"People of the Lie" Reviewed

 

Mental heath is an ongoing dedication to reality at all costs, and we need to be open to people, and not at war with them, M. Scott Peck M.D. said. 

“People of the Lie” was a mind adventure into truth and understanding. The mystical marvel of words on the printed pages of time from Peck's 1983 book is a true testament toward individuality, intelligence, integrity and understanding. Truth is not something we possess, it’s a goal we hopefully strive for, Peck said.

Beware who guides you through intellectual labyrinths. The poorly informed employ scientific findings and concepts for dubious purposes, Peck said.

We have the A-bomb because of science, it was politicians who made the decision to build it, and the military who dropped it on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Approximately a 129,000-226,000 people were killed instantly on Aug., 6th and 9th, 1945. One definition of evil is the exercise of political power Peck said.

Evil is a vicious cycle, particularly in wars. “People of the Lie” focus’s primarily on the human brain, and Peck suggests psychiatrist, and other mental health experts should explore the nature of evil and try to understand its reasoning. Peck wants to make evil a scientific study. If the reasoning of evil could be fully understood, perhaps there would be none, or a a lot less of it.

Peck briefly mentions the heinous acts of war in “People of the Lie,” but when he does, it really illustrates the vital need to end all wars. Politicians were responsible for the deaths of more than 55,000 American soldiers in Vietnam. The average age of American troops killed in the Vietnam war were 19-years old. More than 2 million Vietnamese, many of which were unarmed, women and children were killed in the Vietnam war.

President Lyndon B. Johnson and other politicians with a sadistic conscience took pleasure in sending other people’s children to die in a meaningless war.

On March 16, 1968, American soldiers slaughtered between 500 and 600 unarmed women, children and old men in My Lai. Vietcong soldiers were the real enemy of American troops, but they were just defending their county which we invaded for no sane reason. 

Some American soldiers were killed by Vietnamese civilians, including children, posing as friends, then planting bombs amidst the unsuspecting American troops, thus trigging the murderous events in My Lai. When you’re in someone else’s country strutting around in full battle gear, you better be ready for some action, George Carlin said.

Triggers are pulled by individuals, orders are given by individuals and executed by individuals. No one is blameless in the brutal slaughter of the harmless civilians in My Lai, and perhaps if our educational system encouraged more distinctive thinking, the soldiers of C Company would have told their superiors to go fuck themselves and not have killed a single person in My Lai. The troops of C Company were criminals of ignorance. We constantly need to learn and grow, Peck said.

“People of the Lie” is a very solid two thumbs ups. I have a healthy fascination with death since, I’ve read this book, and it’s not problematic to think about death, if you think right! Read the book if you want more information on this subject.  

Adults who are mentally healthy submit themselves to a higher power, one way or another, whether this power is God, truth, love or some other ideal, Peck said.

Mark Izzy Schurr