Throughout the 1900’s, a man traveled the country teaching groups of people about the dark side of the force, which he simply called “The Teachings.”  He used The Picture of Man to show how every person is trying to gain non-disturbance with outward negative force (complaining, sticking up for rights, getting others to change) or inward negative force (obeying authorities, pleasing others, changing themselves).

This man didn’t call it the “dark side,” he called it the equally familiar term, “conditioning.”   His name was Dr. Robert Gibson. He also went by the name “Rhondell,” in his writings, but in transcripts of his talks, people called him “Dr. Bob.”

Dr. Bob tried to show that when a person made it important to get their way right now by complaining, it didn’t work and would eventually lead to disintegration and kill them. Complaining can take many forms, such as sulking, threatening, trying to get others to act the way we want them to. In other words, man tends to be more Darth Vader than Obi-Wan.

So stop complaining and shut up? Absolutely not. Once you’re aware you are complaining, you should continue to do it consciously. This is an experiment you have to test out for yourself in order to begin to understand the nature of the dark side. Dr. Bob also suggests that attempts at “self improvement” or “positive thinking” were equally harmful.

One reason you may never had heard of Robert Gibson is that he didn’t want anyone to give him credit for the ideas he taught. He only taught ideas he had experimented with himself. The ideas were useless if people didn’t use them and check them out for themselves. One of his students, Marsha Summers, has been transcribing thousands of hours of tapes to preserve Dr. Bob’s teachings. You an check them out for yourself http://www.marshasummers.com/innerman/index.html

Dr. Bob Transcript Excerpt:

Two Feelings About Everything

People experience conflict by being pulled in different directions by the A and B side beliefs, opinions and conclusions. So a person has two or more feelings about everything. 

You love the kids, but you wish you didn’t have them.

You like your job, but it’s too demanding

So you have two different feelings about things.

I’m glad I’m married, but sometimes I wish I was single again.

And this is very frequent of what people go through because they are conditioned by decision #4 that they should always be consistent.

[ Decision #4 – Believing and Doing What Authorities Say 
The fourth idea of self-improvement develops when the child is brought into contact with people other than his family members. These people teach him that he cannot gain the non-disturbed state unless he believes and does the things he is told. Thus he decides it is important for him to believe and do what his authorities tell him.

He does what his authorities request because he desires their praise and wants to escape the punishment they inflict for disobedience. The rights of others have now become supreme and he is denying his own rights. This action is in direct conflict with the second decision which stated that his rights were supreme. His inner conflict has now increased to a much higher intensity because of these opposing ideas.] 

And then they can see that this is one of the first places they can put an end to the resistance of “what is” because you’re free to experience both of these feelings.

So if you’re free to have both feelings, then you have started on the road to freedom—I’m doing this and I’m free to do it.