Have you ever done something that you deemed stupid? You know, like you write out an extensive shopping list, only to realize when you’re at the supermarket that you left it at home. Then you proceed to think, “Gosh, I’m stupid!”
People often beat themselves up, if not verbally, then mentally. It’s the self-talk that offers negative reinforcement. People who continuously beat themselves up through negative self-talk generally are engaging in unproductive dialogue that limits their ability to succeed in life.
Throughout history, different sects and religions—including Christianity—have engaged in acts of self-flagellation, usually with a whip, to drive out evil spirits. As a religious ritual, there may be some value in self-flagellation. Still, as a psychological process, it can be debilitating.
Today, it appears that some countries, most notably the United States, is engaged in the process of self-flagellation. Of course, the media and politicians are instrumental in perpetuating this process. There is hate-filled rhetoric. The U.S. is systemically racist, the police are targeting people of colour, or that white privilege is rampant, notwithstanding that these ideas are false. Similar narratives are expressed in Australia, and specific sectors of society keep these lies going.
What is the impact on a country when it keeps diminishing itself? We’ve heard the idiom, “With friends like these, who needs enemies”. China, Russia, Iran and others are drooling when they hear such pronouncements from their arch enemies in the West.
If one party diminishes itself in the dynamics of any relationship, then the other party feels more empowered. This applies to individuals and countries. This was illustrated at the recent summit between America and China when the Chinese threw racism in America’s face. The Chinese delegation denigrated the Americans who frankly looked weak, and America, by its acquiescence, put China on a pedestal.
So why are people in some of the First World Western Nations beating themselves up? Most of this is due to guilt and specifically by Caucasians. Shame is when you feel that your actions caused someone to have more pain than pleasure or more negative than positive. At the moment, when you do something to someone, there may be some value in acknowledging wrongdoing. However, suppose you keep carrying around guilt because of something you did. In that case, it puts you in a position of weakness, and there is always someone willing to take advantage of that.
Unfortunately, many Americans and Australians can’t let go of what was done to African-Americans and to indigenous people in the past. The reality is that these wrongs have been righted through legislation. For those who want to incite a victimhood mentality, it is not enough. Some people are willing to sustain a guilt complex for the rest of their lives.
The only way to eliminate self-flagellation is to be proud of yourself and also of your country. Whites nor any other group need not apologize for the past. Factually, there have been just as many black slave owners throughout history. So no one group holds the moral high ground.
Let’s honour all races who contributed to modern western culture in areas such as the Industrial Revolution, the evolution of music, sport, the great works in science, and philosophy. Remember, if the West cedes its strength, other more tyrannical regimes are waiting to fill the void.
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