Meritocracy,

 

A meritocracy is a system that is based on merit,  intelligence or talent, but not on other factors, such as race, gender, popularity or wealth. Education is a meritocracy by function, as only those, who had the highest test scores graduate cum laude, with praise, magna cum laude, with great praise or summa cum laude, with the highest honor. Although I have never achieved my AA-Degree, BA-Degree, my MA-Degree or my MS-Degree with such academic distinction, in the light of what is happening in the world today, I find, that my formulation of what I would call the Psychology of Language – consisting of our Disembodied Language (DL), our Embodied Language (EL) and our Language Enlightenment (LE) – deserves, not only a Ph.D., the highest form of academic recognition, but also the summa cum laude for my exceptional achievement.

 

Nowadays, meritocracy is considered to be a form of white supremacy, as arrogant, woke-tenured professors, as well as the overpaid-administrators of universities and colleges, tell their students that awarding them for excellence and accomplishment is very wrong, because, presumably, it has something to do with being in favor of a white, superior, privileged race, which wants to dominate society, at the exclusion or detriment of other racial or ethnic groups. Yes, it doesn’t even matter anymore, whether you happen to be a brilliant Asian student, with 4.64 GPA, because now, you too, are seen as a threat to those victims, who play the race-card, who didn’t do as well as you did and, so you can’t enroll in any of our prestigious institutions or get certain jobs, as it would hurt someone’s phony feelings. This surreal, disastrous and, unfortunately, fast-spreading development, is the inevitable outcome of our involvement in DL.

 

What is most astonishing about the adversaries of meritocracy, is that, according to them, meritocracy is racist, because not everyone has the same access to opportunity. However, from my point of view – as someone, who is capable of expressing and enjoying his LE with his EL, in spite of the problematic truth, that almost everyone engages in DL – everyone has equal access to EL, but nobody uses this possibility. Regardless how powerful, well-educated, popular or talented anyone may be, nobody is better, nobody has a greater ability, to achieve EL than anyone else.  

 

All levels of power, in the United States, as well as everywhere else, around the world – government, finance, education, news, religion, popular culture – are, and have always been, in the hands of those who engage in DL. In other words, right-wing and left-wing voters, communists and capitalists, but also, the oppressors as well the oppressed, the educated and the uneducated, those who excel, who, presumably, have great merit, and those who, supposedly, never achieved anything of any importance have one thing in common, which is DL. We have never even talked about this, because it takes an exceptionally talented, courageous and articulate person, like me, to address this humungous issue. I do agree somewhat with the enemies of meritocracy, as my achievement was never acknowledged by anyone of any importance in academia. Yet, I don’t view myself as a victim, but as a victor, because the very notion of meritocracy has nothing to do with DL, as it derived from our few, brief, sane, realistic moments of EL.

 

Why do we only experience rare moments of verbal excellence? It is because our DL seldom if ever stops and because EL can only happen, after our DL has been stopped. Usually, our DL is stopped, if we are enthralled with someone’s ability to perform this or that way. We all get carried away by actors, by athletes, by writers, by public speakers, just to name a few, but we never become fully engaged in our own language, because threatening, distracting and, thus, negative feelings, prevent us from embodying our language. We only engage in EL, if we feel safe to do so, when we are alone and speak out loud with ourselves and calmly listen to ourselves. Our EL is not a debate, an argument, a struggle, to get the attention from some audience, but a revelation of our nature, that is, the full expression of our LE.

 

Meritocracy is not, as people, who haven’t explored the great difference between DL and EL, are inclined to believe, a conservative belief, but a consequence of the natural order of things. Only the most skilled, the most capable, the most knowledgeable, the most experienced and the happiest, should lead the way in every society, but we all know this is not the case, because we all, unknowingly, engage in DL. Until now, meritocracy hasn’t resulted in EL, but if I get a chance, to present the difference between DL and EL, it will be very clear, that EL, is meritocratic, as it would lift up everyone, to a better way of life.  

 

The importance of meritocracy – of the belief that we should only be rewarded or held in high esteem for our ability and skill, to produce something beneficial, useful, helpful or needed – is currently abandoned, not because people don’t have equal opportunity, but, precisely, because people do have equal opportunity, to engage in EL, while everyone,  mechanically, stubbornly, superficially, still engages in DL. Stated differently, with regard to meritocracy, we have yet to talk the talk and walk the walk. We have never spoken EL, the language of meritocracy.

 

If we, because of my insistence, begin to finally have EL, it will be very clear, it is always only in DL, that a person’s actions contradict what he or she is saying. This difference between what someone is saying and doing, is based on the lie – which is created and maintained by our DL – that saying isn’t action. In DL, what we say is hot air, which signifies in-action, posturing and pretending. Phrases like, all bark and no bite, putting one’s money where one’s mouth is or, the famous, actions speak louder than words, are references to our DL, which is our common way of talking, which determines, how we deal with our  language, as if it isn’t action. My blog, signifies my action regarding my understanding about DL and EL, which, of course, is the expression of my LE. If you would let me tell you about it, I will show it to you.   

 

Meritocracy is common sense, in that it emphasizes the idea, that success should be earned through one’s own efforts and abilities. However, there is a great difference in success, as expressed by our own personal experiences and, success, in terms of how others view, agree with, praise, and validate our actions. Moreover, due to our DL, we are incapable of acknowledging each other’s personal success and that is why we overemphasize success, in terms of whether others approve of our actions. Also, with your DL, you robotically, involuntarily, necessarily disapprove of my success, which, of course, is my LE. Meritocracy – success, according to institutional approval, that is, in the eyes of others – based on DL, happened always at the expense of our personal success, but meritocracy, which is based on our own individual experience, with EL, is a new possibility.