In my role at the Mantis Qi Gong School, which I run with my partner, I constantly find myself exploring “new” techniques aimed at enhancing people’s well-being, longevity, and overall happiness.
I won’t specify any of them since the options are plentiful, and honestly, it’s not worth the mention. However, it’s important to note that each year introduces a range of “new” and “sophisticated” techniques, much like the blossoming of flowers in spring.
No need to mention that their promises are all the same, rooted in what people have desired throughout the ages: happiness, freedom, wealth, and, of course, love and health.
A somewhat attentive person, or perhaps someone unfamiliar with “personal development”, or even an individual enduring significant suffering and seeking solace, might readily believe that the “new” technique is the ultimate and definitive solution to their struggles, fostering the hope that this time everything will be fine.
This time, they believe they will discover the solution, experience improved healing, find the love of their life, or simply live more peacefully and purposefully. Indeed, with these “brand-new” techniques, they are convinced they will attain freedom (whatever that may mean), enhance their health, and ultimately find the love they seek.
And there is no doubt that all those things will be achieved without any effort, without introspection. I mean, without taking a deep look inside and perhaps confronting aspects of their life and personality they weren’t aware of, or even aspects they dislike, causing them suffering.
Don’t worry. You won’t need to do this.
Take Your Magic Pill and Shut Up
In a nutshell, all these “super-brand-new” techniques are akin to a magic pill, enabling people to effortlessly and gracefully solve their problems. Interestingly, if you explore the websites selling these techniques, you’ll notice that “easy and grace” are the words they use most frequently.
Whatever the case, as a seasoned individual with the necessary experience to comprehend that nothing can be achieved without effort, I am fully aware that those “new” techniques are nothing but rubbish.
Let’s be clear: “effort” doesn’t necessarily imply “suffering” or “unpleasant things” because it depends on your point of view. However, what it does mean is that you need to commit yourself one hundred percent; otherwise, you won’t see any results.
Old Wine in a New Bottle
But let’s break down these “new” techniques to understand their roots, and, more importantly, whether they are genuinely “new” or just old wine in a new bottle.
If you set aside your emotions and expectations for a moment, and of course, have a bit of cultural background, you’ll realize that these “new” techniques are nothing more and nothing less than the same methods taught in Taoist philosophy, Hinduism, and Christianity as well.
But with a small yet crucial difference: they were stripped of their power, of all those elements that genuinely had the capacity to help people. In other words, they were adapted to the 21st-century Western society, catering to a group of desperate individuals who demand things to be “easy” and “effortless”.
I regret to be the bearer of this news, but for 4,000 years (or even more), there is nothing new under the sun. The techniques that the mainstream markets as “the brand new method” are more than 4,000 years old, with the sole distinction that they are less efficient because they have been stripped of their power.
“Ok, V., but why are they doing this? What’s the point? What’s the interest behind it?“
Well, firstly, as I mentioned, the main reason is that we are living within the paradigm that tells us we can achieve everything quickly and effortlessly, contrary to what ancient teachings advise.
However, the most crucial reason is, considering that nothing has truly worked for our society in the past (evidenced by the fact that most people are depressed and ill), the mainstream is compelled to sell something “new” because they are not actually selling solutions; they are selling dreams.
There is no Product. We are the Product
The dream is that we can achieve whatever we want effortlessly, with “easy and grace”.
From today forward, pay attention to these words when you read an ad about how you can change your life, and you’ll notice they always use these terms. The reality is that there is no product, darling. We are the product.
“So, what’s the solution? I want to be happy!“
Take your own responsibilities and don’t be afraid to dismantle your own psychology because it’s nothing more than a construction that doesn’t belong to you. Be committed to yourself and understand that you can reach happiness or whatever you want in just a minute if you consciously decide to be patient with yourself, give yourself time to unlearn what doesn’t serve you anymore, and simultaneously learn new and virtuous habits that help you become who you’re meant to be.
Start right now. Forget about all those “new” techniques. Take a piece of paper and write down 5 things/people/habits that are not serving you anymore. Then, pick one and promise yourself that you will make a plan to eliminate that thing/person/habit from your life within 4 weeks. You can do it!
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