Man's Emotional State

It is known that factors affecting security, anxiety and life are forces of nature; realities regarding the frailty of the human body; and the irrational aspects of society.  it can be debated whether or not the advancement of society has contributed to reducing or increasing man’s anxiety which this essay addresses. It’s apparent that there have been tremendous intellectual and technical advances made within the last century. However, it can also be argued that man’s emotional development, based on behavior, has remained in the Stone Age.

Man has been somewhat successful in dealing with nature such as “knowing” the path of hurricanes with its algorithms statistics . Also, we now have apps that inform us regarding the location of fire. In fact, if we lose energy or electricity, we can purchase a generator to alleviate the disruption of our routines. We might even be able to   purchase homeowners insurance that covers earthquakes, flood damage, fire etc. We also can go green by purchasing solar, electric cars etc. However, global warming affects us currently; and the destruction of our planet are predictions for our future. This threat clearly raises the anxiety level of many Homo sapiens despite current feeble political attempts for combating this potential catastrophic problem. With all the “warning” devices, reminded me of the study by Joseph Brady in the 50s. Simply, one group of monkeys were provided with continuous regular scheduled electrical shocks and another group of monkeys learned they could press a lever to avoid the shock. The monkeys with the control [pressing a lever] developed more ulcers than the other group. Better not be a monkey.

Regarding aging, there have been wonderful medical advances including diagnosis, medication, prevention and rehabilitation. Some societies have actually increased the lifespan of their inhabitants. However, other societies, subgroups, and others have done harm to their bodies and in the process shortened their lifespan. Despite all the information regarding health, health plan insurance, diets, food plans, health clubs,  pools and apps that measure physical activity, many people do not do well as evidenced by obesity, various medical  illnesses, alcohol and drug or opioid abuse and the dramatic increase in  homicide and suicide rates. In other words, despite intellectual advancement, man’s emotional, rational thinking and objectivity remain barriers .He prevents optimal living by not taking better care of his body.  For instance, food consumption often serves as a medicinal way of filling emotional needs and voids. The everyday reality is troublesome {anxiety} and that interferes with rational choice as evidenced by mortality statistics. Instead man employs too many every day illusions and rationalizations for effective living

Society and its political divide have created more difficulties. Within the 20th century we had totalitarian regimes and world wars. Democracy came to the rescue during that time. There were a number of reasons for the rise of totalitarian regimes that included, but not limited to an economic depression; humiliation and promises of revenge for a World War I defeat; a character structure that had a deep respect for order, obedience, dependence, suggestibility and authority; persuasive, exploitive, sadistic political figures with their seductive promises and lies of nationalistic strength and ridding society of its others and undesirables. The anxiety, feelings of helplessness and powerlessness factored in and resulted in submission and dependence on a leader that was going to rescue the day. Thus, feelings of anxiety, helplessness, insignificance and inability to control one’s life were psychological factors of the day.

Today, although we are not engaged in a world war, we’ve been at battle in the Middle East since 2001. Like yesterday, we have another current enemy that have been called terrorists, Isis, Iran, Hezbollah, Syria etc. In fact we have been involved in regime change, use of military, tax dollars, and diplomacy to fix that situation. Yet somehow, it can be argued that the powerful have perpetuated these wars to protect their interests-oil and the military-industrial complex with the result of continued stress.

Yesterday, Jews, people of color, LGBT, Gypsies and others were hated and scapegoated and blamed for economic hard times. Today, hate crimes against Jews, immigrants, and Muslims dominate statistically; people of color are also discriminated against; homeless, and refugees leaving their homelands continue to make the news. Walls, refugee camps, National Guard, sadistic remarks, chain-link detention centers etc. are discriminatory strategies to protect. I’m not sure what we’re protecting, but we are scapegoating all the “undesirables” and perpetuating hatred.

Yesterday, we had the great depression and economic hardship. Today, we have the record for the greatest income inequality; loss of manufacturing jobs; trade wars, increasing automation; record numbers of homeless, inadequate minimum wage and absence of benefits affecting many in our society. Yesterday, a high school graduate earned decent wages .Today college debt and being overqualified seem to be the norm. With less worker unions, wage earners have meager protection against the giant corporations with feelings of insignificance and powerlessness.

Yesterday, one had to cower under their school desk, head to the school basement, lineup orderly to walk outside to deal with the threat of fire and nuclear annihilation. Today, the teacher might go to the target range; lock the classroom door; teach her students about hiding places and report suspicious activity among fellow students. Get a gun to protect yourself. Gun violence in schools is one current threat for pupils of the day.

Yesterday, we had the radio and television. Today we have electronics and social media dependence. Don’t leave home without your smart cell phone, iPod, navigation device etc. Not  only are we more dependent on these devices, we are at the mercy of the hacking by some government or individual to take our money, manipulate  our grid, interfere with the  transportation network , mess up our satellites, and raise havoc with our military. This is all scary stuff.

It’s clear to me, that psychologically, anxiety, fears, insignificance, meaning, dependence and submission remain significant today. With that being said, it’s no wonder that narcissistic self-serving, Elmer Gantry type histrionic individuals continue to remain a threat. The Pied Piper of today, like yesterday, has had little difficulty fooling and deceiving his flock based on their unresolved needs. They continue to go along with the program regardless of intelligence, rationality or morality. The faithful remain. Anxiety is one major variable or cause. Man’s cruelness toward man perpetuated by anxiety driven behavior continues regardless of century. The pursuit of security, peace, and happiness continue to be illusions for the masses. Anxiety, worry and fear are still present regardless of the present form of democracy and capitalism.