Poor Logic as a Main Environmental Cause of Mental Illness
Although this is a vein, science is necessarily concerned with, this post is intended to spark conversation about the impact of your beliefs on your health not only psychologically, but holistically. This is something that comes up not only in psychology but common conversation. We discuss frequently, "[so and so] died of a broken heart" or "(s)he lost the will to live". This truth we especially see this in the ultimate fighting situations, even when it comes to parents trying to save their children from impending doom. How much more, then, does poor logical formation, psychological manipulation, and bad relationship substantially affect how we perceive reality. Truly, if we believe lies about ourselves, reality, and especially about God, then we will find ourselves condemned by our "misfortune" and unable to grapple with the truth of things. After all, our psychology is an average of our natures which interplay with each other i.e. the instinctual and the logical/spiritual. We ought to be careful what environment we choose and when we have little choice of our environment what of our environment we ought and ought not to assimilate. Given our social nature, it is very difficult to do this with an effect at times, especially where being a child or a member of a community is concerned.
We ought to first think of driving a car without windows. Of course, we cannot act meaningfully, accept whatever we imagine is the case. Perhaps our imagination is conformed to objective enough to let us get by, however the greater that we are deceived, i.e. that we believe our imagination is right, the more dangerous our possibilities. It can be assured we will find ourselves, as it were, "crashed" but to what extent. We like to downplay the environment when it comes to mental illness, perhaps even to uncategorized a disordered tendency as an illness, because it results from the environment. Our culture, in a real sense, "brainwashes" us whether, through media portrayal or just peer pressure, we are substantially affected by what happens around us both being social creatures and animals. Insofar as we were made for love we necessarily expect it, and when we do not receive it (or don't think it is love we are receiving), we can begin to think it is us who are the problem or still worse that this is just how it is. This is what is so detrimental about believing in a "God" that does not love, a reality that has no purpose, or that we are worthless because not only are these lies but they undermine the truths we were made to live in light of. This is where what we believe can change everything.
In conclusion, let us endeavor to review what we believe not to make us feel good, and on the opposite extreme, not to forget about what we are made for in the name of objectivity. Depending on what we want to be the case, we are often very biased. However, we cannot afford this sort of "truth authoring". On the contrary, let us be both reasonable and practical about how we conclude the truth of things, not taking it from the example of others which is usually badly flawed nor from the easiest/most convenient suggestion because reality, even if ultimately simple, is heavily nuanced. This sort of diligence in choosing authorities on a subject wisely, reviewing propositions in light of other propositions which steadfastly true, and reserving judgment, is not quite Ockham's Razor but it is certainly disposed to extending forth the truth of things. In conforming ourselves to reality as it is and not as we would have it, allows us to engage it and grow whence a believed lie rends us greater pain. Old habits and "normality" have a tragic power to overturn our efforts toward orthodoxy. Let us be assured that the conclusion that God is love, all that is here is destined to help us to heaven, and we have real dignity and real strife; have vast logical grounding supported by many aspects of reality. Would that we be able to see it and feel it and live it. Would that we undo the real cause of so many problems, improperly determined conclusions. Hence, it seems this ought to be studied more honestly and earnestly.
Written by Carter Carruthers & also available soon at Missio Dei
From Godhead Here in Hiding:
Godhead here in hiding whom I do adore
Masked by these bare shadows, shape and nothing more.
See, Lord, at thy service low lies here a heart
Lost, all lost in wonder at the God thou art.
Seeing, touching, tasting are in thee deceived;
How says trusty hearing? that shall be believed;
What God's Son has told me, take for truth I do;
Truth himself speaks truly or there's nothing true.
Jesus whom I look at shrouded here below,
I beseech thee, send me what I thirst for so,
Some day to gaze on thee face to face in light
And be blest forever with thy glory's sight
