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13-08-2020
Column: Relationships - AFFLUENZA (continued)
Column: Relationships - AFFLUENZA (continued)
We continue on from last week’s discussion about the pandemic of ‘Affluenza’ coined by Oliver James. Described as a preoccupation with materialistic values, it is believed to be the source of high levels of emotional distress in Western cultures. James researched by interviewing subjects across cultures and identified ‘vaccines’ to counter Affluenza’s symptoms. The first of those lies in cultural-philosophical differences.
The cultures where emotional distress was relatively low had a dialectic mentality. This means accepting the co-existence of contradictions and paradox, such as Chinese belief in yin and yang. Western thought views life as linear and aims to resolve incongruities. Contradictions often create confusion for us because we usually want a ‘right’ answer.
Popular ‘positive thinking’ for example, promotes positive emotions while seeking to eliminate ‘negative’ emotions. However, positive thinking can be rose-tinted positive illusion that denies deep distress. Dialectic cultures are more accepting

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