Swallowing Modern Psychology:

The Science of Exploitation

 This world is dominated by psychology: it is our psychology that creates a picture of who we are. It governs how we think of ourselves, how we project ourselves, and how we maintain this projection. It is psychology that creates classes of people.

 From that, all the other acquisitions come about to express this projection. So we can conclude that modern psychology helps us to promote a desired picture of ourselves, and an aversion to anything that seems to go against this picture. In this, modern psychology wants us to ignore the quest to realise our true nature, which is beyond this imagined, created, maintained personal identity. If we did realise our true nature, it would put psychologists out of work!

 In this world dominated by psychology, the outcome is troubled minds and hearts, as we can see all around us, and in the number of anti-depressants being swallowed. People are constantly trying to fit into an ideal caricature of their choosing, which is never realised.

 The ideal cannot be allowed to work perfectly, as there would be an end product of perfect happiness, and that would stop the never-ending struggle of people trying to ‘better’ themselves. As we can see, in absolute terms, no one is happy. This impermanent, material-driven world is the very cause of frustration, and more importantly, the creation of addiction.

 When we cannot cope, we find something to be addicted to…it’s our comforter. This could be anything – alcohol, drugs, culture, work, entertainment, Buddhism – anything that we think makes us feel better about ourselves. I once saw a t-shirt which read, “If you’re well adjusted to society, then you’re really f**cked up”. We are talking about fear of just being ourselves.

 Tibetan Buddhism, which is also the psychology of the mind and heart, can play its role in taking apart our troubled hearts and minds, dissolving confusion and addiction. We can engage with society, while understanding that it has no absolute reality, save the reflection of our true nature in that relative reality.

 I’d go as far as saying that modern psychology is involved in poisoning the mind and body. Remember, he who pays the piper calls the tune: the person who provides the money for something has the right to determine how and why it’s spent.

Be careful what you swallow!

It may be indigestible

and will keep repeating.

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There is no end to the search

for corporate, pre-digested happiness,

served up to us in pretty packaging.

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Malnourished and hungry,

we are driven in endless circles,

when we have everything we need

in our awakened taste buds.  

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