Life is suffuring, or is it?
Thoughts I have about the spiritual industrial complex.
I have been thinking about how in western civ there is a fascination with metaphysics and self serving spirituality. I think it is tied to the fact that most people in the west live in a carefully constructed fantasy world ripe with toxic positivity. I see people try with all their might to study gobbledygook. People I know will pick up a stone/crystal, hold it in their hands, close their eyes, and declare they feel “energy”. They refer me to articles online written up with arbitrary meanings attached to inanimate objects that changes from website to website depending on who wrote it. I would describe it as spiritual propaganda.
I am not knocking spirituality, I believe in some superstitions myself, but I believe what people are searching for ties to subjects in philosophy. I think Nitzche best explains it with his concept of The True World. (https://academyofideas.com/2012/11/nietzsche-and-the-true-world/). I think we live in a society that makes us suffer and because people are forced to consume psychopathic “always positive vibes” while suffering and resiliency becomes debased and devalued and deemed unnecessary as part of the human condition. Does that tie into trans-humanism? Because adversity is a vital part of what it means to be human. I believe people are trying to overcome nihilism in the wrong ways though.
I am sure there are people who use spirituality practically as a character named Juan Chickoy described in John Steinbeck’s book A Wayward Bus. The character is a Mexican fellow living in Salinas, CA that drives a bus to transport guests that stay at his bed-and-breakfast to places like Los Angeles, CA. He keeps a small statue of the Virgin Guadalupe looking over him as he drives to watch over him to keep him safe and to keep him from lying. But he understands it is only his thoughts he projects on the figure, thus being a belief-less man he uses spirituality as a wise tool.
It’s not those people who use practical spirituality as a tool I am refencing to, but it is generally western liberals who I am talking about here. Just got on Instagram an search the hashtag #spirituality or #crystals to see what I mean.
The content of this spiritual propaganda only encourages hedonism, debauchery, and selfishness. Whereas other thought and spiritual structures, including a large percentage of athiests, practice and encourage selflessness. Caring for one another. Helping your neighbor. You know, that jazz.
I have tried telling people about the geology/geomorphology about the crystals the use to worship themselves with, but these absolutely fascinating and beautiful facts are easily discarded and ignored. Instead, they ask “What is the meaning of this crystal?”, as if there is a cosmic purpose and intent instilled into each stone. There isn’t. I honest to God (ironic) believe it is rooted in anti-intellectualism.
The main demographic I see that believes in all that is later Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. These generations have been so dumbed down and taught to consume that even what could be potentially good practical spirituality is now commodified. I could go on about the exploitation in the supply chain to get these stones into their hands in a capitalist global economy, but I think that is a different discussion.
However, I would like to point out the irony in how many people suffer in the crystal mines and factories that produce these stones just for the rocks to be held in a hippie-woo-woo western liberals hands as a search for meaning in a society hell bent on eradicating sulfuring. If only these poor kids understood they have the capability within themselves to find meaning in their existence and that they don’t need a several hundred dollar collection of “energy crystals” just to experience a few short minutes of self-serving delusion.
To finish this drug fueled ramble I have typed, I’d like to share this article that I read recently that has helped spur these thoughts:
