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In Carlos Castaneda's novels, the author's persona is an apprentice to don Juan Matus, his eccentric shaman-mentor and teacher. According to the many books that followed, this apprenticeship lasted over a decade. Don Juan often used the word "warrior" and "man of knowledge" as metaphors for the ideal individual he was helping Carlos to become. Underlying his teachings was the notion that dealing with life was every bit as perilous as going to battle. One of my favorite passages comes from the first book, The Teachings of Don Juan (1968). While don Juan preferred to make his points experientially, from time to time he would state his wisdom directly. When Carlos asked him what he meant by the phrase "man of knowledge," don Juan said that it was a person "who has followed truthfully the hardships of learning." When pushed to describe what one has to do to become a man of knowledge, don Juan replied, "He must challenge and defeat his four natural enemies." Carlos asked for a clarification, and don Juan gave this profound and challenging explanation: "When a man starts to learn, he is never clear about his objectives. His purpose is faulty; his intent is vague. He hopes for rewards that will never materialize for he knows nothing of the hardships of learning. "He slowly begins to learn—bit by bit at first, then in big chunks. And his thoughts soon clash. What he learns is never what he pictured, or imagined, and so he begins to be afraid. Learning is never what one expects. Every step of learning is a new task, and the fear the man is experiencing begins to mount mercilessly, unyieldingly. His purpose becomes a battlefield. "And thus he has stumbled upon the first of his natural enemies: Fear! A terrible enemy—treacherous, and difficult to overcome. It remains concealed at every turn of the way, prowling, waiting. And if the man, terrified in its presence, runs away, his enemy will have put an end to his quest." Carlos asked him what he has to do to overcome fear, and don Juan continued: "The answer is very simple. He must not run away. He must defy his fear, and in spite of it he must take the next step in learning, and the next, and the next. He must be fully afraid, and yet he must not stop. That is the rule! And a moment will come when his first enemy retreats. The man begins to feel sure of himself. His intent becomes stronger. Learning is no longer a terrifying task." When I first read this passage, it puzzled me. Afraid of knowledge? Why would anyone be afraid of knowledge? And then I realized, yes, many people do turn away from certain kinds of knowledge. Facts that contradict your understanding. Evidence that challenges the status quo. Things about yourself that you'd rather not know. Problems you'd rather not deal with. Things you hope aren't true. Aspects of your behavior that threaten your relationships. The consequences of your decisions. Information that conflicts with your beliefs. Unpleasant aspects of reality. Disturbing truths. This kind of knowledge really is hard to confront, and the average person turns away. This passage illuminated the structure of my life for the first time. I did see myself on a quest for knowledge. Don Juan's framework made sense to me: certain aspects of life were hard to confront and it would take a warrior's attitude to cope with them. There were things I wanted to learn, perhaps the most important things in life, and very possibly these were things that people in general didn't want to know about. I decided at that moment that I would remain open to all truths, no matter how disturbing. And then I read about the other three natural enemies....
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Dennis E. Coates is CEO of Performance Support Systems, author of MindFrames, a brain-based personality assessment system (www.initforlife.com) and co-founder of the Train-to-Ingrain alliance (www.train-to-ingrain.com, info@train-to-ingrain.com, 800-488-6463), which delivers a reinforcement-centered approach to learning and development that achieves permanent, measurable improvements in workplace behavior and positive impacts on business results.
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