The Truth Behind Conspiracy Theories
Today I want to talk about conspiracy theories.
Rather than getting into the details of any one conspiracy, I want to look at them from afar.
The Secret Purpose of Conspiracy Theories
What is the purpose of believing in them? What do they end up doing for a person?
I find that conspiracy theories usually incite anger. They usually engender a feeling of indignation, victimhood, and powerlessness. And I think this is probably the underlying purpose.
The irony is that people usually want to feel empowered, and they usually want to enact change. But the energy from their anger is rarely channeled into a positive action. It usually just draws them deeper and deeper into feelings of resentment. It usually creates a feedback cycle of negativity and self-fulfilling prophecies.
Who Wants to be a Victim? (Now Taking Volunteers)
Of course most people do not consciously make this choice. Who consciously wants to be an angry victim of faceless oppression?
I propose that being a victim is one of many unconscious motivations for almost all humans. It is part of the ego’s story of separation—from other people, from the environment, from the evolutionary process of all life, and from God/love/divinity/enlightenment.
The Benefits of Being Oppressed
If I am a victim of circumstance, then I cannot be held responsible for my actions, which is a very appealing thing to most people. It means being guilt-free, and in this mindset, that means no worries. Like an all-inclusive resort, one gets everything handed to them and is justified in complaining if anything is less than perfect.
The conspiracy theory plays into this mindset perfectly. Because what is a conspiracy but an unimpeachable oppressor, something so insidious and well-defended that we, as the common people, will always be little more than the victims of a power we cannot compete with.
Be Careful—Conspiracies Are Everywhere!
In traditional conspiracies this means the power of the government, the rich people, the bankers, the masons, the illuminati. But how different is it from the power of the Democrats in power, or the Republicans in power, or the Koch brothers, or The Media? How different is it from “the adults” when you are children?
Of course the details are different, but the pattern of thinking is the same: those people out there are evil and therefore I am good.
PLUS, when I focus my energy and effort at decrying the oppressor, I derive all the benefits of avoiding my own psychological and relational problems.
The Devil in the Details
Let me be clear—the details of the “conspiracy” may be true—for example the Mainstream Media has consolidated, and does provide biased information. The point of this article is not to discuss the relative truth or falsehood of a situation that is seen in a victim/oppressor way. The point is to see a larger, more universal pattern of separation and disempowerment.
This is important because in my experience the unintended consequence of conspiracy theories is disempowerment. Focusing our energy on “the conspiracy” does not actually change anything. It only serves to divide people, joining them only in attack against the “other.” And I think this division propagates suffering.
I want to know not what you are against, but what you are for. And then I want to support you in creating the world you want, in a way that benefits the whole.
The Takeaway—Shifting from Fear to Love
So the takeaway is this—when you find yourself feeling like a victim, take a deep breath and look at your motivation. Are you reacting from fear, separation, attacking others, and avoiding guilt? Can you shift so that you are acting in service of love, joining, supporting others, and taking responsibility?
The way you see will change your actions, and it will create a ripple that changes the lives of people around you. If you find yourself reacting fearfully and feeling disempowered, you will share and spread fear and weakness.
If Possible, Avoiding Oppressing Yourself
To reiterate—this is not about the details of conspiracies. It is not about repressing feelings. Repressing the anger is pointless. Instead, look for the care and passion underneath the anger, and channel it in a way that inspires.
It is not about only looking on the bright side, or finding a silver lining. Trying to only be positive is hiding from the complexity of reality. Instead, if you can love the variety of perspectives inside of you, you can better love the variety of perspectives outside. And you become a lamp, lighting the way for others to do the same.