We don’t like to acknowledge it, because if nothing else, we prefer to delude ourselves into believing we make our own decisions and are masters of our circumstances. But the reality is that modern humans are so thoroughly entangled in various programs that they can barely keep up with reacting to them, let alone making genuine decisions beyond that.
Our arrogant attitude prevents us from facing the fact that our lives are based on the same programs, operate in the same way, and are just as trainable as those of animals. The “crown of creation” refuses to accept that it has built its life on misleading theories for years, that it has been deceived, because admitting this would instantly render the immense energy invested in illusions—and thus the foundation of its perceived value—worthless.
Most of us know how dogs are trained, yet we often turn a blind eye when we ourselves obediently follow instructions like well-trained poodles.
Programs exist to ensure our survival. On one hand, their role is to help us avoid pain, injury, or loss; on the other, they aim to satisfy the conditions necessary for life—such as safety, food, and reproduction—with minimal effort.
When training a dog, the emotions tied to these situations anchor the appropriate program. If we want to teach a dog to sit on command, we link the command, as an environmental trigger, to the feeling of satisfaction and the physical action (the program). The animal learns that executing the program easily grants what it desires, like food (treats), praise, or attention.
If the dog does something we don’t want and we scold it harshly, causing pain, it associates the action with pain and tries to avoid the undesired behavior in the future—at least when we’re within arm’s reach.
We undergo a similar training process in childhood. Our sense of value is shaped by the expectations of parents and our environment, along with the emotions tied to the situations we experience.
The same happens in education. If we can recite the material word-for-word, we’re praised; if not, we face shame and exclusion, which, like all pain, we generally try to avoid. Grades and the emotions they evoke encourage us not to think beyond the textbook and to accept the societal structure of the world around us.
In Politics:
Politics is a master of programming, capable of fulfilling needs we didn’t even know we had. It works by artificially creating a problem, presenting it as extremely important or dangerous. Once we’re sufficiently scared and see the situation as hopeless, it generously hands us the key to the solution—not only sparing us from anger but making us grateful for it.
The greater the fear they generate, the more hype they create around an issue, the brighter they shine as the “heroic savior” when resolving it.
(Political training, translated into a dog’s life and language, sounds something like this: As a politician, I don’t like that a dog roams freely in my garden. To break this habit, I hire someone or something to cause it pain when it does so [e.g., a neighbor or an electric fence], making it fear crossing the boundary. Once the poor thing has suffered enough, I “rescue” it from the “villain” to show how benevolent I am.)
The narcissistic ego always needs an enemy, a villain, to appear superior and better in contrast. That’s why there’s an opposition in Parliament—so the government can win battles in the political circus. They create fabricated problems (from immigrants to religious differences, pandemics, or terrorist acts) to conquer them, enabling actions (diverting funds, starting wars, controlling or eliminating people) that would be impossible without the pretense of a threat.
The goal isn’t usually to kill people, but their stance is that sacrifices are sometimes necessary for the “greater good”—of course, not on their part. The aim of power is power itself, unrestricted control, positioning an individual or organization at the top of the food chain as the apex predator.
(This obsession with control is itself a program, a potent white matter constellation stemming from feelings of worthlessness, severely limiting the individual’s freedom. But since the ego gains tremendous energy from the attention of those it controls, it won’t voluntarily relinquish this position.)
In Commerce:
Due to increasing competition, commerce is all about implanting the strongest possible programs in consumers regarding a product. The content behind the packaging no longer matters—only the “packaging” does. Quality, actual value, or utility are irrelevant; if a popular celebrity, a respected “British professor,” or a celebrity doctor endorses it, it’s almost guaranteed to sell. The media presents these figures as “ideals” and “credible sources of experience.” When we face a problem, we instantly recall them and how they’d act in that situation. Today’s consumer’s biggest dilemma is choosing a product without standing indecisively for hours in front of the detergent or coffee aisle. But if they know their favorite brand of coffee is also in Bruce Willis or Hugh Jackman’s cheerful morning mug, the choice is easy. Since it works for these role models, to join the elite, the consumer automatically adopts the behavior and buys the necessary tools.
Similarly, advertisements “facilitate” our decisions by linking a problematic (work) process with ease, comfort, and good feelings, along with the product for sale. This ingrains in us that the task will be easier with that product, so we toss it into the cart without thinking.
Later, we may realize (or could realize) that the new dishwasher doesn’t make us enjoy washing dishes more, and the coffee doesn’t help us love getting up and going to work. The real issue lies with the process (our internal resistance), and the associated product doesn’t change much in the long term. But by then, we’re accustomed to using it and don’t (necessarily) invest energy in changing.
In Healthcare:
Modern healthcare is the handmaiden of politics and commerce, following the same trends: it serves the goals of the power elite. (Yes, it’s not alone—education, the legal system, the media, everything does the same. But this is particularly prominent now.)
In this light, everything natural is deemed dangerous, while medications and treatments with side effects that can include death are sold as the epitome of happiness, the only source of joy on Earth, without which existence is impossible. Minor, insignificant symptoms are blown out of proportion, and our body’s natural processes are labeled life-threatening until, in our fear, we’re willing to poison our own bodies and fight against them, believing they’ve turned against us. We can hardly imagine our bodies functioning without external intervention, trying to regulate every process.
We seek risks in every visible and invisible element of the outside world. If something isn’t carcinogenic, it’s surely a source of infection.
The system’s contradictions should eventually make us question how humanity survived before the pharmaceutical industry soared. But since we’ve drifted so far from thinking and merely reacting, and grown so comfortable with everything handed to us like a treat, this rarely happens.
Today, what we collectively value is shown by where money—as a measure of value—flows.
This doesn’t mean the wealthiest are the best in their field, that their knowledge is the most noteworthy, or that the most supported areas and organizations convey the truth. It only means they can capture and control the most attention—“they produce the shiniest packaging”—which they sell to serve current political and commercial goals. This is what celebrities, athletes, politicians, Facebook, journalism, and Hollywood (at least most of them) do. They’re valued more than anyone or anything else that serves life and represents real value, rather than the system.
It’s worth reevaluating what information or who we consider credible and accept, as this becomes the foundation of our values, actions, and lives.
It’s important to note that this text does not aim to be comprehensive and covers only part of the topic. Every person’s life path is unique, so specific triggers should be examined individually, based on the events experienced. How someone deals with their limitations varies, and different areas are handled differently depending on the accumulated negative experiences or failures.
