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of a whole tribal or family historical tradition has to be lifted, as in the case of Margaret Mead’s villagers in New Guinea;1 then the influence of the individual parental, social and cultural background has to be thrown off. The same must be done with the demands of contemporary society at large, and finally the advantages derived from one’s immediate social circle have to be partly or wholly sacrificed. Then all the easy indulgences and rewards of being a Sulk or a Jerk, as described in Chapter 14, have to be given up. Following this, the individual must attain personal and social control, so that all the classes of behaviour described in the Appendix, except perhaps dreams, become free choices subject only to his will. He is then ready for game-free relationships such as that illustrated in the paradigm in Chapter 15. At this point he may be able to develop his capacities for autonomy. In essence, this whole preparation consists of obtaining a friendly divorce from one’s parents (and from other Parental influences) so that they may be agreeably visited on occasion, but are no longer dominant.

REFERENCE

1. Mead, M., New Lives for Old, Gollancz, 1956.

18 · After Games, What?

THE sombre picture presented in Parts I and II of this book, in which human life is mainly a process of filling in time until the arrival of death, or Santa Claus, with very little choice, if any, of what kind of business one is going to transact during the long wait, is a commonplace but not the final answer. For certain fortunate people there is something which transcends all classifications of behaviour, and that is awareness; something which rises above the programming of the past, and that is spontaneity; and something that is more rewarding than games, and that is intimacy. But all three of these may be frightening and even perilous to the unprepared. Perhaps they are better off as they are, seeking their solutions in popular techniques of social action, such as ‘togetherness’. This may mean that there is no hope for the human race, but there is hope for individual members of it.

Appendix

The Classification of Behaviour

AT any given moment a human being is engaged in one or more of the following classes of behaviour:

CLASS I. Internally programmed (archaeopsychic). Autistic behaviour.

Orders:

(a) Dreams.

(b) Fantasies.

Families:

i. Extraneous fantasies (wish fulfilment).

ii. Autistic transactions, Unadapted.

iii. Autistic transactions, Adapted (with neopsychic programming).

(c) Fugues.

(d) Delusional behaviour.

(e) Involuntary actions.

(e) Involuntary actions.

Families:

i. Tics.

ii. Mannerisms.

iii. Parapraxes.

(f) Others.

CLASS II. Probability programmed (neopsychic). Reality-tested behaviour.

Orders:

(a) Activities.

Families:

i. Professions, trades, etc.

ii. Sports, hobbies, etc.

(b) Procedures.

Families:

i. Data processing,

ii. Techniques.

(c) Others.

CLASS III. Socially programmed (partly exteropsychic). Social behaviour.

Orders:

(a) Rituals and ceremonies.

(b) Pastimes.

(c) Operations and manoeuvres.

(d) Games.

Suborders: A. Professional games (angular transactions).

B. Social games (duplex transactions).

(e) Intimacy.

In this scheme the social games previously discussed would be classified as follows: Class III, Socially programmed; Order (d), Games; Suborder B, Social Games

Intimacy, ‘the end of the line’, is the final classification, and is part of game-free living.

The reader should feel free to carp (but not to gleek or fleer) at the above classification. It is included not because the writer is in love with it, but because it is more functional, real and practical than other systems now in use and can be helpful to those who like or need taxonomy.

Index of Pastimes [P] and Games [G]

Addict G, 66

Ain’t It Awful G, 43, 57, 75, 96-8, 99, 110

Alcoholic G, 55, 56-7, 64-70, 103, 117

All Great Men Were P, 110

Archeology G, 136

Art Gallery G, 156