What You Saw is What You (Probably) Got

Longtime readers of this column, bless their masochistic hearts, are aware that among my favorite philosophers is a dreamboat-in-drag named Geraldine Jones, the fictitious and flirtatious character portrayed on TV by Clerow Wilson, Jr., a.k.a. "Flip." (Betchyadidden know THAT!)

Geraldine radiated some of the same engaging innocence and honesty as Butterfly McQueen's Prissy in "Gone With The Wind" ("I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' no babies, Miz Sca'lett!").

Like Prissy, Geraldine was glib and outspoken, but, as she put it, "no finger-poppin' chippie." She was slightly naughty, mildly-to-wildly voluptuous, and productive of subtle double entendres, but never profane or sleazy.

Her cop-out spin on questionable behavior and suggestions of a libertine libido was that "the devil made me do it," thus freeing her from the guilt feelings that plague those of us sentenced to real life.

For all her frivolity, though, Geraldine generated some phrases which profoundly reflected, explained and/or forgave a number of human foibles. Examples included "Dif'rent strokes for dif'rent folks" and "Whatever turns you on."

Applying either or both of those comments to schoolyard etiquette, barroom debate, married life, politics, governance, interpersonal relationships and international diplomacy would rid our world of myriad miseries and foster a kinder, gentler society - from the global perspective to the family home.

Among her better-known bons mots was "What you see is what you get, honey," delivered with a provocative rotation of slim hips and shapely legs for which most real women would have traded a treasure.

Aside: Though a masterful mimic of effeminacy, Wilson was actually the thrice-married father of four, who quit show business at the peak of his success to devote the last third of his life to the children of whom he won custody from an ex-spouse.

What Flip's Geraldine had in mind with "WYSIWYG" was far removed from the psychological power of visualization, but it stands as a nearly perfect explanation of its impact on how we live and how it can affect our pursuit of success, happiness, personal fulfillment and peace of mind.

While it is true that many of the things we encounter in life are both unpredictable and beyond our control, we are masters and mistresses of our destinies to a much greater extent than most of us realize.

What we expect to happen in the future, based on our past experience, earlier tutelage, ambitions, dreams, prejudices, doubts, fears and the input of others becomes imbedded in our subconscious minds as pictures of "things as they are supposed to be and/or are likely to become."

This alerts our powerful senses, both conscious and otherwise, to be alert for external opportunities to convert those visualizations to reality, whether to better or worsen our lot in life.

That's why "always" and "never" attitudes and inner-chatter prevent some of us from achieving our full potential, while propelling others toward what Maslow described as the ultimate goal of self-actualization - namely, being all that one can possibly be.

It's not unlike creating a mental videotape of ourselves and acting it out, which is pretty much what we all do, with one critical and priceless exception: As authors of that production - and unlike most other species in nature - we are free to edit and rewrite the script, changing what we expect to happen and altering the dominant version of what we "see" in our subconscious minds.

Second aside and a brief commercial: Those interested in delving further into this concept might visit www.joeklock.com and click on the CD album, "In Search Of Maximence."

In support of the notion that what you see is what you get is the probable fact that much, if not most, of what you "got" in your past life was similar to what you "saw" in your subconscious during the run up to those actual events.

That is to say, perhaps belaboring the point, what you saw is what you got.

You can, to a great extent, reshape your future to conform with the aforementioned ideals of success, happiness, personal fulfillment and peace of mind by rewriting the script of your inner chatter, thus hanging rosier pictures in the gallery of your subconscious mind.

This process is nothing new to you, by the way - you've been doing it all of your life; and you're doing it right now, as you read these words!

The choice is yours - or, as Geraldine so wisely put it, "Dif'rent strokes for dif'rent folks, and whatever turns you on, Honey!"