Categories: uncategorized
Date: 13 July 2005 19:14:29
I try not to make a habit of psychoanalysing people, mainly because I feel that by attempting to interpret others we unwittingly place boundaries of expectation on them. Sometimes, however, it is imperative that we make a good attempt at interpreting the other when that other, through ignorance and an unfounded morality becomes a danger to those around them. Take the case of the church pastoral/counselling worker, perhaps some of them may be human beings, in which case these human ones are exempt. The majority are monsters with very sharp teeth in sheeps clothing, vampires who have a deep need to sink their twin fangs of sin and guilt into their victims, sucking the joy of life from their souls. Don't think I'm being melodramatic here, I'm not. Implied in their very existence is the equation; you are sick - I have/am the remedy. Hardly a basis on which to found mutuality and human flourishing. You need to understand these vampires so that you'll recognise them when you meet them. You might not have seen them for 5 years but next time you're at a funeral they'll be there in force. These people cannot maintain a mutual friendship, but a sniff of a crisis/tragedy and they're salivating. They will pursue you relentlessly with their remedy. Do not answer the door to them, however nice and well-meaning they seem. Put the phone down on them and don't you dare feel an ounce of guilt for doing so. You may wish to think of them as the secret police of religion. Of course, your avoidance of them, which is absolutely essential for your continued wellbeing, will be interpreted as a running away from what they perceive to be your problems. Their secret is simply this; that they have mastered the art of manipulating the thoughts and feelings of those around them in order to bolster their own unfounded values and morals. They are incapable of doing anything else because if they caught a glimpse of the reality of themselves or the world around them, it would destroy them. They are terrified of themselves. Essentially the church counsellor/pastoral worker is a manipulator of power as a result of their own perverted drives operating within a wider power structure (the church). Nietzsche called these people (with ironic wit) the 'Improvers of Mankind' - though I'm afraid girls, you are not exempt from them. Don't think I'm being flippant when I say that I would rather be buried alive than fall under their spell. Having the pastoral sharks circling is far too grave a situation for flippancy. Of course some of you may find this all a bit unpalatable, in which case be on your way and thank your lucky stars you haven't been bitten.......yet.
On a far more positive note I've been listening to 'Uh Huh Her', P.J. Harvey's 7th album. The girl has such a great understanding of the dynamics of rock & roll, and lyrically shows far, far more self-awareness than any church pastoral worker.