“Under the surface of this global civilization, a great and secret war is taking place. The two opponents hold different conceptions of Reality. On one side, those who claim that humans operate purely on the basis of stimulus-response, like machines; on the other side, those who believe there is a gigantic thing called freedom. Phase One of the war is already over. The stimulus-response people have won. In Phase Two, people are waking up to the far-reaching and devastating consequences of the Pavlovian program.”

Extremely scary as well as being far too accurate (there being so few true freedom seekers = a preeminent being status of personal responsibility, inclusive of liberty, inalienable right and personal sovereignty). The occupying statist theocracy infesting this land's patrons genuflect before compelled compliance, government licensing, victimless crimes, larceny with impunity (2nd plank of the communist manifesto, Social Security, police state confiscations, etc.), non-recognition of liberty, inalienable right and personal sovereignty, the carnal god's dole as well as the far-reaching and devastating consequences of the Pavlovian program.

I like the distinction Rappoport is making about treating people like stimulus-response machines rather than self-directed people.  The proposed solutions to society's ills are almost always programs to get people to react — the goal then is to try and figure out what stimulus will cause the desired reaction.

Which brings us back to 'why are we here?'  Is there a purpose to/in life?  Who says?  In a way it is a war between the enlightened and the self-deluded, but the battle is within each of us to 'wake up' out of that hypnotic dream that has been cultivated by our would-be masters.  When I answer the questions 'who am I' & 'why am I here?' how much of that answer is really mine and how much is simply parroting what has been drilled into me for years?  How to sift through all that?  Discovering who I am is more of a discovery of what I am not and then finally and simply declaring my intentions.  "Know thyself."