July 10, 2005

Hitting Bottom

Q: How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?

A: One, but the the light bulb has to want to change.

I don't reject psychiatry in general, in fact I think that there is a lot that can be learned about human nature by reading the literature (mixed in with a lot of self-serving speculation). However, I have seen a lot of people invest a lot of time and money in the psychiatric profession without any observable results. The bottom line: most people want to be freed of the hardships caused by their problems (loneliness, lack of career success, etc.) but are unwilling to pay the price of changing. The reason for this, as I have said before (though not lately), is that nothing is more associated with our sense of self than our worldview, thus changing it is almost literally like dying. The price of change is death, and most people are willing to pay it only when they have utterly despaired of life. As they say in AA, you have to hit bottom before you will change.

I have been busy lately, and unfortunately haven't been able to respond to the London bombings in a timely fashion. My belated reaction: When will we hit bottom? When will they hit bottom?

The Germans and the Japanese hit bottom after World War II because they were utterly defeated by their enemies, and because being successful conquerers was central to their self image. The Islamists are also "proud warriors", and they won't hit bottom until they understand that as warriors they are utter failures.

On the other hand, we, too are suffering from the delusion that the Islamists are angry at us because we aren't being nice enough to them. A critical number of Americans hit bottom after 9/11, enabling the US to (more or less) change course, but it doesn't seem to have happened in the rest of the world, and as far as I can tell, many Americans have fallen off the wagon, again.

I know what it will take for them to hit bottom. What will it take for us?

Posted by David Boxenhorn at July 10, 2005 10:24 PM | TrackBacks
Comments & Trackbacks

Here is an interesting and thought provoking post....   ... more

Trackback by: Hatshepsut (A little on terrorism) at July 11, 2005 12:44 AM Permalink

I wonder what it would take for Islam to reach rock bottom, and start dealing with its own problems. The West is far from perfect, but I think we are the innocent victims of terrorism rather than co-dependents in a mutually destructive relationship.

Posted by: Alice at July 11, 2005 07:43 PM Permalink

I think it depends on which westerners you have in mind.

Posted by: David Boxenhorn at July 11, 2005 07:57 PM Permalink

When the last straw breaks the carmel's back, that when it hits bottom. Western countries with fully practice micro-managed laws has turned their people into a little lemming, law abiding citizens, after so many years in peace. They have half-heart notice the enemy but there isn't enough blood shed to take a strong action. That day will come and it will wake them up. The prospect is not nice, especially for moderate Muslims, living in Western countries. The cognitive dissonance blinds them today to see the real enemy will blind them to bludgeoning the innocents tommorow. The moderate Muslims are also blind by not helping out today, and when the s*** hits the fans, there's nothing but Muslims. It will be long and nasty, unless the democratic Iraq working out to diverse the energy. I doubt it will, considering the nature of American's politics. Sad.

Posted by: Lan Nguyen at July 14, 2005 04:25 AM Permalink