I experience this on an ongoing basis, living with a relative who has rejected Christianity and embraced mindfullness, then some form of Stoicism. Is this forgiveness without repentance? I don't know, but it seems so.
I think this is interesting. I work in an environment, amongst teenagers who seem to have this belief that they should not experience any negative emotions. Feeling “anxiety” is often seen as purely pathological, a clinical problem that needs solving, even by those with just normal every day life anxiety. But, I often explain to the young people I work with, that I have bouts of anxiety everyday too, and that this is just part of life, being human. Much of feeling anxiety is normal. Anxiety cannot be avoided if they want to progress, develop and move forward. It doesn’t always mean they have a mental illness.
But, they seem to believe they should feel comfort ALL the time. And, if they feel anxious then they should be able, even entitled to avoid anything that causes them to feel anxious. It is a trap. It is a new cultural norm I feel.
Grounding and mindfulness techniques are used all the time where I work, it is part of the culture. They do calm the nervous system down which can be very helpful. But, I get that they can be masking reality and mean that they are actually shutting down what their emotions are trying to tell them. In some cases, mindfulness can feel like a form of avoidance to be honest, Self-medication in the same way their vapes are. It can also mean they become quite self-absorbed in their own space. Yes, they feel at peace but they are isolated, immersed in a therapeutic bubble. I like the idea that experiencing negative emotions are a trigger, a tool for ‘adaptive’ purposes.
And, I like the idea of seeing shame and guilt as as a trigger for ‘social repair.’ I think this can apply to both the perpetrators AND to the victim’s. Acknowledging guilt can lead to true to repentance, transformation - potentially social repair. On the other hand, when a young person feels shame for being, let’s say abused, it can be hard for them to disclose this - due to fear and shame. The shame can be deeply embedded, deeply personal to them. But, their shame is telling them that something has gone wrong in their social fabric and they know it.
This series is an interesting read. It feels counter ‘cultural’ or counter ‘popular thought’. I think you’ve found some gold - shame SHOULD quickly identity the need for social change or a need for restoration. I think the reality is that shame often doesn’t prompt us towards self reflection but to lie to ourselves to justify our behaviour. Shame then becomes dangerous and is an indication of sin feeding the self talk “I am bad”.
Factories and workplaces learned the hard way the dangers of bullying, guilting & shaming when it turned into mass shootings at the workplace, and this is generally considered poor practice. The stakes only go up as the education level of the victim increases. Don't say you weren't warned.
The Telos of a human is not to achieve relaxation. Yet the philosophy surrounding mindfulness seems to suggest that we were meant to be placid ponds of perpetual peacefulness. Instead God made us to work, worship, and multiply. We actually get sick and our muscles atrophy if we don't experience stress regularly.
Thank you for bringing this up. It is a big discussion and one that takes us in many directions. We are in the land of fools gold.
Rachel Maddow just did a great story on shame tonight (Jan 21 show), hoping that shame can lead to change.
I experience this on an ongoing basis, living with a relative who has rejected Christianity and embraced mindfullness, then some form of Stoicism. Is this forgiveness without repentance? I don't know, but it seems so.
I think this is interesting. I work in an environment, amongst teenagers who seem to have this belief that they should not experience any negative emotions. Feeling “anxiety” is often seen as purely pathological, a clinical problem that needs solving, even by those with just normal every day life anxiety. But, I often explain to the young people I work with, that I have bouts of anxiety everyday too, and that this is just part of life, being human. Much of feeling anxiety is normal. Anxiety cannot be avoided if they want to progress, develop and move forward. It doesn’t always mean they have a mental illness.
But, they seem to believe they should feel comfort ALL the time. And, if they feel anxious then they should be able, even entitled to avoid anything that causes them to feel anxious. It is a trap. It is a new cultural norm I feel.
Grounding and mindfulness techniques are used all the time where I work, it is part of the culture. They do calm the nervous system down which can be very helpful. But, I get that they can be masking reality and mean that they are actually shutting down what their emotions are trying to tell them. In some cases, mindfulness can feel like a form of avoidance to be honest, Self-medication in the same way their vapes are. It can also mean they become quite self-absorbed in their own space. Yes, they feel at peace but they are isolated, immersed in a therapeutic bubble. I like the idea that experiencing negative emotions are a trigger, a tool for ‘adaptive’ purposes.
And, I like the idea of seeing shame and guilt as as a trigger for ‘social repair.’ I think this can apply to both the perpetrators AND to the victim’s. Acknowledging guilt can lead to true to repentance, transformation - potentially social repair. On the other hand, when a young person feels shame for being, let’s say abused, it can be hard for them to disclose this - due to fear and shame. The shame can be deeply embedded, deeply personal to them. But, their shame is telling them that something has gone wrong in their social fabric and they know it.
Interesting.
This series is an interesting read. It feels counter ‘cultural’ or counter ‘popular thought’. I think you’ve found some gold - shame SHOULD quickly identity the need for social change or a need for restoration. I think the reality is that shame often doesn’t prompt us towards self reflection but to lie to ourselves to justify our behaviour. Shame then becomes dangerous and is an indication of sin feeding the self talk “I am bad”.
Factories and workplaces learned the hard way the dangers of bullying, guilting & shaming when it turned into mass shootings at the workplace, and this is generally considered poor practice. The stakes only go up as the education level of the victim increases. Don't say you weren't warned.
The Telos of a human is not to achieve relaxation. Yet the philosophy surrounding mindfulness seems to suggest that we were meant to be placid ponds of perpetual peacefulness. Instead God made us to work, worship, and multiply. We actually get sick and our muscles atrophy if we don't experience stress regularly.