SOCIAL MEDIA INDUSTRY DRIVEN BY NARCISSISM

WE ARE RAISING A GENERATION

OF DELUDED NARCISSISTS, ANALYSIS

www.foxnews.com - A new analysis of the American Freshman Survey, which has accumulated data for the past 47 years from 9 million young adults, reveals that college students are more likely than ever to call themselves gifted and driven to succeed, even though their test scores and time spent studying are decreasing. Psychologist Jean Twenge, the lead author of the analysis, is also the author of a study showing that the tendency toward narcissism in students is up 30 percent in the last thirty-odd years. 
This data is not unexpected.  I have been writing a great deal over the past few years about the toxic psychological impact of media and technology on children, adolescents and young adults, particularly as it regards turning them into faux celebrities. On Facebook, young people can fool themselves into thinking they have hundreds or thousands of “friends.”

Youngster can delete unflattering comments and block anyone who disagrees with them or pokes holes in their inflated self-esteem. They can choose to show the world only flattering, sexy or funny photographs of themselves, and publicly connect to movie stars and professional athletes and musicians they “like.” Using Twitter, young people can pretend they are worth “following,” as though they have real-life fans, when all that is really happening is the mutual fanning of false love and false fame. 
Using computer games, young people can pretend they are Olympians, Formula 1 drivers, rock stars or sharpshooters. On MTV they can see lives just like theirs portrayed on reality TV shows fueled by such incredible self-involvement and self-love that any of the “real-life” characters should really be in psychotherapy to have any chance at anything like a normal life. These are the psychological drugs of the 21st Century and they are getting our sons and daughters very sick, indeed.

False pride can never be sustained. The bubble of narcissism is always at risk of bursting.  That’s why young people are higher on drugs than ever, drunker than ever, smoking more, tattooed more, pierced more and having more and more and more sex, earlier and earlier and earlier, raising babies before they can do it well, because it makes them feel special, for a while. They’re doing anything to distract themselves from the fact that they feel empty inside and unworthy. Distractions, however, are temporary, and the truth is eternal. Watch for an epidemic of depression and suicidality, not to mention homicidality, as the real self-loathing and hatred of others that lies beneath all this narcissism rises to the surface, explains the author of the article, Dr. Keith Ablow, psychiatrist and member of Fox News' "Medical A-Team". We should try to enlight young people's heart in order to combat this greatest epidemic.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Narcissism is a material condition (a psychological illness) wherein one suffers from: 1) a grandiose sense of self-importance, 2) a preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, and ideal love, 3) a belief that he is special and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people, 4) a requirement for excessive admiration and worship, 5) a sense of entitlement - unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his expectations, 6) a despotic mentality, repressing and exploiting others, 7) a lack of empathy, unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings or needs of others, 8) envy of others, also believing that others are envious of him, 9) an arrogant or haughty attitude.

Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasingha Maharaja :
Anuvrtti Commentary of "Prakrta-rasa Sata-dusani"
by Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada
Sri Narasingha Chaitanya Ashram
Jun 22 2011 - Krishna Talk 125.
http://gosai.com/writings/prakrta-rasa-sata-dusani-part-1

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE OF SWASTIKA

SYMBOL OF SWASTIKA
ACCORDING TO HINDUISM

www.boldsky.com - Swastika has become the symbol of genocide and ethnic cleansing in the 21st century. It was the symbol of Hitler's Nazi party that exterminated 6 million people under its banner. 
In the midst of all the persecution and violence, the true meaning of this religious symbol was lost. Symbols are silent speakers. They communicate without words. But the present meaning that we derive from the swastika is not its original meaning. 
This religious symbol pre-dates Hitler, Jews and even the Roman empire. There is no specific date when people started using this symbol but its references have been dated back to 3000 years. The ruins of Troy and the Indus valley civilisation have also yielded artefacts with this symbol on them. 
Whether its purpose was purely decorative or it had some cultural significance is not clear. 
In Hinduism, this religious symbol represents many different things. 

Here are some of its most important meanings. 
1. Stability & Firmness: The 4 blades of the swastika point to the 4 different directions. That is why it has a feeling of all-encompassing presence. 2. The Sun's Rays: The sun is a very important symbol in Hinduism. It is the source of light and life in the Universe. 3. Lord Vishnu's Symbol: Vishnu, the Preserver of the Universe is represented by 108 different symbols. The swastika is on those 108 symbols.  
4. Peace & Prosperity: It is one of the 'holier than thou' symbol in Hinduism because all religious scriptures begin with it. It is used as a symbol of peace and prosperity in household. 5. Two Parts Of Swastika: According to Hindu dictum, every energy comes coupled pairs. If there is light there has to be dark. So even the sun has a shadow. The right side or the male side of this symbols thus, represents the suns' path of rotation. The left side or the female side represents the Dark Mother, Goddess Kali.

Nowadays, the Swastika is the symbol of Nazi war crimes against humanity, but in India or other parts of Asia it represents prosperity, auspiciousness and “good luck.” According to Hinduism, there are many other interpretations of the symbol of Swastika - This symbol aptly represents the sun with its rays shooting in all the directions. It represents stability and a sense of being rooted. That is why swastika is very important for weddings and other Hindu rituals. You would find the swastika drawn with vermilion in front of houses, under the Tulsi plant and as a decoration on hot metal pots or kalash that are used in Hindu rituals.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

In ancient antiquity the Swastika, as a religious and harmonious symbol, was popular in the east as far as China and Japan and in the west its use spread from Persia [Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey] across Europe and even reached the Americas. Thus the Swastika is known to have been in use across the ancient [and modern] world as a benevolent symbol. But there is a movement in Western Europe to ban the use or display of the Swastika throughout the European Union. .... However, most people would be surprised to learn that in western countries, prior to World War II, the most popular symbol for prosperity, wealth, health, safety, auspiciousness and good luck was the Swastika. ... The Swastika was also widely circulated by the Boy Scouts of America as an honor badge for meritorious deeds and achievements and was also distributed door-to-door across America as a fundraiser. ... In essence, in early 20th century America, the Swastika symbolized for the Boy Scouts, all that a man can be. Quite a twist from how Americans and Europeans look at the Swastika today.

Śrīla Bhakti Gaurava Narasingha Maharaja :
“Swastika and Cross”
Jul 27 2008 - Krishna Talk 80
Sri Narasingha Chaitanya Ashram
http://gosai.com/writings/swastika-and-cross

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/