The Most Overlooked Brainwashing: How Our Minds Create the Illusion of "Me" and "You" and All the Unhappiness that Follows.

If you have experienced one of these classrooms, chances are you are more brainwashed than you like to think.

The Most Overlooked Brainwashing: How Our Minds Create the Illusion of "Me" and "You" and All the Unhappiness that Follows.

Most of us like to believe we haven't been influenced or brainwashed, but did you know that over 99% of people have been—without even realizing it? Do you think you're not part of the 99%? Please read below and find out for yourself.

First, it's essential to understand that concepts like "you," "me," "Israeli," "Palestinian," "Russian," "Ukrainian," and "American," etc., are just labels created by the human mind. These labels don't exist in the physical world, and they didn't originate there—they are purely mental constructs. Our minds invent labels and project them onto physical and non-physical phenomena. We learn this habit from early childhood, and it continues throughout our lives. Using labels for convenience's sake isn’t harmful in itself, but problems arise when we mistakenly believe that the labels come from the phenomena themselves, rather than from our minds. Most of us never recognize this innocent fact of life as the cause of all unhappiness and wars since the beginning of time.

There are two major unconscious processes the mind engages in that lead to harmful brainwashing and future misunderstandings and suffering:

1. Believing Labels and Names Are Part of Phenomena. 

The first issue occurs when we learn a new label for something. We automatically assume that the phenomenon has always had that label, even though the label is a creation of our minds. For example, when we were taught that the arrangement of three lines "- \ /" when put together in this specific order to make them look like "A" represents the letter "A," we automatically believed that this symbol, these three lines "- \ /" have always been the letter "A." In reality, these three lines "- \ /" and the sound ("/ə,ā/") are separate, and our mind is the one that connects them and wrongly assumes it had nothing to do with creating this illusion and the first brainwashing.

Here’s what happens in sequence: First, we see the arrangement of three lines "- \ /" (the phenomenon) that looks like "A." Then, we hear the sound "/ə,ā/," and our mind immediately associates the two and thinks they have always been the same, out there. This process is automatic, unconscious, and happens in a split second. We become convinced that the three lines and the sound "/ə,ā/" are the same thing and that they have always existed out there, even though this is completely untrue. The phenomenon that looks like "A" has never been the same as the label or the sound "/ə,ā/" our mind assigns to it. Even after our mind projects the label "A" and its sound "/ə,ā/" onto the phenomenon, the phenomenon itself is still not the label or the sound. In fact, it never is, but our brainwashing is so powerful that 99% of people belive it is. How do you see the three lines "- \ /" that look like "A"? Have you brainwashed yourself too? No worries, you're not alone, and there’s a simple way to correct this and gain many benefits.

This happens with everything we learn. Our mind projects labels onto phenomena and then believes those labels exist independently of our minds. We aren't aware that our mind is responsible for this process, creating a false sense of reality—a reality that is like an illusion, a very painful illusion.

2. Believing Phenomena Have Independent Existence. 

The second process our mind engages in without us noticing is the assumption that phenomena have their own independent existence. To the ordinary mind, it seems like I exist independently and that everything else also exists on its own. However, this belief is completely false, and once again, it’s because of our mind brainwashing itself.

For example, if I truly had my own independent existence, I would be a fixed, singular entity, capable of producing myself and existing independently from everything else. But my body is not singular nor self-produced; it has no independent nature capable of producing itself—it's made of countless parts, which in turn are made of even smaller particles. The same is true of my mind, which is constantly changing from one moment to the next, each moment composed of an infinite number of ever-shorter moments, all dependent on countless previous moments of consciousness and other factors for their existence. The mind has no independent nature to generate itself either.

Moreover, if my being had its own independent existence, I wouldn't need a label like "I" to identify myself. The fact that I rely on this label shows that "I" is simply a concept created by the mind, not a permanent or separate entity.

In reality, my being is a product of the external nature of everything else. My body exists because of my parents and their ancestors, tracing back to the first particles that formed a quark and an atom. All my ancestors' bodies are nothing but food products produced by Earth's minerals, water, and the whole environment. My mind exists because of the countless moments that came before. Nothing about me is singular or self-generated; I am entirely interconnected with the universe. The same is true for everyone and everything else. All is identical in essence, all is a continuum since the beginningless beginning.

The Illusion of Separate Existence. 

Despite this, we feel as though we—and everything else—have independent existence. Why? It’s because of our mind's automatic labeling and ignorance of how everything truly exists. Our mind projects labels like "I" and "everything else" onto phenomena, creating the illusion of separateness.

But this is an illusion. In truth, no phenomenon—whether physical or mental—possesses its own independent existence. Everything is a product of something else, everything is interconnected, and nothing exists on its own. The mind’s labeling creates the appearance of separation, but that separation doesn’t actually exist.

The Harm of Believing in Labels and Separation.

This illusion of separateness, created by the mind, is the root of all our problems. When we believe that "I" am separate from "you" or "they," it leads to fear, conflict, division, and suffering. The belief that labels like "Israeli," "Palestinian," "Russian," "Ukrainian," and "American" represent inherent, fixed identities fuels wars and hatred. But if we understand that these labels are mental creations, we can see that we are all the same in essence—products of the same universal nature without a trace of difference or separation.

By recognizing how our minds create the false world of "me" and "everything else" through labels, we can begin to dismantle the illusion of separation. This understanding is the most powerful tool for solving problems like war, conflict, and injustice. It is a truth that transcends religion, politics, and philosophy—a truth that can unite us all. Isn't it time to become aware of how our minds have brainwashed us and take a short moment to set ourselves free?