OPEN LETTER TO THE MEDIA
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THE HUMAN SPIRIT--THE ROOT OF ALL HUMAN TRAGEDY, AND COMEDY
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It seems to me that more and more of the stories in the current
media, in all its forms, have to do with the human comedy and tragedy. No longer just stories, they are parables.

By the way, in my opinion, If Jesus were alive today I suspect that he would not be a priest or a minister of any of the organized religions, he would probably be an investigative journalist, one interested in find not just what are the social wrongs, but what are the possible solutions.

Perhaps the same thing could be said of all the great prophets, including the Buddha, Mohammad, Zoroaster, Krishna, whoever. In my opinion, all scriptures were, initially, forms of media.

TRI-UNE HUMAN NATURE
Much of the modern media, it seems to me--and I am thankful for this--are,
finally, beginning to take cognizance of the fact that most human beings are, by nature, tri-une beings. In other words, we are physical, mental and spiritual human beings.

I have a lot of respect for the animal kingdom, as physical and mental beings. However I have a strong feelng that, as animals, they are only interested, at an unconscious level, in propagating the species. Human beings call this: The survival of the fittest.

Human beings, however are spiritual beings. That is--whether we do it or not--we are capable of knowing right from wrong, of feeling guilt and shame, of feeling joy and happiness and desirious of contributing to the social good.

Of course it's the tragedies--unhappy-ain't-it-awful stories of violence,
shame, blame and guilt--which get the lion's share of media coverage. But this
is also true of the Bible. Read it, and you will see that it, too, is filled with
many such stories. As a matter of fact the Bible is not a book; it is more
of an archive of editorials, letters, columns, short stories, fiction, articles
about history, poetry, laws, legal documents and even propaganda--the
same kind of stuff one sees in the media.

Currently, the media are beginning to accept the fact--and I
hope I am not alone in seeing this--that these all-important stories about what is
going on, for better and for worse, in the human comedy/tragedy, have their
genesis in the human spirit, which, in my opinion is the source of
both comedy, and tragedy.

The irony of all this is: This is happening at a time when more and more people are, in droves, staying away from the traditional organized religions--often perceived by many as part of the problem rather than the solution.

ARE WE BEGINNING TO AWAKEN SPIRITUALLY?
Could the media's interest in human spirituality be because more and
more of us are actually becoming more and more cognizant and awakened
to the fact that we are spitual beings and responsible for the
choices we make? Almost all the people I talk to about this are
interested in improving themselves--physically, mentally and
spiritually--finding meaning and purpose in living and are capable of
reflective thought.

Of course there are exceptions. There are people who are totally-uncaring psychopaths and sociopaths. But unlike the view held by most Freudian analysts, most of us are beginning to discover that many human beings are more than just grasping and physical creatures dominated by base instincts.

PSYCHOANALYSIS, AS A RELIGION
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In my opinion, psychoanalysis, the creation of Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), was designed by Freud, an atheist, to be what I would call a secular religion replacing the traditional religions, which he described as rooted in an "illusion". He call religion the "universal neurosis". He wrote a small book about it—The Future of an Illusion. It predicted the end of all religion for all elite thinkers.

As a technique of psychotherapy, psychoanalysis seeks to uncover stored, repressed, suppressed, and unconscious memories--that is, to bring the unconscious to consciousness. This, Freud believed, will help in the discovery of the connections among the unconscious components of patients' mental processes and bring about peace of mind. The analyst's goal is to help liberate the patient from such
unexamined or unconscious thoughts, including religion-and-parental imposed ones--barriers of transference and resistance. The goal is to get rid of useless thoughts that inhibit freedom--certainly a noble goal. Over-controlling parents and religions are what makes people neurotic, says psychoanalysis. Keep in mind: Not every neurotic is a suitable candidate for psychoanalysis, and it is useless as a
treatment for psychosis, or insanity.

By the way, one does not need an MD to be an analyst—a long and expensive training process. It is not, strictly, a medical therapy. There are analysts who have little or no medical training.

Interestingly, in one of his comments about sex, Freud said, "In a
normal sex life no neurosis is possible." [To be continued]