V.
VALUES has to do with "what is considered worthwhile, useful, important". Korzybski formulated general semantics as a General Theory of Values. For our own wellbeing, and in terms of the sanity and survival of the species, it is important that we choose values that serve us well. Some general semantics values include principles of non-identity, non-allness, non-additivity, non-elementalism, consciousness of abstracting, etc.

VARIABLE…Is defined as "a symbol that can represent any one of a set of values". Each one of us experience things differently; and we value different things. (Remember that values has to do with what we consider important, useful worthwhile, etc.) Things change. We are not the same from one day to the next: We can think of every thing, including ourselves, as variables. When we are aware that we value things differently and value different things, this awareness helps us to better understand ourselves, others, and situations we find ourselves in. When we are aware that each one of us bring our own experience, our hopes, fears, training, skills, cultural conditioning, and so on, to a situation, we might realize that we cannot help but give different values. This awareness that each one of us gives our own values to the variables of Universe can help us better avoid and manage stress, improve our communication skills, become better planners, be less dogmatic, and be more open to new and other ideas. It can help us minimize conflicts and disagreeableness. When we think in terms of variables, we develop more creative approaches to thinking about and understanding things.

VISUALIZATION. Words often sabotage our evaluations. We can complement our words with visualization. With visualization we see things in terms of relationships. We see things from a structural point of viewing. With visualization we see things from different perspectives. Visualizing helps us to give more values to the variables of situations. With more values to the variables of situations, we can make better maps.

A… ABSTRACT…AWARE…ATTENTIVE…ALERT…APPLY…ADJUSTMENT…ADVANCEMENT…
To develop consciousness of abstracting, we need to train ourselves in "conscious abstracting". To advance as individuals; to develop consciousness of abstracting; to adjust ourselves to the ups and downs of living; to see word, labels, names, definitions, and classifications, maps, etc., as not the same, but different from the things we talk about, or label, or name, or classify, or map, we need to be alert and attentive to what we are thinking-feeling, saying, and doing. With higher levels of awareness we can better evaluate our thoughts and actions and make more appropriate adjustments for improvements. Here is a little formula I value a great deal: My self-improvement is a function of my self-correction. My self-correction is a function of my self-awareness. We benefit from general semantics when we apply general semantics principles as ABMs…attitudinal and behavioral modifiers. I believe that if we want to advance to higher stages of personal development, we have to be alert, and we have to be attentive to what we are doing, and how we do what we do, so that we can general semantically address the effects of millions of instances of cultural conditioning.

S… SYMBOLS…SCIENCE…SANITY…SURVIVAL…SPEAKING…SET…SPIRIT…

SYMBOLS. We live in neuro-linguistic, and neuro-semantic environments. We live in a world of words and meanings. We are symbol creators and symbol users. If we don't learn how to rule our symbols, especially our own words and the words of others…our words and symbols will rule us. Korzybski was concerned with the sanity of the species. He proposed that in the methods of modern science there are factors of sanity to be tested empirically. We can think of general semantics as "generalized science". We can study the methods and apply them to everyday situations. One of the most important aspects of a scientific approach has to do with revision. In science, what's going on in our 'heads'-our theories, are revised in the light of new information. In everyday situations we tend to defend our ideas, our feelings about things, our beliefs, our values, etc., verbally, and sometimes violently. General semantics also involves speaking about speaking and thinking about thinking. Our words reflect our thoughts. We behave following the way we think. We tend to 'see' situations, and respond to ourselves, others and situations based on the way we think and talk about things…And vice versa. I believe that one of the most effective ways to practice general semantics involves being attentive to the way we speak.

SET. A set is defined as any collection whatsoever…with specific rules as to what will be considered members of a particular set. From the diverse entities of Universe, we create our own collections. We each create our own sets. And we make up our own rules as to what and who will qualify as members of our sets. As sets tends to be exclusive, there is great potential for clashes since we live in one world--and the rules we make up for membership in our individual sets will affect members of the sets of others. If I consider a fetus as a member of the set of persons, with rights, I will be offended by abortion. If I make the word "nigger" a member of the set of terms I find offensive, I will react accordingly. If I think all nations should belong to the set "democratic", some will resent this inclusion.

SPIRIT…Many students of general semantics avoid the word "spiritual" as not being scientific or even deny the existence of anything "spiritual". In Manhood of Humanity Korzybski wrote " Though this book has been written with scrupulous care to avoid words or terms of vague meaning-and though it often may seem coldly critical of things metaphysical, it has not been written with indifference to that great, perhaps the greatest, urge of the human heart---craving for the higher potentialities of that which we call "mind", "soul', and "spirit"…I do many things to nourish my spirit. I enjoy watching little babies. I enjoy trees and clouds and things I find beautiful. I like to hear little children singing. I enjoy seeing someone doing a good job and enjoying themselves. Curiosity elevates my spirit. If I might ask: What do you do to nourish your spirit?

ST. STANDARD…STRUCTURE…SELF-THERAPY…
The word "structure" is one of the few in the language with which we can form a sentence without additional words. "Structures structure structures." This suggests to me the wide applicability and potential value of this term. The quality of our living involves the way we structure-map situations.

STRUCTURE involves order and relationships. As far as we know everything is related.
Korzybski proposed that structure is the only content of knowledge. We don't know anything directly…not even ourselves. What we claim to know involves relationships. Relationships between whatever is going on, transmission of information, the processing of this information, relationships to other things, etc. For our sanity, we need match the structure of our language with the structures of our world. We would benefit greatly by understanding the structure of our thinking-processes…presently described as mainly "Aristotelian" (two valued, either/or, elementalistic, additive, etc.) STANDARD. We use clocks, tapes, scales, etc. as standards, reference points, etc. We can think of the structural differential, as a general semantics evaluation standard, a model, against which we can compare-measure our thinking, feeling, attitude, evaluations, in terms of identification, allness, elementalism, etc. As with clocks and tapes, when we abide by agreed on standards, this minimizes conflicts and disagreeableness.

SELF THERAPY
We can use general semantics principles to transform ourselves to higher levels of being through conscious time-binding.

TIME…TIME-binding…THEORY…TRANSCENDENCE…TRANSFORMATION…TOOL…
We respect a Universe of change when we date our ideas, feelings, beliefs, conclusions, judgments, and so on. Through applying general semantics principles we can become more conscious time-binders. We can think of the whole system of general semantics as an elaboration of the time-binding mechanism. With the general semantics time-binding principles as our tool, we can transcend our mainly primitive ways of thinking about things, and develop more feelings of interconnectedness and interdependence, and transform our lives. Through conscious time-binding we can make better progress in whatever we choose, based on a method. With a method we have a tool for improvement. We complement our dependence on gut feelings, trial and error, intuition, etc. When we have a method we are conscious of, we can make changes to this method when it no longer works for us.

THEORY
We can apply a theoretical approach to anything we think and do. This makes sense when we attend to the factor that we don't know all about anything. With a theoretical approach we are more open to corrections, and more prepared for changes in the light of new information. With a theoretical approach we are not as devastated and disappointed when our plans and expectations, are not met. When our theories are not confirmed this tells us something about how Universe works. But we don't always listen. For our sanity sake, to live less stressful, more creative, more satisfying lives, I think it of great value for us to work with Universe and appreciate its structures rather than expect Universe to fit our notions, beliefs, and expectations and culturally conditioned ways of thinking.

My two most favorite general semantics principle are the calculus and relative invariance under transformation. The calculus is a very powerful scientific and psychological tool .The calculus can be applied to the immeasurably small and immensely large. Like general semantics, I think of it as vast. Generalized, the calculus is about being incrementally attentive to changing relationships. Korzybski wrote that he could not have developed general semantics without the calculus. The calculus and consciousness of abstracting are closely related. If we remember that while awake we are constantly abstracting, then the more instances of awareness in any given situation the more chances we have to be conscious of our abstracting. When we are very closely aware, this approaches what has been called meditation.

R.I.U.T. I also see this principle as "vast". If we accept that no two things are identical, we appreciate structural similarities. We say "This (whatever this happens to be) is somewhat like that - whatever that might be. We live in a human world of metaphors. If the word is not the thing-process it is used to represent, we could think of language in general as metaphorical. With this principle we see similarities in differences and differences in similarities. Without some processes based on this principle, rules, laws, learning, expectations, movement, theories, predictions, record industry, and so on, might not be possible. We would make no plans, decisions, etc., if we did not expect a certain degree of invariance in the environment. Our lives and relationships would be of a very different order.

In closing I have to say this: It seems to me the vastness of general semantics as a set of psychological tools we can use to improve our ways of being human, is not yet appreciated to any significant or influential degree. One can only hope.