When you are deprogrammed you can open your mind to new experiences and enjoy far more of what life has to offer. This post is inspired by a single response from one of my associates who has been sacked, who shall remain nameless and unidentifiable. No – the individual was not sacked for one silly response. :roll:
In the backdrop of this is What if you were possessed (2015). In that post I asked:
“Who am I?” – “What would I have become if I had my own way?” – “What religious or spiritual beliefs would I have had?” – “How different would my life have been if I had had full control of it?” – “What job would I be doing?” – “Would I have been happier?” – “What sort of life-partner would I have chosen?” – “Where would I be living now?” – “What sort of food or music would I like?” -“How different or similar would I see myself and the world around me?”. What would you do with this new found realisation? How would you feel? Would you change anything or be willing to change anything?
My tastes in music – which are very broad – got me thinking. Over the last few weeks I went back again into my childhood and early years – the formative years – aka the years where I was programmed.
A bit of history
Early years: Between 5 and 19, I grew up conditioned to like Bollywood-type music, calypso, some classical (Mantovani etc), music comprised of brass, violins and drums.
Uni Years: Between 19 and 25 I’m exposed to a greater quantity of pop and rock music mainly from some Guyanese batchmates in Jamaica. But in Jamaica I’m exposed to the real Reggae. I mean I heard Reggae before but when you see and feel Reggae in action – how people enjoy it and how they react in dance – wow that’s something entirely mind-blowing. So this is me in Uni: on some days playing wild Acid and Heavy Metal Rock and then on other days blasting Bob Marley and others. It was soooo funny – on some days I caused the Jamaicans pain with the Acid and Heavy Metal – when I’d be told “Rasta wey yuh ah play devil music!” DED!! Then on the days or nights when I blasted Reggae, they would come round have a drink and by my ‘best friend’. Oh no – I never had a Jamaican come over for any length of time to appreciate Acid and Heavy Metal. The Guyanese guys would be hanging around on those days/nights.
Gap years: After 25 it was mainly work so hardly anytime for music. Between 30 and 45 it was struggling for survival in England. Music was there but not much time to appreciate.
Later years: I guess after 45, I began to fan out and ‘fan back’. In those years I appreciated lots of Eastern (Indian, Malaysian, Chinese etc), Balkan, French, German and African music. How weird if you think of me on headphones gyrating my body to German Trance. ‘Weird’ is my other middle name – so it is fine! Appreciation of Epic music came in the last 7 years or so. Some think it is evil music or music about war. Others find it depressing. These are people who don’t have time to dig deeper or to understand – cuz they are flipping lazy, or afflicted by the Semmelweis reflex.
Recently
One night, few nights ago, I posted a link to this video to one of my colleagues.
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The response was, “Are you into classical?”– to which I replied, “I’m into everything – from classical to bhangra to Balkan and African genres – because I deprogrammed myself from my roots many years ago. I say good on me. ” Of course, I said ‘Good on me..‘ because I usually expect responses such as ‘Good on you‘ to follow. If you’re not familiar with the culture of English as used in parts of the UK, you might think the ‘Good on you’ sort of statement is one of approval. It often isn’t. When it isn’t, there are undertones of ‘You full-of-yourself-so-and-so’.
I can well imagine that some people with their scripts running will be going, “I’m not into classical.” or “I hate Beethoven” or “I love Beethoven.” What the hell do I care, what other people like or not! Are you stuck in a ‘comparison script’? Don’t answer that! I don’t want to know.
Deprogramming.
The deprogramming probably was recognised sometime around that post What if you were possessed (in 2015) But did I say it was just about music? I did NOT! In the recesses of my mind, I looked at every part of my being that I could touch. I tried to find anything from original cultures and upbringings that had some influence on my mind. Yes – that includes education. Deprogramming does not mean throwing out everything! Chrysst! Why to people have to jump to extremes of conclusions? I don’t know and I couldn’t give a flying flamingo.
I wasn’t OCD about this – in making some sort of shopping list of what to ‘chop’ or change. I simply became more aware of the areas where I wasn’t satisfied with the original programming.
Where am I as an individual, with my thoughts, beliefs and things I appreciate? The diagram at left gives an idea where I emerge. In the backdrop and mostly from the big green container is a whole bunch of predominantly unconscious things. Bringing those into conscious awareness was no easy task.
Stupid: So, you’re now a perfect being?
CW: No.
Stupid: It is gobbledeegook to me, what are you trying to say then?
CW: I’m saying that deprogramming – an on-going process – is difficult.
Stupid: I don’t get it.
CW: You won’t because you’re so dim. I’m trying to show that where I am with my thoughts and beliefs, could be the result of many unconscious scaffolds in the background.
Stupid: Don’t pull your psychobabble on me! This is rubbish.
CW: Right – I’ve had it. I don’t know how you got out again. Poof! You’re back in the cage!
Reprogramming
Based on the areas I was not satisfied with, I decided to change: what I paid attention to, what I could enjoy, what I might explore in greater detail.
But I went further that just cultural influences. I looked into biological influences on my choices. These are powerful and sit in the backdrop behind any sort of culture or bag of psychological influences.
I feel more satisfied with my newer being – and I bledy well think that’s fine. I’m not saying that everybody has to change anything about themselves. Now bugger off!
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