Thoughts and other trivia...

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Gullible's Travels

I guess it’s a sign of the times that spirituality and religion are also being pushed like products these days. Truly, nothing is sacred any longer and just about anything goes. Utter crap is being peddled in the name of knowledge and wisdom.

Usually, I try and not read the spirituality-related rubbish that appears in this newspaper every Sunday. Usually, I succeed. Occasionally, something catches my eye and I end up reading it. Some of it, at least. Unless, of course, it’s about a trip somewhere or if it's about an interesting place and suchlike. A few months ago, I read what has to be close to the top of the list of most offensive bullshit I’ve ever read. That it was about something as sensitive as child abuse made it worse and got me even more annoyed. The point that this half-wit was trying to make was about forgiveness, which is fine. No argument. But, when someone offers such puerile gibberish as “gratitude for the abuser” and “the blessings of childhood abuse” and that abuse is but “an opportunity to another fellow soul to improve karmically” as their rationale, it makes me want to wring their neck and not feel guilty about it. How dare these people!

Unfortunately, I ended up reading some similar nonsense this morning. This one’s about loneliness. Apparently, Loneliness Is Lovely. Whatever that means. “And depression is not an illness or disease,” according to GuruSpeak. Er, what? “It is a plateau given by Nature to know the true meaning and importance of detachment.” Really? “A human who does some soul searching, meditation and contemplation surfaces through these plateaus or base camps, due to his own will power (soul power) and gets a new life, new energy, and moves forward. However, whosoever, indulges in it, gets mentally ill-balanced, can also harm himself, which is sin, an insult to the internal powers of the human. Only the person who goes through depression and emerges a better human being can contribute towards humanity...” What effing nonsense! What does she mean by saying you can only contribute to society if you emerge a better human being after depression? Is depression some heinous crime, like rape or murder, after which you need to reform yourself? Depression is not a disease? Has she heard of clinical depression? Or, bi-polar disorder, where depression comes without a reason?

The problem is not so much that people have such stupid notions and superior attitudes but that they find platforms from which they’re able to pollute and corrupt others’ way of looking at things.

5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/article2907848.ece

12:03 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/society/article2912621.ece?homepage=true

8:52 pm  
Blogger GhostOfTomJoad said...

I'm going to assume that the two Anons are the same person.

I don't quite feel up to responding to anonymous comments but, because you've taken the trouble to point me to two articles that you think are relevant, I will.

Actually, I wanted to write a small post about the first link you've posted here, but I don't think I have the energy for it. So, anyway, let me just say that there's a difference between the kind of anger the articles are talking about, especially the latter, and the outrage expressed in this post.

Your concern, if it is that, is misplaced ;-) but, thanks anyway!

11:54 pm  
Blogger austere said...

Someone who rationalises rape or depression needs a brain scan to check if they had a brain in the first place.

Outrageous.

5:18 pm  
Blogger GhostOfTomJoad said...

Austere: Absolutely. But, what is sad is that it doesn't take more than half a brain to be a guru/teacher/leader these days.

12:00 pm  

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