The World Is a Description of the World: The Psychology and Mythology of Management

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The World Is Description of the World. A Look at Models.

“A lie can be less false than an artfully chosen truth.”

Edmond Rostand

The world is a description of the world. Everyone knows this (or at least suspects it). But often we simply do not think about it.

Meanwhile, when casting a curse, it is not necessary to show the interlocutor real nightmares — it is enough to describe that they exist. Nor is it necessary for “enemies of the people” to actually exist in a state — it is enough for the population to believe in the existence of those “enemies.” Truth is what people believe…

A Seminar on Ericksonian Hypnosis

A seminar on Ericksonian hypnosis was taking place, and the seminar leader decided to illustrate the idea that the world is a description of the world in the following way.

A cassette was inserted into a tape recorder. Ecstatic cries and howls of a crowd of spectators are heard. Then a musical theme begins.
(We will try to convey the leader’s story as close to the original as possible.)

“Imagine a huge football stadium. In the center of the stadium there is a podium where a rock band is positioned. All the seats in the stands are occupied by a frenzied crowd of spectators. The spectators’ appearance matches their behavior: they are all dressed in rags.

Everyone — men and women alike — have long, disheveled hair. They are all drunk, injected, stoned, and behave accordingly.

The musicians, matching the spectators, are just as dirty, shaggy, and strangely dressed. They have all managed to inject themselves and smoke marijuana. So they play “every man for himself.” But the spectators do not seem to notice. They become increasingly frantic.

Then a creature appears on the podium that later turns out to be a singer. It is no wonder we cannot immediately determine the creature’s gender: the singer has not washed for about two weeks. In addition, the alcohol and drugs she regularly takes have done their work: at just over twenty years old, she looks about fifty.

The singer begins to sing, and here the most terrible thing is revealed: she cannot sing. Her hoarse voice clearly indicates that she has been treating her vocal cords with whiskey and cigars for a long time. Moreover, when singing, it is customary to draw out vowel sounds (children learn this at school in singing lessons). But the singer draws out consonants. For a long time I could not find anything to compare this voice to, and then I found this image: a cat has not been fed for a week, then it was pinched in a door and doused with boiling water. It is screaming because it is in pain. But it cannot scream loudly because it has no strength…”

(The song plays. Expressions of undisguised disgust appear on the participants’ faces. Looking at some, one might think that in a moment they will vomit. The song continues. The narrator continues, but his tone changes.)

“… Although I should note that, despite their altered state, the musicians play not so badly; they manage their task. Moreover, they seem to catch the mood of the audience. And if you listen carefully to the singer’s voice, you begin to notice that it has a certain melodious quality. And she does not draw out all consonants, only “m” and “n.”

I have long tried to understand the appealing power of this voice, and suddenly I realized: it is the voice of a woman in the state of orgasm. The same low, hoarse, and intermittent…”

(The song continues, the same song. But all the seminar participants behave differently. The expression of disgust has disappeared from their faces. Now their faces show rather interest. And some even genuine admiration. They perceive the same song, the same voice differently. Completely differently.)

“… Yes, it is she: the great Janis Joplin, who died at twenty‑three from a drug overdose, as was fashionable then…”

(Everyone. Every single participant now reacts to what they heard differently. What changed? Objectively, the event remained the same. What changed was the description of that event.)

Thus. The world is a description of the world. This phrase is attributed both to Ludwig Wittgenstein and to Carlos Castaneda (Tales of Power). So we are not sure who said it first…

Alexander Kotlyachkov has a cycle of short stories united by a common theme: the world is its description. The cycle is called “True Stories.” Let us present two stories that, for some reason, are the most popular.

True Stories

“The biggest lie is truth misunderstood.”

William James

First Story

A young man from a very well‑known, wealthy, and rather respectable family entered one of the country’s most prestigious educational institutions¹. He studied together with exceptionally gifted children, and the teachers did everything possible to enable the students to fully realize their creative potential.

However, the young man did not particularly burden himself with studies. He studied extremely inconsistently, paying no attention to the core subjects². His main hobby was reading erotic literature, which certainly left a deep imprint on his entire subsequent life³.

After graduating, unlike his classmates, he did not even try to find a permanent job and lived mainly at his parents’ expense. He became fond of playing cards for money, and besides, he was partial to women of easy virtue and alcoholic beverages⁴. He earned money for card games through occasional odd jobs.

Quite late he started a family, marrying a woman much younger than himself, as a result of which he felt jealous of her⁵. Thanks to family connections, he managed to obtain a certain position, but he was dissatisfied with it because he considered himself far more worthy⁶. This may have been facilitated by the fact that almost all his classmates occupied very prominent posts in the civil service. Some of them became generals, and some even ministers⁷.

And it is quite likely that this feeling led the young man to almost embark on a path of high treason⁸. He was saved only by his being overly superstitious, like, perhaps, other people lacking a firm life position. And it was superstition that helped him avoid participating in a crime aimed at undermining the foundations of statehood, which would certainly have ended in a long prison sentence⁹.

This man did not think at all that his classmates had achieved their prominent social positions thanks to determination and constant hard work, whereas he himself was ready to work mainly only to pay off card debts and cover the expenses of an idle lifestyle.

The story of this man ended quite sadly. In a fit of jealousy, he attempted to kill his young wife’s alleged lover, but was killed himself¹⁰. The law enforcement authorities, having studied the case file, tried to hush up the incident, and they did so quite successfully¹¹. From this we see where the absence of clear life goals and firm moral principles can lead.

The instructive story of this man is known to practically everyone in Russia.

His name was… Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.

Facts from the life of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin

¹ Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum.

² For example, Sasha Pushkin received the lowest mark in mathematics.

³ “… He read Apuleius eagerly, but did not read Cicero.”

⁴ “… When again we sit the four of us with whores, wine, and chibouks” (from the poem “May 27, 1818”).

⁵ Natalya Nikolaevna Goncharova.

⁶ The rank of Kammerjunker at court corresponded to the rank of captain in the army.

⁷ For example, Ivan Ivanovich Pushchin (1798–1859) was a judge at the Moscow Court of Justice.

⁸ The Decembrist uprising on Senate Square in 1825.

⁹ According to contemporary accounts, A. S. Pushkin did not end up on Senate Square because, while traveling to St. Petersburg, he encountered, in his words, a bad omen (according to one version, a hare crossed his path). The same I. I. Pushchin was sentenced to death for participating in the December uprising, which was commuted to lifelong hard labor.

¹⁰ In 1837, A. S. Pushkin was mortally wounded in a duel with 25‑year‑old Georges Charles de Heeckeren d’Anthès.

¹¹ d’Anthès received no criminal punishment and died in 1895 at the age of 83.

Second Story

This man was born in a small town into a family of fairly modest and respectable people¹². From childhood he dreamed of only one thing – to become an artist. Unfortunately, his parents did not have sufficient means for him to study properly¹³. So the young man, while pursuing painting, lived a half‑starved, half‑destitute existence¹⁴.

He was not without talent as a painter, but he had no idea how to sell. Therefore, art dealers usually cheated him. It should be noted that today his paintings can only be purchased by very wealthy collectors. When war broke out, he was drafted into the army¹⁵, where a terrible tragedy befell him. During one battle, he lost his sight¹⁶. For an artist, this was simply terrible. Then, having practically lost the meaning of life, the young man turned to God and made a vow that if his sight returned, he would achieve success as an artist.

And, wonder of wonders, his sight returned! The war ended, and the young man made every effort to fully realize his talent, but, as often happens in life with talented people, he was deceived again and again. And despite colossal efforts, he remained the same impoverished artist.

Then the young man promised himself to dedicate his life to the struggle for justice¹⁷. Thanks to his exceptional personal qualities, he managed to rally around him many people devoted to the common cause. He proved himself a brilliant orator, a smart and talented leader¹⁸. Many loved him, but those with whom he fought hated him. His merits helped him rise to the head of a large organization¹⁹. And perhaps, if not for a tragic incident, this man could have achieved even more.

During the combat operations in which he found himself, unwilling to surrender, he took his own life, preferring death to captivity²⁰. The enraged enemies never managed to find his body, and therefore many of his comrades‑in‑arms long maintained the belief that he was alive²¹. Many still remember him.

This man’s last name was Schicklgruber (he entered history as Adolf Hitler).

There were several other versions. According to one, Hitler – alive and well – was transferred to South America by submarine “U‑977” under the command of Heinz Schäffer. According to another version, this submarine delivered the remains of the Führer and his wife to New Swabia, located in Antarctica, in Queen Maud Land, where they were buried in an ice cave, along with other Nazi relics. Neither version has ever received official confirmation, but many supporters of fascism continued to believe in them for a long time.

Facts from the life of Adolf Schicklgruber (Hitler)

¹² Adolf Schicklgruber (Hitler) was born on April 20, 1889, in the Austrian town of Braunau am Inn, near the German border. His father, Alois Schicklgruber, was a modest customs official; his mother, Klara Pölzl, had previously been a servant in the household of his first wife.

¹³ In October 1907, 18‑year‑old Adolf applied to the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts but was not accepted. In the examiners’ opinion, his drawings were technically accurate but completely lifeless. He was advised not to pursue painting, but he continued to draw.

¹⁴ From 1909 to 1913, Adolf lived in Vienna practically as a vagrant, sleeping in shelters, eating charitable soup. “Hunger was my faithful bodyguard; it never left me for a second and took part in everything I did…” (A. Hitler, Mein Kampf).

¹⁵ At the beginning of World War I, he petitioned King Ludwig III of Bavaria to be allowed to join the army. He was assigned to the 16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment, recruited from student volunteers. He served as a dispatch runner. Over four years of war, he participated in 47 battles and was wounded twice. He received the Iron Cross 2nd Class in December 1914 and the Iron Cross 1st Class (a rare award for an ordinary soldier) in August 1918.

¹⁶ A month before the end of the war, he was severely poisoned by mustard gas used by the British and temporarily lost his sight.

¹⁷ In 1919, he joined the German Workers’ Party and soon became a member of its executive committee. In the summer of 1920, he insisted on renaming the party to the National Socialist German Workers’ Party. By the summer of 1921, he became its leader. At that time, the famous “Heil Hitler!” greeting also appeared.

¹⁸ From the early 1920s, he took regular lessons in oratory and mass psychology from Erik Jan Hanussen (real name Herschel Steinschneider), an astrologer and fortune‑teller. It is believed that Hanussen taught Hitler hypnosis and the art of dramatic mass suggestion.

¹⁹ On January 30, 1933, A. Hitler was proclaimed Chancellor of Germany. On August 1, 1934, he became Führer and Chancellor, merging the offices of President and Chancellor and concentrating legislative, executive, and judicial power in his hands. In 1938, he became Supreme Commander.

²⁰ On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler and his wife Eva Braun committed suicide. In his political testament, A. Hitler stated: “My wife and I choose death in order to escape the disgrace of defeat and capitulation…”

²¹ According to his political testament, the bodies of A. Hitler and E. Braun were cremated. According to the official version, their remains were found with difficulty, and forensic examination confirmed their identity.

The most interesting thing about these stories is that they are true from beginning to end. And they are documented. Yet it is a particular description that creates a particular impression of a given person. The same can be done not only for people but also for events. Everything depends on the point of view.

Any phenomenon is ambivalent in its essence. Recall the classic example: a glass of water may be half empty or half full. The fascist invaders did not consider themselves invaders. They considered themselves liberators and went to fight against world imperialism and Stalinism. They went to fight under a red (!) banner. And they called themselves, by the way, socialists. Therefore, to understand the essence of a phenomenon (or a person), one must examine it from all sides.

As applied to the theme of our article, however, it is the opposite. One can take a phenomenon and examine it from the side one needs. Incomplete, one‑sided information makes it possible to create a myth. Makes it possible to create a legend. A legend according to which a hero can appear as a villain, and a villain as a hero.

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