The Mentalist

The Mentalist Realities and Cycles

By Jason D Varga

As I write this, we are halfway through 2020. Here in Australia, we have had the bush fires, COVID-19 lockdowns and, just as restrictions are easing, we have the United States of America in the midst of an uncivil war.

I understand the unrest due to racism and violence perpetrated towards African Americans, though the riots are about so much more. Like any problem, there seem to be many underlying issues; people have been in lockdown due to COVID-19, the economy is taking a massive blow, all on top of a large population of homelessness.

At the time of writing, over one hundred and ten thousand deaths have been attributed to COVID in the U.S.A and I fear that, in the coming weeks, the death toll will multiply due to the protests. I will not address all the conspiracy theories out there, for there are too many but, in our modern society of global information sharing, I am sure that misinformation is shared at times, to create fear and turn our attention from other events.

2020 has highlighted for me some obscure things; we are all the same, we all want to be happy, feel safe, be fed and watered, to feel loved and to be individuals. At the same time, we create our own reality; we as individuals perceive the world subjectively, taking external influences and fit them to our own beliefs. What is true for you may not be for me and vice versa.

No matter how impartial we think we are in gathering information, there is always an amount of conformation bias to support those beliefs. So in a way, we are all walking around in our own parallel universe, coexisting side by side. Some choose to consciously create their own reality, while others simply act and react to the external influences.

I love a good conspiracy theory, but a theory by definition is something unproven. Like those clickbait headings, ‘x theory proves y’. No, theory cannot prove anything, as it is unproven in itself. A friend of mine posted a historical photo with a story that he completely made up. It went viral and now it’s on the net; people find that photo and think the story is true. How easy is it to rewrite history?

I have no doubt that some corporations and governments manipulate for wealth, power and

“New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.”

control. Those who look for conspiracy theories are looking for answers; order in a naturally chaotic universe. Most of these theories come down to some invisible, allpowerful society controlling the world. Who else uses an all-powerful invisible entity and ignores science to control via fear?

Religion is wonderful in theory to bring everyone together in harmony, but in practice it separates us. It causes wars, controls us with fear and gives us someone or something to blame, so we don’t have to take any responsibility. Exactly what conspiracies do! I also have no doubt that those behind some of these theories have their own agenda too. I foresee a new dark age coming.

So, you can choose to create your own reality or perpetuate the fear propaganda; chose your narrative wisely.

I had a vision of the American president standing on the burning roof of the White House, tweeting about how good a president he is. Just like Nero, the decadent and unpopular Roman emperor who ‘fiddled while Rome burned’. The phrase has a double meaning: not only did Nero play music while his people suffered, but he was an ineffectual leader in a time of crisis. Sound familiar?

Perhaps the U.S. president should have read ‘The Meditations’ by one of Rome’s last good emperors, Marcus Aurelius. The Meditation, influenced mainly by Stoic philosophy, in turn heavily influenced the founders of Cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT, which is the leading evidence-based form of modern psychotherapy.

The current supposed leader of the free world seems more intent on tooting his own horn instead of actually leading.

“When the Master governs, the people are hardly aware that he exists. Next best is a

leader who is loved, next, one who is feared. The worst is one who is despised. If you don’t trust people, you make them untrustworthy. The Master doesn’t talk; he acts. When his work is done, the people say, “Amazing: we did it, all by ourselves!” Wise words from the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu.

If our leaders looked to a little philosophy, imagine how much better the world would be. I am looking forward to seeing what transpires between this time of writing and the time of publishing, though I shall leave you with another quote from Loa Tzu. “New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.”

ESPecially best wishes The Mentalist.