System of psychological vectors
Русская версия

Red vector—urethra

Who’s the boss?

This chapter will discuss a vector that is in many ways the complete opposite of the brown vector. Its sensitive zone (orifice) is the urethra as well as the entire urogenital system, which is why Viktor Tolkachev referred to it as the “urethral” vector.

Red-vectored people particularly enjoy both urination and drinking large amounts of fluids, while their unusually sensitive reproductive organs make them incredibly active sexually.

We will dive into all the characteristics of red-vectored people, but first we should take a look at a fascinating fact directly related to this vector.

There is an interesting substance called uric acid contained in our blood, muscles, and internal organs. Some people have much more of it than others, something scientists have long known is determined genetically. Crucially, uric acid exerts a powerful influence on our character: those with more of it tend to be more active and prefer leadership roles in society.

(Interesting fact: the alphas in charge of monkey troops in the wild have much higher levels of uric acid than their compatriots! That information will come in handy, as it is much easier to study many instinctive features of the red vector in the context of ancient societies.)

On the other hand, it is equally well-known that higher levels of uric acid in the body can lead to gout (a condition caused by uric acid crystallizing and forming deposits in inflamed and painful joints). We can put two and two together, remembering that many of the great rulers of the past suffered from gout (Peter the Great, Ivan the Terrible, Benjamin Franklin, Oliver Cromwell,and others)[1].

I bring this up to show that urethral sensitivity and the amount of uric acid our bodies contain are linked genetically! It so happens that people who enjoy drinking and urinating large quantities of liquids tend to be leaders and “alphas”[2] who push their way to the front of the line in all aspects of their lives.

Many qualities inherent to the red vector, including selflessness and altruism, are derived from that propensity to take charge of other people. Yes, red-vectored people are honest-to-goodness altruists—their main concern, after all, is the survival and progress of their “herd,” be that their family, company, team, or any other group. They are prepared to sacrifice everything for the sake of the lives and success of those people, even at the cost of their own.

With that said, while that same red-vectored person may be an altruist where the big picture is concerned, he is ego-centric when it comes to the details. Judge for yourself: can a leader responsible for the lives and success of a large group afford to think about every person in that group individually? Probably not, and there is no blame in that. The leader is well-equipped to manage situations from the top down in other areas of life as well, while still leaving the details to others. A disregard for individuals is therefore a common trait of the red vector, with red-vectored people behaving cynically with the big picture in mind and pursuing their goals practically on the backs of those around them. Firms in crisis that are managed by such a person are sure to survive, though some individual employees will pay for that survival with their careers…

As you will remember from the last chapter, vectors that are accepted to a high degree only manifest unproductive qualities minimally. A strongly red-vectored manager, therefore, who has accepted her own vector is able to stoop to the level of even the lowest employee, a habit exemplified by the great politicians and businessmen of the past (Dale Carnegie’s book How to Win Friends and Influence People is littered with examples)[3].

From fire to ingenuity

The fast-paced red-vector life makes it imperative that the entire body and especially brain are humming along at light speed, something that is facilitated by a unique system: “hot” or “explosive” biochemistry. Red-vectored bodies are really very warm—it is almost as if they are burning up inside, which makes it no surprise that for them fire is a symbol of internal interaction. They are the kind of people who can stare at a burning flame for hours, while as children they can think of no better pastime than setting things on fire.

If their passion for fire is taken to a professional level, they become firemen or pyrotechnicians.

Red-vectored people sometimes have a higher body temperature (98.6° to 99.5°) at which they feel perfectly normal. In fact, it would be reasonable to say that unneeded energy is converted to heat via the well-known law of physics. On the other hand, however, that temperature drops to a more normal range without resorting to medicine or any other form of treatment whenever red-vectored people find something they can pour their energy into. Their favorite color is often bright red, while their favorite shape is the symbol of fire: triangles. 

You may remember that person on every hike who sits by the campfire longer than anyone else, watching as it burns itself out and finally dousing it by doing something else he enjoys.

The character exhibited by red-vectored people is also reminiscent of fire or even an explosion: they are highly active, emotional, and impulsive. Finding it difficult to do the same thing for a long time, they instead prefer multitasking. For example, they read multiple books at the same time without even bothering to start at the beginning; jumping in at the middle or the end lets them find out how the story ends much faster. A business with a person like this at the helm will be working on two or three projects at the same time, often in widely differing industries. The boss himself can be seen talking into two phones simultaneously while at the same time dictating something to his secretary and giving instructions to his assistant.

Important decisions are made in the same way. The red vector, as opposed to the brown vector, rarely takes the time to carefully think through different options; instead, it instantly grasps the situation and is prepared to make a move. It is almost as if there are multiple computer processors all running at the same time—the answer is ready before the question has even been asked.

Imagine a little red-vectored boy at his school desk. The teacher slowly winds her way through a boring question: “There are ten apples… hanging on an apple tree… Seven of them… fall to the ground…” “Three!!!” the boy happily cries, having quickly grasped the question. But what does he get for his trouble? “Bobby, sit quietly until I finish asking the question!” But just sitting there is so boring, and the boy finds something else to do while the teacher continues: “Seven of them… fall to the ground… Here’s the question: … How many apples… are left on the tree? Okay, Bobby, now you can answer.” By now, however, red-vectored Bobby has already figured out five similar problems and completely forgotten what the teacher is working on with the rest of the class. “Oh, so you don’t know?! You get a D so you’ll remember not to interrupt next time when you don’t know anything.”

Does that sound familiar? It is how one of the brightest students in the class can end up a C student and lose interest in studying altogether. That C has nothing to do with what the student has learned; on the contrary, it is the average of D’s (when she was too fast or slow) and A’s (when she happened to find a happy medium). Teachers often conclude that such students are “smart, though they need to apply themselves…”

You can probably guess that this vector does not make for great students, though “advanced” red-vectored people are still capable of impressing those around them with their unusual education. After holding an intelligent, in-depth discussion of any topic for five minutes—on politics, economics, science, art, or anything else—the conversation is so gripping and energetic that people are left wondering, “Wow, such a smart, educated person! It’s a shame she had to run off so quickly…” And why did she? Well, she had nothing left to talk about.

Red-vectored people’s strengths would never make for good Jeopardy contestants; while they lack breadth or depth of knowledge, they can sift through a flood of information and quickly grasp what is important. There are many examples of red-vectored people whose tremendous success was not hindered by dropping out of university: Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), and others.

The life of a red-vectored person is a rollercoaster of steep ups and equally steep downs. At their peak, what they churn out would take ten other-vectored people ten years to accomplish, while their valleys are bereft of energy to the point that they have no desire to do anything whatsoever.

Watch as a red-vectored child runs, jumps, and shouts like a whirling dervish until suddenly dropping everything to collapse onto the couch. Then see how his mother walks over to drone over him, “I won’t give you anything until you put all your toys away carefully and put the boxes on the shelves.” But the boy is too tired to even object, so what happens?

Teenagers are past masters of pulling batteries out of a dead MP3 player and smacking them together to squeeze out a few more minutes. The same is true of the red-vectored boy: it is absolutely possible to pick him up off the couch and make him do what his mom wants, though doing that too often will lead to some unpleasant consequences. Just like those batteries need some time to recharge, the red-vectored boy needs some peace and quiet right then to get his own batteries going again. Until that happens, he will lay there exhausted—something we usually call laziness. However, it is not just laziness; the boy simply has no energy left and needs to recharge. How long might that last? It is different every time and for every person, sometimes taking an hour, other times a day, a month, or a year. Occasionally it even takes the rest of a person’s life, as illustrated by well-known scientists and artists who are never quite able to follow up their magnum opus with something equally as creative and consuming.

In other words, pestering red-vectored people at a time like that may not be the best idea. If you have the interests of your husband, employee, or child at heart, you will give them all the time they need to recharge. Do so and you will later find them more than willing to get everything done—and able to do so even faster.

A person of the future

Leaders who care about their team (family, company, and so on) often give thought to tomorrow, the day after, and even the distant future. Red-vectored people are rooted in what comes next, driven toward it and drawn by the promise of new ideas and grandiose plans.

While brown-vectored people are enamored by the past’s known facts and figures (they can be lined up, accumulated, systematized, organized, and drawn to a conclusion), nobody knows what will happen in the future. Moving to that side of the timeline, the only finality in the future for red-vectored people is death. Yes, you read that correctly: any point in the future that represents a conclusion is death! That is why they feature another fascinating psychological trait: no matter how many projects they start, they never finish any of them.

This is true in both little and big things: while red-vectored women can wash a mountain of dirty dishes, there will always be at least one plate left in the sink when they walk away. Maybe the phone rang, maybe their TV show started, or maybe they just got tired of washing dishes—the reason does not matter. Red-vectored entrepreneurs can get any number of projects off the ground, but they will never complete any of them (on their own, at least). This may be the key to what makes red-vectored businessmen good managers: they begin things and hand them off to others to finish (some brown-vectored colleagues, for instance). Incidentally, brown-vectored people make ideal assistants for red-vectored leaders, both finishing things and serving as a buffer between management and labor.

Intrigued as they are by the future, red-vectored people cannot stand anything having to do with the past—history, past experiences (especially those of other people), the word “recommended,” and so on. They do not listen to anyone, they learn from their own mistakes, and they enjoy finding themselves in uncharted territory. We should take a moment to note here that red-vectored people learn from their mistakes instantly and do not repeat them, in contrast to many of the other vectors.

It is almost as if red-vectored people were created by nature to handle life’s toughest situations without the benefit of time or resources. When it comes to their ordinarily lives they make a habit of laying on the couch as long as possible, only jumping up in time to get everything done at lightning speed and at the last possible minute. That is how they squeeze the most enjoyment out of life; doing things slowly and surely (the brown-vector way) is not their cup of tea.

Red-vectored people generally dislike reading historical books, finding it boring to waste time on what happened a long time ago. Adventures, detective stories, and fantasy, on the other hand, give them invaluable ideas for their creative pursuits.

First in line

An important characteristic of the red vector is a thirst for first place—after all, alphas by definition are always out in front. A motto for them could be something like “better dead than second,” as they always want to be at the front of the line. If that position has already been taken, however (for example, if someone has already entrenched themselves as the leader), red-vectored people instantly lose interest. Willpower and endurance, after all, do not generally characterize this kind of person, which is why they often find excuses for their overreaches: “Oh, I didn’t really want it anyway.”

If your red-vectored child knows the math champion is in the next class over, she will most likely not study math at all: “Why study if you can’t be first?” Instead, she will only do her best where she has the opportunity to end up alone at the front of the pack, be that as a student or a troublemaker. That is why red-vector buyers often fall for conniving salesmen who sell them on being first or acquiring an exclusive product or service. All VIP privileges, elite status, and other hooks are designed with the sole purpose of reeling in red-vectored people.

Naturally, relegating a person like this to an assistant position is highly dangerous, as they will fight for the top of the totem pole even at the cost of the whole team’s work. They are also not built to be worker bees; instead, they are more comfortable thinking up new ideas, delegating them to others, and laying back while their plans are brought to fruition. After all, there are few things more relaxing than watching a burning flame, running water, or people working—a perfect description of the red vector. Others, on the other hand, may act much differently: brown-vectored people (as well as black- and orange-vectored ones) simply have to work if someone else around them is, demonstrating that all sayings and even life principles only fit certain vectors.

By the way, about that “running water”—just like fire, for this kind of person it is a symbol of Life. Their particularly sensitive urethra means urinating is especially enjoyable for red-vectored babies, and any running liquid is enough to have them in throes of delight from a young age. Leaving this kind of child in the bathtub alone means a visit from your downstairs neighbors, since there is no way the child will be able to keep the water inside the tub. Dress her up in a clean, new outfit when the weather has been clear and sunny for weeks and she will find and jump headlong into the only dirty puddle for miles around. Water sports and professions that keep them near the water are favorites for adults, who also enjoy water-related hobbies. Beyond that, something will always be running in the background—pipes, faucets, ball and feather pens…

Their struggle for first place drives red-vectored people as they find their way in life and go about their jobs. They always find unbeaten paths and love experimenting: “we’ll find another way” is a favorite pronouncement. Be careful when giving one of them advice or you may involuntarily give them reason to doubt their superiority, a serious blow to their self-esteem. Deep down red-vectored people think that following someone’s advice means they are no longer the smartest person in the room, and losing that title is the worst thing that could possibly happen. With that in mind, tread lightly when offering advice and do not be surprised if your idea is later regurgitated with no mention of you, the original author.

This is linked to an inability to admit to mistakes, as red-vectored people one way or another pass the blame on to those around them. After all, an admission of guilt would mean, at least to red-vectored people, an instant topple from their pedestal. Recall The Jungle Book and Mowgli’s “Akela missed!” Who is the alpha now?

If a red-vectored person dumps the blame on you, do not feel bad: you did nothing wrong, he just does not know any better. Try to take the high road and let it roll off your back, an attitude that will be rewarded a thousandfold. On the other hand, trying to prove your innocence and shift the blame back to where it belongs will not leave you satisfied either—your red-vectored friend will never admit to being in the wrong, and your relationship will be ruined. People like this also respond aggressively to accusations, losing productivity and quite possible falling into red-vectored neurosis (we will discuss that topic soon).

Of course, if the red vector is sufficiently accepted, the person is able to own up to his mistakes and even do so publically with unusual dignity. Nobody will understand, however, what that admission costs.

Risk and insecurity

If there is one peculiarity red-vectored people do their best to hide and the people around them do not even suspect, it is a hidden insecurity complex. Every morning people like this wake up with a subconscious question on their mind: “Am I really willing to give up my life for the herd?” In an attempt to prove to themselves and those around them that they really are, they never miss a chance to show their bravery: going skydiving or bungee jumping; walking under overhangs without anything to keep them safe; skiing, driving, or riding their motorcycles as fast as they can; and so on. They choose the riskiest professions and hobbies (pilots, mountain climbers, stuntmen), and their lives are spent constantly flirting with death. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained” is a motto for all aspects of life, and adrenaline rushing through their veins is the biggest thrill on earth. That is why red-vectored people rarely die in their own homes; they generally fall prey to explosions, accidents, catastrophes, falls…

From childhood they feel a strong pull toward weightlessness or freefall, seeing as how their most sensitive system is their vestibular apparatus. Maybe you are wondering what the connection is between the urogenital system and that particular apparatus, one that is located deep within the inner ear? 

Just think about where you get butterflies when on a high-speed elevator or traveling quickly across steep hills or small bridges. They start fluttering around near the bottom of your stomach—for women in the uterus and for men in the prostate. It turns out we sense g-forces and weightlessness with our inner ear, while we feel them far away in our urogenital organs.

Red-vectored people not only pursue risk in the form of extreme sports; they also approach business in the same way, balancing on the line between big-time success and abject failure. Their fascination extends only as far as the stakes are high, meaning they also tend to enjoy high-stakes gambling and life-and-death games.

Freedom

As you may have already guessed, the most important thing in the life of a red-vectored person is freedom. They would never submit to anyone, and their own system is always better than anyone else’s. Do not even think about disciplining them, as red-vectored children often announce to their parents something to the effect of, “I’m going to do what I want to do, no matter what.” It is no accident that children like that often run away from home, especially if they have strict parents.

I remember once when I was eight a friend from school and I decided to have a little adventure. After asking people passing by for a little money, we bought tickets for our local suburban train and set off. Once onboard, we decided to get off at a tiny little station in the middle of an open field that did not even have a real name—it was called “19 Mile Outpost.” The platform was much shorter than the train and we guessed the wrong car to be in, so we had to jump straight onto the ground. My friend hesitated by the open doors (his brown vector was obviously making itself heard), though I quickly “helped” him make up his mind and jumped down behind him. The doors closed and the train chugged away…

That was the first time I was enveloped by that indescribable feeling of freedom, and I still remember it—the endless field, the rails, the receding train, and not a soul for miles. Once we had our fill of the new sensation we decided to head back, though once we got to the other side of the tracks we learned that the train only stopped at that station once every three hours. Now would be a good time to mention the main circumstance of our adventure: it was winter, the temperature had dropped to 15-20 degrees below freezing, and we were dressed more for a short trip in a warm train than for a long walk across a snowy field. I will not describe how we tried to flag down all the trains passing by, including freight trains, for three hours. Suffice it to say our train finally arrived as it was beginning to get dark and we were soon home. Of course, my brown-vectored parents had a field day with their “teaching moment,” but I remember it for a completely different reason: it was the first time I felt what it means to be Free.

There are no obstacles in the life of a red-vectored person, as the word “permission” is not in their vocabulary and minor inconveniences only stir them on to try harder. They say you have to trick children like this into doing what you want: “Tomorrow you’re going to school.” “No, I’m not!” “Tomorrow you aren’t going to school.” “What are you talking about? Of course I am!” This well-known strategy works both on children and to a large degree on many adults, as telling them not to do something is a sure-fire way to achieve the opposite effect. It is much better to allow them something (or at least not to force them), causing them to lose interest in what is no longer forbidden fruit.

Red-vectored people accept nothing that infringes on their freedom. In fact, they do their best to avoid anything that even symbolizes a lack of freedom, things like items that form an enclosed circle: a tie around their neck, a buttoned top button, or a wedding ring on their finger. Some red-vectored people even prefer to keep wristwatches in their pockets, while registrations and other official documents are also considered symbols of a lack of freedom.

Strict work schedules can sometimes make red-vectored people completely unproductive. They need more flexibility, something that is most often available for those working for themselves. Everything that infringes on their freedom feels like a trap they do their best to free themselves from as soon as possible.

The most unpleasant trap for red-vectored men is when a woman comes up to them saying, “Dear, we’re going to have a baby!” The first thing they think is, “Hold on a second, dear, aren’t you the one who’s going to be having the baby?!” If the next thing they hear is “…and you have to take care of it!”, that baby may very well grow up without a father. The problem is that the sense of duty for red-vectored people shackles them, and the phrase “you have to” will always knock them for a loop. They love repeating something like, “I will never have to do anything for anyone!” With that in mind, women who would like to marry a red-vectored man should avoid starting that marriage with a pregnancy.

So what should a woman in that situation do? Sometimes the simplest option is the best: “Dear, the baby is yours, but you’ll never see it!” There are a lot of effective elements in a phrase like that: reverse psychology, a restriction (limiting freedom, in other words), and taking away that all-important red-vector herd and future. Often that is all it takes to goad the father into taking care of the child with a level of attention that surprises those around him…at least until he hears a casual “you have to…”

Freedom is a kind of fertilizer for the red vector. If there is not enough of it in a red-vectored person’s life, she will start looking for imaginary freedom in alcohol, narcotics, or virtual reality. We should note that unfulfilled red-vectored people have an affinity to alcoholism that goes beyond other vectors. That condition also serves as evidence of when the vector is not at all accepted: red-vector neurosis.

If a red-vectored person is not in charge of her herd, she becomes a lone wolf—after all, they dislike working for other people. Regardless, a balanced and fulfilled red-vectored person will always find and take charge of a herd.

People like this are unaccustomed to submitting themselves to widely accepted norms and set rules; they are inveterately suspicious of all moral principles forced on them by others. Sometimes they even want to reach all the way to the bottom in order to get a better grip on the fullness of life, going through all the depths and heights it has to offer in order to come away with a richer, fuller experience.

It is important to remember that a passion for freedom is not the same thing as irresponsibility. Quite the contrary: mature, balanced red-vectored people (for whom the red vector is accepted) are more often than not very responsible in the areas of their lives they choose. Of course, that is not true of situations where there is external pressure to be responsible.

With that in mind, the irresponsible behavior of red-vectored children striving to achieve some measure of freedom is nothing more than immaturity and imbalance that is actually natural to all red-vectored people regardless of their age.

This kind of person often needs some compliments or even flattery (another form of fertilizer for the red vector, incidentally) to get themselves going. While you can only praise brown-vectored people for something they have actually done without making them feel like a fool, red-vectored people (and particularly children) can be praised for any reason or even without one. They blossom with praise and can never get enough—stopping the compliments forces them to fill the void by praising themselves. Bragging is a common sign that a red vector has not had its fill of praise.

The other side of the coin is that it kills red-vectored people when they have to praise others. After all, subconsciously (or consciously) they consider themselves the best and smartest, while complimenting someone else means acknowledging an equal and weakening their grip on the hierarchy in place. Only very mature and advanced red-vectored people who have gotten over their complexes and ambitions are able to sincerely admire others.

Work

Red-vectored people stand out in whatever job they choose for their burning ambition, conceit, pride, and thirst for power. If they fall short of their goals, they sometimes torment the people around them with all kinds of schemes and changes they never find time to fully implement.

Besides roles in management and politics, they enjoy extreme sports and risk-based professions that offer the opportunity to show off their derring-do: working as combat engineers, life-guards, and the like. We could also add here the activities that have already been mentioned: water-related (swimmer, sailor, fisherman), fire-related (fire-fighter, pyrotechnician), and flight-related (fighter pilot, astronaut). Red-vectored people also make excellent scientists and inventors, pioneering various areas in science and technology. Additionally, they are capable of putting together impressive military careers as long as they have the other vectors (black and orange) needed for that particular occupation.

As soon as a red-vectored person gets a new idea lodged in his head, he dives right in and forgets about everything else. And it does not matter what anyone else says—even if the mission seems impossible, he needs to be sure of that himself. On the other hand, to paraphrase Albert Einstein, discoveries are made by those who never knew they were impossible.

Schooling works the same way for red-vectored children: they study what interests them and let the rest slide, no matter how hard their parents and teachers push them. Quite often they collapse under the pressure from their teachers, quitting school to jump right into the adult life they have wanted practically since before they were born.

Certainly, the red vector can make people remarkable and even genius in practically any profession or area of their lives, as this vector is a catalyst capable of turbo-charging other vectors and making them all the more clearly defined.

If you ask a red-vectored adult about the work he has done in his lifetime, you will have a hard time believing the answer. Listing all the different employments he has had would take quite a while, with many of them pulled from entirely different and even contradicting areas.

Now imagine a person born with two strong vectors: brown and red. What would she look like?

That depends primarily on how both vectors are accepted. If they are both accepted and balanced, she could be very successful in widely varying areas of her life. She would be equally capable of beginning things (coming up with ideas) and finishing them, suited for both fast-paced and slower work, able to look at the big picture and focus in on the details, and a person of both the future and the past (ultimately, a person of the present!). The red/brown combination is therefore considered the most productive mix of two vectors.

Of course, not many people with that lucky combination reach their full potential. In fact, poor acceptance of their vectors leaves them in an unenviable position: they live, as it were, in two dimensions, thrown from side to side between two opposing vectors that cannot manifest themselves at the same time. Accustomed to a fast-paced, red-vectored life and unaware that their red vector is giving way to their brown vector, they start to worry when they suddenly notice their thought process and the speed at which they live dramatically slowing. Instead of leveraging the advantages that come with times like that to quietly wrap up everything they have previously started, they try whipping themselves into shape in order to hang on to that peak red-vector productivity. Ultimately and sadly, they burn out professionally, lose interest in work and life, and begin to suffer from psychological and somatic symptom disorders.

All it means when one vector lets another take over is that the first simply needs some time to relax before resuming its place on the front lines. Even our internal organs have their set peak times during the day, and none work at the same pace from morning until night. The same is true for vectors, which can go dormant for a few hours (that occurs differently for different people). With that in mind, avoid forcing yourself—instead, try to pay close attention to what your body is telling you and use what you have to work with at any given moment.

Vector management

Many readers are probably wondering right now, “How do I turn the right vector on at the right time? How do I make sure my vectors help me instead of getting in the way? Sometimes, of course, you need to hurry right when your brown vector kicks in to slow you down… You need to clean up around the house, but you feel so lazy…”

There is only one tool that gives you control over your vectors, though that control is only indirect. Regardless, people who are equipped with it enjoy vectors that turn on right when they are needed, instead of the other way around. You are already familiar with that tool: acceptance. People who accept their natural vectors find that they automatically kick in just when they are most in demand. Need to do something physical? There goes your black vector. Need to understand something quickly? Here comes your red vector to the rescue. Have to finish something? That is a job for your brown vector. On the other hand, if your vectors are poorly or not at all accepted, they will pop their heads up at the worst possible moments to annoy you and make you unproductive.

There is no other way of managing vectors. You can certainly down a few cups of coffee to keep going a little longer (coffee works in our bodies as a substitute for uric acid, which is why it stimulates the red vector for some people), but the effect is brief and not overly physiological.

We can illustrate the balance with which this system works by looking at our stomach. When it is healthy, eating a bite of bread triggers the production of a special gastric juice designed to digest bread. On the other hand, eating a bite of meat triggers the production of an entirely different gastric juice designed to digest meat. Healthy stomachs work flawlessly; however, for a sick stomach, eating a bite of bread might trigger it to produce the gastric juice used to digest meat. But what meat is there to digest? Sadly, only the stomach itself, which is how gastritis and many other problems get started.

Vectors work the same way: acceptance lets them work like a healthy stomach.

Other characteristics

Balanced red-vectored people often find luck to be squarely on their side. Even in the most unlikely situations—ones where others usually lose—they win or at least break even. They also tend to be carefree with their money even as they tend to find themselves with plenty of it if their vector is completely accepted.

People like this hate lines and large-scale events, and cannot stand crowds unless they are at the front of them.

Red-vectored people do not have a particular affinity for food, though they prefer more salt than others and tend to drink more than they eat. The stronger their drink, the better, which is why expensive spirits make great gifts for them.

They speak energetically and quickly, often in such a hurry that they swallow the ends of their words (“you know what I mean”). While talking, they often exaggerate facts and figures: “I caught an enormous pike yesterday, must have been 45 pounds!” (…the fish was actually normal-sized), “I’ve been here for two hours waiting for you!” (…when you are a few minutes late), or “There's nothing in the fridge at all!” (…children often say this if they cannot find their yogurt or ketchup).

Red-vector handwriting can vary widely, though it is generally careless—marked by large spaces between lines that can run up or down, letters of different sizes, and frequent stains, strike-throughs, and inserts. Incidentally, using arrows to insert missing words is a common giveaway for the red vector. They also sometimes forget to finish words (“you know what I mean”) and forego punctuation. To put it simply, you can tell if a text, even on the computer, has been written by a red-vectored author from a mile away, as it is strongly characteristic and easy to recognize.

Their behavior behind the wheel also reflects the main tendencies featured by the red vector: speed, freedom, and first place. Driving as fast as the engine will allow (who needs brakes?), a subconscious need to drive through their favorite color at traffic lights, and rushing right past cars parked nearby are only a few of the habits red-vectored people exhibit on the road. The passenger side window handle in their car is often torn off, while the dents in the floor on the same side make the passenger seat suitable for only the coolest of customers. Most important is getting into intersections first to make sure no one else can cut them off. All in all, their driving is symbolic of how red-vectored people approach their careers, business, talking with the opposite gender, and many other areas of their lives.

One more red-vector trait related to lifestyle and inattention to detail is a carelessness that starts at birth. It often looks like this type of person prefers living and working in utter chaos, with drawers and cabinets spilling out right into the middle of the room. However, regardless of the awful (creative) mess, red-vectored people know exactly where everything is.

They often forget to turn off the lights when they leave, walk away from running faucets and open doors, and hate clearing the table, making their bed, and cleaning their shoes. Training them to be orderly is nearly impossible (only if born with other vectors, for example brown or orange).

While brown-vectored people manage to pour identical amounts of tea into different cups when serving it (going back to their natural love of fairness), red-vectored people only get half a cup’s worth into the actual cup. The rest spills onto the table.

The fact that a red-vectored person spent a long time in the tub does not mean that he is clean; he may have just been having a good time. Later that evening he might put his left sock under the bed and the right one on the table, completely confident that he will easily find both of them in the morning. If your brown vector makes you put them where they belong, you can be sure you are in for trouble.

Appearance

Red-vectored people do not care about their appearance as long as they are wearing comfortable clothes. The freedom and independence they crave can pop up in little details of their clothing: an unbuttoned top button or unequally rolled-up sleeves for men or long red nails and bright red lipstick for women. Hairstyles are also quite free, with some locks sticking out in different directions or stacked asymmetrically. Holes and stains in their suits are the finishing touches they apply to their wardrobe: “and this one is…coffee!” Incidentally, a little hole in a woman’s tights can be a strong turn-on for red-vectored men (the opposite is true of the brown vector). You might also have come across a red-vectored woman who only had time to put makeup on one eye.

Of course, everything in this description is strongly overstated, meaning that it is rare to find someone who stands out quite like this. Regardless, carelessness most often makes red-vectored people stick out in a crowd.

They also have typical gestures and poses that demonstrate their freedom, authority, and special territorial (or property) rights. For example, they sometimes sit with an arm draped over the next chair or their neighbor’s shoulders. They even enjoy sleeping with their arms flung out so as to take up the entire bed.

Health

Red-vectored people do not give much thought to their own health, caring only once they are already sick.

Given that their urogenital system is particularly sensitive, all kidney and bladder disorders as well as all diseases related to the male and female sexual organs can be traced back to the red vector. Of course, they only appear when the vector is not completely accepted and imbalanced (pressured, stifled, or simply unfulfilled), which is why, as strange as this might seem, learning about this vector’s characteristics (by attending seminars or reading books) is sometimes enough for a dramatic improvement in the health of the patient. Our theory posits that diseases occur in organs (systems) where the person has increased sensitivity (a strong vector) but that do not receive enough stimulation (pleasure). If the red vector is realized in its mains areas (freedom, sexuality, and so on), there will be no reason for a sickness to occur in the Organism. Consciousness is the first step toward realizing a vector, and sometimes it is the only one needed.

Diseases suffered by the red vector also include the aforementioned alcoholism and drug addiction that are resorts for those who cannot develop personally or have even deeper problems. Certainly, venereal diseases can also be included on this list.

One last tendency is important to note when discussing red-vector health. If there is significant unacceptance (imbalance), many of the vector’s features can be replaced by their opposites—a condition referred to as red-vector neurosis. Strong sexuality is replaced by impotence or frigidity; passion for water, heights, and darkness are replaced by fear of the same. People suffering from this condition see their thought process slow and their creativity vanish along with their charisma and ability to manage people.

Algorithm for resolving neurosis (applicable to all vectors):

  1. Be aware of which vector is suffering from neurosis (in other words, which is poorly accepted, pressured, or stifled). You can use the results of the test or go by your own gut feeling.
  2. Where possible, think of a situation (for example, from your childhood) when that vector was strongly repressed. This step is not essential, though it often proves highly beneficial.
  3. Look for any of your vector’s needs that you would like to meet but currently are not (sometimes this means carefully rereading the appropriate chapter).
  4. Begin meeting that need little by little.
  5. A few days later note your vector’s new needs that are appearing and go straight back to step four.
  6. A few weeks later sense that your vector has found a balance that is new to you, congratulating yourself on a victory won without a single casualty. You have now unlocked all the potential that vector offers (all its productive qualities), while you can also recognize that its unproductive qualities have all but disappeared.

 

Red-vectored people have one more problem complicating their lives: once they achieve a goal they have worked long and hard for and their long-awaited dream comes true, life becomes drab and boring. They no longer find pleasure in what they used to long for, even wondering what could possibly have once drawn them to it. That condition leads them to a depression that is difficult to come out of on their own (this may actually be why red-vectored people do not finish what they start, sensing as they do the future emptiness that awaits them). Instead, they sometimes turn to the short-term relief provided by alcohol or antidepressants.

There are two ways out of a situation like that. The first is to have the next goal or dream always ready and immediately start working toward it. The second is to start with unachievable goals. What do all the great physicists dream of? Inventing a perpetual-motion machine. Such an apparatus has never been created, though many great discoveries have been made along the way. Those scientists would probably not have been so productive had they not set their eyes on such a grand target.

Love and sex

While red-vectored people tend to stand out in many areas, their sexual potential is particularly strong. Reproduction is crucial to a successful future, and the alpha has a subconscious urge to personally take part in that process. Among all the vectors, the red vector enjoys the strongest, even hypersexual potential. If a red-vectored man tries to have sex with a woman, it does not mean that he is in love with her or thinks she is an easy catch; he is simply programmed by nature to have sex with all women at least once.

Red-vectored men in the throes of passion can be unusually generous, prepared as they are to overcome all obstacles and spend all the money they have on the women they desire. However, that does not keep them from asking the next morning, “Hey, what’s your name?” Once turned on, they throw out promises right and left they have every intention of keeping when they give them. That does not at all guarantee that they will be kept, though, as red-vectored men answer to no one—they give when they want and take back when it no longer suits them.

As far as sex is concerned, these gentlemen are highly original, if short-lived. Women joke that they are like amusement parks: all the fun rides you could dream of, though none last longer than three minutes…

This area is similar to all the rest in that red-vectored people do their best to be as free as possible, meaning there is no sense asking them to be faithful. In fact, it is better to allow or even suggest that they take a lover on the side. Most often that means they will not take you up on your offer (and if they do, it will be just barely), partly due to their own insecurity complex: why test fate if everything is already permitted? For red-vectored people consciousness of their freedom is much more important than acting on that freedom.

Regardless of their strong sexual potential, red-vectored men are very vulnerable in this sphere of their lives—intimacy dials up their insecurity. If a woman impugns a brown-vectored man’s masculinity in a moment of passion, he will spend three days going over that moment in his head and weighing the pros and cons before finally concluding that it is not true. If the same thing were said to a red-vectored man, he would immediately run and shoot himself or jump off a bridge.

The hypersexuality enjoyed by people like this begins early in childhood with a heightened interest in their own and others’ intimate places. Red-vectored young adults also have a habit of regularly masturbating.

An old acquaintance once visited a vector training seminar I was running after having some problems raising her five-year-old son. The boy was giving her some real problems with his early sexual development. At the end of the lesson on the red vector she told me with some confusion, “Yes, I get it now… I get that why he needs to do all that… But he… sits there grunting like a grown man!!!”

So what can you do with this kind of child? The best thing to do is recognize that your child has that need and help him or her find a way to meet it respectably. Instead of simply telling them to stop, try saying something like, “You can, but…” Follow that up by laying out ground rules: only when they are alone, only when no one can hear or see them, only with clean hands, not at kindergarten or at school, and so on. Your child will be so surprised to be allowed to continue that he or she will happily stay within your limits.

Red-vectored boys and girls tend to mature quickly, both physically and psychologically. Their sexual lives begin sooner than most, and they also get pregnant sooner. In fact, young adults full of sexual desires and surrounded by limits and rules are at risk of proving their freedom dangerously by hitting the streets to develop a liking for alcohol and narcotics. That is why parents who are attentive and careful with regard to the sexuality of their children can both save them from going down the wrong road and make them the kind of outstanding, red-vectored people they want them to be.

Another interesting peculiarity of the red vector is a sexual predilection for elderly partners, something that in its full form is called gerontophilia (from the Greek geron, which means old, and philie, or love). This tendency might have deep evolutionary roots, as the alpha (the most sexually active male) has to be able to please all the females in the herd. He would have to start not with the best-looking (young and sexually attractive), but with the oldest (those whose biological clocks will soon run out).

We can continue looking at this topic by drawing on Little Red Riding Hood, the well-known fairy tale.

A young, attractive girl sets off through a scary forest to bring cakes to her grandmother. In the forest she meets a lone wolf (remember that they are red-vectored) and, perhaps having heard how forest meetings with representatives of the red vector end, is very afraid. The hungry (!) wolf, learning that there is an old grandmother living nearby, leaves the young and beautiful girl in the forest with her cakes to head off in search of the grandmother (obviously an unusual step). Once he gets into the grandmother’s home, he gets in bed with her and devours her (in psychology, that is a symbol of taking control—children who want to claim something stick it in their mouths). To use adult terminology, the wolf has the grandmother in her bed, after which he waits there and does the same to Little Red Riding Hood. Why the hungry (!) wolf leaves the young girl in the forest even after he learned where the grandmother lived is to this day a mystery to folklore enthusiasts. Not a single child or adult could explain the logic in the story.

This story symbolizes how red-vectored people find adult partners much more intriguing, only later turning to younger ones. This is true of both young men, who often prefer adult sexual partners, and hypersexual red-vectored girls who much prefer older, experienced men.

Red-vectored women are by their nature made for sex and childbirth. They get pregnant at the drop of a hat, doing so with such force and unpredictability that contraceptives are powerless. Childbirth itself usually happens easily and quickly, sometimes even being very pleasurable. On the other hand, they make poor parents, happily handing their children off to brown-vectored grandparents, sisters, or friends while they get back onto the rollercoaster that is red-vector life.

Incidentally, red-vectored women sometimes have a strong distaste for foreplay. If their men take too long getting through that step (buying flowers, talking, drinking tea, having coffee, or dancing), they may get fed up with it all and send them home. Imagine, there are women who do not care for anything that makes them wait for sex—after all, life is too fast-paced to get caught up in the preparation.

Red-vectored people love experimenting with sex, trying everything they can in search of something new and unusual. Often their fantasies get so carried away that inexperienced partners—and especially those without the red vector—get scared off. Living with a conservative partner like that as a red-vectored person, of course, is boring and dull.

On the other hand, life in a family with two strongly red-vectored people is anything but tedious. Instead, it is a continuous battle for leadership that ranges from basic everyday issues (who will make coffee today) to how to steer their lives together. Sex for those two red-vectored people, on the other hand, is incomparable in its passion, emotion, and depth of feeling. The marriage will probably not be long, as it is a brutal battle for superiority interrupted by unusual harmony in the bedroom that quickly burns them both out. “I can’t live with you, and I can’t live without you” is a common problem red-vectored people have in this situation.

We have spent this entire section talking about sex, but what about love? The red vector is probably the only one for which these two concepts are fused into one: “I love the one I want.” And of course, “I always want the one I love.”

If you are planning a wedding with a red-vectored person, do not forget that they are capable of changing their mind at the very last minute. It might seem strange, but that has nothing to do with you—they simply decided to take a different road…

Viktor Tolkachev enjoyed telling how to get a red-vectored man to marry you.

“First you take a walk in the general area, but not on the same street as the church. Start with the next one over to let him get used to it. Then gradually try walking by the church without acknowledging it in any way. At some point your red-vectored man, who sometimes has crazy ideas, will turn and ask you out of the blue, ‘Want to go get hitched?’ But be careful! What should your response be? ‘Are you crazy? Are you feeling all right?!” That is a trap for your red-vectored man that will have him dragging you into the church a couple weeks later.”

Is it possible to have a long-lasting relationship with a person like this? Of course it is. There are even red-vectored people who go many years without cheating on their partners, though only if those partners are highly creative (usually in the bedroom) and always ready for surprises.

Conversation and motivation

Red-vectored people are easy to talk to if you bear in mind the peculiarities of their vector. If you need something from them, do not forget that they need to be the initiators instead of you. That holds true for both children and young adults.

However, if you are not able to wait for them to take the first step, remember this magic phrase: “You’re our only hope!” It works beautifully when said with complete sincerity, letting you sit back and watch them move mountains for you.

There is no other way to manipulate the red vector, as it cannot be bought and is very difficult to convince. Even if red-vectored people do change their minds, they do so because they decided to instead of being convinced. I hope you will not try to point out your own role in the change of heart.

There is only one effective way to motivate red-vectored people: play to their insecurity. Expressing doubt about their abilities (publically, in particular) makes it extraordinarily hard for them not to prove that they actually are completely capable. That type of scenario can be especially dangerous for red-vectored teenagers, for whom the desire to assert their status in the group can push them to make tragic mistakes.

In contrast with the brown vector, the red vector needs to have grandiose goals. Children who cannot picture a great future for themselves have no reason to study, which is why they are perfectly fine looking past school to the days when they will be president of the Academy of Sciences (their habit of not finishing things will keep them from actually becoming president, though they could very well become vice president).

A group with two strongly red-vectored people will see them wage a full-fledged battle for control that generally has one of two outcomes: either the system as a whole splits into two subsets led respectively by the two leaders, or the more red-vectored of the two crowds out the competition.

Wrapping up: bringing the red vector home

We can sum up the contents of this chapter by saying that the red vector is exemplified in life across six main areas:

  1. Adrenaline—extreme activities, including professions, hobbies, and habits
  2. Speed—in thought, action, and decision
  3. Sex—strong sexual potential (frequency and variety)
  4. Power—ability and desire to manage people, events, and Life itself
  5. Freedom—from everyone and everything
  6. Self-realization—numerous and widely varying personal talents and abilities

 

Any of these six areas can be repressed in childhood by parents or other significant adults. As you already know, that repression leads to poor acceptance and ultimately red-vector neurosis. It is important to remember that the red vector is more easily repressed than many others, while red-vectored people (especially children) fall more easily into neurosis.

 

I would like to conclude this chapter with the symbol of fire we used to describe the red vector. I once heard this phrase, and, though I do not remember where I heard it, it has stayed with me all these years as the best characterization of the red vector I know:

“A red-vectored person is a candle with two wicks burning at the same time, making its flame both brighter and shorter-lived.”

 

Films to watch (featuring red-vectored characters):

  • Mr. & Mrs. Smith, directed by Doug Liman, USA, 2005 (John and Jane Smith, played by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie)
  • One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, directed by Milos Forman, USA, 1975 (McMurphy, played by Jack Nicholson)
  • Run Lola Run, directed by Tom Tykwer, Germany, 1998 (Lola, played by Franka Potente)
  • Back to the Future, directed by Robert Zemeckis, USA, 1985 (Dr. Emmett Brown, played by Christopher Lloyd)
  • Vicky Cristina Barcelona, directed by Woody Allen, Spain and USA, 2008 (Juan Antonio, played by Javier Bardem)

 


[1] It is interesting to note that gout is one of the oldest diseases known, having been written about by Hippocrates. Some of humanity’s best minds have suffered from it, including the ancient philosophers Achilles and Oedipus, Alexander the Great, Cardinal Mazarin, Michelangelo, Guy de Maupassant, Stendhal, Columbus, Newton, and Charles Darwin. Geneticists have even identified genes linked to gout.

[2] The imagery of red-vectored people as the “alphas of the herd” originated with Viktor Tolkachev and will be used throughout this chapter.

[3] How to Win Friends and Influence People, published in 1936 and currently available in many languages around the world,is Dale Carnegie’s most well-known book. It is a collection of practical tips and actual examples from the lives of successful people. 

 


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