I’ve concluded that a person knows his or her true essence from the beginning. Before that person knows it, that person knows it.
Good at math. Good at graphic arts. Good at dance.
Gay. Straight. Bisexual. Asexual.
Cis. Trans.
A person – if able to arise above the forces that are pushing him down – becomes what he already was. He might have a real talent for math and simply loves science. By cultivating this predisposition for science, perhaps by becoming an Astrophysicist, he becomes what he was.
Forces might fight to keep him from realizing his inherent nature by other people. Possibly people with authority – perhaps in the form of family or community – will fight to stop him from manifesting who and what he is.
On July 15, 2023, Charlie Kirk – co-founder and CEO of ‘Turning Point USA’ – tweeted: ‘The next generation of conservatives cares about truth, faith, courage, and putting the American people first. We are not cowed by leftist name-calling. We don't take marching orders from uniparty hacks, race-hustlers, warmongers, groomers, and cowards.’
While this tweet doesn't explicitly advise against attending college, it underscores an intense phobia of being exposed to different viewpoints…which is the university experience.
Beyond that, science teaches knowledge and theories that are at loggerheads with the claims of the Bible. A significant number of the public believes those claims to be literal truth. They are at loggerheads with science.
Lizzie Marbach is – as of this writing – a member of the Ohio House of Representatives. In 2023, Representative Marbach tweeted ‘There’s no hope for any of us outside of having faith in Jesus Christ alone’.
Between a concern over ideological bias on campus and a conviction that absolute faith is required for life, a guy who feels an affinity for math and science might be dissuaded – perhaps very harshly – from pursuing it.
After you provided the missing piece of the puzzle, Mr. Page, I started writing a book Brandon Gets His Big Break. As of this writing, the first portion is posted online. I am continuing to work on it.
I know how busy you are. If you have the time to read it, I would be honored beyond words. If you chose to give me a critique – some notes – it would be life changing experience for me.
B.F. Skinner - a prominent psychologist – developed the theory Radical Behaviorism which provided an analysis of human behavior. While it acknowledged biological and genetic factors, it very strongly emphasized that experiential factors determined a complex organisms' behavior. Skinner argued that classical conditioning alone couldn't explain behaviors like riding a bike or writing a book. His theory of operant conditioning which focused on how the addition or removal of stimuli shaped behavior – focused on how third parties shaped an individual’s existential being.
Walden Two describes his theory in the format of a novel.
Published in 1948, Walden Two tells the story of two young men: Rogers (aka ‘Rodge’) and Steve. Intrigued by utopian ideals, they seek out Frazier who is building a new society: he has a reputation for radical ideas and a disdain for the establishment. An acquaintance, Professor Burris, was a classmate of Frazier. The professor contacts Frazier and arranges a visit to the commune which shares the same name as the novel. Rogers, Steve, Burris, and their companions arrive at Walden Two and are greeted by the architect of this supposedly utopian society.
Over the course of their three-day visit, they experience life in Walden Two firsthand. The commune is home to approximately one thousand people: all of whom appear healthy and content.
The commune is a socialistic ideal. The residents share dwellings, dining spaces, and child-rearing responsibilities. Also, they enjoy short workdays of only four hours or less. While not paid wages, everything within Walden Two is provided without cost.
Frazier explains the principles behind the community and its unique way of functioning.
The secret behind this utopia lies in Skinner’s theory of Behaviorism. Every aspect of life at Walden Two is based on manipulating contingencies of reward and, to a lesser extent, punishment. From an early age, residents are conditioned to be productive and happy contributors to society.
I find this repellant.
Mr. Page, the notion of a peaceful commune is inherently appealing.
Still, I find Skinner’s theory to be absurd along with current scientific consensus. Scientists estimate that 20% to 60% of temperament is determined by genetics. This influence is not caused by specific genes. Instead, groups of genes (polymorphisms) combine to influence individual characteristics that contribute to ‘self’. This means that a manifestation of self – such as gender identity – is determined by a complex arrangement that is summarized the phrase ‘nature vs. nurture’.
The human mind is infinity more complex than of a lab rat.
The realization of self is an authentic process. Self is divided into three components: physical, emotional, and sexual. Each of these arise from the interplay of nature and nurture.
Self is a manifestation of the Big Bang. The carbon in your DNA was created by that event. When a person fights to realize his true self, he connects to the Creation.
The ancient – and largely forgotten – Gnostic philosophy argued that self-knowledge is a prerequisite for spiritual enlightenment. When one knows oneself, that person understands his or her true nature as a child of God. Conversely, they felt that a lack of self-knowledge led to spiritual poverty.
Authentic Self is the interplay if nature and nurture, not Skinner’s near tabula rasa BS. Beyond that, he advocated total social control: reward and punishment.
The influence of external actors harmed my existential development. And – if I may be so bold – yours as well (which you fully overcame). While not Skinner’s intent, he proposed control based upon nonsense. Mr. Page…does that sound familiar?
Skinner’s novel is an (accidental) inditement of totalitarianism.
Anyway…
A person is a unique self...an Authentic Self. This lies within the individual and that individual is driven to physically manifest it.
Authentic Self has many components, one of them being sexual essence. This essence is both attraction and identity.
Science is recognizing the reality of gender identity issues. It is worth some virtual ink to flesh that out a bit.
And the American Psychiatric Association wrote a nice overview of this.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is comprehensive classification system developed by the American Psychiatric Association. Mental health professionals use it to diagnose and categorize various mental health conditions. It allows clinicians to communicate effectively and make consistent diagnoses.
The third edition of the DSM acknowledged the existence of ‘gender identity disorder’ in 1980. The term referred to the distress a person experiences due to a mismatch between gender identity and the birth sex. However, it was realized this term was judgmental and implied that it was a disorder when it was not. In 2013, DSM-5 was released. It replaced the antiquated term with gender dysphoria.
The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is a globally used medical classification system employed for various purposes, including epidemiology, health management, and clinical applications. It was developed by the World Health Organization. The ICD plays a crucial role in understanding global health trends, facilitating research, and ensuring consistent health data across different contexts.
The ICD-10 came out in 1990: it included discussion of ‘transsexualism’.
In the ICD-11 the diagnosis was changed to ‘gender incongruence’. Perhaps more significantly, the ICD-11 took the diagnosis out of the Mental Health chapter and put into the Sexual Health chapter, alongside other hormonal and urogenital related issues.
The international community is embracing the growing scientific acceptance of gender dystopia. As recently as April 2024, the Swedish Parliament passed a law to make it easier for young people to legally change their gender.
We – especially in the West – have always been skittish when dealing with Human Sexuality. In 1995, Newsweek came out with a cover article with the title Bisexuality. Not gay. Not straight. A new sexual identity emerges.
(And I foolishly thought bisexuality was, like, totally an ‘80s thing.)
If we are unable to clearly grasp the mere existence of bisexuality until a few decades ago, can we be expected to soberly recognize gender dystopia?
This skittishness arises from the mania for control that many – perhaps the majority – in the West embrace. This mania to often kneecaps the attempt to dispassionately understand physical reality…science.
I overcame my issues. My mind finally achieved real clarity in my late 50’s. I no longer drank, did street drugs and had detoxed from the overprescription.
I was bitter. I was angry. The loss of decades – my entire life, really – enraged me. It incapacitated me.
Then, Mr. Page, you provided the missing part of the puzzle.
To explain this, here’s an excerpt from my essay Summarizing Some Stuff & a Pitch to Page Boy Productions
(Elliot Page) published his memoir Pageboy on June 6, 2023.
A couple years prior , my personal development entered an interesting phase. I was pretty fully clear of the madness caused by the overprescription, the alcohol and the street drugs. I was now in a deep funk about my wasted – and very hellish – life. My parents gleefully encouraged my drinking: the medical establishment just kept upping this indescribably powerful drug until I was a raving lunatic. I was bitter. I was angry. I was filled with hate.
Then I read Pageboy.
And…stuff…made sense.
I always had an Authentic Self: a smart, opinionated, and creative guy. External actors – my parents & the medical establishment – blocked my realization of it. The past didn’t matter. My mission was to physically manifest my Authentic Self. He did it and so could I.
Honestly, the book came out at the perfect time.
So, Mr. Page, I request that you watch my vlog If you have the time to read Brandon Gets Big Break, I would be honored beyond words. If you chose to give me a critique – some notes – it would be life changing experience for me.
Namaste & Shalom,
John Eisenhauer