Australia’s political parties compete with each other in promising ever more money to the mental health industry.

What exactly are they funding that will allegedly solve mental health problems?

Isn’t it just more of the same – more counsellors, social workers, psychologists, coaches, therapists, caseworkers etc?

In the USA there are at least 600,000 paid social workers — plus 300,000 paid counsellors.

These numbers have increased 100-fold since World War II.

Is the same true in Australia?

Does a city the size of Melbourne really have 10,000-plus of these characters plying their trades?

These bozos produce nothing that you can eat or drink or live in or wear.

Can we afford them?

* * *

It seems we are dependent on them – addicted to them.

Most of the therapy provided by government funding takes the form of a series of either 6 or 12 sessions — after which you’re back on your own.

In such restricted situations over such restricted lengths of time, little progress can be made towards changing the person’s inner problems.

All that happens is a few coping tricks being passed on — a rather brittle foundation on which to build one’s future life.

What is wrong with people is that they are lonely and have nobody who wants to listen to them for their own sake.

They must settle for spilling it all to someone who will listen – even if only for money’s sake (coming to them next payday).

* * *

What lonely and dysfunctional moderns need is what the oldies needed and received.

That is the listening ear of the priest in the confessional, who did it un-paid and for the love of God.

He gave more than a listening ear.

He offered also the assurance of sins forgiven and a restored, never-ending relationship of love with one’s Creator.

If they do any good at all, modern-day “caring industry” operatives do good only insofar as they are fake priests.

Best to give them a miss, and go to the real thing – a real priest.

.