As I drove through the light drizzle to Downey this morning – sharing the freeway with thousands of fellow commuters (Californians cannot drive in the rain [as I have noted elsewhere]) – I told myself that I had to find a topic for this essaying, and, try to catch up – because my college-classes are starting to impact on what was once free time (and my college students become my number one priority during the semester…because…because they are going on to become teachers and psychotherapists – to service, well… to service the public[You all!).
But never fear – I don’t have my students read the meanderings couched in “The Doctor’s Inn” – they definitely aren’t ready for this piece of my mind (and I’m not sure that any would ever be [with the exception of One]): because the reader that truly understands what I am saying has an internalized locus of control: which simply means: You are responsible for your thoughts, words and deeds: You are responsible for who-what-your-are.
Students taking my Psychology of Adolescence class learn that I differentiate between the adult and the teenager (or child) on this basis: anyone going about and blaming their behavior on an outside force is still a child (or teen) in my book. Why? Because such people are intimating that an agent outside of themselves is controlling their lives.
I don’t know about you – but when I checked into Hotel Earth – it wasn’t so that I could be controlled by someone or something. Sure I needed to learn the ways of making money and how one survives on this particular plain/plane and I didn’t mind being beholden to those who clarified my earthly confusions – but once we start seeing clearly – do we really need to pay tithes until we die?
Bartleby preferred not to – but he stopped working and caring. I, too, wish to stop working, and have been steadfastly paying into my retirement funds hoping that I can live how I wish to live after paying my debt to our society (prostituting myself in other words [because god knows I don’t have any particular talent that anyone wants to pay me the Big Bucks for]). But my readers know that if someone tries to pimp me on my retirement – that I’ll be moving in with them – and then they can take care of me! I can hear it now…oh we’re sorry Dr. Scheff – but STRS, CalPers and Social Security have all run out of money. Well, by then, the Scheff Army will be mobilized and we will be living in the splendor of their mansions that were built out-of-our sweat-and-blood! Hey! We’ll be living off of your fat (an allusion to cannibalism?)!
Throughout history, charlatans of every race and creed have been robbing We, the worker ants, and, in many instances they’ve successfully cheated us by convincing us that the locus of control of our lives is above and beyond us – but that they obey and have strict adherence to.
If You are not in charge of your life, and some other agent or agency is, then You are really no more than cannon fodder for those who have never known themselves, and, never will…