FILLER POST 3: YOU VS DELUSION (THE LITTLE LIES YOU TELL YOURSELF)

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FILLER POST 3: YOU VS DELUSION (THE LITTLE LIES THAT WE TELL OURSELVES).

 

“ONE WHO IS UNRESTRAINED IN LIFE DELUSION OVERCOMES AS THE WIND A WEAK TREE”- Gautama Siddhartha.

Salutations dear reader,

Welcome to the being human blog, where we explore various themes in the human condition. Today’s topic is delusion. Most people do not know about delusion but it is also part and parcel of the human condition.

So what is delusion anyway? According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, delusion can be defined as:

“AN IDIOSYNCRATIC BELIEF OR IMPRESSION DESPITE BEING CONTRADICTED BY REALITY OR RATIONAL ARGUMENTS”

OR

          “FIXED, FALSE BELIEFS THAT CONFLICT WITH REALITY”

So in short I summarize delusion as little lies we tell ourselves. Personally I believe that all humans have little lies that they tell themselves. We are not all truly self- aware. Even studies by psychologists like Tasha Eurich support that we all have some sort of delusions.

Delusions for context can range from little lies that us normal people tell ourselves like “am beautiful” or “am smart” to warped realities that people with mental issues like schizophrenia have. I am going to explore the little lies we tell ourselves.

So what do we need to know about delusion, so here is what I rounded up about delusion.

ARE DELUSIONS GOOD FOR US?

So since we all have delusions, they may serve a purpose for us that’s why we have them right? Am not sure about that but the logic seems to take us there.

So if delusions are good for us then what benefits do they have for us? Some of my sources agree and one even stated that: “delusional people are happier than non-delusional people”.

Some even say it is not ok to choke someone with the truth and it’s ok to let he/she live in the delusion. Delusion help to bring happiness or joy when time are uncertain or tough.

 It is true that delusion can bring happiness but are what can be the problems caused by delusion.

ARE DELUSIONS BAD?

Here is where the internet can talk without stop. In most cases if delusions reach a certain point where an individual’s reality is warped, delusions are bad. Delusions are usually diagnosed in people with psychological issues.

Delusions in extreme cases can lead to problems like:

  • ·       Anxiety
  • ·       Living in false reality
  • ·       Poor decision making
  • ·       And many more.

 

So most of us do not face delusion to the extreme. So we do not suffer from such problems but we still have delusions, so what problems can be caused by our little delusions.

To explain how our small delusions can lead to problems am going to do a case study on the social media platform, INSTAGRAM



 A CASE STUDY ON INSTAGRAM.

I believe everyone reading this knows what Instagram is but for those who do not know what Instagram is. Here is a quick overview of the platform.

Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by Faceboo- I mean Meta platforms. Instagram is an internet juggernaut with over 1 billion downloads today and with its most popular users having over 100 million followers, Cristiano Ronaldo the most followed man in the platform has 401.2 million followers!

People advertise, share images, create jokes and do other things on Instagram. Instagram is currently the 5th most visited website in the world with users spending 7+ hours on the site per day.

 But how is Instagram connected with delusion and problems caused by delusion. So Instagram is what I would call a “perfect place”. Photos uploaded there, are of people in their best. People look flawless and happy and beautiful in Instagram.

 

So what’s wrong with that then. The perfect lifestyle seen in Instagram is itself a delusion. No matter the situation you live in, whether rich or poor, smart or dumb and etc, you are still subject to the human condition including the bad parts of the human condition like sadness and depression. Instagram does not show that.

If you are a user of Instagram you might say these delusions do not have any problems, it’s just plain fun. That can be right but Instagram is embroiled in backlash because of mental issues it causes in its users because of being one world full of delusion.

Instagram is known for causing the following mental issues on their users;

  • ·       Depression, anxiety and Stress
  • ·       Lower body satisfaction
  • ·       False self-presentation
  • ·       Eating disorders
  • ·       Fear of missing out (FOMO)
  • ·       Suicide and self-harm

 

Imagine all these mental issues caused by delusion, some simple white lies to get popularity. For more on the impacts of Instagram on its users, go checkout en.m.wikipedia.org/Instagram

 

So does that mean the platform is bad. No its isn’t, it is still a nice place to meet and share with friends and families online. But Instagram was the best way (for me anyway) to show how delusion and simple lies we tell ourselves can cause harm but that doesn’t mean you should stop using it if you like the platform, personally am also a user of the platform.

So are delusions bad?, just Instagram posts can cause those health issues. So should we stop giving ourselves white lies even if it boosts confidence and sometimes brings clarity and relief.

So what is the conclusion on delusion.

CONCLUSION

So should we face the truth and let go of delusion, the lies that we tell ourselves? I had the same discussion with a comrade of mine a few days ago.

So this is how we concluded on the matter. Delusions are not that bad and everyone has some sort of lie they tell themselves. I cannot act as the vanguard of truth while I also have some sort of delusions but we should also not live in these lies and let them define who we are, take time to appreciate your real self even if it’s not what you are in your delusions.

Buddha believed that delusion (Moha, as it’s called in the faith) is one of the three problems of man. So do not let your delusions drive you as a person.

Thank you for reading. If you love what this blog does, please comment, share and even contact the author, me. If you have questions or have an idea for the blog, you can contact me the author via my email or via the contact form below or via my Instagram account @grayjr_05.

REFERENCES.

www.webmd.com

www.theverge.com

www.bakadesuyo.com

www.linkspringer.com

www.bcss.org

www.psychologytoday.com

www.sciencedirect.com

www.ncbi.gov

www.wikipedia.org

 

Location: 60 Barabara Segerea, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

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