Gibson notes prior to 1971

Any emotional (sentimental) involvement in an interpersonal relationship is a disintegrative situation.

Impersonal: objective.

Impersonal: non-sentimental, objective. "I don't know what ought to be, therefore I am not entitled, I have no rights and am free to use my head."

Interpersonal: sentimental, subjective - "I know what ought to be, therefore I am entitled and I have rights, I must change things, including you, into what ought to be."

When I know how other people ought to be (or do),  I am incapable of an objective impersonal relationship.

 
Respecter of persons - being involved with, identified with, "What will people think?" Etc. would result in an unreliable individual incapable of having an impersonal relationship.

A respecter of persons has to be sentimental. A non-respecter of persons can live without conflict, struggle, and resistance, without sentimentality.

Sentimentality is a form of control over human beings.

In an impersonal relationship, we see each person as they are without needing to change anyone.

Can we live an impersonal life? We must. An interpersonal life brings about death. The only time we make something important, we feel we know what ought to be, and are therefore entitled to have it the way we want it (have our own way, by right).

We are free to work to change what doesn't appeal to our taste. We may experiment and cultivate our own abilities. We are incapable of changing other people but we can experiment. We are not entitled to change people to meet our standards.

Teaching idea 315

As long as we blame the environment we have given the environment authority over us.

Teaching idea #291

This world is our initiation. If we could see this, we would not want to change anything. It is our opportunity to see the truth and wake up.

Teaching idea #251

When we get to the point that we don't react. we agree rather than defend, we have passed the third degree.

Teaching idea #250

The people who cause a commotion in our life are called the degree team. When we don't want to change anything, we have a peaceful mind and then can have a higher mind.

Teaching idea #247

Everything in the conditioned picture of man is hypnotism. All our work is to get out of this hypnotic trance.

Teaching idea #245

If I don't have to be safe, I have no fear.