Fables

  I keep hearing these psa's urging you to seek a therapist. No matter what the issue is, you are being told to seek a professional to help resolve that.  I've heard about this chatgpt and how it is being sued, well whatever company owns that technology anyway. Chatgp is a sort of therapy as far as I can tell. Doesn't seem all that much different from talking to the bartender. You are looking for someone to listen and be sympathetic and depending upon how they read you, either supportive or issuing advice. Bartenders were getting sued for overselling their products but I haven't heard much about that lately. All three are therapy. Can you sue a "professional" therapist? I mean one with that license to practice. I would think so, you can sue a medical doctor.

 I don't have much use for these therapists. In my opinion they are just listeners. They may indeed have been to school to learn the standard answers, the proper thing to say based upon todays sensibilities, but I don't think that makes them any better at the "job" than a close friend, bartender or chatgpt. It's my thinking that when someone seeks a therapist all they are looking for is someone to justify their personal moral or ethical dilemma. Yes, the things that bother us, that disturb our peace, are those types of things. When you feel or know that something is inherently wrong, or somehow just a bit off, you are upset. The only time it becomes a problem though is when you like it. You know it is wrong, but you like it. Maybe I can find someone else to share that with me, then it won't be wrong. 

 I do think talking with a therapist is really having an honest conversation with yourself. You really don't need anyone else but are seeking that validation. It's no different than when you were a child and would say, but everyone was doing it. You knew you shouldn't, but everyone was doing it so that must make it right. That's the logic of the immature mind. Time for a dose of reality. Take all this LGBTQ+ stuff today. We are being lead to believe that everyone is doing that. Not true, the most generous polls indicate about 13% of the population engage in such behavior. That means 87% of the population does not. Yes I expect that would make you feel "uncomfortable" unless you can justify that with, but it has always been like that. If I'm your therapist, I'm telling you that it is wrong. Probably why no one wants me as a therapist.

 You know the real problem with a therapist is there is one that will simply agree with you, if you look around enough. That therapist can make you feel good about yourself, no doubt about that, but does that change your moral or ethical dilemma? Or does that therapist just make you accept those moral and ethical dilemma's by placing the blame elsewhere? It's not you, it's everyone else. That's the usual tact a good bartender will take, not wanting to upset you, get you angry with him/her. A professional therapist may use a different tact, not having ever spoken with one I can't say for certain, but I do know their motto is, I'm listening. Yeah, their listening alright. It's what they do. It's my feeling their job is to listen to you and then tell you what you already know. When you can admit to yourself what the real problem is, you can resolve that problem. 

 The issue we all face in life is in living within the societal norms. Really it is what was meant when your parents said they were teaching you to behave yourself. This is what is expected of you, what will be tolerated and what will not. That's the basic course of study. The vast majority of us learn those basic lessons and stay within those confines. Sure when we are children we attempt to stretch those boundaries, we call that rebellion and it is expected of youth. Society and the societal norms will change with each generation, that's obvious enough. Usually we just list that under fad and fashion, the moral and ethical standards take longer to change. It is those standards that cause the moral and ethical dilemmas'. And today we are all being urged to seek professional help with that. 

 Well, my feeling is simply, God helps those that help themselves. That phrase will not be found in the Bible. It isn't a biblical reference at all. It's an ancient Greek thing. Two of Aesop's fables illustrate that principle. It just means, self accountability, self reliance, and initiative. If something is bothering you, it is because you know it is somehow wrong. That is the function of conscience. You already know what to do but are unwilling to do that. 

 That's where the search for justification begins. Are we teaching Aesop's fables to our children anymore? I don't hear much about that. I hope so. Maybe if we did we wouldn't need so many therapists. We could start with the fable, Hercules and the Wagoneer. If you find yourself troubled by by something, take action to correct that. You can hire a therapist, talk all you want to that person but that person can't resolve your issue. Only you can do that. No different than talking to a bartender really, when you are convinced, you take action. Of course with the bartender you just might be drunk and your choice not the best one. But that's another issue isn't it.