It’s highly unlikely that any therapist, life coach, or so-called thought leader on LinkedIn would ever tell you this, but it’s a message that has been quietly conveyed by every major wisdom tradition since the dawn of humanity:

Not sometimes or only under extreme circumstances (like when you are emotionally or physically fatigued, for example), but … by design.

Your strongest emotional experience (which you perceive as completely ‘real’) is simply an impression created by a conditioned mind that confuses noise generated by that same mind as ‘truth.’

And this is not cynicism, it represents the most liberating concept of thought throughout history…

In this article, we will examine what four major traditions, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the Upanishads, Rumi’s Sufi poetry, and the Stoic philosophy of Marcus Aurelius. We will see what they actually teach about the nature of emotion.

We will also look at what Carl Jung, one of the 20th century’s most rigorous psychologists, concluded after decades of clinical work and his famous study of the Tibetan text:

Not that emotions are mystical phenomena to be revered, but that they are psychological projections, or the unconscious mind’s way of painting its own unresolved contents onto the world and mistaking the canvas for reality.

This of course is not some mumbo jumbo metaphysics. It is, as we will see, closer to what modern cognitive science is only now beginning to confirm.

What the Traditions Actually Discovered

“The Tibetan Book of the Dead” - an exceptionally advanced psychological text - describes how consciousness exists after death. During this state of* transition between many existences,* (i.e.’between life and another life) the deceased encounters horrifying and terrifying demon-like forms of monstrous, anger-filled beings that spread throughout the bardo (the name for the transitional state between lives) and radiate from themselves/fire & darkness.

The instruction provided repeatedly throughout the book is very clear and explicit:

The demons whom we perceive to be demons are not alive, but are rather illusions that manifest is us from our repressed fears. Thus it can be said that our repressed fears are those demons we have encountered during our lifetime. They may be anger, guilt, grief, shame, and unresolved fear; when all the distractions/illusion of everyday life for us no longer exist, we can see them for all they really are. This is the purpose of this book.

The Upanishads, which were composed long before Freud’s time (over 3,000 years ago), were describing the same thing with different words. The Upanishads teach us that our perception of the world (including our emotional world) is called “maya” or “great illusion”. While maya is not a lie or untrue in that sense, it does not reflect reality- it is a product of who we are. Our angry feelings, loving feelings and grieving feelings are only the surface of something more deep (Atman) - pure witnessing awareness that exists prior to the experience of emotion and continues after the experience has passed.

Carl Jung arrived at this same conclusion from the opposite angle. He called it projection. Jung stated that we do not see the world as it truly is, but rather, we see it as we are. Strong emotions signal not our relationship to the external world, but rather what is inside us in the form of the unconscious; this includes the “Shadow”, “Anima”, and the separate parts of ourselves that remain uncomprehended.

The best example of this is the following quote by the 13th Century Persian poet and Sufi mystic Rumi:

The place that Rumi was talking about is the space before any emotional reaction or identification by the brain occurs. In other words, the space before one’s mind determines that whatever experience took place was an injustice, an attack that must be responded to with fear and/or a loss that should cause a person to grieve.

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The Problem With “Emotional Intelligence”

The way emotional intelligence has been interpreted and understood in contemporary society is very different from how it was understood in ancient cultures such as Stoicism or Buddhism.

The modern definition of emotional intelligence assumes that emotions can be trusted, and that feeling emotions more deeply and expressing them in an authentic manner will lead to greater wisdom when it comes to making decisions.

This assumption is completely wrong.

For example, if you are feeling a surge of anger because you believe that an injustice was done to you, that is not an indicator that an injustice occurred; it is an indicator that you have reacted to an event in a way that your background and personal history have influenced you to do so. In short, the surge of anger you feel is a reaction that has occurred due to your body’s reaction to a specific event, not an indicator of a situation w/ an injustice.

Marcus Aurelius (a Stoic philosopher) understood that all emotions are real, but not all emotions are accurate. Marcus Aurelius did not advise people to simply “feel their emotions.” He wrote that there exists a gap between the stimulus and the emotional response, where an individual has the ability to choose to be free. The problem is not the emotion. The problem lies in the judgmental interpretation of the emotion; the belief and story created by the mind to explain the emotional experience and what is required from the individual.

Bust of the Stoic philosopher and Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. (Public Domain / Metropolitan Museum of Art)

What Is Real, and What Is Not

To clarify: while the various wisdom traditions do hold that our emotions are not “fake” (i.e., they exist), they do not consider the symptoms created by our emotional responses (i.e., the physical sensations of the emotional experience) to be true representations of reality.

Although the sensations of anger can be clearly felt in the body, there is a lot of interpretation and meaning that goes into the creation of those sensations (e.g., the thought that we have been “disrespected”).

The sensations themselves are valuable and important to notice and acknowledge; however, the understanding of what we are feeling and why, will most likely be influenced by our conditioning and memories.

All wisdom teachings agree on this point:

The Real Intelligence

What traditional practices provide us with instead of emotional intelligence is a higher standard; that is, the ability to witness the development of an emotion without becoming its prisoner.

To be clear, this does not suggest that we are suppressing the feeling - this is not what is meant by someone with a “stiff upper lip” who has learned to hide their true emotions while feeling uneasy inside. It is the genuine recognition, in the moment of the emotion’s arising, that you are not the emotion. You are the awareness in which the emotion appears. This is what the Tibetan masters called rigpa; pure, untouched awareness. What the Vedantists call sakshi; the witness. What Jung called Self-actualization.

The Tibetan Buddhist text Bardo Thodol provides us with a concise guide on what many call true emotional intelligence. When an overwhelming stimulus appears in one’s life or when he/she dies or when he/she has passed from this life, the message is clear; do not avoid it, do not succumb to it; do not assist in perpetuating the suffering it could produce. Observe this astonishing force as it unfolds within your consciousness. Allow the vastness of the awareness you were before it became visible to enter into your thoughts.

This is not a hoax. It’s the hardest yet most worthwhile feat you will accomplish upon your life’s journey.

By Dr Ioannis Syrigos

In 1966, a delegation of French authors and thinkers attended John Hopkins University in Baltimore to present a new technique of interpretation for Literature and Culture. A young philosopher, Jacques Derrida, was one of the delegates representing the concept of deconstruction which would later become an infection to all areas of the Western World.

This evolution of thought would proliferate for the next twenty years as individuals like Michel Foucault, who emphasized issues of power/relation and domination and Gilles Deleuze, whose concepts were based on a rhizomatic philosophy, would be brought back to the United States and become intertwined with the concepts of identity politics and critical theory in America.

This inclusion eventually returned to become the ideological underpinning of what we now identify as “Wokeism“ throughout the World today.

Left to right: Jacques Derrida, Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuze. Three French philosophers whose ideas would outlast them - and not always for the better.

The methodology of deconstruction has become the most successful mental virus developed against any Civilization. The following will explain how deconstruction works, its devastating effect on our society, and how we can implement a viable method to eradicate this virus.

From Method to Ontology & Here Comes the Trap

At the heart of the deconstruction methodology rests the deceptively simple thesis which states that all truths are an expression of power. In the deconstructive worldview all of our “truths”, be they sacred texts, laws, scientific facts, norms, hierarchies and institutions, are not representative of the truth, but rather conceal an oppressive system of dominance over others beneath the “truths”. So, deconstructing will reveal the “power relation underneath the mask of the truth”…

Expressed in this manner, it appears harmless and somewhat beneficial, right? After all, who wouldn’t want to live in a world where everybody uses some form of critical thought?

What makes this methodology so dangerous is that it lures you into believing that critical thought is not only acceptable but is a positive thing. Although deconstruction may seem like a path of inquiry, it actually serves as an ontological framework for understanding how we see the world as humans. The difference between these two statements does not just relate to how each approach will end up, but rather how these approaches will create our civilization as we know it today. A civilization that is able to question its societal norms and values will not only allow for the potential of reform and creating a more just society, but will also be able to move forward and continue to grow.

Therefore, everything that makes up a society’s infrastructure, borders, laws, scientific principles, language, historical records, and biological (or gender) identities, will be fundamentally suspect, negotiable, and ultimately “deconstructable.”

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The Anatomy of a Mental Virus

Deconstruction functions exactly like a biological virus. It exhibits three distinct characteristics that make it incredibly difficult to eradicate once it takes hold in a culture’s institutions.

It Self-Replicates

Once the virus is established within a host institution, it will transform everything and everyone associated with that organization into a conduit for the virulence of the virus.

For example, if we are to consider science to be a system of patriarchal oppression, then that implies that we must deconstruct the scientific method as it pertains to science.

If we are to consider language to be a colonial product, then we must reinstate the colonial language.

If we are to consider the meritocracy to be a system of racial oppression, then we must eradicate the meritocracy altogether.

If we are to consider the biological (or gender) identities to be social constructs, then we must create our own social constructs in place of the biological constructs that have been defined by traditional society.

It is Non-Falsifiable

This virus was designed specifically to be impervious to critique. Defending conventional norms makes one an oppressor; denying one’s status as such reinforces one’s claim to privilege.

Any “objective” facts presented are tainted by the oppressive power dynamics from which they were derived.

Any reasoned arguments presented will further be rejected as products of a patriarchal, Euro-centric society.

There is no avenue of escape. The manner in which objections are designated inadmissible demonstrates that this is not about reasoned philosophical debate; rather, this reflects the precise epistemological structure of a cult.

And have I seen this virus affecting people very dear to me!

It Self-Refutes, But Does Not Care

The idea of Deconstruction is fundamentally self-refuting. If “every truth is an exercise of power,” then “every truth is an exercise of power” is simply an exercise in power and thus useless. Everything Deconstruction proposes is philosophically empty on its face.

However, this is of little concern to the Virus, isn’t it? Its intent is to create a tool for political effectiveness, and it is extraordinarily effective at achieving that goal. It both disarms the opposition and empowers its supporters; it not only renders the defender impotent but also liberates the aggressor.

The Virus is the quintessential example of a politically asymmetrical tool.

The Production of Diminished Humans

The most tragic legacy that this virus has left behind is the psychological devastation felt by the generations affected by it. We have now created a whole generation that knows how to deconstruct everything, but has never been taught how to create anything.

This generation understands the concept of suspicion, but does not understand the concept of admiration. This generation sees power dynamics wherever they look and sees beauty nowhere. This generation can write a thousand pages about how oppressive Shakespeare was, but not one sentence that will remain relevant for the next one hundred years. The distinction between having critical intelligence and using critical intelligence as a way of posturing has become blurry.

When a person’s mind is fed only on deconstruction, it becomes sterile. This person can no longer build anything; and because of this, this person is anxious, unstable, and completely disconnected from striving for excellence.

The Three Pillars of Civilization

The existence of a Civilization is based on 3 Basic Beliefs:

1) The ability of Reason to discover Objective Truth

2) The ability to distinguish between Good and Evil

3) The responsibility of each generation to pass down the culture that has been passed down to them

The work of the Deconstructionists has systematically destroyed all 3 beliefs. While the work of the Deconstructionists was not necessarily intended to be malicious, but rather, a manifestation of a playful intellectual pursuit, the product of a fascination with the concept of Suspicion, and a Bourgeois rebellion against their own culture (whose prophets had produced their works).

As a result, a civilization that has lost confidence in the existence of Objective Truth or Goodness, and who has no faith in their own cultural Heritage, will have no desire to defend itself, and will instead, simply issue apologies in anticipation of their demise.

How to Cure the Virus

Fortunately, for us, a “mental virus” can only exist in so long as we allow it to exist by giving it authority over our discourse. In other words, when we refuse to engage with a mental virus, we stop giving it a “life.”

It dies as soon as we quietly, firmly reaffirm that there exists a truth, a beauty, a good, and an inheritance worth protecting. And it dies as soon as we stop asking permission from the deconstructors to build.

The builders of the world have always had the last word versus the commentators of the world. They will always have the last word. There will be a time when only that which has been built will remain. There is no place for deconstructed items. We have now entered an age of building, and therefore, it’s time for us to stop deconstructing.

By Dr Ioannis Syrigos

References

Cusset, F. (2008). French Theory: How Foucault, Derrida, Deleuze, & Co. Transformed the Intellectual Life of the United States. University of Minnesota Press.

Big Theory: How America Brought French Theory to the World. (n.d. ). Villa Albertine.

Lawlor, L. (2006, revised 2021 ). Jacques Derrida. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Barron, R. (2024 ). The Philosophical Roots of Wokeism. Acton Institute, Religion & Liberty, Vol. 34, No. 1.

Krausz, J. (2025 ). The Relationship Between Deconstructionist Postmodern Society and the Decline of Traditional Western Values: The Problem of ‘Post-Truth’. Hungarian Conservative.

By exchanging an ideal of excellence for everyone receiving a medal, whether or not an individual has achieved anything, we are undermining the fundamental tenets of how we built modern society. As we lower our standards to enable everyone to finish a race regardless of performance, we mistakenly think that we uplift the lesser-performing participants. What happens in reality is that we crush those who performed at or above average.

In recent years, Western culture has experienced a very disturbing and profound change. The traditional celebration of hard work, extraordinary skill, and individual accomplishments has been replaced with a broad-based philosophy of distrust toward excellence and with the belief that all merit that elevates any individual above another represents an injustice to those who did not achieve this elevation. This philosophy is not only being manifested through changes in how education is being carried out and through the way corporations are hiring employees – although it is slowly changing thankfully! It represents an outright reversal of the traditional values of hard work, exceptional ability, and individual achievement motivated by feelings of jealousy, the philosophy of equity, and a this-natural-born-comparative-inferior doctrine toward the ideal of competitiveness.

The Psychology of Envy and the “Tall Poppy”

To comprehend why people are attacking excellence, we have to first explore the psychological concept of envy. In many cultures, there is a social phenomenon called the “Tall Poppy Syndrome”, which describes a tendency for people to pull down successful, smart or ambitious people who stand out from the crowd. This is an example of what Friedrich Nietzsche labelled as ressentiment, an underlying feeling of jealousy which compels the masses to attempt to bring noble and great people down to their level.

Instead of looking up to high achievers and trying to achieve equally extraordinary things themselves, the average person finds it far more convenient to attempt to pull down those who excel. In the modern era, this form of psychological defence has been weaponized and turned into the foundation of many institutionalized policies. The modern response to the fact that high achievers create feelings of inadequacy in the less successful is not to encourage perseverance or to improve oneself, but to eliminate the very conditions that permitted the high achievers to attain their accolades.

Crazy, isn’t it?

The Equity Illusion and Flat Education

The impact of this on the educational system is significant, as evidenced by the fact that schools throughout the Western direction have deliberately dismantled all of their gifted and talented programs. The thinking behind this strategy is simple:

Take the battles over gifted programs that have recently taken place in New York City, where numerous lawmakers have tried and failed numerous times over the past decade to stop gifted programs due to their perceived inequity. Consider the actions of the San Francisco Unified School District in 2014, when the district banned Algebra I from eighth graders in an effort to close the achievement gap along racial lines. This “equity experiment” backfired dramatically, leading to poor mathematical performance in the district, and resulted in the district being forced to revert to its original position on Algebra I ten years later.

The model used by the educational system in this situation is one where there is no competition. Children are given participation trophies instead of awards based on merit, incorrectly teaching them that the mere act of existing is as valuable as the accomplishments they achieve.

The Crisis of Grade Inflation

As expectations continue to be lowered for the lowest common denominator, success metrics become meaningless. Grade inflation in higher education is at a crisis level; at Harvard University alone, over 60% of grades received by undergraduates are “A”, and the average cumulative GPA is 3.83. In other words, when “A” is the default grade, it no longer represents excellence but is simply a validation of attendance.

Harvard Percentage of “A” Grades by Academic Year:

2005 - 24%

2024/2025 - >60%

This dramatic increase in grade inflation at elite institutions results from a culture of prioritizing emotional safety above the rigorous evaluation of student performance. Academic rigor is a collective action dilemma for these institutions as they fear either backlash from students or being accused of being inequitable, thus causing them to abandon or greatly reduce their standards of academic rigor.

The Expert Who Wasn’t

I recently witnessed a perfect example of this phenomenon.

A person I know approached me, proudly presenting themselves as an undisputed expert in their field - solely on the basis of being in the final stages of a Master’s degree and receiving high degrees. They then proceeded to lecture me by citing a single paper they had published more than a decade ago, as if it somehow proved their intellectual superiority over me. There was never any comparison to begin with.

On the other side stood “poor me”: a five-year Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, a five-year PhD in Artificial Intelligence, a two-year Master’s in Business Administration, more than ten scientific publications, research collaborations with Daimler-Benz and the Greek Police, and multiple scholarships awarded for being at the top of my class for three consecutive years. And this doesn’t even include my professional work experience and (significant) achievement. All of it achieved twenty years ago, when earning these credentials was significantly more demanding and rigorous than it is today.

This encounter perfectly illustrates how the modern education system, combined with unchecked ego, can completely sever someone’s connection to reality. It creates fragile, inflated self-perceptions built on minimal accomplishments while blinding people to genuine expertise and hard-won achievement.

Wokeism and the Institutionalization of Mediocrity

The term “Woke” is frequently used to describe the basis for this ideological shift in society; through a “Woke” lens, every disparity in an outcome is an indicator of the presence of systemic oppression (oppressors). The expression “Woke” places an emphasis on group (e.g. ethnic) identity, thus diminishing the significance of individual accomplishments. Although efforts to implement Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the corporate world are generally promoted as equitable, they often involve lowering the bar for hiring and performance in order to satisfy demographic quotas.

When organizations give precedence to “lived experience” and identity over qualifications or merit, they create a culture in which mediocrity is endorsed by the culture at large. Indeed, Vivek Ramaswamy recently stated, “American culture has glorified mediocrity over excellence for too long”. Those who are vested in maintaining the culture of mediocrity are those who benefit from it, those who do not possess the ambition or ability to engage in a level playing field, and therefore rely on the rhetoric of social justice to gain unearned privilege.

Reclaiming the Pursuit of Greatness

Excellence doesn’t have to be dead due to the lack of opportunity. For any society to survive and thrive, that society must reject the toxic empathy that has been promoted by many in our current society as a means of levelling the outcome and promoting true equity. Equity means providing everyone with an equal opportunity for success while allowing everyone to pursue their own dreams and desires without being required to achieve a certain outcome.

It is important that we now return to a system of competition in our schools, openly and unapologetically celebrate those who perform better than others (exceptionalism), and acknowledge the historical significance of the traditional structures of merit and hierarchy (family structure/patriarchal responsibility) have been the engines that have driven human advancement.

By Dr Ioannis Syrigos

References

Travers, M. (2025). How Tall Poppy Syndrome Can Hold Back Your Career. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/social-instincts/202510/how-tall-poppy-syndrome-can-hold-back-your-career

McKay, B., & McKay, K. (2022). Envy, Ressentiment, and the Inversion of Values. The Art of Manliness. https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/behavior/envy-ressentiment-and-the-inversion-of-values/

Ending New York’s Gifted Programs Would Hurt Students. (2025). City Journal. https://www.city-journal.org/article/zohran-mamdani-gifted-talented-program-new-york-schools

San Francisco Reinstates 8th-Grade Algebra After ‘Equity’ Experiment Fails. (2026). Washington Free Beacon. https://freebeacon.com/latest-news/san-francisco-reinstates-8th-grade-algebra-after-equity-experiment-fails/

Participation Trophies along with Grade Inflation Are Hurting More Than Helping. (n.d.). The Sport Journal. https://thesportjournal.org/article/participation-trophies-along-with-grade-inflation-are-hurting-more-than-helping/

Harvard to Tackle Grade Inflation With Cap on A’s. (2026). Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/learning-assessment/2026/03/13/harvard-tackle-grade-inflation-cap

The True Cost of Grade Inflation at Harvard. (2026). Harvard Magazine. https://www.harvardmagazine.com/university-news/harvard-grade-inflation-faculty-marks

Addressing the Grade Inflation Collective Action Problem. (2025). U.S. Department of Education. http://www.ed.gov/about/homeroom-blog/addressing-grade-inflation-collective-action-problem

Trump’s War on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. (n.d.). Scholarly Commons. https://scholarlycommons.law.cwsl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1530&context=fs

Vivek Ramaswamy Says U.S. Values ‘Mediocrity Over Excellence’. (2024). HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/vivek-ramaswamy-america-mediocrity-over-excellence-immigration_n_676daaafe4b0186e1db6cfb5

Victimhood is a status symbol; dissent is a sin; families, destroyed under the guise of progressive liberation; then you are no longer talking about politics … you are talking about a cult.

Today I am going to propose something controversial. However, if you are paying attention to the culture over the past ten years, you already know this to be true.

Do not take this as an attack upon the political arena. It is just a simple assessment made through the lens of psychology. If you look beyond the terminology used to describe these movements such as “Social Justice” and “Equity,” what exists underneath is a belief system that teaches individuals to be submissive to authority, to maintain mental purity through public humiliation and ridicule, and to use victimhood as their currency instead of overcoming it as a condition.

What is very important about this belief system is that it has infiltrated the most fundamental aspect of human society, the family. In a society that increasingly strengthens those who are emotionally fragile (rather than mentally strong), we have to ask ourselves how did a movement that claims to represent tolerance become so intolerant, and how is this movement destroying our families?

The Architecture of Thought Reform

The American psychiatrist, Robert Jay Lifton, published a very important study in 1961 that identified eight criteria of thought control; that is, how cults break down the identity of individual members and force them to conform as a group. When we apply the criteria of Lifton to today’s progressive activism, we see an obvious match between the two.

Demand For Purity

A cult views the world as purely black-or-white; that is, you are completely with the cult, or you are an enemy. Today, modern progressive activism also works within a black-or-white framework. You are either an “antiracist,” working to dismantle systems of oppression, or you are complicit in those systems of oppression. There is no neutral ground. As Ibram X. Kendi made clear: “There is no such thing as a nonracist or race-neutral policy.” The language used by Kendi is indeed the language of fundamentalism and not political science.

The Confession

Cults require their members to publicly confess their sins to show they are committed to the cult. In today’s workplace, we see ritualised confessions of one’s “unconscious bias” and acknowledgement of one’s “privilege” during corporate DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) training sessions. Those who do not confess are not considered just disagreeable … it goes beyond that, they have been excommunicated from the group. An example of this occurred in 2024 when an employee was terminated for refusing to take part in required unconscious bias training.

Loading The Language

Cults have their own “thought-terminating clichés,” that is, short phrases or ideas designed to shut down critical thought and put an end to the debate about a particular subject. When progressives make the statement that “silence is violence,” or dismiss a factual argument by using their “lived experience” as evidence, they are not engaging in any sort of meaningful dialogue. They are simply using a thought-terminating cliché to demonstrate that their doctrine is sacred and your questions are irrelevant.

The Narcissism of Perpetual Victimhood

Why did such a cultish mentality become so entrenched in Western culture today? Well, this can be explained by the convergence of narcissism and … wait for it … therapy culture.

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Over the last several decades, a large part of therapy culture has promoted the idea that emotional validation and acknowledgment take precedence over the importance of personal responsibility. In their book, The Coddling of the American Mind, Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff explained how we have trained an entire generation to adopt three major untruths about themselves: They are fragile, they should always trust their feelings, and life is fought between good vs evil.

A culture of coddling through therapy has created a wonderful breeding ground for what is referred to by psychologists as the “Tendency for Interpersonal Victimhood” (TIV). Research conducted in 2026 and published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences found that TIV is comprised of four main components: A need for validation of one’s suffering; Moral Elitism; An absence of Empathy for others; and A preoccupation with past grievances.

Most importantly, the authors of this 2026 study determined that TIV bears the closest relationship to vulnerable narcissism. The individuals who are most likely to be vocal about the fact that they are victims of some form of wrongdoing are often not seeking justice. Instead, they seek the social capital and moral authority that accompany being considered a victim.

The problem is that whenever any movement emphasises victimhood to the greatest degree of moral authority, it will inevitably provide refuge for those individuals who wish to exploit that amount of emotional weakness for the purpose of exercising control over others. The result? The progressive cult represents an unprecedented example of how such behaviours may lead to an authoritarian imposition of control under the guise of compassion.

The Dismantling of the Family

To achieve the isolation of each individual or member from any external influences (especially that of their family), all Cults are committed to disallowing each member from being exposed to or affected by anything outside of the Cult. However, instead of physically segregating their members (compounds, shared housing, etc.), the Progressive Cult uses Therapeutic culture / Feminist ideology to breakdown the family unit from within.

This ideological shift has resulted in the following consequences: nearly 70% of all divorces initiated in the U.S. today result from the actions of women, and, according to an analysis conducted by the Institute For Family Studies in 2026, the ideological marriage gap is significant; only 44% of Liberal Women have ever been married versus 60% of Conservative Women.

Marriage is perceived as a trap and Toxic in the Traditional Family is heavily subsidised by Therapeutic Culture, which encourages individuals to sever emotional connections with anyone who causes them discomfort. No wonder there is an unprecedented epidemic of family estrangement. A YouGov poll performed in 2025 demonstrated that approximately 40% of adults are estranged from at least one immediate family member and that approximately 1 in 4 young Americans have completely blocked a parent from their life.

The “No Contact” trend has become a popular prescription for estrangement through Therapists who diagnose parents they have never met. “Therapists diagnose parents they have never met, promoting Estrangement as Authority, Autonomy, and Identity,” says Psychologist Dr. Joshua Coleman. Family Conflict is routinely labelled as “Abuse” and Parents are often classified as “Narcissist” or “Toxic.”

This is how the Progressive Cult achieves its greatest success in Milieu Control; through convincing young adults that their Families are Unsafe, that they have an obligation to elevate the moral authority of their “Boundaries,” and that “Radical Autonomy” is the manifestation of their truth. Families’ connections are severed the deepest possible level leaving individuals alone, completely dependent on the Progressive Cult in order to validate their existence and provide their identity.

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The Ritual of Cancellation

Now, among outsiders who don’t abide by the family’s ideals, the cult employs other controlling mechanisms, including the infamous cancel culture.

Cancel culture, of course, doesn’t hold people accountable; it’s just a public shaming tool to instill fear and enforce ideology conformity among outsiders.

And if we look at the statistics, they tell a grim tale. According to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), 2025 reported the highest number of incidents, 273, where university students received punitive action for their speech. Additionally, 24% of students state that they often self-censor themselves when speaking to fellow students.

When Bari Weiss resigned from The New York Times in 2020, she demonstrated how the progressive media establishment’s suffocating milieu control had become so pervasive. In her resignation letter, she stated that “At The Times, intellectual curiosity - much less the act of taking risks - is a liability.” As a result, this environment allowed employees to bully her via their company’s Slack channels, with Twitter being the “ultimate editor.”

The story of Professor Kathleen Stock illustrates this same point. She was chased out of Sussex University in 2021 by a mob of masked students for only saying that sex was a biological reality. Similarly, J.K. Rowling received death threats and was shunned from the industry for saying the same thing.

These two people are not alone in this fight for love, support, and respect. Instead, these instances are a display of public executions for a religious fundamentalist ideology. This is the message sent to the congregation,

The Return to Responsibility

This “progressive cult” is based on people giving up their own responsibility for their problems, telling them that it is the result of systemic oppression and that their feelings are always right. They claim that their family is toxic and that their major calling in life is to be the “language police” for others.

The remedy for this cult mentality is not a new ideology but rather a return to ancient ideas about being responsible for oneself and what makes families strong. Two thousand years ago, the Stoics preached this same philosophy, as Epictetus said, “Make the best use of what you have control over; accept what happens without trying to change it.”

You have no control over the insanity of society or the mobs on social media or the therapists that encourage your children to cut you out of their lives; however, you do have full control over your own mind.

The progressive cult demands that you give up. It demands that you give up independent thought to the collective, moral judgment to the mob, and your family to the therapist.

Don’t do it. Your mind and your family are yours. Keep them that way.

Final Thought

Think about your statements; are they original thoughts from you, or are you merely repeating the chant of a religious group?

References

Lifton, R. J. (1961). Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism. W.W. Norton & Company.
Kendi, I. X. (2019).How to Be an Antiracist. One World.
Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP. (2024). “The man who said ‘no’ to DEI training, and four lessons for employers.”
Lukianoff, G., & Haidt, J. (2018).The Coddling of the American Mind. Penguin Press.
Bedard, et al. (2026). “How Victimization May Be Grounded in Narcissism.”Personality and Individual Differences. (Summarised in Psychology Today).
Whitley Law Firm. (2020). “3 Reasons Why Women Initiate Divorce More Often Than Men.”
Institute for Family Studies. (2026). “Analysis finds marriage and children rates on steep decline among liberals.”
The Federalist. (2025). “1 In 4 Young Americans Cuts Off Parents And Calls It ‘Boundaries’.”
Coleman, J. (2025). “Are Therapists Causing a Rise in Parental Estrangements?”Family Troubles(Substack).
National Review. (2025). “Campus Censorship Reached Record High in 2025.”
Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). (2025).2025 College Free Speech Rankings.
Weiss, B. (2020). “Resignation Letter.”
The Guardian. (2021). “Kathleen Stock says she quit university post over ‘medieval’ ostracism.”
The Week. (2026). “A timeline of JK Rowling’s anti-trans shift.”

The highest form of intelligence isn’t what you know, it’s how you watch your own mind at work.

Recently, a @LeadersJunction X post went viral with an audacious and shocking statement: “The highest level of intelligence (according to neuroscience)!!!

The 2-minute video does not discuss astoundingly high IQ scores, extraordinary photographic memories, or the incredible speed at which someone can solve problems, but rather something that is much more subtle, significantly more powerful in our increasingly distracted society, and getting harder to find these days with all of our distractions. It is called, metacognition. This is the awareness of your own thoughts, the ability to question your own beliefs, and the ability to notice when you have made an error in your thinking. And all of it in real-time. And then consciously direct your own thinking to the right direction.

The video has gathered millions of views on YouTube, Instagram, and X since it was first posted several months ago. Is this simply another motivational message, or is there true scientific backing for what they are saying?

Not only there is true scientific backing for this video, but developing this skill is the best way to combat our growing obsession with emotionally based responses instead of rational thinking, and the fact that so many people are not discussing a method to develop this skill only serves as evidence that the current climate of self-improvement is at an all-time low.

What Exactly Is Metacognition?

The term “metacognition” was initially introduced in 1976 by John Flavell, who is credited with being the first person to conceptualise the idea.

Additionally, metacognitive regulation involves the continual assessment of one’s thinking and the development of plans for improving one’s thinking. Examples of this would include realising that you are becoming lost in negative thoughts and then rationally coming up with an alternative view. Another example is recognising distractions and guiding your focus back to the task at hand rather than blaming outside forces for being distracted.

Finally, evaluating why a mistake was made and coming up with an answer to the question: “What assumptions did I make that led me to make this choice?” rather than blaming external forces.

The Neuroscience: Why the Prefrontal Cortex Is Key

Modern brain imaging and lesion studies consistently point to the anterior prefrontal cortex (also called the rostrolateral or frontopolar PFC) as the neural headquarters for metacognition.

Through structural MRI studies, there is evidence that individuals who have greater gray matter volume or better connectivity in this area generally have higher accuracy scores on tests measuring metacognitive ability. Likewise, individuals with lesions in the anterior PFC, even if their perception and memory remain intact, will exhibit impaired levels of metacognition. TMS studies further establish the causal role of the anterior PFC in the development of metacognitive judgment and provide evidence that TMS of the anterior PFC disrupts an individual’s ability to reflect on his or her metacognitive performance.

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Studies on DLPFC and precuneus have also confirmed that both of those areas assist in some aspects of metacognition; however, it is clear that the anterior PFC is especially important for enabling awareness of one’s own thoughts and feelings rather than functioning only as a way for one to exhibit how one thinks or feels about the world.

So, while other regions like the dorsolateral PFC and precuneus also play supporting roles, the anterior PFC stands out for its unique job: letting you reflect on your own mental states rather than simply being a slave to them.

Researchers use “metacognitive sensitivity” scores, that is how well your confidence matches your actual performance, and repeatedly find the anterior prefrontal cortex at the centre. The brain has a built-in mechanism for self-observation. So, the only questions is whether you choose to use it.

Does It Really Outperform IQ?

Here’s where the viral claim gets interesting and mostly correct.

Multiple large-scale studies in education show that metacognitive skill predicts academic success better than looking at the IQ score in many cases.

• The Metacognitive Ability still accounted for a considerable amount of variance in School Performance.

• Students who monitor their learning (e.g., using self-testing, spacing, and reflection) outperform equally smart peers who don’t.

To translated this to real-world terms, high metacognition helps you to:

• Learn faster and retain more information

• Adapt to new situations and new environments

• Recover from mistakes without damaging your … ego

• Develop better emotional regulation and resilience

The Hype Check: Is It Literally the Highest Form?

Without ranking one ability as the highest, neuroscientists consider intelligence to be multidimensional and that various types of intelligence such as general intelligence (the G Factor), emotional intelligence, executive functions, creativity, etc., interact with one another in complex ways.

The viral phrase “highest form... according to neuroscience” is a classic example of pop-science marketing. While the concept of metacognition is directionally accurate and inspiring, no professional scientific institution has developed or published an official “ranking”.

That said, metacognition is a highly advanced cognitive function that is both rare and educable, and it builds off of other types of cognitive functions rather than replacing them. However, considering that we live in an information-overloaded world and that AI is better than humans at pure computational functions, the ability to manage how a person thinks could potentially be the most unique ability left to mankind and also the most useful in a practical sense. The statement made in the viral post was true, but oversimplifies the complex nature of the neuroscience behind it.

How to Actually Develop Metacognition (Yes, It’s Trainable!)

The best news: unlike fixed IQ, metacognition can be strengthened with practice. Here’s what works:

1. Mindfulness Meditation — The most evidence-backed method. Regular practice increases activity and connectivity in the anterior PFC and improves metacognitive accuracy. Even 10–15 minutes daily helps you observe thoughts without getting lost in them.

2. Daily Reflection Questions

   • “What did I believe today that might not be true?”

   • “Where did my attention wander, and why?”

   • “What strategy worked (or failed) and what can I adjust?”

3. Self-Testing & Error Analysis — Instead of passive re-reading, actively quiz yourself and analyze wrong answers. This builds metacognitive monitoring.

4. Journaling — Keep a “thinking log” after important decisions or arguments.

Final Thought

The X post illustrates the most authentic human characteristic. With mankind now having more access to information than ever before and with AI being capable of performing more computations than humans can ever do, one of the rarest superpowers that a person has is the ability to observe and think about your own thinking patterns.

So, to start with small steps, the next time your mind is racing, stop and think to yourself something along the lines of “What am I currently thinking about… is this thought actually helping me?”

That one small act of being metacognitive is probably going to be one of the most intelligent things you do for the day 😊.

Not too long ago, a bright and thoughtful young person was asked to reflect on his childhood experiences. He said that he had a “traumatic” upbringing. When pressed for some specifics about what he meant by “traumatic,” he explained that his father was strict and did not validate or support his feelings. Instead of nurturing his “heart,” his father was only interested in correcting his behaviour. His father placed too much pressure on him. This created a lot of nodding heads and sympathetic expressions around the room, and many of the participants in this group’s conversation shared stories of “toxic expectations” and “setting boundaries.” [1]

The stories that participants shared in this group were not from families that experienced abuse or neglect, but rather from families that loved unconditionally and sacrificially. However, we have redefined the standard challenges that we all experience while growing up, whether it is the tension created by parental expectations, the discomfort of being punished, or the hurt of being told “no”, to be defined as “trauma.” The word “trauma” was once used only in clinical settings to refer to extremely damaging and life-altering violations against an individual. Today, however, we use the term “trauma” to describe all experiences that fall short of an individual’s perfect emotional validation, and this is not a compassionate treatment of others.

In this article, I will explain the three main elements of this cultural phenomenon that are creating a foundation for the growth of our current Culture of Therapy (which treats all aspects of everyday life as though they are pathological), the institutionalisation of intellectual cowardice through Safe Spaces and Trigger Warnings, and the emergence of a Grievance Industry that seeks to capitalise from individuals who have developed Fragility. I will offer the remedy to this cultural problem, which is simply the road back to the strength, resilience, and personal responsibility that once defined the Character of the West.

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As an engineer and an entrepreneur, I am trained to view the world as a system. A highly integrated and organised configuration of different inputs, outputs and their interdependences. For decades, we have optimized these systems for efficiency, speed, and growth. Yet, as we explore the landscape of our modern world, it is pretty clear that the system i…

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I was reading an article on Forbes today, where a psychologist shares a science inspired quiz to test if you are a modern Stoic. It was published today, 23^rd of December 2025. The article dives into how ancient Stoic wisdom is surging in popula…

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Let’s talk about “snowflakes”, shall we?

Look at our modern society and you will find them everywhere. A generational shift is taking place:

“Perceived fragility and entitlement”

I am sure we have all witnessed this phenomenon not only in our society as a whole, but …

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In a time of rising self-help gurus, endless motivational quotes on social media, and wellness apps promising us unending optimism, the mantra of “positive thinking” has become the norm. But, is a continuous focus to positivity ultimately de…

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Once a day, I try to go through Instagram and Tik Tok with the intention of coming across something new, whether that be an idea, marketing strategy, AI tool, etc. And at some point, I will inevitably stumble on to a shiny influencer, who smiles at you, and promises "10 affirmations to manif…

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Western culture stands at the precipice of self-destruction. The horrific murder of Charlie Kirk is a bloody, stark warning. Gad Saad, the evolutionary psychologist and unapologetic critic of moral decline, utilized the phrase "suicidal empathy" to describe the sickening ideology prioritizes the emotions of…

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In an age where change barrels toward us like a digital freight train, have you ever paused to wonder why the bedrock of our societies, you know, those time-honoured traditional values like meritocracy, personal responsibility, limited government, the strong nuclear family, faith and religion, patriotism, personal freedoms, and respect for authority, to mention a few, seem to be crumbling before our eyes?

It's a question that keeps me up at night. And it is not only because I am a father raising a son in this hyperconnected world, but also because I have spent years delving into history and our origins.

You should know by now that I do not shy away from these tough conversations, even if it costs me in business, friends, and... banks closing my accounts or mainstream media refusing interviews. Instead, I seek truth by blending ancient wisdom with modern scrutiny.

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A young execu…

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In an era where artificial intelligence whispers answers into our ears faster than we can think, a chilling question emerges: is our reliance on tools like ChatGPT eroding the very fabric of our minds?

Here we are. A ground-breaking MIT study has ignited global alarm, revealing that using AI for writing tasks can slash brain activity by up to 47%, leaving users with weakened memory and a lingering “cognitive debt.”

Are you surprised? I am not. It was expected, and it was common sense. This is what happens when we rush into something, get excited, and never think long term, never consider the toll it takes.

As we charge into this new digital frontier, mixing convenience with hidden perils, it is time to dissect the double-edged sword of large language models (LLMs).

In this article, drawing from neuroscience experts and fresh research (references at the end), I explore whether AI is supercharging our intellect or paving a path to mental decline and what we can do to reclaim control.

There is always a catch with progress, isn’t there?

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I am back … to continue writing from my cozy corner on themodernworld.com. As usual, I've been brewing over some unfinished thoughts. And nothing clears the mind like putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard in this case).

This time, it's all about the incredible science of young brains, the wisdom from our ancestors, and why our current education setup isn't cutting it and is actually doing quiet the opposite...

I've double-checked the facts with some fresh research, and I'll weave in more examples to keep things lively. Plus, let's explore some modern fixes and real-world stories to make this even more relatable. Keeping it simple, engaging, and straight from the heart, so let's jump in.

Why Early Years Are a Superpower

Let's kick off with the brain basics. It's mind-blowing how nature sets kids up for success, if we don't mess it up. And unfortunately we do mess it up …

Babies are born with roughly 100 billion neurons. The same number as adults (though some pruning happens later, dropping it slightly to around 86 billion in grown-ups). But the real magic? Babies have WAY more synaptic connections. That is the links between neurons that process and store information. This overabundance is like a blank canvas, ready to adapt to any environment.

Can you imagine?? For example, in the visual cortex, it surges around 3-4 months old. This makes the brain super plastic, which means that it changes shape based on experiences, soaking up skills like a sponge.

The next step is synaptic pruning. It starts in early childhood and ramping up through adolescence (even into the late 20s). During this stage, the brain trims unused connections for efficiency. Between ages 2 and 10, about 50% of extra synapses might get chopped in some areas. It's like editing a messy first draft. That is, strong links stay, weak ones go. In other words, skills that you learn between 2 and 10, will follow you for life.

Why does this matter for learning? Plasticity peaks when young, making it the best time for learning languages, motor skills, and problem-solving. Studies show kids under 3 can pick up multiple languages effortlessly, wiring their brains for lifelong advantages. Imagine a toddler learning math through block-building games or science via backyard experiments. That's structured play shaping neural architecture for good and for life!

How Ancient Kids Thrived with Hands-On Responsibility

History backs this up beautifully. For millennia, childhood wasn't about sitting in desks; it was active, immersive, and tied to real life. Perfect for that plastic brain.

Take ancient Greece:

Boys in Athens started formal education around age 7, learning reading, writing, music, and athletics through public schools or tutors, but it was practical and community-based.

In Sparta, it was tougher. Kids entered the agoge system at 7, facing boot-camp style training in survival, combat, and citizenship, building resilience early. Girls learned household skills at home, but everyone contributed young.

In ancient Rome, parents handled early education, teaching morals and basics at home before kids hit formal schools around age 7 for grammar and rhetoric. By their teens, many were apprenticed in trades or farms, herding animals or helping with harvests. That is real responsibility that matched brain development. How did they know? Well … thousands of years of experience…

Even in ancient Egypt, education was skill-focused: Kids trained as scribes from age 5, learning hieroglyphs and math through hands-on practice, while others picked up farming or crafts early. Hunter-gatherer societies worldwide had kids foraging or hunting by age 6-8, fostering independence.

Contrast this with the modern shift:

It emphasized conformity over creativity, influencing today's global models. No wonder it delays maturity. Kids spend years in passive dependency, missing that historical immersion.

The Modern Mismatch: Delayed Development and Its Consequences

Fast-forward, and we're paying the price.

I've seen it teaching at Universities and higher education institutes in Greece, the UK, and Australia. Chinese students for example often excel in focus and results, thanks to a rigorous, exam-heavy system with large classes and long hours, but they can struggle with creative problem-solving or ethical debates, influenced by a more authoritarian setup. Western kids, from holistic systems, shine in innovation but sometimes lack discipline.

Schools That Align with Brain Science and History

But it's not all doom. Some approaches nail it by blending biology and ancient wisdom.

Montessori schools, for instance, let kids explore hands-on from age 3, with mixed-age groups fostering responsibility like our ancestors' communities. Kids learn math via beads or science through gardens, tapping plasticity without rote drills.

Waldorf education emphasizes creativity and play early, introducing academics later but through stories and arts, echoing Greek holistic training. Research shows these kids often outperform in emotional intelligence and adaptability.

Even tech-savvy programs, like Finland's play-based system, start school at 7 with short days focused on skills, leading to top global outcomes.

At home, parents can DIY: Turn chores into games (cooking teaches math), read interactively, or encourage outdoor adventures. My son has been active since the age of 4, from treasure hunting and DIY projects to diving, skiing, piano, caving, rappelling, and even becoming a young entrepreneur at the age of 9. He's grown resilient, sharp and at times unbelievably wise - and I am not saying that because he is my son. No wonder school is boring for him...

AI in the Mix? Threat or Tool for Education?

Now, about AI. It's exploding in 2025, personalizing learning like never before, from adaptive tutors to instant feedback. But if misused, it could worsen passivity, automating thinking and widening gaps. Think The Matrix: Are we plugging kids into illusions, or using AI to enhance real experiences? Balance it with hands-on to amplify, not replace, brain growth.

Wrapping It Up, Time to Rethink and Act

Blending brain facts, history, and modern tweaks … we can do better. Don't waste those golden years. Push for experiential education that builds capable humans. Do not go for "let the kids just play"; their brains are developing, and they are not capable of directing their own learning in complex ways like X and Y. Pure nonsense. Especially today where ‘play’ is mostly ‘screens’ of all types…

These are experiments that put our kids' future in jeopardy. The opposition I have faced with my son starting a business, learning advanced physics, electronics and advanced DIY and other skills that are supposed to be for older children is beyond my comprehension... Ignorance is bliss, they say. But is it?

What tweaks have you made at home or school? Share below; let's start a change.

Until next time, question everything!

Just imagine: A young Spartan warrior, in ancient Greece, forged in the fires of discipline and purpose.…

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