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The myth of the happy family || Acharya Prashant, in conversation (2020)
23.5K views
3 years ago
Family System
Trauma
Ignorance
Violence
Suffering
Relationships
Upbringing
Society
Description

Acharya Prashant addresses the issue of trauma by first challenging the distinction between happy and unhappy families. He highlights a contradiction in the questioner's observation that while some families appear happy, most women have experienced some form of sexual abuse or molestation. He asks, if this is the case, where are these happy families? He posits that the concept of a happy family is a deceptive illusion, a chimera that exists only on the silver screen, not in reality. The speaker explains that the root of suffering lies in the fact that we are born incomplete, a condition clearly expressed through our gender. A woman is not a man, and a man craves a woman, signifying an incomplete birth. This inherent incompleteness is further compounded by the education and conditioning received from family, school, and media, which distort the mind. He states that violence is an offshoot of ignorance, and where there is ignorance, violence is inevitable. This includes not only sexual abuse but also other forms of violence and societal ills like corruption. Acharya Prashant argues that a great amount of suffering comes from the very institutions we cherish, especially the family. He uses an analogy: if a large proportion of people entering a room report suffocation, the problem is with the room itself. Similarly, if so many people are suffering, the issue lies with the environment—the family and society. He asserts that the institution of the family is flawed and designed in a way that breeds violence. The suffering people face in their relationships is the most practical and common form of suffering. He further explains that the root of problems like molestation, rape, drug addiction, and teenage pregnancies is the flawed way we are raised. He criticizes the notion that immature individuals in their twenties or thirties are fit to be parents and teachers to their children, calling it a situation that defies all sense. He concludes that unless the root cause—which is ignorance and the flawed systems of upbringing—is addressed, any attempt to solve individual cases of abuse will be futile for bringing about widespread change. Violence is an offshoot of ignorance, and without addressing this core issue, we will continue to find ourselves in messed-up situations.