How can we eliminate slander and defamation? Spirituality

 How can we eliminate slander and defamation? Spirituality

How can slander disappear? — A Spiritual Perspective

This topic is not impossible, but for most modern people, it is.

Regarding the idea of slander disappearing, what I mean by "not impossible" is that there are indigenous tribes among whom the concept of slander does not even exist.

Speaking from my own experience, I lived in Osaka City until the fourth grade of elementary school, and in the human relationships there, there was no bullying and no such thing as slander.

One reason for this was that the class size was small, and when we played, it was almost always everyone together as one group.

After moving to the suburbs, I found myself in a school with many classes and a large number of students. It was there that I first experienced the existence of bullying, and I was shocked by it.

The psychologist Freud proposed that, whether a person is eating, sleeping, or relieving themselves, there is inevitably some degree of pleasure involved, and that human beings are creatures who seek pleasure — a concept he called the “pleasure principle.”

To put it in extreme terms, it is no exaggeration to say that a sense of existence equals pleasure. When we feel happiness, we can also feel a strong sense of existence and strong pleasure at the same time.

Not being able to feel one’s sense of existence is not just about lacking that feeling — since the human body and mind influence each other, it can be perceived as a life-threatening situation, making stress more likely to arise.

A stress response places a person in a state of either attacking or fleeing from the source of stress. In either case, energy is required, and at the same time, this process can generate mental and physical energy.

In other words, in the psychological sense as well, when one’s sense of existence is diminished, stress appears. Through the stress response, energy is generated, and that energy can manifest as slander.

In the present day, stress tends to appear in many situations, which is why the question of how slander can be eliminated remains a difficult one.

How can we eliminate slander and defamation? About spiritual level, spiritual

How Can Slander and Defamation Disappear!? — A Spiritual Perspective

From a spiritual point of view, there is an insight to be gained regarding slander and defamation.

The growth of the soul and the growth of knowledge are each a series of realizations, and just as intellectual growth comes from one realization at a time, the growth of spiritual rank (reikaku)—which is the growth of the heart—is also built upon one heartfelt realization at a time.

When one’s spiritual rank rises, their presence—spiritually speaking—becomes stronger, and their creative ability to fulfill the hearts of others also increases. The more realizations one has in their heart, the broader their perspective becomes in understanding things on a spiritual level. This is not a difficult concept—it is simply about becoming an adult in the spiritual sense.

On the other hand, having a low spiritual rank means one’s presence is weak in a spiritual sense. Such people tend to prioritize their own emotional needs over fulfilling others, and with fewer heartfelt realizations, their perspective on things becomes narrower in the spiritual sense. This, too, is not a difficult concept—it is simply about remaining a child in the spiritual sense.

When spiritual rank is low, one’s presence is spiritually weak, stress appears more easily, and the energy seeking recognition can manifest as slander, child abuse, bullying, power harassment, “monster” parents or customers, toxic parenting, stalking, and even heinous crimes—behaviors that cause harm to society.

In modern society, heartfelt realizations tend to be weak, and while this is not true of everyone, people with low spiritual rank are more likely to appear. As a result, incidents such as slander and defamation are more likely to occur.

Therefore, in today’s world, the question of how to eliminate slander and defamation becomes a difficult one to answer.

How can we eliminate slander and defamation? It's not impossible: Spirituality

How can slander and defamation be eliminated?
From a spiritual perspective, it is not impossible.

In Kyushu, there was a teacher who managed to restore order to a collapsed classroom. When first assigned to the class, the teacher tried to have each student introduce themselves, but no one could do so because they were too concerned about what others might think.

So, the teacher changed their approach. Every day, one student would stand at the front of the class, and each classmate would say something good about that student.

This allowed each child to feel a stronger sense of their own presence, and it was also an exercise that elevated their spiritual maturity through genuine, heartfelt realizations.

While it is important to acknowledge the negative aspects, it is equally important to focus on the good and gain heartfelt realizations from them.

From a spiritual perspective, eliminating slander is still a difficult task. Humans inevitably have an instinct to focus on the negative, which is a natural function meant to protect the body and mind.

However, when a person is hurt, they experience pain, and such moments create opportunities to become aware of that pain. As more of these moments of awareness occur in the future, humanity’s spiritual maturity may indeed rise.