Here are a few excerpts from an article I wrote many years ago outlining several New Age philosophies that are detrimental to psychological health. Read the entire piece here.
4/ Fear is an illusion
Fear is very real when you see a tornado approaching or when someone is holding a gun to your head. Fear plays the most important role in your life of keeping you safe by alerting you to take steps to protect yourself in dangerous situations. All of the other fear-offshoots – anxiety, insecurity, doubt etc., – also have a similar role to play when they arise. These feelings are only illusory when they are based on previous negative experiences that have nothing to do with your current situation. However, they may also be warning signs. For example, if you have been in abusive relationships you will probably have come to know some of the signs. These people are usually very nice at first – too good to be true – but soon after this you get to see their true colors. If you begin to feel anxious because of such a sign, take steps to protect yourself even if everyone else is telling you otherwise because this person seems so ‘nice’…to categorize all fearful thoughts and emotions as ‘illusions’ is truly delusional.
“Fear is wisdom in the face of danger.” ~ Sherlock Holmes
6/ Judge not lest ye be judged
This is another one that is not exclusive to the New Age…the truth is that ye does judge and ye is (and will be) judged. Judgment is a part of life. Period. Every time you decide whether or not something/one is right for you, whether or not you like someone etc., you are making a judgment. Others make similar judgments about you. All of these decisions reflect your (and others’) values. Do you value integrity, wealth, knowledge, image, power? The irony is that those who call you ‘judgmental’ are being just that when they refer to you as such.
Then there are those who claim that they “observe without judgment”. The only type of non-judgmental observation that can be made is a descriptive one – for example, “Your eyes are green”; “Your hair is brown”; “Your pants are black”, and so on. Any assessment you make about an individual after observing her/him is a judgment (observe: to watch carefully especially with attention to details, or behavior for the purpose of arriving at a judgment: Merriam-Webster 1828): “You’re aggressive”; “You’re kind”; “You’re weak”; “You’re trustworthy”. For the most part, observation precedes judgment.
10/ Once you find your purpose in life you will be blissfully happy forever more
Living your life’s purpose, that which makes you happy, your ultimate dream, whatever that may be, does of course bring about much joy. You look forward to getting up in the morning so that you probably don’t even need an alarm clock to wake you up (I don’t need one!). However, this does not mean that life won’t throw you some curve balls that will knock you down even if you are a moral person. Then there are the normal challenges and tragedies in life, like losing a loved one. When my father died, I could not work for months because I cried everyday and there was simply no way to stop it. It didn’t matter how fulfilling my work was – it did not take away my pain not even for a moment. Sometimes such tragedies can lead to your choosing a different purpose because you are so transformed by the experience. Life is better when you are doing what you are passionate about but it will never be completely pain-free – such agony is the fertilizer that feeds your spiritual growth.
Helen
