Cassandra Syndrome

[rougeleader115]

Well the failures my "inner child" are beginning to catch up with me. I only have the four more classes to finish for school. But my parents are beginning to lose faith in my ability to care for myself in their absence. Since I have taken so long to finish an associates degree, I do not have a job, and I express that I do not understand the world or my place in it, they are ready to stop taking care of me. I have been talking to my councilor about this vast emptiness I feel when I try to figure out a direction for myself in life. I do not have a strong drive to do anything and I still do not truely understand why. I want to help people, but it seems most people dont want it, or abuse it to death. I am being told I sound and most likely am schizopherenic by my mother and my father lets me know that my shortfallings are on me because he provided us with everything we could need. To say I feel negatively about myself and my life is a complete understatement. At times I wonder if the bliss and peace I feel is just what my mind created because I am so lost in my own delusion. Although I have found comfort in this forum, I continue to walk into a world where the way I feel and see things is just not correct. And I do not have any of you right here to talk to about the subtle issues or to make me feel there is someone real and physical that can see or feel some of what I do. I also went to counciling to get a grip for a job too. Ive gone near insane at both of my previous jobs, and they were not too stressful in comparison to most. It reminds me so much of everyday getting up for school to stay(and most times cooperate) with a bunch of mentally and emotonally stressed individuals in an enclosed space for hours. Then to go rest up(hopefully) for the next day of the same thing, if not slightly worse. It feels as though the grip of my mind has been rubbed raw and weak already, and it does not want to be submitted to more and more and more stress. But logically it is obvious that I need to just finish up these courses and get a job, so I guess thats what I must do, or prepare for the streets/wilderness that I might not survive .

My will to fight is exhausted, but the fists keep coming.

[Jhanananda]

Hello rougeleader115, thank-you for expressing your conflict.  I do not see that you are suffering from the Peter Pan Syndrome Puer aeternus.  I believe it is more the Cassandra syndrome

The Cassandra metaphor (variously labelled the Cassandra 'syndrome', 'complex', 'phenomenon', 'predicament', 'dilemma', or 'curse') occurs when valid warnings or concerns are dismissed or disbelieved.

The term originates in Greek mythology. Cassandra was a daughter of Priam, the King of Troy. Struck by her beauty, Apollo provided her with the gift of prophecy, but when Cassandra refused Apollo's romantic advances, he placed a curse ensuring that nobody would believe her warnings. Cassandra was left with the knowledge of future events, but could neither alter these events nor convince others of the validity of her predictions.

The metaphor has been applied in a variety of contexts such as psychology, environmentalism, politics, science, cinema, the corporate world, and in philosophy, and has been in circulation since at least 1949 when French philosopher Gaston Bachelard coined the term 'Cassandra Complex' to refer to a belief that things could be known in advance.[1]

What happens for the mystic is we develop intuitive, revelatory insight, in which we see just how insane the world is.  We do not want to be a part of that insanity, and we often lack the equanimity necessary to live in an insane world.  So, the mystic often goes into seclusion to get away from the insanity of the world. 

Another approach is to develop equanimity, which arises at the 3rd stage of deep meditation.  If consistently meditate to the 3rd stage of deep meditation, then we end up with a stable level of equanimity. 

Nonetheless, I and many mystics have found the world just too insane to live in.  For instance my problems in Sedona only underscore how insane the world is, and how I am better off being as far from the herd as I can get.  So, I am not surprised that you feel the same way.

Please note that since this subject is so important, and we have not started a thread dedicated to it, that I split the topic, and started the new thread.