Here is a system of illusions—engraved into culture, commerce, and consciousness—that keeps humanity asleep at the wheel:
I. Personal Myths (Lies of the Self)
- “I am what I own.”
Identity is mistaken for inventory. Consumerism replaces soul-searching with shopping.
- “I have time.”
The great procrastination spell. Mortality is outsourced to the future self.
- “Success equals happiness.”
Achievement becomes anesthesia. The ladder climbs into a void.
- “My thoughts are me.”
People confuse the voice in their head with the one behind their eyes.
- “Healing is linear.”
Trauma does not move in straight lines—it loops, spirals, erupts, returns.
II. Cultural Myths (Lies of the Tribe)
- “History is objective.”
History is a story told by winners, edited by power, and consumed as truth.
- “The news tells me what matters.”
Media manufactures urgency, not insight. Attention is farmed, not informed.
- “Democracy is real.”
Most people vote once every few years. Billionaires vote every day—with money.
- “Education makes you smart.”
School teaches obedience, not wisdom. It rewards memory, not vision.
- “Work gives life meaning.”
Labor under capitalism is not sacred. It’s sacrifice disguised as purpose.
III. Technological Myths (Lies of the Machine)
- “More data = more truth.”
Data without discernment is noise. The map is not the territory.
- “AI will save us.”
Tools have no ethics. Only their masters do.
- “Algorithms are neutral.”
They are trained on bias, optimized for profit, and designed to manipulate.
IV. Metaphysical Myths (Lies of the Cosmos)
- “I am separate.”
You are not a skin-encapsulated ego. You are a temporary expression of eternity.
- “There is one truth.”
Truth is a prism, not a point. What you see depends on how you look.
- “Death is the end.”
Every myth system worth its salt treats death not as an end—but as initiation.
- “The world is fixed.”
Reality is plastic. Beliefs bend light.
V. Capitalist Myths (Lies of the Market)
- “Brands are my friends.”
No corporation loves you. They love your dopamine loops.
- “Money is real.”
Money is collective fiction—numbers backed by belief and enforced by violence.
- “This is as good as it gets.”
That’s the lullaby of the system: a whisper that says “don’t dream too big.”
Which of these lies have shaped your core identity without your permission?
