Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Stockholm syndrome

I hope my readers might have heard about Stockholm syndrome. It is a psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy, sympathy and have positive feelings towards their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them. Stockholm syndrome is named after the Norrmalmstorg robbery of Kreditbanken at Norrmalmstorg in Stockholm in which several bank employees were held hostage in a bank vault from August 23 to August 28, 1973. During this situation, the victims became emotionally attached to their captors, rejected assistance from government officials at one point and even defended them after they were freed.
I feel many of us, especially those who are considered leaders and role models, have Stockholm syndrome that they become part of what we suppose to be against.
Parents are supposed to be the role models for children. It is from the parents that children learn moral values and love. I was visiting a family and a phone call came for the head of the family and the youngest son attended the call. He said dad, Mr. J was on the line very softly, closing the mouth piece. Dad said, tell him that I am in Bangalore, and will be back in a week. I do not know who is on the other side of the line, may be somebody that he loaned money or a friend whom he wanted to avoid. Whatever the case is, he teaches his son to lie. I have many examples to tell, I fear to write on a blog. We become what we are supposed to be against, I think this is the tragedy of most of us.
A parish priest was preaching about forgiveness and everyone in the parish knows that he is not in communion with the ex trustee. What message he is conveying? He has become part of what he supposed to be against. I think you can imagine tons of things that you have become part of, which you were not supposed to be part of it.
I urge you to reflect if you have become part of what you are supposed to be against. Let this thought give you a push to rethink.

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