[Buddha-l] Buddhism and Psychology research

[JKirkpatrick]

On Behalf Of Dan Lusthaus

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/04/strength-in-naughty
-or-nice/

JK:
I'm just not persuaded by this research (as I am not by a lot of
what passes for psycho/social research these days.)  Doesn't this
study simply demonstrate that practice makes perfect?  

Can't be the case generally of heroes or anti-heroes. 
There are so many examples in film, theater, fiction or biography
about people who do some dastardly deed's) 
and then mentally fall apart-- into alcoholism, drug addiction,
or endless depression. Those who do serial murders and feel
totally up for the next one are deemed psychopaths; so they don't
qualify as "people".
Sometimes the dastardly deeds are gradual and build up to some
kind of a climax, where insight makes an appearance, and then the
prep falls apart (a theater ploy).
Then we have the do-gooders, who work tirelessly for various
causes, or even for just one cause, and suddenly get fatigued,
fed up, and fall apart, their motivation for pursuing the cause
weakened to the point of inertia. 

Very is probably no more than intermittent. As athletes know
well, one must keep on practicing, but eventually age or some
other detriment catches up. Even some of the supermen heroes of
the Mahabharata fell to their enemies.
I suspect that the culture of the ksatriyas was in part purveyed
in Buddhist texts as spin on the power of the sasana and
teachings, as well as bragging in favor of the caste origins of
its first adherents. Missionary creeds must be forever vaunting
their powers as a means of making and keeping converts.

Yours on the bike excerciser,
Joanna