Psychology, One on One
And NOT 101. The importance of our historical path and the elements we were deliberately led to either ignore or forget.
Mental health crisis. This used to be a form of fairy tale in my years growing up. The situations I was experiencing through life, were just ‘occupational hazards’ of being social beings. Of being human beings.
What mattered the most, was ‘the state of the spirit,’ something I later found out that is supported by both philosophy and psychology. However, beware, as psychology has been weaponized in the past couple of centuries, for the mere reason for certain sick groups to justify their actions and normalize the behavior of their peers.
Thus, starting with philosophy is highly recommended, for it is based primarily on logic and reason, in the pursuit of ethos. That is very difficult to corrupt. It is also why many wise people across the ages have always agreed on one thing: a leader of any nation should first be a philosopher.
And as we develop ourselves within, we come to the point where we need to communicate ourselves through language. Its form and — especially — its delivery are fundamental to the message and the energy we transmit. And its structure, etymology, can help us to essentially decipher the entirety of our history. Details matter here.
The Distortion of Psychology
One of the initial psychologists I was exposed to was Sigmund Freud. When I first heard of his positions, I was astounded. Mostly negatively. Later, I was exposed to Friedrich Nietzsche, who was almost the other side of Freud. This distinct difference led me to look into them a bit deeper.
Let me bring a very… vibrant example of ‘modern’ psychology. The so-called ‘Oedipus Syndrome.’ Freud was the first one to come up with it, claiming that every son is, secretly, sexually attracted to his own mother. Nothing could be further from the truth. The child does become attached to his parents as they are his or her role models. Boys are drawn to the nurturers, who are, by nature, women. On the other hand, girls are drawn to the protectors, who are, again by nature, men. This is how every species is. Does that imply sexual attraction? Absolutely not.
Historically speaking, Oedipus was a child whose father, Laios, was cursed by his own — in turn — father, Pelopas, for an indecent deed. The curse was that Laios would one day be killed by his own child. Thus, one night, when Laios was drunk, he slept with his wife and 9 months later, a child was born.
Remembering the curse of his own father, Laios abandoned the infant, after injuring it at the ankles with prongs (form of weaponized forks). A Corinthian shepherd found and took the child to his wife, who took it in as her own. After she healed the infant’s injuries, she named it Oedipus. The name comes from two components: Oedima (Οίδημα - scar) and Pus (Πους - foot). In short, the kid’s name was ‘scarfoot.’
The way this abandonment happened was via placing the infant in a basket or container and letting it flow down the river. This method was known as ‘πιθοταφή’ or ‘pithotafi,’ an infant burial tradition, via a basket or clay container. However, this time, the infant was very much alive. Does that remind you of the story of Moses? The difference here is that Oedipus lived a thousand years earlier. You be the judge here as to who took the story from whom, again.
Note, that Oedipus was not the only one who was left, as an infant, to die like this. In Hellenic mythology and history, Zeus, Dionysus, Poseidon, Perseus, Ionas, Atalanti (girl) were some of the names of infants that also had a similar fate, which they all, eventually, survived.
Thus, Oedipus grew up not knowing his real father and mother. So, did he deliberately kill his father so that he could marry his mother? Absolutely not. The story goes like this, according to Apollodorus 3.50-52:
Oedipus was riding his 2-horse chariot over a narrow path in the highlands of Fokida. At some point, he came across his biological father, Laios, and his guards. Polyphontes, the preacher (announcer) of Laios, demanded that Oedipus moved aside. Angered by the young man’s disobedience, he went as far as to kill one of Oedipus’ horses, followed by Laios’ direct assault on the young man. Thus, in defense, as Aeschylus also confirms, Oedipus fought back and killed everyone, four or five people, leaving one survivor who managed to escape and declare Oedipus as the perpetrator.
However, what is even less known, is that Laios had a second marriage with Iokaste, whereas the real mother of Oedipus was Evriganea, the first wife. As a ruler, Laios was a very bad one, thus, the young man was — with his earlier actions — seen as a form of savior. Thus, when he married Laios’ wife, he married his would-be stepmother, not his biological mother.
Here is the rhetorical question:
Why did Sigmund Freud attribute this form of incest to Oedipus and not Lott? Didn’t Lott and his daughters get knowingly drunk and fornicate?
This is just one example of how certain figures have attempted to distort both history and psychology. So, no, Freud is not the father of psychology. He is the father of warped psychology.
The Value of Language
This was one of the most obvious elements I noticed when I encountered many English speakers on this side of the globe. My name, in its official capacity, has 4 syllables. In its informal, it has 3. Yet, many shortened it to a single syllable. This, I noticed, has happened to many other names as well, and they are not the only elements of language that have been changed. Many words have been shortened down to either two syllables or even became acronyms. A form of ‘easier’ language.
The laws of nature say that the less we practice our brains, the more they stagnate. In short, we are being led into a form of idiocracy. A dumb population is much easier to control, yes. However, there is another, equally important aspect.
As with everything in life, language has a continuity. Linguistics, through etymology, as we have extensively displayed in this SubStack, can make tremendous connections to our identity as a race. Combine that with anthropology, and we gain the ability to unravel what has been lost or hidden to us: our history.
Here is an example of that:
In the remote regions of Afghanistan, there is a tribe of people known as the Kalas. These have maintained their own traditions, refusing to be indoctrinated by the neighboring populations in any way, shape or form. What few people know, is that the Kalas are the descendants of the army of Alexander the Great, who settled there. Those who decided to stay and not return. Their Hellenic language, ancient one at that, remained, but changed throughout the years, due to their isolation, to a form of dialect, that eventually evolved into a new language. Today, it is quite different than modern Hellenic (AKA Greek). However, linguistically and etymologically speaking, most of the roots of the words in both languages are identical.
This, alone, guides us to understand the connection between the Kalas and the Hellenes (Greeks), something that this tribe has also confirmed, as they have kept their historical traditions and knowledge.
I suppose this brings in a new understanding of the story of the ‘Tower of Babel,’ where — if we take it for what it is, an allegory — people essentially tried to rebuild civilization to once again ‘reach the heavens’ but ended up speaking different languages. Could this be due to their long isolation, due to past global disasters, as we spoke of in prior articles, that led to the evolution of their dialects into different languages? Could it be that each civilization, independently attempted to recover, but when they all got together, they could no longer communicate? Food for thought.
Thus, understanding linguistics, whether it is via letters or symbols, offers us a vast field of understanding of the relations between people throughout time. And through the science of anthropology, we can make our confirmations and connections — or lack thereof. Either way, it is a way to uncover and understand our true history. Not the one we were spoon-fed and serves as an agenda of our wannabe overlords.
The Connection
Why did I make the connection between psychology and language?
Psychology is the examination of one’s psyche, through logic. The components of the word are psyche and logos. It contains who we are, based on our experiences, and how we react in various situations. Language, and the way that it is relayed, is the main factor as to how our psychology forms. Physical acts of violence do also play a significant role in the forming of our psychology, but these are a product of the absolute failure of the proper transmission of language. Wars begin when diplomacy fails. In short, violence starts when words collapse. Emotions take over when reason is abandoned.
Is this not what we are experiencing today?
Emotion is more susceptible to manipulation than logic is. Logic is there to protect emotion and emotion is there to inspire logic. They are complementary to one another and were never meant to be set against one another.
During my recent visit to Hellas/Greece, I had a conversation with an old friend of mine. It led to the topic of ‘changing other people’s minds.’ His claim, which is true, is that nobody can change another person’s opinion. I agreed. In almost every conversation, we are settled in our own beliefs and when another person refuses to see things the way we do, it allows frustration to surface. Frustration leads to anger, and anger inhibits the proper delivery of language, of communication. This is felt by the other person, who, in turn, becomes even more entrenched in their own beliefs.
My response to my dear friend was the following:
‘Do not consume yourself with trying to attempt to alter the minds of others. Each side lives in the room of their life, seeing the pathways or doorways, they were taught or programmed to see. Most of them are unaware of the pathways or doorways that you see. If you want them to consider your perspective, make them aware of those options. Show them the landscape and how it has affected you. If they are interested, they will explore. If not, you need not bother yourself any longer. What is important, is that they choose to explore and reach the conclusions on their own. Making up their own minds is of utmost importance. All you have to do is show them that there is another way, perhaps as beneficial to them as it was to you.’
The above is the long way of saying: ‘Lead by Example.’
And this is how psychology and language connect to philosophy.
Philosophy is the foundation of wisdom, the overseeing ‘filter’ of both psychology and language or communication. Psychology is the part of estimating one’s own (or another person’s) state, and language (or communication) is how we achieve a proper input or output of the elements provided from our (or our interlocutor’s) mind. And since philosophy cannot be easily defiled, it can act as an overseer, thus allowing us for healthier debates, communication, and understanding.
Those who claim that philosophy is dead are either agents of chaos and division or are simply uneducated.
One of the greatest achievements of a human being is the famous ‘know thyself,’ as it was written — as the third inscription — at the gate of the town of Delphi, the place where the Oracle of Apollo once was. The even higher one, as Plato said, is to ‘conquer one’s self.’ Philosophy is the mother of wisdom. And wisdom is the foundation of a harmonious, successful, and prosperous society.
Is that not what we want?
This is how we can defeat division and understand who are the perpetrators who have infiltrated our societies for their own benefit. This is how we unite and isolate the cancer that has grown among us, pitting us against each other.
This is how we survive.