TODAY'S CONSIDERATIONS
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How Personality Disorders Drive Religious, Spiritual And "SELF"-Focused Workaholism
Today, the invitation is offered for you to consider the major role that personality disorders play in driving not only employment-type workaholism but also the role that personality disorders play in humankind’s religious, spiritual and Self-focused workaholism as well as the role that those disorders play in perpetuating the propensity among religious, spiritual and Self-focused workaholics to be just as trapped into going and doing and zooming as the run-of-the-mill-type workaholics.
Consider the results of a 2010 study by Timothy A. Pychvi, Ph.D. of what he called “The Terrible Trio of Perfectionism, Narcissism and Workaholism.” He cited his findings and those from another study which also explored the personality of workaholics.
First, be not mistaken: workaholism, whether of the employment-related variety or of the religion / spiritual / Self-focused variety, are rooted in personality. That is the irony of the “work” done by so many whose workaholism is rooted in what was originally Far Eastern philosophies or religions:
While many claim that they are being freed from personality identification, they nevertheless development the most fixed and rigid personal identifications imaginable.
Moreover, while those so deeply attached to their religion or spiritual program or Self-Inquiry methods claim their attachments help them remain humble and at peace, the fact is that those personal (or “Personal”) identities generate narcissism (just as all personas do) and generate restlessness and going and doing and zooming as well.
Remember: when an ego-state (or Ego-State) is assigned or adopted as an identity, it will trigger the use of such ego-defense mechanisms as egotism; then, narcissism is guaranteed to result.
Pychvi: “Of interest is the relation of narcissism and workaholism. That grandiose sense of self-importance that seems to be present in epidemic proportions in our society is related to the worst aspects of workaholism, and so was perfectionism” (which is, of course, the narcissism’s twin sibling). Pychvi continued: “These results reveal something interesting about the ‘self’."
He noted: “Workaholics are people who work to the exclusion of other life activities, are consumed with thoughts and feelings about work, and often do more than is expected at work. Certainly, their lives are not models of ‘balance’.”
Thus, the logical conclusion from the research which confirmed the pervasiveness of a lack of balance among those types is that workaholics, perfectionists, and narcissists are . . . unbalanced.
Pychvi observes that "in many cultures" (especially in those which are exhibiting more than ever the same traits they have in common with the U.S. culture) "persons commonly exhibit a grandiose sense of their own self-importance that is central to the definition of narcissism.”
Recall Wallace’s point: “The trouble with you is that you have no sense of unimportance”
and
Maharaj’s pointer: “Humility and silence are essential.”
The studies cited revealed that there were several traits which showed up regularly in workaholics of any variety:
One: excessive neuroticism (emotional instability);
Two: excessive openness to the multi-tasking (going, doing, zooming) component of workaholism;
Three: the Perfectionistic Personality Disorder;
Four: the Narcissistic Personality Disorder;
Five: excessive conscientiousness, as linked to the impatience component of workaholism (as in, “I seem to always be in a hurry and I feel as if I'm always racing against the clock”);
Six: excessive agreeableness - that is, being agreeable to the point of doing everything that one is told to do by a "Master" or "Religious Leader" or "Spiritual Guide," etc.; their agreeableness is of the kind that generates a willingness - which eventually disintegrates into a full-blown compulsion - to work (as in, "It's hard for me to relax when I'm not working").
That is another irony witnessed here during the years of working off and on with non-dual seekers since July of 1989, totaling thirty-two years last summer. In those thirty-two years, it has been witnessed that, ironically, seekers
work
at
trying to relax
and they
work and go and do and zoom
in order
to unwind, calm down, slow down, let go, loosen up, lighten up, and settle down.
What irony indeed! They engage in endless work in order to . . . not work all the time. (What delusion and insanity yes?)
[Been there. Done that. And though many think that is still the case here, not knowing that on days when a non-dual post is published, that is the last moment during the day when anything non-dual is considered. No longer present are those earlier fascinations with dogma and spiritual exercises and Inquiry and the love of Self. That all disappeared, just as it did with Maharaj:
Maharaj: “I got involved in spirituality, in the business of spirituality; finally, I lost that love of Self also. I have no more love for the Self."
That is all gone, and it all had to go before the last ego-state and the last identity (and The Last "Identity") could go.]
Dr. Pychvi continued: “The high-standards dimension of perfectionism (high expectations of self) was also related to overall workaholism.” Additionally, he could have added what has been observed here, namely, that workaholics - be they of the employment variety or of the religious / spiritual / Self-focused variety - have high expectations of all others and expect all others to be perfect (meaning, “Be just like me in thoughts and words and deeds").
What such workaholics of any of those varieties cannot see is that, in terms of their psyches, they differ not at all from the ISIS fanatics who in the past proudly recorded and distributed the films of them beheading those who are not of the same religion or sect as them and who do not work with near as much dedication at being Super Religious. What?! How?!
Excess is excess. Fanaticism is fanaticism. Zeal is zeal. Fervor is fervor. Extremism is extremism. It matters not if excess, fanaticism, zeal, fervor and extremism are fostered in a church; in a synagogue; in a temple; in a mosque; in a self-help group; in a recovery group; in a family of origin; at an ashram;
or at the so-called “holy sites” which
many seekers spend fortunes to visit as their "spiritual journey"
includes traveling all around the globe to "special places" where
they can "feel special" (that is, "feel
emotionally-intoxicated" - an emotional state they seek as a result of
their subconscious effort to try to counteract the state of boredom they are
trapped in and the state of depression they are trapped in, both of which they
will deny);
or in far-right-wing militias; in the Christian Reconstructionist Movement which would destroy the Federal Government and replace the Constitution with an Old Testament-based, ultra-discriminatory agenda promoting ultra-violent concepts which involve killing gays and lesbians and women who lie about their virginity, etc.;
or in anti-Islamic groups; in right-wing terrorists groups; in Neo-Nazi groups; in any of the 838 identified hate groups in the U.S., including the Oath Keepers, the Wolverine Watchmen Militia, the QAnon conspiracy theorists, the Proud Boys, the Sovereign Citizens group,
and
in the Aryan Brotherhood, the Brotherhood of Klans, the Family Research Council, White Nationalism groups, the Three Percenters (to name but a few) as well as these other far-right, neo-fascist groups operating in my current state of residence . . . Texas:
III% United
Patriots
Statewide
Alamo Militia
San Antonio
American Patriot Union
San Antonio
American Patriots Three Percent
Statewide
Cold Dead Hands 2nd Amendment Advocacy Group
Greenville
Constitution Party
Iredell
Constitution Society
Austin
Defense Distributed
Austin
Freedom School
Austin
Golden Triangle Militia
Orange
InfoWars
Austin
John Birch Society
Houston
Statewide
Oath Keepers
Afton
Eastern
Fort Worth
Grayson County
Hood County
Quitman
Statewide
Temple
Republic Broadcasting
Round Rock
Rule of Law Radio
Austin
Silver Bear Café
Garland
Texans4Truth
Georgetown
Texas Eagle Forum
Dallas
Texas State Militia
Austin
Houston
This is Texas Freedom Force
Statewide
as well as large numbers of people in the U.S. Armed Forces and in many Police and Sheriff and Constable Departments and other “law enforcement” organizations throughout the U.S.
It’s still all about, ironically, going and doing and zooming in order to stop going and stop doing and stop zooming some day. Or it's about going and doing and zooming in order to be able to assume and maintain the roles of “The Super Go-er” and “The Super Do-er” and “The Super Zoomer” and “The Super Religious One” or “The Spiritual Giant” or “The Supreme Self” or even . . . "God."
As far as the relative goes (which is all anyone will ever have a chance to experience and be aware of, the post-manifestation case being that there is no “one” who can experience or know anything) Dr. Pychvi concluded the following:
“My point is, neither perfectionism nor workaholism has a positive side. Although it can be argued that perfectionism and / or workaholism result in improved performance in some organizational circumstances, both result in diminished relationships outside of work and undermine well-being overall. Each is harmful to us” (again, relatively speaking, which is really the only thing worth speaking about because the post-manifestation condition will be characterized by the conscious-energy returning to its pre-manifestation awareness state when awareness was not aware of anything, that only being possible during the manifestation of consciousness.)
Pychvi said: “What we can see in this study are the relations between perfectionism, narcissism and workaholism because they are all related to another underlying variable - a weak sense of self that is plagued with many irrational thoughts (e.g., 'I must be perfect to have worth' or 'I must work to have worth,' etc.) and related to an overcompensation for this low esteem with a paradoxical narcissism (because individuals protect their weak sense of self with an overcompensation that portrays the self in a grandiose fashion).”
[As in the dichotomy of one who is being driven simultaneously by both egomania and an inferiority complex, a combination resulting in massive levels of mental and emotional instability which are no fun at all to be around.]
Again, when personality is at play (along with the personality disorders which always develop if the affliction of personality is not addressed) then what will also manifest is excess, fanaticism, zeal, fervor and extremism.
And none of those can possibly contribute to the peace and freedom and happiness which even a partly-sane seeker is seeking; instead, they will block any and all efforts to find peace and freedom and happiness.
To those who come this way and who are not only attached to one or another of the varieties of workaholism but who also want to guard and maintain and protect that attachment at all costs, the response is: “Then rock on.”
Just as is the case with all other types of addicts, most humans seemingly have to experience - in great excess - whatever it is that they are addicted to until they finally end up tired enough - or in enough pain and misery and suffering - that they might consider seeking the source of their tiredness or of their pain and misery and suffering.
[Yet that is rare and is another fact which led Maharaj to conclude that most will never "get" this deal and why most will, therefore, never be free of ignorance and why most will never be restored to sanity and why most will be blocked from ever stopping all of their doingness long enough to "sit down and relax in the cool blue shade."]
Such is the typical state of affairs among humans whereby peace and freedom and happiness are valued far less than personality disorders such as workaholism and narcissism and perfectionism and wherein the accompanying excess, fanaticism, zeal, fervor and extremism which manifest alongside those disorders are normalized and highly rated and even ennobled.
To be continued.
Please enter into the silence of contemplation.
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THE EXPLANATION
Yeshu'a (Jesus) and Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis were spot on:
"No one shall ever see 'the kingdom of heaven.' It is within"
and
"Heaven and earth shall fade away."
and
"Heaven and hell are not geographic places
"There is no hell."
teachings which become a part of the Papal Magisterium.
