Concordian Mandala as container for con-quest in a game-playing dynamic?

Con-quest Aesthetically Reframed via the Concordian Mandala (Part #3)

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In contrast with concord, it was previously argued that conquest could be suggestively (and provocatively) explored in terms of a quest for "con" -- as a confluence or configuration of the connotations of words with that prefix (Con-taining significance in the con-quest of the moment, 2016). That argument introduced the possibility of a Concordian Mandala through the dynamics of wordplay (Variety radically intoned through versification and wordplay, 2016).

Concordian Mandala indication of a stage in the iterative adaptation of the Discordian Mandala through a game-playing con-quest

Challenges of the game: The introductory argument was framed in terms of playfully poetizing the quest for "con" through judicious attribution of terms (of which "con" is a prefix) to segments of the image above. In the quest for memorability of the pattern as a whole, con-testants in the game of con-quest are free to use any word-roots prefixed with "con-", as identified separately (Exploration of Prefixes of Global Discourse: implications for sustainable confidelity, 2011) and below:

• Aesthetic challenges of the game : One goal is to engender aesthetic significance and coherence from the global configuration. through ensuring that:
  • words in parallels rhyme in some way; rhyming "conquer" with "concur" is one indication of possibilities. Of interest is whether the rhyming is between words on the same side of the mandala or on opposite sides, given that there are 4 segments in parallel in each case.
  • the labyrinthine journey, with several levels, tells a memorable tale (potentially singable, as argued separately, in the quest for the mysteriously elusive "con").
  • use of synonym rather than rhyming to achieve aesthetic coherence
  • use of antonym to embody fruitful contrast
  • switching prefix rather than suffix
  • employing the structure as a template for certain forms of poetry, perhaps through attribution of syllables to segments rather than whole words
  • use of alternation effects between words selected within any nonagon, or between parallels
• Systemic and strategic challenges of the game :
  • juxtaposing constructive and destructive connotations in choice of words (or excluding one such sense) -- the objective being to embody a degree of systemic balance in addition to any balance implied by aesthetic considerations. Any aesthetic focus on "rhyme" might then be recognized as analogous to systemic into "correspondence", typically framed in terms of symmetry, as discussed separately (Theories of Correspondences -- and potential equivalences between them in correlative thinking, 2007).
  • evocation of the strategic thinking characteristic of other pattern-focused games (Rubik's Cube, Tetris, crosswords, etc)
  • selection between static (noun) or dynamic (verb) forms, in the light of arguments presented separately (Freedom, Democracy, Justice: Isolated Nouns or Interwoven Verbs? Illusory quest for qualities and principles dynamically disguised, 2011; Happiness as a verb -- en-joying as a dynamic? 2011).
  • learning process in response to ignorance and incomprehension, as reflected in the phases of any story
  • consideration of factors significant for comprehensibility and memorability of the resulting pattern as a whole
  • embodying significance in terms of sequence around the nonagons and the levels between them
  • implication of various patterns of clustering, as highlighted below

Integrative implications: Whether in aesthetic or systemic terms, a prime consideration is the degree to which the resulting pattern is viable as a whole, perhaps in the light of the Viable System Model of cybernetics (as discussed further below). In that sense, does it embody requisite variety? Especially intriguing in restricting words to those prefixed by "con" is whether these enable such a coherent pattern to be constructed -- if only through the synonyms implied.

The outcome on each occasion effectively constitutes a "test" of the integrity engendered by "con". In the absence of any conventional conclusion, the process reinforces recognition of the elusive nature of "con" and its challenge to habitual modes of thinking and definition. In this sense, the playful allusions to the nature of "con" resembles those of traditional quest of alchemists for alkahest -- understood as the universal solvent capable of dissolving any container.

Symbolic container: Any periodic contest with the mandala thus explores the possible nature of such a container -- in dyamic cognitive terms, rather than in static physical terms.

The structure is sufficiently complex to be suggestive of a pattern that might be used to hold the complete set of Polti's 36 plots characteristic of human drama. These are presumably exemplified by the problematic dynamics of global governance -- effectively the pattern of narrative tunnels through which globality is variously imagined. The extent to which it achieves this may be indicative of its power as an attractor.

Comparable initiatives: As previously argued with respect to envisaging the glass bead game processes of an archetypal Castalia, rather than the univocal emphasis of the Eurovision song contest, the contest as a game constitutes a vast exercise in multivocal improvisation. The art involves the creative interplay of the variety of insights and functions with which "con" is associated, and by which it is transformed and modulated.

The contest could be compared to the periodic construction of an epic (like the Kalevala or the Mahabharata), or of a virtual temple (as with the periodic reconstruction of the Ise Grand Shrine in Japan). Through any game process the Concordian Mandala as a container for concord is constructed provisionally -- only to be recreated on a subsequent occasion.

This recalls the traditional Tibetan processes with respect to the Kalachakra Mandala, now cultivated through the International Kalachakra Network. Traditionally it has been constructed with coloured sand, and then destroyed (see Chart of the Elements in a Kalachakra Sand Mandala). Of particular relevance to this argument (as developed below) is the extensive investment in an interactive 3D variant of that mandala, accessible via the web.

Computer application: Of obvious interest is the implementation of the attribution of words (and other functionality) in an app which could be made widely available. This could including presentation of rhyming words (synonyms or antonyms) to enable selection -- as well as words with distinctive suffixes or prefixes. Aspects of this recall some computer implementations of Scrabble. One alternative is to offer clues to attributions to any segment, as is done with crossword design and dissemination.

The argument raises the question as to whether a variant of Scrabble could be based on rhyming of words in parallel columns/rows on the board. This clarifies the possibility within the mandala framework -- exploiting existing tools such as web-based rhyming dictionaries and their printed variants (Webster's Rhyming Dictionary, 2011; Sue Young, Scholastic Rhyming Dictionary, 2006).

Given the complementary argument for systemic correspondences, of further interest is whether checklists of these could be found in the spirit of general systems and pattern language research -- namely as "systemic rhyming".

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