140728
My comments on Sam Vaknin's essay “For the Love of God; Narcissists
and Religion”
by; Dr.
Sam Vaknin
Was
led to watching a good video off YouTube recently, of an interview
with the author of the essay above, Dr Sam Vaknin, which addressed
"Narcissism", after seeing Pat Coleman's own vid going to
the same subject. So, I was inspired to comment, and here it
is...
Skipping
down your Narcissism and religion essay, Sam, I can't say I have any
of those interpretations as you see them, which is a relief.
But
the first thing that strikes me is how beggared we are as a people,
of the dominant western judaic-christian culture, because I do see so
many of these traits you describe throughout the society, as far
removed as I've been from it, for the last 20 to 30 years.
It's
a valid question, “how
can we have survived as a society with these traits so obvious and so
common?”
And
worse, that these malignant traits are basically what all christian
cults, 'religions', depend upon for their own sustenance! 'Cloaked'
though they most often are, at least overtly in the pleasantries and
smarmy condescensions.
And
there too, it beggars belief that so many people have been so duped,
so spell bound for so long, to have anything to do with the churches,
the priesthood, the beliefs systems, to return Sunday after Sunday to
services, year on year, for generations, and to also maintain a
'faith', in anything the clergy preaches!
What
crimes have been committed, as you title your essay, in the name
of...., “for the love of god”!
However,
being the ultra-cynic I've become, I do ask just how many so-called
“faithful' do actually believe in any deity, let alone in the
messiah concept?
From
my life's hard and honest lessons, I've perceived that most
'religious' people, professing a faith to any one cult, or creed, are
beneath those facades, quite cynical themselves, and really just
'play-along'.
Because
an organised group like the large cults, for that, also amass
material wealth. And that, always translates, at the end of the day,
down to being ownership and rights to land, upon which we all must
live.
But,
in these we also find terrible, perhaps typically 'religious' deceits
and corruptions. For the western, judaic-christian cults are always
ahead in the crude businesses of global colonisation, and have led in
dispossessing the Indigenous Peoples of their own lands. Yet what do
we see from the western cults, but silence or denial of Indigenous
Land Rights!
So,
were we able to have a mass honesty session, of whole nations, we
might be pleasantly surprised by the facts, which would, I maintain,
have millions indeed, billions, 'come-out' and admit to being
Atheists. As well, we would, in that hypothetical, also have those
billions admit that their allegiance to the cults, with all the traps
of professing when necessary, 'faith' etc., merely so-as to secure in
the 'security in numbers' raw and simple truth, somewhere safe to
live, socialise and earn an income.
But,
I AM an Ultra-Cynic!
Your
descriptions of the mental traits and habits of these religious
narcissists, seen from my distant points of view for decades, but
also in so many fanatics who themselves are completely unaware of
their psychoses, and, in my own family [while 'god' was never in
their dialogue or general beliefs systems], still now, with my
ongoing, if reluctant, interest in psycho-pathology, I'm shocked as
to how the society can function at all.
But,
alas! It isn't functioning very well at all, now, is it?
We,
who are victim to these traits of mind, and so are constantly aware
of their existence, see it in most all 'driven' business folks, in
enthusiasts of money making, in the emphatic, and ambitious, always,
and in as this essay goes to, the religious. Most so in the
evangelical, no doubt.
Damn
what a mess the world is in!
Having
had some 25 to 30 years, plus many years prior living alone in
society, to myself, and with the definite subtle, covert guidances [I
struggled to become aware of] by the Theosophical Society, to play
their puppet prophet, since my earliest days, 'self-examination' has
been almost, though too often, annoyingly, depressingly, 'normal'.
So
with many years of having the mind going off on it's own, and me
having to tag along, I did come used to hearing the stupid, the
false, the unnecessary thoughts, and early came to be ever ready to
notice the errant thinking patterns. That was helped by my finding
good schools, which addressed these very things, habits, traits,
etc., and gave the best guidance, from eclectic coverage of the
world's religions and philosophies, etc. So they also assisted me
enormously in finding a regime of mental practices which worked on
cleaning out the bad aspects and habits of thought. But, as said, the
cult behind my very existence, had led me covertly into seeing other
ways, such as mum being led to becoming a Hatha Yoga teacher, from
when I was but a 10 year old. So all things “Eastern” began into
my formative years, until I was 'well read', well above most
westerners, especially from government schoolings, in the subtle arts
of mental health, etc, as known and retained in their collective
consciousness, by “the East” for millennia. Indeed, 'forever'!
So
it all has me look down on others, especially those who try to exert
authority and power over other people, when I see/hear them being
irrational and unwarranted in their assertions, making fools of
themselves. I don't mean 'look down' as if I am superior. If one is
better informed about something, after a while it becomes absorbed
into the unconscious,. And, if it's about these matters, of mind, I
think it becomes 'subconscious' such that they do not influence the
egoistic part of the thinking, and thus of seeing others as lesser
beings.
[Forgive
me here, because I'm going through this again, before posting it, so
edits add paragraphs on a preceding point, and thus the congruency of
the whole piece can be a little disrupted and not as fluent. I'd
guess you're familiar with this unfortunate aspect of writing?]
It's
simply that when we see people being stupid, but perhaps especially
overly dominating, but without good, intelligent cause, we're all
disgusted I think, and so 'look down' on them?
It
seems so few people are 'natural' at hearing and discerning the
veracity or not, of their own thoughts? So, this begs the question
how can they discern errant thoughts, words in others? Especially in
their alleged 'leaders'? For if people cannot recognise stupid
thoughts, untrue and evil thoughts in their own minds, nor then the
dangers of them, how can they know when others are talking rubbish,
and when some people must be avoided? Then, in either situation,
they're dangerous, and more so if they are asked to assess and judge
who should lead the society and nation!
No
wonder we've heading down hill so fast!
But,
in familiar, secure and trusted situations I do think we are more
natural.
And
then, crucially, our naturally better mind, as-it-were, is freer,
more relaxed, and so can function. It, or we, can say what it would,
truer more intelligent and balanced things. [That in itself is an
whole tome to expand upon, in terms of what conditions are necessary
for us to think, thus speak, aright? And.., whence come our thoughts,
and knowledge, etc? The levels of importance of “nature, nurture,
preparation, formation, nurturing, etc”?]
But
when pressure, especially of proving ourselves, is on us, unless
we're pretty astute and experienced, which has to be or include that
same 'self-awareness' and being adept at self-examination, until
we're naturals at ensuring our thoughts and words are accurate, we
fall to being errant.
If
that isn't examined within, and is or should be demanded of us
constantly, such as in any position of management, or authority, too
often people are free to invent, fabricate whole theories, of
untested merit, and thus deep and seriously dangerous fallacies, and
often because they're under pressure to come up with the right
answers too quickly.
So
whatever they can think of to say, enough to maintain their stature,
status, job, income, career potential, etc., escapes their own
examination, critique and correction, and, escapes other's critique,
if they aren't questioned, and appear to get away with it, if only
for that 'superior leadership' position of unquestioned authority and
rectitude.
As
said, I recall reviewing myself even as a teenager, after social
events, which was bloody depressing more than enlightening, so that
process has been driven into me.
Therefore
it annoys me and even disgusts me when I see others not even aware of
the rubbish they talk, and that they don't seem to have that ability,
that self-respect, I guess it comes down to, of being self-critical
in ensuring they are not talking bullshit. This also, or perhaps
should, apply to trivia?
As
well, another reason I'm far happier well out of all social networks
today, is that people are forced, as much, by social demands, to keep
their conversations and thus their general level of considerations so
parochial, so myopic, and in the end, conversation is trite garbage.
Sure,
'small talk', gossip and local chatter gets to over-the-back-fence
issues, which can be as important as global politics often, if, say,
neighbour nut-case has a gun and wants to abuse it.
And
those small issues do keep a local suburb in some sort of order I
guess.
But,
being one out of the bag, having never had that since my youth, and
for over 40 years now, not having had any constant social mateship
and familiar network, it's alien to me, so I get my jollies in
politics, and larger objective, non-personal affairs.
More
tragic that is, than any 'broadmindedness' of character, or natural
benevolence.
But
it has had me inquire into these larger things, like 'cultural
psychoses', as per religion, etc.
I
just finished reading your essay Sam. It has me conclude I was a
narcissist.
Well
before I had the slightest clue that I was being set-up by the
Theosophical Society and my mum.
Looking
back, and this might again be some still unrecognised sub-character
in me, denying for it's own self-defense, culpability, but I can see
the traits as you go through the characteristics of Jesus.
I've
known for perhaps 8 years, perhaps longer, that I was from my
conception, hypnotised, and so have never really had any of my own
personality. A great 'escape clause', yes?
I
do maintain that as an escape from being guilty of a personal or
personally developed psychosis. I wish I could escape the damage to
my psyche that's come with the bad magic imposed upon my mind though?
But I also maintain, that our psychoses are never 'self-inflicted',
but are always 'imposed' upon us, by some external and usually
sadistic or malicious other. Person, or perhaps 'spirit' from other
dimensions? So 'blame' and 'guilt', and 'shame', etc., are falsities,
again, imposed upon us by as usually is the case, those damned
religions! This being a fact, I assert, also damns the whole modern,
western, and other, justice systems surely? But clean, simple
intelligent, science, determines that as so anyways. That the legal
world is drowning in 'blame', and it's opposite of rewarding
individuals for accomplishments, that whole cultures run on
that/those general tenets, shows just how successful the pernicious
and wildly astray religions have been.
So,
with what I've written above, about seeing in others these traits you
describe, I must say, even now, looking back, I see my old self as
being different to the flawed narcissists I too describe watching,
but how different I actually was to, or in the yes of others, I can't
say. What I can say, is that they saw me as a bad apple eventually,
and I was put through the grinder, now, for over 25 years.
For
several years I've said that Jesus was a puppet, like myself, or
vice-a-versa, of course. That he was hypnotized mainly first, by his
mother, and by the rabbis, he was sitting with down at the temple,
etc, and obviously, “John the Baptist” had him by the baptismal
from whenever they were together.
I
haven't seen, or 'identified' any of those narcissistic traits as you
point out in the New Testament books, in Jesus, and it surprises me
that they are there, and that you see them as narcissism.
I
can't disagree with you, but I have my own doubts about the veracity
of the NT, what with it being written with a definite agenda in mind
in the 4th century
AD, by the paid scribes of the corrupting Councils of Nicea. So I
think we have to be careful what we accept as said by Jesus. Whether
he even actually existed, and so what was written to either
fit-him-up, or make him out to be more godlike than he might have
actually been? He may have existed, but may also merely have been a
puppet, totally hypnotized, which I do believe, and so had many
personal troubles and inner conflicts, which he had no chance back
then, of ever divesting himself of.
But,
yes, I accept in the main, your attributing narcissism to his
character. But I also insist, that if he did exist and in anything
like we've been led to believe of him, as some prophetic personage,
he was mostly a victim of a desperate cult. And it is the case that
judaism was in shit street in his time, so would have been ready to
resort to anything to save itself.
It
strikes me as a surprise that you do deduce as you have, his
character. The surprise is that the books were written in the way
they were, such that someone up the track could have deduced and
discerned these failings in his character.
Because,
if you're right, then the scribes, or their dictators, were
consciously intending to write-in these flaws, and thus, the dangers
and errors of the whole “Jesus” phenomenon.
THAT!
Is a very interesting twist to the whole story!
I
was made aware decades ago that it was written with many 'coded'
references and perhaps understatements in it, almost as if waiting
for a future time when wiser minds would see it's secrets as they
were intended.
Sure,
'allegory' metaphor and other means of secreting messages. But this,
that he was so flawed a personality, and, indeed, such a dangerous
one?
Brilliant!
What a joke it makes then, of all the christians!
Enough!
Thanks
again!
I've
lived homeless and exiled from all society here in Australia now for
over 19 years. Finding that I'm this false character, set-up by a
combination of mad cults, has shattered me, really.
Yet,
still, I soldier-on, as-it-were, from forests away from 'the throng',
yet stalked and haunted by all manner of peoples, from near and from
overseas. And part of my DEFIANCE against being made this mad cult's
puppet, and that their propaganda mill mindlessly persists in forcing
me to be what I refuse to be, their “Jesus”, makes it a miserable
Duty of mine to keep pumping out essays and assaults against their
delusional ideologies.
But,
they're quite insane, and for that quite ceaseless in trying to prove
they're right. So after certain periods, when I still maintain my
rage, and refuse to acquiesce, the pressure is re-applied.
Each
day I expect to be set-up, again, and accused of false crimes, so
they can incarcerate me, as mum [THE leading narcissist of my life]
herself has done more than once. This maternal narcissism topic, as
brought into my awareness by the G+ connection to Pat Coleman, is
something I've posted essays on to my blog, and I even sent a JPEG
description, I got from Pat's page, about maternal narcissism, to my
older sister, who I do think is also one of them.
She's
again cut-off email communications to me. And, as they're psychotic,
if only forced into so being by the demonic Theosophical Society
cult, it would linger in their minds and they'd be plotting more to
force me to doing what they want.
So,
this morning, I was forced to leave my 'allowed' little forest
hid-out, by a forest worker and truck and piece of heavy machinery,
the one I think that drove me out a few months ago. So, I don't know
if I'll still be 'a free man' by the end of the day? Therefore I
don't know if I'll be able to hit the internet on this topic from
here forward?
It's
a sick world. Perhaps wherever you're abiding, living, things are not
so oppressive? But perhaps they are everywhere nowadays/
But
here, in Australia, it is unbearable mostly, for someone, some
'freak' like me.
Maybe
I'll have a “lucky break”? I guess one would have to believe in
'luck' though, for that to happen? Ha!
Cheers.
Max
N Cook
aka
JUST
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Brayakooloong
Gunai Indigenous Outlaw
Australia
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