This and all other postings are WORKS IN PROGRESS. Each selection is added to, corrections made, and questions asked are answered as needed. I add new findings as they become available, often before proofing.

What's in it for you? Perhaps the most obvious reward for becoming rationally literate is the dramatic increase of odds favoring a successful outcome, both in achieving your goals, and replacing the usual level of frustration with the peace that comes with understanding.

At this point in time, it is common to use emotion in lieu of logic; rational power underwrites an uncommon power to avoid what others would justify as unseen misfortune.

Compare levels of opportunities in present cultures in which few people can read, much less write, to those literate and able to command the power of the written word. Likewise, in today's social environment where rational illiteracy is the rule, be the exception, be exceptional and move to the top 5% of the population in your personal and professional life.

Seven years after becoming rationally literate, you will have moved into the top 3% of your peer group. It would be helpful if it were possible to give some law to define the seven-year factor, however, that universal law, if there is one, has yet to be written and added to known universal laws.

This much is known, however, and it is that prior to a certain age, when rational context factors are learned, they are almost automatically installed, and fully functional in short order. That “certain age” is (more-or-less) eighteen in males, or age (more-or-less) seventeen in females.

Let us do our part to see that rational literacy becomes part of the next generation's life skills, when they need it most. To lose another generation seems inexcusable, yet more attention is presently paid to teaching what to avoid, than to installing what would void the pitfalls. Presently, we commit more contributions to sustain rational illiteracy's victims, than to irradiate the source of the suffering. It reminds me of the saying: “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you empower him for a lifetime.”

After the age (more-or-less) eighteen thresholds are passed, it appears that, individuals are “hardwired” to algorithms defined by assumptions to quantify rational outcome. And/or to loosely defined “rules-of-thumb” to factor cause-and-effect patterns.

While the rational “mind” can and will easily grasp the significance and superiority of a rational factor to the old assumption, the legal factor seems to be more of a transplant than a replacement. Though the correct rational term has been installed, the old assumption is deeply “rooted,” or “wired in.” The old and the new exist until the new “grows” to fully replace the old. Most often, this process of fully evolving to peak efficiency takes up to seven-years.

Whereas, exposure to totally new terms in previously unknown areas of personal potential, are often intensely transforming and affect is immediate. Though this empowering is profound, from the first, even these new venues of potential will continue to evolve in potency throughout a lifetime; but most dramatically during the first seven years.

Most telling of the role of rational literacy in our increasingly technical culture are these missing terms defining aspects not even considered part of an individual's reality, therefore not even conceived as within the realm of possibilities, at least for them.

Even before rational literacy is considered, understand that many people lack any conscious conception that some classifications of “thought” even exits. Nor do they have even a common “word” in their vocabulary to somewhat define the missing concept. Without so much as a “word label,” an entire area of thought is as concealed from their “view” as is the dark side of the moon.

In spite of totally “blank rational slots,” not all the commonly available rational terms are needed for normal day-to-day living. Even at the level of the ten-or-less core operation terms, not all possible term factors are necessary for management at the personal level. The unknown concept in which a rational term, or a core factor value, would apply has no existence and is something like a television channel one cannot receive, or even know it exists, as it is not even on the tuning dial.

You, too, will see examples of these rational “black holes” once rational outcome is covered, as areas of completely missing awareness of some rational factor's existence.

I fully expect when you observe rational “vacancy,” and you will find it to be most painful, deeply distressing, and even pitiful. Such needless suffering is always frustrating, especially when it is otherwise intelligent, educated, decent, hard-working folks. To see your loved ones, and/or their children, “crash and burn,” and to do so for lack of a ten-cent part, which is not yet available to all, behooves one to do whatever they can, with whatever they have. One more twist to missing rational concepts is that sometimes, “a part” was not needed prior to something “new” being introduced to the culture.

As you would expect, observation of the need for rational literacy has been part of my personal experience. It is my sorrow, but want to be sure you know about this downside aspect of “knowing,” and ESPECIALLLY to suggest you only offer insight if asked.

If appropriate, do share rational material. Yet, it is seldom helpful to others to tell them what rational literacy might do for them, as one should not give answers to questions the other side has not yet addressed.

One of the rational secrets of life is to focus on asking the right questions. In school it was always a search for the correct answers. So people have a `learned disadvantage' and a reverse grasp of “what it is” that defines their access to greater “comprehension.” The power of rationality flows from the few who frame the questions, the ones the mass of society is primed to answer. On which side of the question-versus-answer equation would you say resides the greatest power?

Rather than volunteer to give unaddressed “advice,” look to how you may bring the rationally illiterate to form the right logical question. You do this by asking them questions: “Why do you feel that is?” “What do you feel is not right?” “What do you feel would make things better?” …And, you get the idea. Just be certain you do not substitute “think” rather the “feel.”

To be helpful, one must “lead” the other person to ask the right question. It is their forming the question that leads to their readiness to at least consider a rational solution over what their emotion “feels.” It does sound a bit esoteric, but I have found it true: “When the student is ready, the teacher will come.”

I also accept that some will never “be ready.” You, too, should accept the reality of comatose “minds,” though what I find personally disturbing is less that person's plight, than knowing their illiterate agenda is often transferred to the next generation.

Rational literacy is becoming more significant in most aspects of the modern citizen's personal life. Whatever yesterday's knowledge requirements, many are irrelevant today; the technology that defined the A.M. radio will not fully define a modern high-definition television.

In today's fast evolving culture, competition between its citizens continues to raise the minimum cognitive requirements for employment, from the top all the way down to the entry level. In particular, today, many minimum wage jobs increasingly require computer literacy, something un-conceived of in the past.

The need for better management of rational outcome is less an option, than a modern form of a survival tool. In addition to career skills, only rational literacy can define specific factors and concepts to naturally give people access to the personal management skills once considered only in the domain of “the gifted.”

No does education, status or “position” indicate an advantage by others over you. From the top, to the first step on life's ladder, to stay relevant, all must add “meanings” to their rational vocabulary.

Were our early Presidents to enter your world, none would have “the word” “broadcasting” as defined in your modern rational vocabulary context; other than something related to spreading seeds, the “word” would be as illuminating to them as their view of the back side of the moon.

Nor would they have any concepts of all that had evolved behind that “broadcasting” word. Television would mystify them, radios bewilder them and electricity would likely frighten them. The concept of all this “coming through the air” may well be the “last straw” causing some to wet their pants.

Even with an awareness of the relevance of today's understandings, one could well ask, why now, why invest time to develop rational literacy?

It would seem to me that, first, it is not lack strength or dedication that defeats people, just current know-how; especially in the realm of rational thought. Consequently, by default, most of our focus is emotionally generated and long proven to be ineffective, particularly beyond the moment.

Second, you can't be static, remain where you are, and prosper; rather you need to stay ahead of the pack. Stand still and you will quickly become irrelevant and, sooner or later, you awake to find you are not in control. As Danielle Kennedy says, “We need to ask ourselves if we are green and growing, or ripe and rotting.”

Today we understand that rational literacy is basic to an acceptable level of rational thought in today's competitive world. We are moving into a period in our evolvement in which rational literacy will become the rule, not the exception.

Just as computer software empowered our world “in an instant,” as measured by history, rational “software” is poised to do the same on a universally personal level. Empowering people with admission to a level of access to rational power once thought reserved to “genius,” to the “exceptional,” and the incorrect assumption that one's intelligence quotient was the determining factor to access the rational process for exceptional outcome.

Another consideration is “what” rational literacy replaces, which is some rather nasty tribal and basic emotional “software” that has limited human potential from early history and, will, to some degree, continue to do so.

The reality is we don't move the prospects of our lives into something better by conquering “things,” but by voiding our ignorance. Without a shadow of a doubt, the highest cost in life is that of ignorance.

Self-understanding and effective personal development is part of a lifelong marathon of evolving, not a sprint; of maturing over the more-common “emotional dash” to next payday.

Looking for the best-known investment on earth? It is in what you know about yourself. Even a minor correction today can create a new future. It is all about know-how, and, today, to a great extent, we “know-how.”

Unfortunately, it takes heartbreak, even despair, to realize that forward motion driven by emotion is not working; it never has, it never will. Why wait to put out yet another “emotional fire,” when you can prevent it with self-knowledge?

The fact is the early patterns of directions you installed during your teenage years form the bulk of your personal “monsters,” created during a period noted for the confusion and lack of available direction. “If I had known then what I know now…” This should be, “If I had known then what we know about how things work now… “

Though we understand more, today, about how our mind works, the problem is making the technology available on a readable level (such as this site) that is accessible to all. (As to “readable”… I presently lack funding to have needed help with editing and such. Yet I am certain enough of you will realize the need and grant the funding to improve this site, as well as expand this service. For whatever reason, I cannot easily find my errors and get the thoughts down as well. So please excuse my boo-boos, it will get better.)

For the most part, we are still predominately emotional beings that “just happen” to be able to quantify rationally, and, most especially, pass our accumulated knowledge to future generations through language and rational terms.

Least you mistake this as a “rational age,” this is still a time when it is acceptable for your emotions to stand you in front of the mirror, and insist the mirror stop making them look bad. This is also a time, when many are moving beyond servitude dominated by purely emotional “standards,” to understand each of us is incredibly valuable, especially to the degree we factor rational outcome.

Once more: You either master rational context, or you will spend your life serving people who do, and serving them at a discount based upon your labor time. Success in life is less circumstance than rational prowess.

While we are all unique and irreplaceable, whatever our worth as a rationally enabled entity, the degree of ignorance in rational context subtracts from that value.

Self-understanding from a rational perspective empowers in profound ways. In our world, rational knowledge is the ultimate power and everything else follows it.

Power is action. Action springs from the confidence of rationally knowing the outcome, thus the confidence to act.