The basic problem is that our societies, in general, are full of false ideas. These false ideas perpetuate through the media, the education system, the financial system, the way we raise our kids, in fact, through every sphere of human activity.
Bad idea number one: "Original Sin".
Original sin says we are all born bad and need controlling. Hence we need laws, hence we need prisons, governments, wars, weapons, fences, borders and boundaries hence, etc, etc, etc.
Actually people are all born with the potential to evolve into mature rounded human beings or immature and unrounded human beings.
Mature, rounded human beings evolve from a non-aggressive, non-controlling and non-invasive upbringing where they feel supported, valued and are allowed to discover who they are for themselves with the love and support of people around them. They make up about 1% - 0.1% of the worlds population at a rough guess.
Immature non rounded human beings evolve from confused, aggressive, violent or controlled upbringings. They fall into three wide categories:
1. The controlling types: These, by and large, run the world (unfortunately). They are driven to control outside events and people and seek power to do so. This is because their control was wrested from them as children and they try and find it this way - which doesn't work which is why they always need more and more of it, be it money, influence, possetions or whatever.
2. Most members of our societies: These people were raised by caring parents who just didn't know what they were doing. They go on to do the same to their own children. The level of control they experience is less and so they live their lives thinking they are in control. They do things like get jobs, buy houses and pay their mortgage on time. Their heads are filled with dumb ideas they have never reflected on like "GOD".
3. The people who can not even control themselves: their locus of being was stolen from them in childhood. These go to make up the dregs of society; the depressives, the druggies, the prostitutes, the wanderers who never get down to anything and about 95% of the prison population (the other 5% being in group one).
The thing about Buddhist meditation and the Buddha's path is that it allows anyone from any of the three screwed up types to move into the rounded human being field.
In the Dhamma,
Matthew
