Forewarn

So - just to offer the over riding caveats of this blogstory...most of what I refer to will be based on my studies of Medieval England (and the area that is the present-day UK).

There will always be exceptions to any 'rules', which is why I freely acknowledge upfront that a lot of this information/expostulation/bloggation is expressed in generalities.  However, this blog is intended as a reference primer for early seekers, so generalities that lead to specifics will be used as a teaching tool - NOT as an expression of any kind of dogma.  Dogma is for those that are unable, unwilling or undemanding enough of their own minds to think for themselves.  When you smell the dogma, check the bottom of your shoes.  'Tis there, sure enough.

Dogmatics substitute hearsay for thought, opinions of others for their own, and, generally speaking are about as socially useful as xerox machines.  They do a great job of repeating stuff that others have put into them - but, just as with xerox machines, the moment they try to do something other than their preprogrammed function - chaos ensues.  The lucky ones, the smart ones, decide to go out and research other types of machines.  The stubborn, old fashioned ones stick to the old tried and true machines of their youth, calling the repair man to bring older and older parts every time chaos ensues.  Eventually, those older and older parts become harder to find, and more expensive to acquire.  The day arrives when that machine, as servicable and adequately reliable as it may, or may not have been, has to be dumped.  As I said... the smart ones, the lucky ones, the impatient, questioning seeking ones have been sampling new machines, new technologies, new concepts all along, and (this is where luck comes in), eventually stumble on an information processing machine that fits all of their needs, handles massive amounts of data, in color, with extreme resolution...their own brain.

Those dogmatics who end their lives with brains that handle the world like xerox machines often end their warranty period with nothing more than external information having passed through their processors.  That brings them fulfillment, I suppose, in the same sense that a washing machine that never fails to complete a spin cycle celebrates each year of that milestone...it has achived one of its functions adequately enough to be kept around another year.  Could that mere 'adequate fulfillment of one function' be a reason that so many dogmatic thinkers are so uncomfortable?  When that fundamental. root of all things thinking is challenged, they become unstable, often turning to anger, striking out, instead of calmly stepping back to receive new information.  Xerox machines do not like to have their buttons pushed too often.  That results in break downs.

So having read this far-  you get to decide.  Explore some new kinds of machines, or close down and call the old repair guy.  Again.  Who obviously fixed things so well last time that you never needed to call him again... oh...wait...