The Rising Firefly Archives Excerpt- firefly 71: Modern Psychology and the Impact on Human Enlightenment
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Modern society has shown us over time that it has a very important agenda, and that is to constantly reinvent itself. As we continue to forge into the future with our sights set on advancement, we leave behind a history full of destruction. Destruction of ecosystems, wildlife and even our own species comes from the same society which the world looks to as a model for success and modernization. However, when a species begins to kill itself off through mass shootings, frequent suicides and reckless behavior, it is time to stop blindly following that example. Instead, it’s time that we examine the mentality of a society that is leading to these destructive behaviors. Psychology has been presented to us as a way to address the many mental problems that are plaguing this society. This field of study is constantly reinventing itself as it desperately attempts to deal with the problems that only become worse as time goes on. When looking at the state that we are currently in as a society we must ask ourselves are we really evolving or degenerating as a culture?
As modern psychology attempts to advance, it seeks to find labels and reasons for the many mental disorders that we see people suffering from. Many new disorders have recently been introduced by a new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). This book is used as a reference guide to determine whether people suffer from disorders such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder and Autism, in addition to many others. Most recently in the field of Psychology several new disorders have been introduced. Some examples include: Internet Disorder, Skin Picking Disorder, Hypersexual Disorder and Binge Eating Disorder. In the past, these types of habits may have been viewed as typical challenges that people faced. However, these habits are now being given a name which can be used to label the person’s problem. The introduction of new disorders is allowing a larger group of the population to fall into one of the many disordered categories. For example, this could mean that if an individual does not restrain himself from their sexual desires, they will be diagnosed as having a disorder instead of lacking self-restraint. This can sometimes cause the individual to accept their behaviors as an illness or something that needs medical attention. For many common disorders, the individual is left to either medicate himself or to continue down the destructive path with the illusion of having a free pass for their poor habits. For example, if a child is diagnosed with a tantrum disorder, the parent may then accept their behaviors as something that is “not the child’s behavior but a medical condition”. This approach to our individual flaws is contributing to the degeneration that we see today in our society.
When we compare the “modern” view of human behavior against the views held by traditional cultures, it is obvious that there is much to be learned simply by looking back. Traditional cultures such as the Kemetic culture, which stems from Merita (Africa), and the Meso-American traditional culture place heavy importance on the concept of interconnectedness. It is understood that you cannot separate the human into parts, in the way the modern system does. These cultures understood that one aspect of the human being cannot be examined without looking at the whole. The mind cannot be looked at without considering the spiritual part of the human being, which also cannot be separated from the physical part of the human being, which in turn cannot be separated from the environment, which is also connected to the society as a whole, etc... Psychology on the other hand only looks at the mind to try and figure out the problem.
In order to give the traditional perspective on why we find ourselves in the mess that we are currently in, we must look at the whole human being and consider the spiritual aspect. In traditional culture, it is understood that we as humans have one goal during our lifetime and that goal is to perfect our qualities. In other words, we are here to seek the path of enlightenment. This relates to the spiritual aspect of a human being. Every human being is born with a set of characteristics which can be viewed as their greatest strength or their greatest weakness. This is just the way things are. Nature has provided us with challenges to overcome for the purpose of our spiritual growth. The characteristics that we are born with directly affect our behaviors. Unlike the modern system, it is understood that we are all facing some form of human weakness and it is our job to improve that aspect of ourselves through understanding, work and sacrifice. For example, the person who may be labeled as having Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) by the modern system may have characteristics which would make them exceptional workers in areas that require energy and strength such as farming. At the same time, they may struggle with tasks that require patience and attention to detail. This individual would be expected to contribute their strengths to society while working on becoming more thoughtful and patient. They would not simply be labeled and medicated to change themselves. This takes away the person’s ability to work towards their life's goal!
Understanding that enlightenment is the goal of a human is a very crucial component that is missing from psychology. Ignoring the spiritual reason for having the challenges that we were born with leaves people stunted and without any expectation to grow. Instead, people often become passive observers of their own destructive behaviors. This is how society produces people who commit the most unthinkable acts of violence and destruction. Instead of containing the evil through hard work and accountability, people are given an excuse to give up on the idea of changing. That excuse is the idea that a person is abnormal, which comes in the form of a label.
The solutions that the modern system present have created a society in which people on psychotic medication engage in mass shootings and then are forgiven because they are labeled as being mentally insane. However, we have to question how did these individuals ever get to this point? Perhaps these individuals were not held accountable for their actions from the time they were children until the time when they became adults. Perhaps, the individual accepted their corruption as something which was out of their control. Or perhaps they needed more assistance than what the psychological field could provide. Rather than simply examining the mind of the person, a more holistic approach of examining the entire person and their environment would have better addressed their problems.
Mental stability begins at a very young age for children living in traditional cultures. It is achieved by addressing all aspects of the human being from early on. From before the time a child is born, the family consults with their spiritual leaders to have readings, give offerings and provide for the child any spiritual support that they might need upon their arrival. In traditional culture, children are also expected to become familiar with discipline and responsibility to ensure that their strengths and weaknesses are addressed. For example a young child may be held responsible to look after all of their younger siblings. This provides them the opportunity to develop qualities such as empathy, reasoning skills, self sufficiency and even physical strength from a very young age. These values are not taught in textbooks, but instead they are instilled through experiences within the culture and then further developed by the family and the community. If a characteristic is seen in a child that will handicap them as an adult, the entire family and community helps the child grow by bringing awareness and providing opportunities for growth. This is why it is often said, “it takes a village to raise a child.”
Traditional cultures have many of the answers to the problems that we find in the modern world. The Kemetic culture is the ideal culture to look to as a model for these solutions. It is the culture which unites all of humanity because we are all descendants of that culture. The Kemetic culture stems from what is known as the cradle of civilization, located in what is present day Egypt. Contrary to popular belief this culture is alive and it has been carefully preserved on the continent by people living in humble villages throughout Merita (Africa). Kemetic people continue to live by the same values and customs that their ancestors lived by during the time of the Pharaohs. The foundation for all that is actually needed to build a society was introduced by humanity’s first culture including math, science, astronomy and spirituality. These components of the culture were given to humanity by the Divine World as a gift in order to help us reach our goal of enlightenment. No matter how much the modern society tries, it cannot improve upon something that is Divine. This is why there is no need to reinvent the wheel.
Ultimately, humanity needs to refocus on what our purpose really is in order to fix the problems that we have created while living in the modern system. If our goal is to perfect our qualities then we cannot afford to accept any excuses for our imperfections. Humanity has already received all of the tools necessary in order for us to exist as a harmonious culture. Now, after understanding what your goal is which path will you choose?