From authenticity to stupidity — one step
Modern psychology of a general humanistic orientation has become accustomed to digging out the true, genuine I and growing it, freeing it from the layering of external roles and masks alien to the personality. Only when a person reunites with himself, accepts deep inner and genuine feelings, harmony, authenticity and other psychological joy come to him.
This is most clearly expressed in the Gestalt therapy approach, where the key phrases in working with a client are usually:
— Do you really feel it?
— Do not speak from the mind, feel what is really happening in you!
— Stop, immerse yourself in your feelings …
And similar ones.
At the same time, no one asks where this inner self came from and what is its price. In this case, it is more convenient to forget what the fellows in the psychological workshop say about the formation, upbringing and other socialization …
I’ll translate: about what, that once ignorant people put their stupidities into your soul about the world, you, people, and how you can not love all this, they put it all in and secured it with fears. At first, it was as strange to you as pissing in a pot for some reason, but all this was a long time ago, it was in childhood, and you don’t remember it. Later, you got used to it and began to call it “I”, “my views” and “my tastes”.
And most importantly, you were told that all this is very valuable, that this is your essence and that you need to live, first of all confessing these individual troubles. Well, you believed.
What other options might there be?
Self-actualization and authenticity
Maslow used the term “inner impulse”, “inner voice” in his article, sometimes it is also called “true desire” — but the essence is the same: listen to what you really want. A person cannot doubt — he always knows a ready answer, and if he doesn’t know, then he simply doesn’t know how to listen to this inner voice of his — only he will advise you what you really need!
Perhaps this idea also makes sense, but in order for this to become true, many more conditions must be met. Firstly, by default, this person should strive for development and improvement, secondly, he should have his own reasonable desires, and not desires imposed from outside, thirdly, he should not be lazy and love to work, be aware of responsibility for his actions, have rich accumulated experience …
In working with horses, they often say the same thing: do it spontaneously, because it seems right. But they say this already to masters with great practice. And if, next to the horse, each person begins to do what he personally thinks is right, the number of injuries will increase significantly.
Yes, it is possible, if you are a person — of high quality and your life is beautiful — if you do it your own way, and not as the not always reasonable environment says — probably everyone will be fine from this.
The environment says: live for money. Pay little — leave! And you work — but not for money, but for a cause, and you do a Big and Beautiful deed.
And if a personality has just begun its development, there are few sensible thoughts in the head, even less in the soul, the body is more lazy than obedient and wants to get away from work all the time — what can such a person want? Smoke, drink, have a bite… How reasonable is it for such a person to listen to his inner voice? Yes, he first needs to put himself in order: learn to work and develop, be organized, get used to living with high quality, and when such a habit has already become the norm — that’s when — then you can probably look for that genuine and the best that is in a person.