THE ULTIMATE STOCKHOLM SYNDROME
A Curious Case of Conditioning
‘Stockholm Syndrome’ is a psychological phenomenon where a captive person- a hostage develops attachment and empathy towards their captor or abductor and develops unexpected emotional bonds with them. This is essentially a mental illness where the hostage becomes comfortable in their abused position and does not wish to leave the situation. They may even defend the abuser and express surprising sympathy and concern towards them.
Our situation in this world is very similar- How So?
Ancient Vedic texts, such as the Bhagavad Gita, describe this physical world as' a house of miseries’ where a living entity (Jeeva) is held captive and bound by its various mechanisms. This is supposed to be a prison where one suffers many hardships and eventually seeks liberation/ freedom.
The goal of this material world is to recognize that this is an unnatural place for Jeeva and try to break free by following the various processes of liberation mentioned in the books of wisdom. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna instructs how to achieve freedom from this captivity and never return to the ephemeral world of pain, adversities, and humiliation again.
Yet, despite all the pain, atrocities, fear, and anxieties it inflicts, most living entities develop an undue attachment to the material world during their long existence over multiple lifetimes. This identification with matter is called ‘Conditioning of the Soul.’ It is akin to a hostage forming a bond with their captor—hence: ‘The Ultimate Stockholm Syndrome’.
This is a very unfortunate state of affairs where the spiritual living entities choose to live in a world of matter that is incompatible and discordant with their nature. A living entity being spiritual is very pure- an eternal divine spark that misuses its free will to live in a temporary world full of darkness, illusion, and impurity. This is a most disagreeable situation where the living entity begins to relish the punishments and miseries inflicted by its captor and makes no arrangements to head back to its original eternal home full of unlimited knowledge, bliss, and love.
What is the bondage here?
DESIRES:
Our desires, the insatiable cravings for the allurements of this world, are the primary shackles that bind us here. We become addicted to the fleeting and superficial pleasures derived from indulging our senses, minds, and intelligence in a variety of worldly temptations. The desire to enjoy sensory pleasures, acquire material possessions, achieve a certain social status, and much more is the cause of all our activities. We perform various activities to fulfill these desires, and those activities decide our future.
The world constantly distracts us and allures us with its various machinations. Our desires to enjoy keep expanding, and we often succumb to those misleading desires, leading to useless actions. Therefore, in this world, we are voluntary prisoners encaged by our own desires.
THREE MODES (THREE GUNAS):
Each person performs activities in this world in a unique manner, being controlled by different modes. The three modes of nature are like the three invisible chains that bind us to different types of personalities, qualities, traits, tendencies, and propensities. Due to these, we engage with this world in our individual, unique way and become absorbed and entangled in various bodily and worldly pursuits. Thus, we allow the three modes to control us like puppets and perform various useless actions under their control.
A Curious Case of Conditioning
A person suffering from Stockholm syndrome gradually becomes conditioned to the abuses and undesirable experiences offered by their captor. Such unfortunate victims consider the lack of abuse as relief and even happiness. In due course, they even begin to enjoy the company of their captor and develop empathy and attachment to their cause. They begin resonating with the ideology of the abuser and are even known to defend them in a court of law. They become comfortable with this atrocious, fearful, and abusive situation and have no desire to escape this imprisonment.
Similarly, living entities gradually become conditioned to the impurities of this world, begin to relish them, and even develop greed for the disagreeable things of this world. Such a soul is called a conditioned soul—someone habituated to enjoying the unwanted, less-than-desirable, and ultimately destructive pleasures of the material world.
Conditioned Soul= those suffering from Stockholm syndrome for this world= those identifying with matter
Such conditioned entities believe the illusions created by the world, its misconceptions, and lies. They also develop deep faith and conviction in this world, aiming to fulfill all their desires, goals, and expectations. They make all endeavors to achieve a secure, comfortable position and satisfy their hopes, aspirations, and ambitions. However, the physical world is designed to thwart those expectations and cause fear and anxiety.
This is a very degraded position for the spiritual entity, and yet, they do not recognize their appalling condition. They absorb themselves with conviction in this illusory, dark world of matter, its false pleasures and promises.
This is also quite risky- for the more they commit themselves to the harmful activities of this world, the more they become entangled and illusioned. Such souls stay entangled in the physical realm for numerous lifetimes in various bodies, species, and planets, facing the inevitable consequences of their actions.
How to Break Free = Self-realization
The world is a prison house meant for our purification and reformation. It is a temporary position and not the eternal home. Therefore, we must recognize our imprisonment in this world and make all attempts to free ourselves from this captivity. Human life is an excellent resource for understanding the truth, purifying our existence, and making arrangements to escape this cage.
The great sages and the age-old Vedic wisdom books instruct us about the true nature of this world and that of a living entity, their true purpose, and the truth about our existence here. Understanding material illusion versus spiritual reality, matter versus spirit, and temporary versus eternal is the key to our liberation. It is Self-realization, and it is urgent. This self-realization can be accomplished by controlling unwanted desires, using all facilities of this world in the service of divinity, and associating with Guru (guidance of a self-realized soul), Sadhu (association of spiritualists), and Shastra (instructions of the Lord).
These three can break the bondage and attraction caused by the material world and give access to the spiritual world. Thus, we can break free from the clutches of this material world and avoid the tragic fate that awaits those afflicted with this terrible disorder called:
‘The Ultimate Stockholm Syndrome’.
very well said. Will get serious about breaking free from this prison. Thanks for the succinct message!