Dear James,
I want to thank you for the way you went about exposing that deep samskara. You’re not only a good teacher; you are also kind. I don’t always read the satsangs but somehow today I did even though the satsang wasn’t to me it was about me.
I always looked down on Rush Limbaugh’s Ditto Heads but I realized that I have become a Trump Ditto Head. I guess because ShiningWorld is so positive and unlike most of the internet I was in a more objective state of mind. Or maybe it was because I go to your site when I am in some kind of crisis and I always feel hope then. It is hard to admit and I even thought of not sending this but to be honest I am brainwashed. There, I said it. It is shocking really because I was never like this until Facebook came into my life in middle age and I had to adjust the way I saw things. I became suspicious. I never really knew who I was communicating with, where they lived, the actual facts. It was kind exciting in a way and I found myself exaggerating, which made me feel better about myself but which also made me feel uneasy, I guess because you say dharma is built in. Trump so much expresses how my jiva feels sometimes, like I got the short end of the stick. I don’t like myself that much, I guess. If it had been a person to person talk with you I don‘t think I would have understood because I get confrontational around liberal people. It made me realize that I get emotional and irrational when I am trying to defend my point of view. I couldn’t get that satsang out of my mind for a whole day like a catchy tune that won’t stop! I was so embarrassed and ashamed of myself. It’s like I was a different person.
I also saw that my cynicism, which I thought was just being realistic, came from low self esteem. God wouldn’t let me leave it. I am so embarrassed and ashamed of myself. I also saw that my cynicism, which I thought was just being realistic was based on low self esteem which I have had since childhood. My parents were alcoholics who verbally abused and neglected me. They were also lifetime country club Republicans and went back to Barry Goldwater. They loved Reagan and hated hippies and democrats. The house was full of cigarettes, booze and politics and my dad’s fat business cronies and the state representative from our district was a family friend. My sister went into local politics too but she died of alcoholism in her late forties. It was so extraordinary when I read it, like it was obvious that Trump is what you say. He isn’t a bad man; he’s just immature like a kid. He’s not aware. I was thinking about what you said and one of my friends called. I’ve known her since childhood and she’s an independent voter. She told me about what Trump’s niece said in her book and everything made sense again.
Your satsang was so extraordinary when I read it. I actually thought that he was working full time to save the world and my soul. Imagine that!!!! I talked to much already but I want to thank you again. Something opened up in me. It was like a breath of fresh air and I really saw things as they are. I will stop now because I am repeating myself and I know how busy you must be. It’s incredible what you and your wife have built up in ShiningWorld. I know how these things are. It will be a while until the smallness and the hurt goes away, I’m afraid.
With respect,
Cindy
Dear Cindy,
I’m happy that the satsang was helpful. Appreciation is much appreciated. The anonymity the web provides brings out the worst in the human mind. You can live a fantasy life with virtually no consequences. So naturally people are suspicious. It becomes normal and little by little you lose touch with the better part of yourself. You think you are smart. Nobody is going to pull the wool over my eyes! The suspicion turns into cynicism and it may even degenerate into manipulation. It’s good that Isvara woke you up. And it’s good that you realized that the hard work is yet to come. To whit: removing that carcinogenic fear-based samskara.
I don’t know, but I suspect that you don’t have a daily devotional practice..karma yoga, which keeps the mind in a clear positive state throughout the day. The God thought should be will you all the time. It protects you. If you want some very helpful brain washing, karma yoga is the solution. As the Bhagavad Gita says, “A little bit of karma yoga removes a lot of fear.”
It’s probably too much for you right now but there is no law against cancelling your Facebook account and looking for friends in real life. At least you can find out where they live and work and you can watch their body language and put together a realistic picture of what kind of people they actually are. The thing about Ditto Heads is that they are too dull and lazy to look into things. They just want a quick and easy sound bite to live by, a formula. So they are low hanging fruit for a grifter like Trump, who has been preying on people all his life. They like the feeling that some kind of Big Daddy figure is going to look after them and the world. It’s a nice tidy solution so you don’t have to think. Vedanta is all about investigating things, keeping an open mind and testing reality to see if it is really reality. You can’t free yourself without understanding Maya and Maya is nothing more than the idea that nothing you see or hear is what it seems. When your mind it dull—even very intellectually developed people can have dull minds—you just accept what people say without question. You give them your confidence.
I find it completely amazing that anyone could not see that Trump is only in it for himself. Even the smart guys at Fox news knew he was a fraud but he was saying what they wanted to hear so they amplified his message, made a lot of money as the ranks of the Ditto Heads kept swelling. Well, 75 million didn’t drink the Kool Aid and democracy is still working, so that’s an upside.
Much love,
James
