8/1/17 – Calls from Noah

Noah calling you out for voicing criticism on Saturday. Daaayum.

You call your mom?

Looks like King Goofball might actually care about other people.

This is awesome. As somebody that’s been a Noah skeptic from the start, it’s impossible to deny that these kind of small tasks — giving us ownership of our agency, proving to ourselves that the things we do have an impact in the actual world — empower us, interaction by interaction.

No idea where Noah is eventually going, but assuming that self-actualization is the goal, The System is starting to make some sense.

I hope you have a wonderful call with your mom, @daela!

@bcbishop There’s always a twist.
Making an impact doesn’t always mean doing good. It means affecting the people and the world around you. For better or worse.
As these tasks keep coming, from him or from other sources, just remember that they’re not MAKING you to anything. You can choose to say no.

This one is much less…public than either @nothenrygale’s or @chelsea’s was.

I’m having a little trouble with my task, so I’ll post about it while I think of how to word it. I got a call too.

I should note, before I continue, that my office is right next to a R&D facility that does work with drones and radio communication. That means that when they do tests, cell phone reception SUCKS. Today was one of those days. Below is my likely incorrect memory of the call, and I will note the parts that I could not hear

Noah: *Singing an unidentified song* Sean! It’s been too long since [inaudible]
Me: Noah! I haven’t heard from you since my birthday, how’s it been?
Noah: [inaudible]
Me: Sorry, you were breaking up a little there. Can you repeat yourself?
Noah: I don’t repeat myself. Anyways, [Inaudible]
*pause as he clearly expected me to answer. I did not since I heard nothing*
Noah: I said, is your dad still teaching?
Sean: Just retired this year, actually
Noah: Yeah great, enough about this small talk. Sean, what scares you?
Sean: That people will turn against me if they find that I am not what they think I am
Noah: Yeah that’s a load of bullshit. What are you really scared of?
Sean: That’s it. Having friends turn against me because they find out who I am instead of who I appear to be
Noah: [Intermittently inaudible] I want you to go to facebook and I want you to broadcast to the world a list of ways that you are going to make this problem your bitch.
[Immediate hangup]

I fucking hope I got it down right. Sorry, @maddyxxx, if I didn’t.

Definitely having a little trouble coming up with a list of ideas, so I’ll have it up in a minute or two. Not big on sharing on Facebook in the first place so I’ll come up with something

Agree 100% that they’re not making anyone do anything, @meghanmayhem. I just don’t believe Noah is doing things because he’s a nice guy. I think he’s teaching everyone how to have agency, impact on the outside world, and how to step outside our respective comfort zones. And then, as you say, there will be a turn.

Basically he’s teaching us all how to eventually become assholes by first teaching us how to be nice. First step of The System.

Noah: Oh, violins going off in my head. Let me tell you something – to elicit change, you must first plant the seed and then water it. What happens when you don’t water a seed?
Me: Presumably nothing.
Noah: Exactly. Nothing fucking grows. Who else shaped you, Lauren? Who made you YOU? No, you know what, scratch that. Specifically, who has had the biggest impact in your life?

Noah is totally watering the seeds he’s planted. We can’t grow into what he wants us to be without spending time shaping us, showing us how people have impacted us, so he can do the exact same thing.

OK I just walked into my house after getting a call from Noah while driving. I was on the other line and saw the unknown call coming in, got excited and had to tell the person I’d call them back. So I answer

Me: Hello?

Him: CANDACE!

there’s some trouble hearing him and I try to ask who it is although the voice is familiar. He tells me he doesn’t have time for introductions and asks again if I know who it is.

Me: Noah 🙂

He’s charming and nice (in his Noah way) and to the point. He basically asks who hurt me as a child (I’m paraphrasing because I can’t remember word for word and I didn’t record the call). I try to think and immediately remember when I was younger (Jr high to be exact but I didn’t tell him that) that a kid named Sergio, who I actually had a huge crush on, used to make fun of me really bad.

Noah: Sergio. How’d did that make you feel? What value did he give you?

Me: he made me feel worthless.

Noah: what positive value did u get from that? How did that change you? (Again I’m paraphrasing)

Me: I learned never to let anyone treat me like that again

Noah: it made you stronger, (insert more positive words I can’t remember)

Me: yes

Noah: good. I want you to contact Sergio on social media and tell him how he made you feel (I think that’s what he told me to do?)

Me: OK

*click*

So awkward moment when I do have Sergio on social media and his number…but I’ve never told him seriously how much he really hurt me when we were kids. I guess I’m going to tell him that what he did really affected me negatively but was turned into positive growth…I don’t want to have that conversation…but I will. I just initiated conversation with him so here I go…

Embarrassing glimpse into my past over.

It’s says something that Noah is spending his time and effort into other people, trying to get them to make the most out of their life and make sure they make an impact on others.

He’s investing in us, since (going on theory) he’s got a countdown on his life. Living on by investing in others, who will make an impact with even more people.

@kevin Indeed. I also think it will be easier to water said seeds with this particular method because it reads as more personal.

I honestly don’t think you need to learn how to be nice first in order to be an asshole @bcbishop. Some people are born with the gift of being a natural asshole, as I assume Noah has. You either got it or you don’t, there’s a craft to being an Grade A doucebag.

See, this just adds further confusion to my “task”.

@chelsea – “Open up to some strangers!”

@daela – “Call someone who made an impact on your life”

@thegilded – “Make a FB post about tackling a fear”

@pandace88 – “Reach out to someone who hurt you”

“Brad, go buy some dirty magazines”

All the other tasks genuinely have a positive outcome that can be seen to help the person. Mine doesn’t seem to have any of that. If it was about shame as Noah claimed it was, dirty magazines are not my shame. In which case this comes out more as just a power play to try to embarrass someone who has criticized him. But even then, Lauren criticized him and The System and got an actually helpful and meaningful task.

Dafuq Noah.

I don’t think Noah cares one way or another about whether we are good, bad, or just assholes.

The whole idea of the system is to make you realize you have all the tools to change the world around you. He’s just going with what he knows will work best with each one of us.

He knows (as we all do and should know at this point) that @daela is a good person. So the way to get her to this place of self realization? Ask her who had the biggest impact on her life. He knew she’d probably say Mom or dad or a teacher or something to that affect.

Point being is that I don’t think there will be a turn from him so much as just he will approach each person differently and behave in how he thinks it’s going to have the biggest impact on us.

My going theory anyway.

@thegilded – were you given any other parameters, like the post has to be set to public?

did any of these tasks for the three of you have any kind of significance other than the obvious (that you wouldn’t mind sharing)? I’m asking because these just don’t seem on par with the last two in terms of difficulty. @pandace88’s is definitely the hardest from my perspective but maybe there’s significance to @daela’s or @thegilded’s that I’m not aware of.

Or, Brad, it’s about confidently going into the store and buying dirty magazines because no one gives a fuck.

@kingkill33

You either got it or you don’t, there’s a craft to being an Grade A doucebag.

Perhaps, but if so there’d be no reason for The System in the first place.

What Noah appears to be creating is a self-actualization course, but instead of the high-five positivity end result we’re used to seeing, the ultimate end game is designed to turn us into the “worst” (subjective based on perception) possible alpha versions of our selves. Take what’s ours, etc.

If you’re trying to teach somebody to take what’s theirs, you don’t just demand they do it, then say you’re done and walk away. You need to show people that their actions have meaning… give them confidence… and the easiest way to do that is to give them something they’ll actually feel good about doing. (Help the homeless, tell a family member how much they care.) @thegilded and @pandace88 then get tasks that ask them to take control of past fears, or areas of hurt, in a public fashion.

The common theme is self-empowerment. I’m actually pretty surprised that he actually seems to be teaching a legit self-help course (for now at least). We’ll see where it goes from here.

@coryphella – Presumably it had to be public. If there were other parameters I didn’t hear them. Whole thing was like trying to have a conversation with someone who was in another room. I’m extremely private on Facebook. I don’t like to share pictures or anything personal or even post at all. Presumably it was to target that?

Wouldn’t it be likely @nothenrygale that he was also going to have you buy a sandwich and water and to help someone else?

You’re a chartible, passionate guy, I think Noah was attempting to tap into that.

Wow, these tasks are certainly interesting. @daela @thegilded @pandace88 – I already rate you all very highly as good people and while I don’t think you need “improving”, I know you will take on these tasks with great bravery and characteristic strength ❤

@kipsie I think there’s a difference between berating us and just being honest. He has access to a ton of info on us; Tension questionaires, iConfidant emails, and God knows what else. But he doesn’t ever use any of that against us. He’s a mirror to show us the things about ourselves that stop us from getting what we want. It’s hard stuff to hear, and even harder for us to implement, but it’s not cruel. It’s lighting a fire under our asses. Noah gets shit done, and he wants us to as well.

@coryphella It’s possible it could’ve been a confidence thing, but he didn’t say that in his call. He said it was a shame thing. I’ll admit that I do have a fair amount of shame, but it doesn’t tie in with convenience store dirty mags. The task didn’t fit the supposed reason, and as such felt more like a power play.

@thebuz I really don’t think that was a next step to my task. Again, he told me it was because of shame, not charity.

@nothenrygale:

@coryphella I think in this instance I lean more towards Shadow Elsa

“Burn Them All”

I think it’s entirely possible @nothenrygale that the intent was to tap into your shame then (by first forcing you to buy dirty mags) and then turn it around and use it for good.

This assessment is based off all these other interactions. Noah is tapping into fears and self doubt and turning them around into positive ventures.

This is legit self help material. And much like how we judged Noah in the beginning for his surface level behavior, we have begun to scratch away that outer layer and see the real person underneath. I think he’s doing the same to us.

Having us shake off the gilded (no pun intended) exterior and dig in deep within ourselves.

For better or worse is up to each of us to decide.

And also want to point out that this isn’t me saying “Boo on you Brad!” I 100% acknowledge the fact you stood by your open and public convictions. That can certainly be commended.

But I think there’s also room to acknowledge that perhaps Noah was trying to connect with you (or help in a certain way).

Either way you made a bold move. That cannot be forgotten.

Just sent a long text to the person who literally damaged my self image as a child…I’m embarrassed and fearful and ashamed to admit that this whole skeleton in my closet still has so much power over me. He impacted my life more than I’d like to admit and facing him now is terrifying. I just picture him reading my text judging me and laughing at me and my inner child is mortified.

This is legit some real therapy shit right here…better than any Dr I’ve ever seen in real life! …

Proud of you @pandace88. I remember the kid who shoved me in a locker for reading Spiderman vividly. If I hadn’t had found like minded friends that didn’t shame me for liking something I would have had a lot more issues then I do now.

Proud of you for taking that step. Don’t feel like you have to share with us the outcome, but I hope you do and I hope it helps, even if a little. Nothing but support here.

@daela’s call and @pandace88’s tasks were almost mirror images of each other. Contact someone who’s had an impact on your life (one positive, one negative), think about how that affected you, and then contact them.

@thegilded’s is a more personal, internal version. Consider how you’ve impacted your own life (I guess you could consider fear a negative impact, curious if there will be a mirror to this one) and make an effort to change that.

Can’t help but think this all ties back into Horace’s call the other day in some way. Wonder if there’s going to be some shoe that drops from either Noah or Horace indicating that people don’t have a choice in how they’re impacted by people or themselves. That would seem to run counter what The System’s goal appears to be, but we still don’t know whether it’s promoting Noah’s message or Horace’s.

@thebuz Totally get ya. It very well may have been that. Noah… confuses me. A lot. I try to get a sense of where he’s coming from and when I think I understand his motives, he shifts. I think a lot of that has to do with The System and the image of Noah they want him to put out there VS the person he really is.

I’ve been wrong about people before though, and I could very well be wrong about Noah. But I still don’t trust him. Maybe I’m just cynical.

Sergio just replied:

“I was a douch bag to you as a kid and I’m super sorry for that….I never knew what words can do to a person and I’m truly sorry for being a dick….nobody deserved that and especially not u….ur a beautiful person and always have been”

I’m not crying….OK maybe I cried a little bit. I honestly feel like I can let that go now. Wow… fuck..I’m not crying… thanks @maddyxxx that was long overdue…

Before, I’ve said that based on The System’s marketing materials, I have no interest in buying what Noah’s selling. But if things continue in this way, doing good in the world and good for other people, it looks like there are things to be learned here, even if the overall package turns out to reflect the marketing.

Lauren’s task reminded me that I haven’t called my parents in a while. I think I’ll do that later today.

I think I got a little ramble-y on my Facebook post but it’s up. I hope that’s what you’re looking for @maddyxxx because that’s the fucking best you’re gonna get out of me for that shit.

@pandace88 That’s such a wonderful reply. Proud of you!

Wow. That is really touching @pandace88.

I think it’s important moving forward that no matter how angry, upset, or outraged we may get in the future, we’d all do well to remember this moment. Remember that immersive theater, foul mouthed self help gurus and potentially evil data mining organizations just did real honest to god good.

@izryn Do you think that’s something of note? What’s happening with many of these tasks is wonderful, but goes entirely against the image of The System being put out by the marketing rebrand. There’s a disconnect happening here. The version of The System that is happening with these calls does not seem to be reflected by the marketing materials put out there.

Also good on you @thegilded. That took some guts too. Do you feel better actualizing it in words? Honest question.

Regardless, happy to be one of your friends, man.

@nothenrygale It could be something, or it could be nothing, only to lead into the version of The System that is reflected in the marketing. We can’t possibly know with any degree of confidence at this point. What I do know is that one shouldn’t ignore the good parts of something on the basis of shoddy marketing. If The System does turn out to reflect the marketing, though, don’t expect me to buy in.

Feels weird. I hate anything personal on any social media. But I guess this ain’t so bad. Already getting some good responses to it. Hope that it helped someone out there.

First, @thebuz, I’m sorry for shoving you into that locker.

Having just returned from (where else?) my analyst, here’s everyone’s favorite Jungian interpretation.

Jung talked about “complexes” in the psyche — “pattern of emotions, memories, perceptions, and wishes in the personal unconscious organized around a common theme.” For example, if you lost a leg as a child, you might overcome the physical handicap but the psychological factors might create a complex of inferiority, or lack of wholeness. Complexes often appear as antagonists in dreams. They can often feel like something separate and apart from ourselves. That “thing” that rests in your mind, speaking to you, saying things that make you feel badly about yourself.

“The complex possesses a value that sometimes exceeds that of our conscious intentions…an active complex puts us momentarily under a state of duress, of compulsive thinking and acting, for which under certain conditions the only appropriate term would be the judicial concept of diminished responsibility”.

Our complexes can very much control us. They can keep us in bad relationships, or bad jobs. They make us feel guilty. They deliver shame. They make us feel like shit to the point where, well, we are truly under duress in our behavior. That’s why we say, “He didn’t seem like himself when he did X.”

Some of us appear to be tasked to tackle a complex of some kind. @pandace88 is perhaps the best example.

And these tasks are delivered by a Trickster archetype. Look here!

“A curious combination of typical trickster motifs can be found in the alchemical figure of Mercurius; for instance, his fondness for sly jokes and malicious pranks, his powers as a shape-shifter, his dual nature, half animal, half divine, his exposure to all kinds of tortures, and—last but not least—his approximation to the figure of a saviour.”

ho ho ho.

So while these first few steps and the event on Saturday appear to be about providing value to others, I think @bcbishop is correct. There is much more to come and I don’t think it will be quite so seemingly altruistic.

Awe! I’m so proud of everyone and their individual journey! I love it when art is actually catharsis. This whole thing feels so…Wholesome. I luv it.

Very proud of @thegilded @pandace88 @daela of (suddenly and haphazardly) taking their time and energy to do these challenges. Even if it’s still some crazy emotion farming, ‘they’ can have all of this feeling. There’s so much to spare. <3 <3 <3

• This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by Jackie.

The Wholesome Experience!

I like the direction Noah is headed. This rebranding is quite the success albeit a bit schizophrenic.

@shaun Unti he shows up at your door and asks to be invited in and it become THE VAMPIRE EXPERIENCE.

Aka The Guest That Would Not Leave

My heart is bursting… And I am totally not crying… @pandace88 is crying! 😉 Seriously though, @daela I am shocked that Noah actually found a way to soften you towards him. I’m sure you still don’t like him, but holy wow did he make an impact with your call. @thegilded I read your FB post before I even knew this was the reason, and was confused by it wondering why all of the sudden a long post regarding personal things was put out there, and now I know. It was moving and very impactful towards a lot of people, judging by all of the likes, love and responses you received. You’re never alone and I am so very proud of you! Like I said on FB, YOU ARE SUCH A GOOD MAN! @pandace88 I know this had to have been awkward and uncomfortable for you. In our society, we are shunned from expressing how we feel or sharing how someone affected us, negatively or positively… we just are not motivated to talk AT ALL about anything regarding our feelings. This I have never understood. But looks like Noah sorta broke that mentality today, even if it was brief. I’m sure you felt relief amongst the anxiety and fear after reaching out to Sergio. I have to tell you something, you probably made an impact on him, even if he doesn’t say it or maybe hasn’t realized it yet. This could have been something that always troubled him, but he too never felt comfortable bringing up. It’s in the past and he probably assumed you didn’t even remember. Letting him know that he affected you in any way, showed him that he is valued and now he will probably be more aware of what he says and how he affects others. My first love did some pretty terrible things to me and it took him 7 years to apologize. To me (even though it still affected me deeply) it was water under the bridge and I had come to terms with the fact that I would never get the closure I wanted from him. To my surprise, he let me know that it affected him every day and killed him that he was never able to make it right. I learned that it is never too late to right a wrong, or at least try. I’m so happy that your situation ended positively and that you were able to get that extra closure 🙂 What an enlightening day to say the least. No matter where this takes us, today was a special day.

I don’t know, I like Noah, he’s entertaining, I love the way he speaks, but I guess I have the unpopular opinion that his advice just isn’t all that “innovative”. I DO like that he seems to be focusing on you know, actual self growth and not just asking us to perform senseless asks of masochism in the guise of self growth. Maybe he’s starting small to prepare us for what he really has in mind? But I don’t know. I’m a skeptic. I like Noah. Not that impressed with the actual System so far. Seems a bit cliche. However, it’s cool that the System is actually turning out to be a “thing” with an actual service, even if I’m not impressed with the service, rather than just a front for a cult.

YAAAAAS.
THE WHOLESOME EXPERIENCE.

@shaun

Not to take away from what everyone did. I think it’s all super badass (I just don’t know if Noah, as much as I like him, deserves this credit—you guys do!!). Shame, imposter syndrome, it all holds us back in ways that are so deep, at a certain point it’s hard to trace. Congratulation to @thegilded and @pandace88 for coming head to head with some of your demons. It’s good to get things off your chest, but hard. It’s terribly difficult to be vulnerable. You were both very brave.

On a separate note, I don’t really know, no one does, but @nothenrygale, I kinda agree with you: I don’t necessarily think Noah had some deeper meaning originally behind the magazine thing (don’t necessarily think he was gonna have you feed a homeless person). He could’ve but I’m not as sure of it as other people seem to be. I think he was just going for shock value, something to market the System as being spicy and exciting, and trying to get you to do something Big, and Bold, and Exhilarating. When you called his bluff and were like “naw man, I don’t feel like doing that”, I think he stumbled a bit, took a bit of offense (he’s a little egotistical, as we all know, doesn’t like to be made a fool of) but instead of admitting defeat challenged other people to do it instead, and then rubbed your nose in it by making it into a charity mission. Actually, that was probably a way for you to confront shame…you stood to your guns, even when you were in the hot seat and for a while it seemed like basically no one was on your side. I don’t deal too well with conflict or with people thinking I did something wrong, so I admired your ability to stick with your guns. I would’ve maybe felt a bit ashamed in that situation, and pandered a bit more. In which case, you did confront shame, in a roundabout way. And yeah, you acted as an independent thinker, someone who expresses their own will and lays their own boundaries. I think that makes you probably closer to what the results of the System are promising without actually being someone who follows the rules of the so called System.

Bravo to the three of you for sharing these tasks! That’s some intense stuff and it seems like it helped in one way or another to talk about it.

I’ve come back to it a lot throughout this whole experience, but Horace’s quote continues to stand out: “This fire destroys not what we are, but simply burns away all that we are not.”

That seems to be the case with many of Noah’s tasks. The System appears to be digging into what makes people who they are, what life events and people impacted them and shaped them. Can those events be burned away or are they who you are at your core? A number of tasks have also got at what people truly want and desire, another part of a person’s core. Are they trying to expose that core in an effort to reshape it for their own designs or to leave it wide open like a raw nerve so they can get pure emotional data?

@pandace88 So freaking proud of you. Good job. I’m not sure I would be able to send a message like that that wasn’t laced with sarcasm and Fuck You’s. I hope that you can really let that go!

I’m agreeing with @kevin that all three of these seem like mirrors. Call someone who hurt you, call someone who impacted you, what’s going on inside that doesn’t have to do with other people.

I’m really enjoying this version of Noah. I’m a little nervous about this though. Any time we really like someone as a group, bad things happen to them….

Thank you for that @cass. I’ll admit, the days following that “task” were hard. I felt like I fucked up, I felt like I was given an opportunity that I threw away. But in the end, I said on my ticket for The System that I felt like I failure because I give in. Too many times I don’t stand up to people in positions of power over me. And if only for one moment, I was able to stand up and “stick with my guns” as you put it. If that was the intention all along, well played Noah.

You are all so brave, and this is beautiful (and also terrifying).

It’s interesting seeing how the System’s techniques evolve and how personalized they are per individual.

@chelsea – regardless of what happens to the man, actions like these can live on..

Thanks for sharing your experience everyone.