The Catalyst is not Consumed

July 16, 2013 — #ancestors #archetypes # insight #history, archetype, catalyst

The catalyst archetype is rare  in human personalities. Intuition plays a key role in the transformative power of this person.  Intense scrutiny and focus is the special realm of the human catalyst.   Rebels can be catalysts, but there are a few different kinds. The American Heritage Dictionary defines the word:

1. Chemistry. A substance, usually used in small amounts relative to the reactants, that modifies and increases the rate of a reaction without being consumed in the process.
2. One that precipitates a process or event, especially without being involved in or changed by the consequences: “A free press … has remained … a vital catalyst to an informed and responsible electorate” (Robert O’Neal).

To modify or increase rate of reaction without being consumed is no small feat. Most folks who go out intentionally to make big change in the world burn out and are consumed in the process.  I am not such a person.  I am a true catalyst.  My view is basically not in line with the views of those who surround me; often it is diametrically opposed.  Infiltration is the key to changing anything.  The only time I sincerely burned out and quit as an agent of change was when I infiltrated the VA as a volunteer to improve health care for vets.  That was just too much for me.  My specialty as a catalyst is as a mendacity meter. People lie all the time, and I am very sensitive to the common practice.  I am gifted with a very accurate sensor that detects dishonesty of all kinds. This is neither a blessing nor a curse.   It is my unique talent that I am somehow obligated to use for the betterment of mankind.  We catalysts have a moral obligation to avoid snark because, tempting as it may be, outing people is not usually beneficial to anyone.

People lie for many reasons. I find that usually they fail to tell the truth because they have no knowledge or training in the truth. If brainwashing works, then the victim believes what has been inculcated.  As I review my life I clearly notice a strong tendency to spy/rebel/teach, as a cycle.  I love infiltration for no reason:I enjoy the feeling of being a foreign object in a strange culture, incognito…I almost never go for status quo ….and I fill my teaching with subversive messages I hope will be released into the students’ brains as a constant reminder to do due diligence and individuate. I have a mission to tell the truth, but in a helpful way.  Not everything that is true needs to be said, but when it does I am ready to say it.  This blog is my channel to put this gift to the highest and best use.  Thanks to all the gentle readers who give me this opportunity.