Photo by mari lezhava on Unsplash
I love psychology. But I could never be a psychology student.
I love a lot of things, yet I doubt I could excel in their respective professions. Something that occurred to me the other day (yes, yes still at that conference) was how intensely I dislike this boxing in of people, this labeling. Because although the speakers were open-minded (enough) and engaging, they were expressing “facts”, they were showing this very clinical approach as to why people react in certain ways and which part of the brain makes up stories and connections and blah-blah-blah.
I’m not saying it’s not exciting by that, on the contrary, it was very interesting. But it’s something that scares me, I realized. This “deep” understanding. It’s very dangerous, I think.
Because you can understand how science and the study of the human body and particularly human mind evolved, we’re desirous to know why, it’s in our nature. Why we’re here, why we react how we react, why we do the things we do.
And obviously, some people started looking into that and that’s good, it’s good to be able to better understand the world you live in and yourself. But there’s this part of me who thinks there’s also something destructive lurking there, you know?
Once you understand how something works, you can break that something, and worse, you can control it. You can see it in how we are constantly being manipulated by the powers that be, by governments, by religion. They are very clever people, see, they understand how our brains work, what our natural responses are. That we need guidance/acceptance/indulgence etc.
People who understand how we work understand how we can be fixed, maybe, but who’s to say the powers that be would want to fix us?
No, I don’t mean the doctors, the psychiatrists, the scientists. They’re pawns and most of them are well-intentioned (well enough, anyway). Most are intent on lining their pockets, some rare ones are interested in helping others, in actually doing good. Extremely few, and I would say too few, are interested in seeing how they themselves are being used.
I mean, think about it, it makes sense that you would assume the rest of the world wants to do you good. What could possibly drive doctor X to sell you hazardous drugs or to recommend you take another 20 very costly tests, just to be sure?
Why, money, of course. It’s self-evident really. And most people’s reaction is going to be yeah, well, but those money aren’t going to the doctors, don’t be ridiculous. No, they’re not. But some are. Out of the money you pay on those tests, I bet something goes toward the doctor, they have an interest in recommending them. And with the drugs? Exactly the fucking same. You think the doctors who keep recommending you take this precise drug are doing so out of good will or because the said drug really is miraculous?
It’s a nice thought, but it’s also extremely naive. Could it be they have a deal with the people making the drug?
It’s like with a race car. You know how all sorts of companies sponsor certain race-car drivers and then, you see a beer ad or something on that specific car? It’s the same thing. These companies are buying the exposure and credibility of doctors to push their own products.
Which aren’t necessarily good for you. Why? Because nobody gives a shit if you’re ill or not. Your mom. Maybe your spouse. But that’s about it.
Have you noticed how when you go to the doctor’s, for whatever minor issue, they always give you a prescription for the costliest version of one drug? I mean not one doctor I’ve come into contact with has said ‘take these, they’re half the price and they do the same thing, really’, even though it’s true. Now why do you think that is? Surely, the good doctor should have your best interest at heart, and that includes your wallet.
Anyway, this has turned into a medical system rant and it wasn’t really supposed to. No, this was supposed to be about this dissecting of the human brain and this mistaken belief that you can explain absolutely everything. You can’t. There are things that just don’t have an explanation. There are. I don’t really think you can explain genius or creativity or a lot of things that go on inside your head. Psychologically, I mean. And it scares me to know there are people desperately trying to explain everything. To what purpose? I don’t know. And the truly scary thing is, they don’t either.
Thanks for reading,
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