Slander! What causes stupidity? Stupid slander

 Slander! What causes stupidity? Stupid slander

Defamation and Insults: What Does “Being Stupid” Really Mean from a Spiritual Perspective?

From a spiritual point of view, there are deeper layers behind the phenomena of defamation and being labeled as “stupid.”

At first glance, “stupid” or “ignorant” may be used to imply a lack of education or low academic achievement. However, spiritually speaking, the impulse to engage in defamation often appears not in those with less education, but surprisingly, among those with higher levels of formal education.

Before going further, it is important to clarify the difference between defamation and criticism.

According to common definitions found online, defamation refers to statements that attack or insult a person’s character, often with the intent to harm. By contrast, criticism is considered an evaluation—pointing out flaws, errors, or areas in need of improvement without necessarily attacking the individual’s worth.

Yet, the line between criticism and denial is not always clear. Denial seeks to reject or invalidate, while criticism, in its true sense, aims to guide toward correction and growth. From a spiritual perspective, understanding this difference is essential, because one approach diminishes the heart, while the other can support awakening and self-development.

Denial and Its Role in Defamation – A Spiritual Perspective

“Denial” can be understood as the act of negating or rejecting something that does not align with one’s own view. From this perspective, it may seem like a reasonable approach to assert one’s own truth.

However, in today’s largely self-centered society, many people may engage in what can be considered defamation without even realizing it. They may believe they are simply expressing a difference of opinion, while in reality, their words or actions diminish others.

In particular, in Japan, the historical culture of an agrarian society emphasizes shared values and conformity. The proverb “the nail that sticks out gets hammered down” reflects this tendency. Such societal pressures can manifest as defamation, subtly or overtly, even when the intention is not explicitly malicious.

“Slander,” “stupid,” “presence,” and “spiritual”

Defamation, “Being Unintelligent,” and Sense of Presence – A Spiritual Perspective

From a spiritual viewpoint, these behaviors can be traced to underlying causes. Psychologist Sigmund Freud proposed that in all human activities—eating, sleeping, or even relieving oneself—there is an element of pleasure, which he called the pleasure principle. Humans naturally seek this pleasure.

In an extreme sense, one could equate sense of presence with pleasure. When a person feels happiness, they experience both a strong sense of presence and a corresponding sense of pleasure.

When someone cannot feel their own presence, it is not just the lack of presence itself. Because the body and mind influence each other, this absence can manifest as stress, which is interpreted as a survival threat.

The stress response places a person in a state of either attack or escape, both of which require energy and stimulate the body and mind.

Therefore, defamation often arises as a way for a person to seek their own presence and pleasure. In this sense, it may be seen as “unintelligent” behavior.

Conversely, this perspective also highlights situations where a person lacks other means to feel their own sense of presence, revealing deeper spiritual and psychological dynamics.

“Slander,” “stupid,” “spiritual level,” and “spirituality”

Defamation, “Being Unintelligent,” and Spiritual Rank – A Spiritual Perspective

From a spiritual standpoint, these behaviors can reflect spiritual immaturity. In this blog, we have often discussed soul growth. Just as the growth of knowledge occurs through individual moments of realization, the growth of the heart—known as spiritual rank—also develops through each personal insight.

When one’s spiritual rank is high, their presence and influence grow in a meaningful way, their creative power to uplift others’ hearts increases, and the more insights they gain, the broader their perspective becomes. This is not a complex matter; spiritually, it is simply about becoming an adult.

Conversely, a low spiritual rank indicates weaker presence in a spiritual sense. Such individuals tend to prioritize their own heart’s satisfaction over fulfilling others’ hearts. With fewer insights, their perspective narrows. Spiritually, this is akin to being a child.

Those with low spiritual rank, having weaker spiritual presence, are more prone to stress, and their energy for seeking personal presence can manifest as defamation.

In the context of prioritizing self over others and having a narrow perspective, it is understandable, from a spiritual viewpoint, to describe such behavior as defamation or “being unintelligent.”