Restoration of the Self after experiencing Chua’s incorrect system (continued from above Chua’s incorrect premises and conclusion)
Once many of the children trained under this Chua-style Asian training system in a Western world grow up to feel depressed, lack self-confidence, and are too obedient, the question remains, how does he or she recover his original self? How does he or she get rid of the anger, depression, sadness that has accumulated? How does he or she now better acquire the social belonging with peers, the leadership skills—the many things he or she missed?
Unfortunately, once trained thus, these are difficult challenges to solve and western psychology is weak for solving these. The key will be Eastern concepts of restoring the original self.
I, of course, went through the system Chua described, but didn’t take pills to resolve my own challenges and western psychology didn’t work for me. Again, too lengthy to explain, but once one understands that the body (and not the mind) stores most of the anger, depression, sadness, the self-restoration needs to begin through the body. I discovered this while trying to learn how to sing, and am putting down these ideas in a blog called VocalPosture (unfortunately, most of this blog not revealed because I want a book too. But ask me at the blog, I might answer.). No, singing does not restore the self, but good singing is a symptom that the self’s body is restoring its natural muscular tonality, and such muscular tonality is at the heart of emotions. Social fitting in, leadership, and creativity have a lot to do with emotional tonality.
The solution will be freedom from one’s past training. The same freedom described in Plato cave allegory, Nietzsche’s overman, Bhavagad Gita, Dhammapada, Tao Te Ching. In the Eastern spiritual tradition (including India and not the Confucius tradition), this means trusting that the innate self can itself restore and recover from one’s development mishaps.
Chua is correct that disciplined training can result in great individuals. So, why don’t you take what your parents taught you, and simply try to lose the excess baggage, so you can be free and great!
Chen Sun, www.WebAndNet.com ; http://Chen.WebBIZcard.com
Singing and posture--see Categories, About, Launch 4-2014 