Understanding "Giant Babies": A Personal Exploration
Because the feeling of being controlled and oppressed is so obvious in work, whether it's about time or overall feelings, people feel like tools. So, I really wanted to find relevant books to read and understand. I accidentally came across this one. It really cleared up the fog and revealed many secrets.
But the theme of this 500-page book is really broad and scattered. It's not easy to organize it into a coherent framework. To save trouble, I can only focus on my reading notes and impressions, selecting some to elaborate on.
The Author's Standpoint
The author's overall sentiment is that contemporary Chinese people are mostly not mature adults but merely infants. This notion of infants can be seen as a metaphor or defined using the stages of psychoanalysis the author employs in the text (page 8). But in any case, the fact that Chinese people are infants is what the author firmly believes.
What is a "Giant Baby"?
The main characteristic of an infant is incompetence.
It manifests in two ways. First, they need to be taken care of completely, like a deity. Indeed, in this aspect, an infant is like a "deity." On the other hand, when an infant doesn't receive care, they cry, scream, or even make destructive noises. In this aspect, an infant resembles a "demon."
Contemporary adults embody both characteristics of infants, hence the term "giant baby."
The "Deity" Giant Baby and Its Subjects
When an adult occupies the position of a "deity," they receive care everywhere. For example, at home, they are treated like a "father" by their spouse and children. In a company (or government) or any collective, if they hold power, they become the "father." At its extreme, this is the emperor, controlling everything.
In such collectives, in the presence of such "deities," others cannot resist. To resist means losing one's livelihood, job opportunities, or even facing death. What can one do? They can only compromise, abandon their spontaneity, autonomy, self-feelings, needs, and desires, becoming "good people," model citizens, obedient tools.
Under the absolute power of the "deity," one after another "good person" forms a collective devoid of individuality. All these collectives, big and small, merge into Chinese culture, spirit, and destiny.
Our culture always advocates collectivism. At the same time, it praises those who "serve the cause of Heaven and extinguish their own desires." By giving up oneself, giving up one's aggressiveness, denying one's needs and desires, one gains resources, help, recognition, and approval. Thus, almost everyone has undergone self-castration and become quiet, gentle, meek, obedient "good people." Some even actively cultivate how to become more benevolent.
Under the absolute power of the "deity," within a large or small group, what opposes it is actually individual human feelings. Is it important? It's crucial; it's what makes us human. But in the collectivism of the "deity," it's not important at all; it's even dangerous. You must give it up, shut up and obey, to obtain what you need in life, to be safe and secure.
Can you not give it up?
It's difficult. Really difficult.
At the same time, in the process of giving up individual feelings, you also give up your aggressiveness.
The "Demon" Within the Giant Baby and Vitality
What is aggressiveness?
In infants, this aggressiveness is actually a destructive force, a tendency to destroy everything, a demonic force. As an adult giant baby, one can certainly feel this force.
I often feel my almost destructive aggressiveness.
People often praise me, saying I'm a good person. Blah blah. I can only smile.
In reality, I know, the demon in my heart is bloodthirsty, wanting to kill, very cruel. But to hide this cruelty, I suppress my aggressiveness. At the same time, I suppress its vitality, creativity, and life force.
Why does this destructive force also encompass vitality and life force? Because human impulses, the most primitive forces, reside within it; they are the primal forces of life.
So, for the sake of material gains and to avoid the destructive force of my "demon," I become a good person. I start seeking peace. I retreat. I bend over. My smile becomes gentle.
But only we ourselves know that this image of "good person" is a disguise, a result of suppressing our true feelings, needs, and desires. This suppression consumes a lot of energy and mental effort.
It becomes self-depletion.
This good person can only lock themselves in their room and start to recover.
This is also why, after work, even if not much is done, one feels very tired.
At the same time, this good person will sever most of their social connections because they are all elaborate performances. What's the point? I start actively pursuing mental tranquility.
Buddhist scriptures, religion, yoga music, here we go.
The Formation Process of the Giant Baby and Life Guide
What exactly are these "deity" and "demon"? How did they come about? What should we do?
The "deity" and "demon" are actually ourselves, our superego, our ego. They are the parts that discipline us in our minds, while also providing energy, youth, and aggression for our lives.
The reason why the giant baby presents them as absolute forces in opposition, without any intermediate stages, is because, firstly, they themselves haven't had the experience of accepting, understanding, and comforting dark energy. Whenever dark energy emerges or erupts, it startles others, or they feel ashamed, regretful, or simply ignored and unnoticed, thus imprisoning the energy of the "demon" and seeking absolute control of the "deity." In the realm of absolute control, they can exert their desires, demands, and ensure others take care of them and pay attention to them.
Secondly, the reason they set them in absolute opposition is that there is no more "psychological space" in their minds. Without spaciousness, other possibilities beyond the "deity" and "demon" cannot be accommodated in terms of time and space. These two big things cannot turn around in our minds.
What should we do then? The author's suggestion is love. Devote yourself to loving someone (mutual love), or devote yourself to doing something. Through this process, establish your core beliefs, affirm your self-worth, respect every choice you make, love every aspect of yourself, and embrace the demons and deities in your heart.
At the same time, go out and participate in social life. Let energy flow and circulate in social and interpersonal relationships. Let your dark energy be seen and touched. Stop the criticism and judgment in your mind, let the energy flow and circulate in interpersonal relationships. Have awareness of and stop the delusions in your mind, create psychological capacity, and expand your heart.
To be carefree and unrestrained is to let energy flow through your heart. It's to make everything and everyone come alive. And for yourself, it's to feel people, things, and events with your senses and have the capacity in your heart. Like the vast sky and grasslands, with winds blowing back and forth.
Epilogue
I've been reading this book for four or five days; it's really fascinating. I've stayed up late reading it. It also discusses personal energy, observing inner demons, family relationships, traditional Chinese culture, and more. It's really good.
It's a pity it's not available anymore.
Why?
I'm not sure.
This book has helped me a lot. I didn't understand before (in 2018), I was always obsessed with approval. And before (early 2023), I focused mainly on meditation, often spending time alone, drinking tea and such.
Oh well. Life's like that.
Now, my direction for self-development is vitality. Respect for my feelings and needs (and clearly affirming and expressing myself), establishing core self-worth (absolute trust in spontaneity), and letting energy flow in social relationships.
Going out often. Being a real person.
November 12, 2023