Charlatans

We, humans, simply forget! How much we learn or what becomes part of our knowledge is very much restricted to each individual’s curiosity and ability to retain information.

In his book “A cure is not Welcome”, Dr. Desmond Allen states that three out of five doctors are incompetent. With reference to chiropractors, based on his experience, Allen says that four out of five chiropractors are negligent. The same can be said for teachers, lawyers, drivers, cooks, nurses, psychologists, therapists, waiters, architects, writers, chemists, accountants, carpenters, acupuncturists, dentists, judges, secretaries, receptionists and, even parents – we can say that incompetence and negligence is applicable to… everyone.

Nevertheless the world is full of experts (aka charlatans) and this is because each individual has a different perception, based mostly on upbringing and personal experiences, on what is right-and-wrong and what is good-or-bad. Hence, with a little bit of charisma, many “professional charlatans” manage to get an audience – from small to internationally big.

Almost each day some friend or acquaintance mentions to me the latest discovery in science, the most quoted personality, the best solution to… problems. Are these discoveries for real, are they valid and truthful?

As I said, all individuals follow their personal knowledge and beliefs. They really believe, with a state of argumentative attitude, that their book, person, video, cure, diet is the truth and nothing else but the truth. This is them, or their group, and no one will make them change their mind or views. Their discovery is unique to them and we shall either join such a discovery or we will live the rest of our life in… total ignorance.

What worries me is…evolution. We have millions of groups believing that their discovery is the best and is unique. Their doctor, chiropractor, shaman or else, is like no one else – until they hit the news for fraud or for having killed someone or until one simply discovers (based on own beliefs and ignorance) that they have wasted time and money. No worries, give it a few weeks and it will all be forgotten and we will be able to “move” to the next best thing on offer.

During a discussion in an Italian Forum about Psychology I stated: “I can cure any phobia with just one appointment”*. The majority of the audience would not believe me. They simply followed traditional psychology and they never came across or tried…alternatives (in my case, it is a combination of hypnotherapy and NLP).

I proposed, on my Facebook page, a small advertisement “card”, stating:

  1. What if I could tell you that you already have everything you need and I can give you the tools to access it?
  2. What if I could tell you that there is a way to truly heal yourself on every level and I can finally help you to make fast, effective changes to the way that you think, feel, act and react?

And, again, the most common reply was “are you a scientologist”? Or: “what you are stating is impossible”!

The solution seems to be – Alfredo why don’t you write a book? People believe in books; after all, people actually pay for them, which means that the book (content and information) becomes their possession and beliefs – as far as their understanding will allow their mind to elaborate on the subject. This doesn’t mean that 100% of buyers will agree with the book, but good chances are that a percentage of people will form a group and will start discussions, forums, interactions because they will believe in what the book has to say.

Does writing a book really bring the best out of the writer and for those that read the book?

There are many genres books on the market – many, like: Drama, Fiction, Romance, Horror, Fantasy, I would just never read; I feel that they are only a form of escapism with very little input toward true learning and knowledge.

The “Educational” genre (History, Health, Science) are often informative but I have also realised that they are “copied” from others, are biased and some even provide wrong information. False information is carried on and such information, within a few years, often becomes the norm and is “sold as”… reality.

Hence, with either Chairman Mao Tse-Tung’s “Little Red Book” on one hand or Ron Hubbard’s Scientology book “The Way to Happiness” on the other – we can easily form our group of knowledge that no-one will be able to shatter (or understand).

Ignorance, as opposed to evolution, will endure in a steady path for those that refuse, dispute and contest learning.

“The more often a stupidity is repeated, the more it gets the appearance of wisdom”. François-Marie Arouet

 

Article by A B M Procaccini – © – Psychologist, Naturopathist

 

*I have truly done it on a number of clients and it is possible. However, the client must be willing to want and to accept changes.