General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Shirley MacLaine asks: Were Holocaust victims paying for sins in past lives? [View all]daredtowork
(3,732 posts)The super-privileged keep trying to push belief systems that will make all problems equal, so they won't have a greater responsibilty or feel more "pressure" or "hassle" about doing things for the rest of the world when they realky just want to focus on "self-actualizing" themselves.
Hence, Madonna got into the Qaballah, with her little red thread bracelet talisman against the "evil eye of jealousy".
Hence, Tom Cruise and John Travolta and other Hollywood A-Listers got into Scientology, with its intense self-auditing, self-help theory of Dianetics, and sharp attention to personal goals.
Hence, a generation earlier many of the self-justifying rich got into EST, which turned any issue into attitude-adjustment and transformation of consciousness. While most distance themselves from EST today, it was a very widespread philosophy/stance/theory in the 70s, and you will still find the views of elites toward socual justice seriosly poisoned with it. This is because EST allows them to express harmony with ideas of social justice without taking responsibility for accomplishing anything in the material world through resource redistribution ir power reorganization. As long as consciousness is transformed, that's "meaningful"! (and as long as the status quo remains as-is, they can have their privilege guilt-free!!!)
Anyway, Shirley M is just using Buddhism to get what she wants, like the rest of the super-privileged.