The era with the most toxic parents? Spiritual

 The era with the most toxic parents? Spiritual

Are “Toxic Parents” More Common Than Ever? A Spiritual Perspective

From a spiritual perspective, it is possible that we are living in an era where toxic parents are more prevalent than ever.

This trend may be especially noticeable in Japan. Traditionally, children spent a lot of time playing outside, interacting with other kids, and learning their social position naturally. Parents also had a clearer sense of their child’s place within a broader social environment.

Today, with these opportunities decreasing, there may be a rise in toxic parenting, driven by suspicion, fear, and excessive control—sometimes verging on emotional or educational abuse.

According to Wikipedia, toxic parents are those who dominate their children’s lives and have a negative impact on their development.

Could “Toxic Parents” Be Like Unmatured Children? A Spiritual and Psychological Perspective

It’s possible that toxic parents are, in a sense, like children who haven’t fully matured—sometimes referred to in psychology as adult children.

The psychologist Sigmund Freud proposed the pleasure principle, suggesting that whether eating, sleeping, or taking care of basic bodily needs, humans naturally experience some form of pleasure. Humans are fundamentally driven to seek this pleasure.

In a way, one could even say that a sense of existence equals pleasure—when we feel happiness, we simultaneously experience both a strong sense of being alive and a strong sense of enjoyment.

When someone cannot feel their own presence, it’s not just a lack of self-awareness. The mind and body constantly influence each other, and this can easily trigger stress, especially when life feels threatened.

The stress response places a person in a state where they instinctively must either fight or flee, both of which require energy and can generate physical and mental energy.

In other words, toxic parents often act out of ego and a desire to feel their own existence. Their actions may stem simply from seeking pleasure or validation for themselves, and this is what manifests as the behavior we recognize as toxic parenting.

The era with the most toxic parents, “spiritual growth,” and “spirituality”

The Era of Toxic Parents and Spiritual Growth

From a spiritual perspective, the prevalence of toxic parents today can be linked to the level of soul growth.

As I’ve mentioned in this blog before, spiritual growth occurs through awareness. Just as gaining knowledge involves small insights, the development of the soul—what we might call spiritual character—also comes through each heartfelt realization.

When spiritual character is high, a person’s presence and vitality in a mental sense are strong. They are more creative in uplifting others, and their expanded awareness allows them to see life from broader perspectives. Simply put, this is what it means to mature spiritually.

Conversely, a low spiritual character reflects weaker presence and vitality. People with low spiritual character often prioritize satisfying their own heart over uplifting others, and their limited awareness narrows their perspective. Spiritually, this is akin to being “childlike.”

Today is an era that values diversity of perspectives, and the values of those with low spiritual character are part of this diversity. As a result, society tends to place less importance on the insights that come from the heart.

In addition, in Japan, the education system often emphasizes knowledge alone, and parents tend to push their children to pursue it.

From a spiritual standpoint, this combination may explain why toxic parents with low spiritual character are more prevalent today than at any other time.

In an era where toxic parents are most prevalent, it is inevitable that “spirituality” will become popular.

The Era of Toxic Parents and Shifting Spiritual Energies

From a spiritual perspective, the prevalence of toxic parents in today’s world may be seen as part of a larger, inevitable pattern.

Spiritual teachings suggest that the overall energy of the Earth is gradually shifting from a male-dominant energy to a female-dominant energy. This shift is not sudden, like a simple on/off switch, but gradual, similar to the interplay of the sun and the moon. It influences everyone, regardless of gender, on a global scale.

The emergence of female-dominant energy is still in its early stages. Young women’s emotional energy can express contradictory forces, such as joy and anger, happiness and sadness. This duality can manifest in society as polarization, contradictions, rapid changes in rules, and fluctuating waves of social behavior.

Men tend to contain and control their mental energy, which often makes their mind and body more rigid. Women, in contrast, tend to release and express their mental energy, making them more flexible physically and mentally.

Change naturally occurs more easily in flexible systems than rigid ones. As a result, this period marks the beginning of a highly dynamic era, driven by female-dominant energy.

Male-dominant energy tends to place value on tangible, visible things, whereas female-dominant energy values the intangible world of the heart.

During periods dominated by male energy, society naturally emphasized visible achievements—such as test scores—over inner growth. Consequently, spiritual development was weaker, and the rise of low spiritual character and toxic parents became almost inevitable.