“The fish in the water that is thirsty needs serious professional counseling.” (Kabir)
It is likely a paraphrasing or translation into contemporary verse, but the above line, credited to Indian poet Kabir 500 years ago, has much to say about current conditions.
How prolific our society is in seeking professional help to perform adequately in our daily lives. Counseling groups, weight loss groups, psychologists, life coaches, nutrtionists, psychiatrists, physicians all standing by to help us (and prescribe meds) to deal with our stress, our kids, our parents, our careers, our vices, and of course, our “significant others”.
Its safe to assume the “coaching industry” is a multi-billion dollar institution in our culture. It may be difficult to know how much is well-spent on actually learning new information.
In a lot of cases, people already know what the answers are. To require a therapist, clergy, or government agency to direct your values and lifestyles is to ignore what you know to be true already.
But I get it. It’s easier to rely on someone else’s advice before acting; to have someone to blame if things don’t work out for the best.
I think most of us have an inner conflict. We want to be in charge of our own lives, free from the influence of others. But deep down we may also enjoy that warm, fuzzy feeling that comes from submitting our will in exchange for accountability.