The Synthesis Test – Analysis, Part V
Question Thirty-One Suppose a man kidnapped your daughter and raped and killed her, but was later repentant. If he called you into his cell and, kneeling at your feet in tears, begged your forgiveness, what would you tell him?
(a) I could not forgive him.
(b) I would think about it.
(c) I would try to forgive him.
(d) I would forgive him.
This will be about the most difficult question to answer dispassionately. Many will say that the answer they want to give is not offered here, but in reality your attitude will have to fall in one of the categories included. A person may have other feelings, but we are not dealing with feelings, we are dealing with forgiveness. Thus, if one wants the man punished to the full extent of the law, it has no bearing on the question. Even if he is forgiven, the law will still take care of the punishment. A Synthesizer will be a basically forgiving person and try to follow the example of Christ on the cross: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
(a) Again, whoever says this is at least being honest, but should examine the importance of forgiveness. “He who does not forgive is guilty fo the greater sin.” A lack of forgiveness is one of the greatest hindrances to spiritual progression there is.
(b) A large percentage would have this reaction, but this is not admirable enough for a positive score.
(c) Few people would even go so far as too tell the man that they would try to forgive him, so we rate this a positive ten.
(d) Two types of people will give this answer. One is the person who is truly forgiving. The other is he who does not understand himself or his own reactions. This second type of person would actually be the last to forgive. To make sure you have answered this accurately, it is recommended that you show the three people closest to you the question and your answer, and ask them if they think it is accurate. If two out of three agree, then score yourself fifteen points.
If you find yourself wanting to take full vengeance on the man, then obviously you could not forgive him completely. Christ did not call down the legions of angels to slay those who crucified him. If you feel that the man is still dangerous to the public, perhaps because he cannot control himself, then one is justified in wanting him put away, but since the man is in a repentant state, he obviously does not want to repeat his crime.
Question Thirty-Two: If you had just gone through a bitter divorce, wherein your spouse had tried to legally prevent you from ever seeing the children again, how would you handle future confrontations with this person? (a) I would be friendly, as though my spouse had done me no wrong. (b) I would not want to see this person again. (c) I would try to hurt him or her back.
This is another question wherein honesty is a factor. Again we test the forgiving attitude. (a) is, of course, the best answer.
Question Thirty-Three: Which would you choose if you had to pick one?
(a) A happy marriage (b) To see my children become the type of persons I hoped they would become. (c) To become a success in life (d) An opportunity to bring happiness to millions of people.
It should be obvious that (d) is the best answer. Now the question is, are you answering it honestly. If you truly want to bring happiness to millions of people above all else, is that what you are currently putting your major efforts towards? Over 99% of the populace are putting their major effort in the other categories. Remember, the reason for the question is not to test you to see if you can pick the best answer, but to see if you are the best answer.
It is best to emulate the example of Jesus: “While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. When one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” Matt. 12:46-50. If we can look upon mankind as Christ did, then we can be true Synthesizers.
Question Thirty-Four: Do you pick up hitchhikers?
(a) Never
(b)Sometimes.
Having done some hitchhiking myself, I have had a first hand look at the type of people who pick them up. They are almost all good-hearted, generous people of goodwill. No one picks up all hitchhikers on the road, but a true Synthesizer will feel empathy toward those less fortunate travelers than himself and pick them up once in a while. If you feel that you would only pick one up if you felt inspired or if you knew one was in trouble, that isn’t good enough for a (b) answer. For a (b) answer, you should have a past record of picking some up. (Note from the year 2021: Hitchhikers are pretty rare these days so there is not much opportunity to help them, but there were a lot of them when I was younger)
Question Thirty-Five: What is your reaction toward beggars? (a) Ignore them. They should get a job.
(b) Give to them when possible.
Again, we test your generosity and goodwill. Many people feel that all beggars are leeches on society and that they are in that situation because of their own fault and that helping them only encourages them to beg more. I find that many of those who proclaim the loudest of their belief in the Bible are the last to obey the injunction of the Master: “Give to him that asketh thee.” Matt. 5:42. It is true that one may find reason after reason for not helping a person who is down and out, such as: “He’ll just spend it on booze.” “He’s probably making a lot of money doing it.” “Giving just encourages more begging.” “He won’t appreciate it.”
These same people may be the first to help the rich old lady up the street shovel her snow, as long as she is a member of their religion, so they can broadcast the good deed among their friends.
If you merely are willing to give to a beggar when a great stroke of inspiration from heaven hits you or when you know it is a matter of life and death, this is not enough. If you want to know if you deserve the (b) answer, examine your past life. What percentage of the times you have been approached by someone begging for money did you give? If you have given around 25% or more of the times you were asked, or when you were able, then you may deserve some points. Otherwise answer (a).
Question Thirty-Six: What is your reaction toward religious people (of a religion different from yours) who knock on your door wanting to give you a message? (a) Slam the door in their face. (b) Politely tell them I am not interested. (c) Give them a few minutes of my time and then tell them I am not interested. (d) Listen to them and also share my philosophy with them.
Having knocked on over 5,000 doors in the name of a religion a lifetime ago when I was a young LDS missionary, I have a firsthand knowledge of the typical reaction of the public. The average person is completely closed-minded and wants to get rid of you as soon as possible. About one out of ten will slam the door in your face or a semblance thereof. About 80% will politely tell you they are not interested. The remainder fit in categories (c) and (d). Even many of those who listen do it out of courtesy and not because they are open-minded. Some are merely afraid of offending you. Very few are willing to listen and share philosophy or theology. If you answered this (d), ask yourself what your reaction was to the last ten religious people who knocked on your door. How many did you invite inside? Even if you do not agree with them, you might remember that a little courtesy is like an oasis in a desert to them. If you have not actually entertained these people periodically, then you should not answer (d).
Question Thirty-Seven: When Jesus comes again:
(a) People will have to obey him and recognize his authority or be destroyed. (b) People will be free to reject his rule and still remain on the earth.
(a) The authoritarian “Obey or else” type of person will select this one.
(b) Those with more tolerance, which is the mark of the Synthesizer, will choose this. Furthermore, the scriptures support this answer.
Thirty-Eight: Mohammed claimed he received visitations from the angel Gabriel. How do you look upon this claim (If you are not a Muslim)?
(a) It could not be the same Gabriel who appeared to Mary the mother of Jesus. (b) It is possible it could be the same angel. (c) I do not believe in angels.
(b) scores the highest here, for the Synthesizer, realizing that God works through many different religions would be open to the possibility of Gabriel visiting someone outside of the Christian faith.
Question Thirty-Nine: If you knew you had only $10.03 in the bank and you received a statement showing that you had a balance of $1003.00, you would: (a) Tell the bank about the error.
(b) Keep the money. The bank wouldn’t miss it. (c) Not sure I could resist the temptation.
Honesty is a virtue for all classes of people, so obviously (a) is the best answer. (c) gets two points because one would have to be fairly honest with himself to choose this one. Perhaps some of those who marked (a) should have marked (c).
Question Forty: What is your attitude toward painful emotional hurts and experiences of the past?
(a) I do not like to be reminded of them, as I seem to relive the pain. (b) It does not bother me to think back on them, or to talk about them.
The Synthesizer is not controlled by his feelings, or the feeling world, but by the mind and intuition. Thus he has the ability to look upon painful experiences in the past with detachment. Let us take an example of the emotional reaction: A young couple is in love and they have a favorite song they play over and over as they gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes.
Without notice the man becomes attracted to another woman and ruthlessly jilts his loved one. The young lady is very upset and depressed over her lost love, but she gradually adjusts and acquires another boyfriend. He invites her over to his place for a romantic evening and a charming atmosphere seems to be created. Suddenly the stereo plays the song that was “their song” and she breaks down and cries and wants to leave. He is at a loss to understand what is wrong, for she does not want to talk about it –”it hurts too much.”
Another example: A woman is raped while staying in a particular motel. From this point on she never wants to stay in any motel again, even if it is particularly safe, and she cannot bear to enter the motel in which she was raped even with an armed guard.
Third example: A little boy is run over by a bright yellow car. The car does not stop, but peels away at great speed and the driver is never apprehended. The little boy’s father had a bright yellow car, but now he cannot stand the sight of it because it reminds him of the accident. He will not ride in any bright yellow car unless it is a matter of life and death, because it brings back painful memories.
A Synthesizer would react differently to the above situations. A Synthesizer is not without emotion. He feels emotion like anyone else, but is not ruled by his feeling, because he is not polarized in his emotional nature. In the first example, the tune would indeed remind the Synthesizer of her lost love, but because she would not be polarized in the emotional nature she would be able to handle it in a rational manner. She could mentally stop her feelings from being transported back into the past, even as she may talk about the song and the memories it brings. In fact, she may still enjoy listening to the tune and can play it over and over with no pain. She is perfectly willing to talk about the experience of her lost love.
The second example would be a real test even for a true Synthesizer, but any emotional situation can be handled if one does not shift gears back to emotional control. Logically, she should have no more fear of staying in a motel after the rape than before. Even before the incident, she realized the possibility. Now that the freak event has happened, there is no more danger than there was before. Of course, if the rape happened through carelessness, then logically, correct precautions must be taken in the future. The Synthesizer could continue to visit motels– even the motel in which she was raped without reliving the pain. It may be discomforting, but she could handle it.
In the third case, the Synthesizer realizes that the color yellow had nothing to do with his boy’s accident. The color may temporarily remind him of that painful event, but he does not relive the pain and does not feel impelled to sell his yellow car.
After reviewing these three examples, you may want to reread the question and make sure you have answered it properly.
May 31, 2004
Copyright by J J Dewey
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