The "hourglass theory" and the counter-theory of the "hoisting contortion" : the victory of mentalism !

by Jean-Jacques COURTEY, Doctor in Economic Geography, Ph.D,
translated and adaptated from French language by himself
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Here is an English translation and adaptation of our French article published on October 18th, 2010, and untitled 'La théorie du sablier et la contre-théorie de la "contorsion hissante" : la victoire du mentalisme !'. It is on the agenda more than ever.


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The "hourglass theory" is often quoted by the behaviorist sociologists or the ultra-liberals englued into the limits of management. It seems to contradict the one of the society pyramidal organization. But in fact, it just comforts it. At the top, there would be elites, in the bottom the People, and in the middle - in the narrowest part of the hourglass, middle class or intermediary levels destined to be crunched because of the hourglass shape. So then, the middle position would be the hardest to hold. As a matter of fact, the sand pouring from the top to the bottom, there would be a natural trend to fall or to slip away, more than of ascending. Hence, the unavoidable idea of "social downgrading" would ensue, even it is still possible to do opposite by lifting up - if seizing the right time. If you perceive things in a diametraly opposite angle, on the contrary a stretcher median part can serve as a convenient running board to reach the top for a cliffhunger !


In that way, our counter-theory of the "hoisting contortion" is based upon the axiom it is often possible to do better than common human mind - forcibly limited or more or less limitative. On a more down- to-earth point of view, it is only an observation.
As a matter of fact, human beings are essentially binary, and their logic is alike.
They stick quite easily to stereotypes, sometimes confused with non existent rules, leading them to be trapped in false reasoning or byzantine discussions. They can see the point but hardly the dash or what is surrounding or watching them with amusement.
To take again the image of the hourglass, it has to be noted that the speed of the sand flow is not uniform, and is diminishing along the process.
Moreover, when the sand has totally poured downward it becomes particularly easy to lean on the lower part, to hoist without obstacle in direction of the top, with flexible and wide moves (the "hoisting contortion").


It is sufficient then to think with creativity, to bypass easily and patiently what a human mind has conceived. As a matter of fact, it is usually oriented from top to bottom, and rarely opposite, or from left to right, and not in other possible angles. At that level, the experiment can become playful and amusing.
Applied to economics which is based upon a natural trend of free flow (stopping it can cause a big crisis or an economic tsunami), the counter-theory of "the hoisting contortion", can generate a "new dance".
You have to be able to make stylistic devices or dynamic movements without hesitation - rendered useless. The advantage is you can dance with another person, or even more. And being at least in twos is even better for what has to come, or to give the other one a leg up - and a boost among others : hence, you can combine business with fun.
This counter-theory can give somebody a good place to his mentalism, by becoming aware of the multiple possible overtakings of what wasn't able to design the human mind - often monistic and narrow.


What seems to limit us and to force us, is sometimes on the contrary what will allow us the free passage, in a prospect inverted of maximal use of the environment and whatever is its nature. Because our freedom of action lies in the fact of assigning it one never used until now, as a Creator of our own mental world. And what could have been a defeat at the human scale, can appear as a great victory of mentalism.
Under some pushy occurrences, an hourglass can also be arranged horizontaly, and not necessarily vertically, by allowing the passage in both ways. But at this stage, we are entering the world of quantic physics with its intermediate zone of traffic or contact there (a kind of "hatch" or interworld), between two parallel universes.
And as a stimulation for the mind, let's say simply that it is very naive on behalf of human beings (living in an already tridimensional world for what is visible) to believe that universe may paradoxically have only one dimension ! In reality, even our proximate universe can be quite astonishing and fascinating !