The Black Hole of Modern Day Self-help

The self-help industry is an ever-growing industry. It is not only limited to books but has seeped into the domain of social media via posts, threads, reels and shorts. This is dopamine release at its finest.   

 
The exponential rise of the machines has inevitably led to more and more isolation of human community. In our quest for "connectivity", we have distanced ourselves from those around us and have conveniently foregone the basic facet of our existence: Human beings are essentially social creatures. It is a part of our genealogy and our being to be accepted by our peers and climb the social ladder. It is also an indispensable part of the human psyche to be able to resolve conflicts through communication.  

 
Most of our modern day problems are rooted in the fact that we are distant from one another more than we have ever been. And where you have modern problems, you have to look to modern solutions. This is where you swipe right at self-help!  

The self-help industry is an ever-growing industry. It is not only limited to books but has seeped into the domain of social media via posts, threads, reels and shorts. This is dopamine release at its finest.  

 
The primordial flaw of modern day self-help is rooted in its one-glove-fit-all approach. It is the same thing with the amalgamation of cultures too. We see some facets of the Western culture being replicated in other parts of the world and the native culture of a land getting erased. A similar homogenization is propelled through self-help too.  

 
Go to any social media and no matter what your internal troubles are, an emotional voiceover by David Goggins or Will Smith will come at you with ill-fitted context and push you in the direction that you want to go. It is a market driven phenomenon that is pushed to everyone and in turn, they all nod their heads in agreement.  

 
Now here's the catch. We, as human beings are evolving species. 

For example, most millennials in their twenties want a high-powered career. If we are thrown in that direction with powerful enunciation and with a horse vision (that self-help industry typically does), then we'd be so out of our league for a well-balanced life that the hustle culture will overpower and completely destroy us. 

Modern self-help wants us to believe that we are special. They thrive on it. In a way, they push a person into a fantasy that could be so far removed their own identity, leading to destruction and chaos. By the time the person is able to comprehend the folly of their own belief system, the damage is already done.  

 
It's one thing to tell a child that they're filled with unfathomable potential. However, that can turn into manipulation as soon as the same thing to told to an adult over and over again. It's toxic manifestation in a way.  

 
The notion of self-help is deeply problematic for simply this reason: It completely foregoes merit, competence, dedication and most importantly a commitment towards consistency. Habit creation can only come through consistency and self-help is exactly the opposite of consistency. It's a steroid that pumps you momentarily but misleads your psyche into believing that you are invincible. 

 
This is simply a reminder of the doom we are headed towards. We should not mistake rigidity for determination. When we obsessively stick to an idea out of an outward sense of self, we stand to lose more than gain.  

 
Something to think about.  

 

Till next time. Peace!