Mental discipline and cognitive development in law enforcement careers

¶ … Law Enforcement

The use and control of one's own mental faculties is of the utmost importance when involved in the serious and important business of government work. The word "government" itself literally translates to "controlling the mind" in Latin. Mind control is thus the most important aspect any individual who wishes to earn success and garner respect within governmental agencies may attain. Personal experience is the one true measure of the capability of thought, where the endgame is understanding these experiences and incorporating them into a practical, effective and efficient lifestyle approach both personal and professional.

As a Department of Defense (DOD) Special Agent, the ability to suppress emotion and employ rational and reasonable thought patterns is a skill that must be fully developed and tempered to allow for a suitable outlet for such activities. The purpose of this essay is to explore some personal experiences within my own career to highlight and contextualize the importance of thinking, personal bias and cognitive abilities within law enforcement and public service. This essay will incorporate personal experience to help show the maturing process of the mind and how this process is beneficial to a career and profession within law enforcement.

The Development of Reason

It is impossible to discuss the present day cognitive abilities that I enjoy without describing the processes that have allowed for these skills to develop and flourish. For me, it has been the path taken that has provided me with my own ways and means of thinking and processing information. To understand my present mind functions, it is necessary to discuss the importance of learning and education to fully grasp the idea in its totality.

The critical abilities of my own mind must be identified as the capacity to determine good from bad. Eliminating all that is contradictory and identifying the truth is at the heart of critical thought in my opinion. As a young child, learning came very easy for me and thought patterns and ideas were readily accessible for me to enjoy. Playful interrelation within my own environment projected a world of amazement and wonder.

Education, as one grows older, becomes more prominent in their ability to discern fact from fiction. My public school education demonstrated the importance of not how to think, but what to think. Hard core institutionalization of the American way of life was an important theme in the school system. American history, no doubt distorted through time, provided a picture of the world that clearly defined what was wrong and what was right.

Only many years later would I recognize the strong impact this schooling experience would have on my personal biases. School taught me how to follow and obey. Grading and judging were important qualities in determining success according to my school. Learning was assumed if the grades were good and rewards awaited those who scored the highest. At an early age, the idea of quantity superseded that of the idea of superior quality. An almost nihilistic obsession of pure power and control reflected the role models of this system.

Real world experience soon exposed the weaknesses of the school system in my eyes. Entering the world of government and becoming a DOD Special Agent revealed another world where simple memorization and acceptance of dogmatic ideas do not suffice as acceptable forms of intellectual self-defense. The subjective nature of ethics and morals exposed in this environment, quickly demonstrated the importance of my own ability to rationalize the world in a practical and effective manner.

A Career as A Special Agent: A Practical Example of Critical Thinking

To best demonstrate a test of my proposed means of personal thinking and its value towards a career as a DOD special agent, it is necessary to discuss the career itself, in general and the adopted attitudes that occurred within my career that has helped develop my own philosophical outlook that drives my cognitive faculties. This summation of experiences will give examples of the relative nature of the world and how the dependence on my own intuitive nature helped save lives, and has given me great honor and satisfaction from serving my country in a time when the country needs strong people to lead and shape the future destiny of our American society.

The DOD is a violent and powerful organization that assumes much of the ugly responsibilities that accompany the burdens of defending a nation. Intelligence and intelligence gathering techniques are of great and deep significance in contributing to the much larger picture and developing a successful standard operating procedure that can be simplified and projected throughout the agency. Intelligence is not a tangible item that can be dissected and replaced like parts in a machine. While it would be simple to just pick a replacement part of the shelf and insert it onto the world stage, this is not advisable. This subtle sense of knowledge must be taken with context and judgment in order to maximize its efficiency on the battlefield.

To complicate matters, the very art and nature of warfare is based in the ability of forces to deceive their foe. Confucius once wrote that "all war is deception." The imperative tasks are obvious: determine what is true and what is not true. Understanding once again "how" to think as opposed to "what" to think becomes a useful mental technology that can be employed to best serve the nation and perform at a level that can eliminate the confusion and distortion and bring a sense of clarity and harmony to the complicated and evolving battlefield that threatens the safety of our citizens.

During one phase of my career within the DOD, I was confronted with a situation that tested my cognitive and critical thinking skills quite adequately . To understand the totality of this situation it is first important to understand some of the background information that is related to this experience.

The United States Department of Defense is essentially the guiding force of power and might within the mammoth organization known as the U.S. Federal Government. Essentially, this governmental body supports the war efforts that are conducted by the executive branch of the government. Special agents within this organization are concerned with promoting fairness, integrity and justice towards the inner workings of this organization. This DOD has responsibility to inform the general public and Congress of the detailed accounts of this organization. In some respect we must become our own worst enemy as the job of oversight and accountability are often met with strong resistance and bitter contempt.

Core values have been promoted as guiding forces for Special Agents to refer to as they perform their professional duties in their chosen environment. Integrity is a core value that stresses the importance of eliminating distortion from the truth, even if the truth is unwelcomed or may cause stress. Efficiency, another benchmark value, suggests there is an underlying duty to not waste the public's precious resources and become deliberate and successful at our tasks. Accountability is promoted in the DOD as a core value. Accounting for things is analogous to knowledge. Fervent upkeep on knowledge, and new training measures is essential in becoming an accountable resource within this organization. Excellence is also lauded as a core value within this organization and promotes a sense of pride and determination through accomplishment as a means to success.

A specific incident within my career challenged my ability to make sense of reality and determine not only what is good or bad, but what is right and correct. Only when cognitive dissonance is sublimated by our more rationale attributes of our mind, is when this may be accomplished with any real success. The hierarchical structure of the DOD is not a perfect model, but, when proper purpose and judgment are displayed, can truly serve the nation's needs. In my particular incident, this structure played a large role in my experience in deciphering the truth.

Within the military crimes are committed and it is important for special agents to apply justice and law within these ranks. The Uniform Code of Military Justice is a special set of rules that applies to many of those within the Department of Defense including every single uniformed soldier, sailor, marine and airman. This special set of laws adds another level of confusion and distortion in deciphering out what is actually right and just in any situation. The UCMJ, Constitution and DOD rules and regulations all contribute to this mess of words that gives little assistance without some facts and contextual evidence to test their applicability.

Psychological Processes and Methodology

To understand one's mind, that person must somehow differentiate their true self from their ego consciousness. This is imperative in the experiences of a DOD special agent. This simple meditative tool helps to take things in a holistic manner that helps remind me that I am human and this experience is one of mental processes and cognitive realties, illusionary or not.

Psychology is nothing more than an offshoot subject of philosophy, and with a proper philosophical approach to the many and differing challenges a special agent's career is witness to, can be the lone tool to help navigate the turbulent waves of thought. Thought, like nature comes from within and evolves outward. The metaphysics of the mind are no different. Environmental feedback is helpful in the psychological processes, but material ends should be seen as results and not proper causes for action. Willfulness towards my own inner faculties and trusting my own wisdom and intuition, serves me greatly in this capacity as I navigate through the career path of a DOD special agent.

My methodology is simple and direct. A three step process is at the heart of my rational being and understanding the world in this manner, serves me greatly. The following explanation details "how" I think, rather than "what" I think. This distinction is at the root of my philosophical and psychological approach and is fundamental to achieving reason and comfort in my own way.

The first step in how I think deals with gathering all possible information and defining those terms in the most clear and succinct manner. That which cannot be defined in such a manner must be labeled as such and should serve only a complementary role in the sequence of events. Not using words and terms that are vague and indefinable are important in this critical step. Once sufficient information has been gathered, the next step in the process is the systematic application of inductive and deductive reasoning applied by the mental instrument of logic. Knowledge of common logical fallacies and the incorporation of my imaginative faculties are key components of this segment of the sequence. The final step in the process is the reproduction of the processed information into a clear and coherent argument. Artistic manipulation of words are often required in some of the more complex cognitive progressions but the end result must make sense and appeal to the rational faculties of the mind.

Results

The results of my thinking methodology as given me a great deal of confidence in my ability to serve in a strong capacity as a career DOD special agent. By using reason and balance, while minimizing the logical fallacies that are so prevalent in my work environment has been a practical way to achieve success. Minimizing the temptation to rely on what to think so often, my ability to apply my method of "how" to think has provided a fundamental baseline of cognitive organization. By training the mind how to think - instead of what to think - this method provides a teaching of the art and the science of the mind as well as the art of the science of matter.

The totality of experiences that I have participated in during my time in the DOD has demonstrated that cognitive processes are tools and not ends or objectives. What is most important in their application is synthesizing my will and purpose with this technology. The creative use of imagination incorporated with empathy, reason and rationale are a powerful combination that can help determine truth from fiction.

The only flaws in this method of thinking is perhaps the risk of being too idealistic and not practical enough for such a material world. Keeping grounded and understanding that life and material existence are very important and the five senses should not be ignored are also important in atoning for any risk in over-imagining concepts. Life is mysterious and deep, assuming that we know it all is dangerous. Approaching my career as a special agent with this respect will help prevent losing a strong grip on reality and help provide an ample means of both earning respect in my career and enjoying the adventure itself.

Conclusions

The modern battlefield is littered with confusion, complexity and deceit. Intelligence is of the utmost importance in realizing success and ultimately a preservation of American values and rights. Wisdom gained through experience has served me well in developing my useful thought patterns which have allowed me to grow and evolve as a professional and as a human being.