Admiring Neanderthals

 

I have been contemplating lately of what it would be like to be living as a hunter or gather or a Neanderthal. I’ve mentioned that to my friend Paul and he joked and gave a clever response. We both laughed. Have you ever wondered about living in those times?  An article in the December 6, 2020 edition of The New York Times sparked my interest. This brief disquisition pertains to our ancient cousins.

Neanderthals inhabited this earth roughly 350,000 years ago. Approximately 40,000 years ago they vanished when we Sapiens arrived on the scene. There are many anthropological theories as to the demise of our ancient cousins: 1. Did we kill them off or have a hand in their demise? 2. Did they assimilate into our population? 3. Were they on the brink of extinction? 4. Were climatic condition so unfavorable? 5. Were they inferior-their head size is equal to ours; they were physically fit and they had dexterous hands?

First, let’s take a look at some facts pertaining to our Sapiens accomplishments: 1.We are living in the worst pandemic facing our country 2. We have record unemployment and economic hardship statistics 3. Our elected congressional government has a sadistic way of providing monetary assistance 4. Our current president is threatening a non-peaceful transition of power 5. We are facing a massive foreign government cyber-attack from Russia 6. We have record opioid, suicide and alcohol-related deaths 7. We have polluted our oceans, rivers, and streams and ravished our earth, animal and marine inhabitants 8. Our Doomsday Clock moves closer to midnight 9. Climate change with its fires, hurricanes, melting glaciers etc. threaten all mankind 10. We have another month or so of a paranoid, narcissistic, sociopathic man as the leader of the most powerful country in the world 11. Some have presented incorrect and misleading information, just look at the pictures of Neanderthals, and you’ll know what I mean.

On the other hand, let’s take a look at what we know about our cousins. Yes, they were driven by aggressive and sexual drives. These drives were necessary and appropriate for their survival. They were hunters and gatherers. They lived in small groups called bands. With their physiological capacity and with their endurance and small numbers, they could, with mutual cooperation and expertise, track and run down their prey. I know that’s true because I ran while Linda road her horse in a limited distance [25 miles] Camp Far West endurance ride. We met at the last veterinarian check and finished together in front of a number of other participants.

Females, the matriarchs, for the most part were the respected, and very important central figures. They gathered seeds, roots, fruits, nuts, berries etc.; provided warmth, comfort, sexual gratification and procreation was extremely important for their survival. They were the givers, trained, educated and took care of the young as well. With the likely absence of possession, jealousy might’ve been minimal. We know the concept of sin didn’t exist and more than likely sex was mutual, consensual and known for its benefit for the entire band. The matriarchs were good models and played a dominant role in their culture. There was equality between the sexes, in spite of the fact that we sapiens picture them erroneously dragging women by the hair to a cave.

 It’s been estimated that our cousins spent roughly 25% of their time finding and procuring food which meant they had plenty of time for sex and other activities. Because they were food gatherers, the land provided a good vegetarian diet. Perhaps, their attitude was if we do not eat today, we will eat tomorrow. Fasting for a day is in fact one health strategy for sapiens.

Our cousins regarded and respected nature. They were humanistic and kindred in their beliefs. Nature, the berries, the animals, the fish etc. were for all and not just for the few or powerful. They were not selfish but generous, altruistic and would share their bounty with others. There was no private property, no one owned nature, the land or its resources. It was a collective with a socialistic or Kibbutz attitude and practice. They were not exploitive and did not enslave each other. They had no need for a ruler nor did they disagree about who was the best god. Further, because of their social structure, there was an absence of envy, and exploitation as well no psychological need for possession, power, prestige, greed to compensate for insecurity. If exhibited the individual might be excluded from the band.

 They were intelligent and their brains were roughly the same size as ours. They lived in all climates and cleverly made body coverings or “clothes” depending upon the necessity. They made workable tools and figured out by that by mixing tree resin and bee wax they could produce and make an adhesive additive to connect stone with wooden handles. They were artists and drew on caves. Their pictures and depictions of people, animals, and their hunts described their way of life.

There is a belief that our ancient cousins did not kill or murder one another per 300 findings of bone, DNA, gene and grave excavations. They were not concerned about skin color, political or religious beliefs. They had no conspiracy ideas.  No weapons have been found nor have excavations revealed death by warfare or massacre. Of course, more data is needed and hopefully forthcoming for more definitive facts.

 We know they were skilled hunters however there was no need for a dominance-submissive culture. They respected the surplus in nature and even the killing of wild life for food. They killed to survive and not for displaying trophies.  There was no apparent economic stimulus or advantage for a full scale war based on the following: 1.The had a delicate balance of the birth to death ratio 2. The bands were poor as far as material goods and had little of value 3. Conquering slaves would present a problem and require providing more food 4. Psychologically they were generous, cooperative and believed in reciprocity and exhibited more “feminine” dominated attributes. 5. Likely they did not have a revenge motive either 6. There was an absence of male dominated chiefs, priests, medicine man, kings, emperors, dictators, or president hierarchies. The matriarchs were supreme 7. Self-centeredness, narcissism, physical aggression and lying behavior was not tolerated by the band.

Within the last 9,000 to 40,000 years of sapiens, we had an urban revolution with the following: 1. We have developed agriculture for wheat and barley, herding and taming husbandry 2. We possess dirt, technology, sand, water, space etc. so we can defend against 3. We have socio class systems of the privileged and the laborers, unequal division of labor and wealth, and disequilibrium between people-ruler-worker 4. We have boundaries, cities, town’s countries etc.  5. We innovated war, created kings or God’s representatives to be sadistic and cruel to defend and possess all types of things like flags, capitalism, religion, dirt etc. 6. We do not welcome intruders or immigrants 7.  We found ways to abuse and exploit man economically 8. We have economic and political wars in order to secure women, slaves, raw materials, and land in order to maintain a ruling dynasty or class 9.We are the land of the rich and poor 10. Democracy is permitted primarily for white skinned sapiens 11. We have unlimited racism 12. We have developed patriarchal rule in order to control others less desirable 13. With patriarchal power we have built things and have controlled the masses by fear, and irrational authority 14. We have built things in order to sadistically destroy, demolish and wipe out and murder all forms of life on this planet including more recently Dresden and Hiroshima.

Destructiveness  and murder is likely not innate in man but resulted as a consequence of civilization creation ;  private property; development of weaponry; man exploiting  man; idolizing rulers like Alexander, Genghis Khan, Caesar, Hitler etc. In other words, with patriarch domination we are failing. Sapiens have about 2%-3% of Neanderthals DNA. We need more of their genes, or with technology create a more sophisticated and smarter human with a very different character structure. Perhaps, more dominant feminine characteristics are the answer as well as the creation of a more civil civilization. Sapiens intelligence seems adequate but not man’s emotional intelligence with sadistic destruction; hate; greed; exploitation and selfishness. Emotionally, male sapiens get into trouble because of underlying anxiety and insecurities within evolution while creating a toxic and destructive society.

With that being said, there is a small glimmer of hope as anthropologists Ruth Benedict, Margaret Mead and others studied primitive societies. I would reframe primitive and call them civil. In studying the Zuni Pueblo Indians, the Mountain Arapesh, the Polar Eskimo and other societies, they found aggression but not significant amounts of murder and destructiveness toward their own kind.  

PS

Gail, a lover from the past, purchased a large poster of Raquel Welch from her One Million BC movie.  I hung it at the top of our stairs so I could see it every time I entered my apartment. I am still smiling.

Amorality and Freud

 

 

There are three major elements In Freud’s psychoanalytic theory that explain the workings of what takes place between man’s ears. A limited overview follows: let’s start with the Id. It’s the biological component of everything that is inherited and present at birth. It’s the instincts or drives.  The id operates according to the principle of reducing tension. Thus, when tension or anxiety is raised or experienced, as the result of external stimulation or internally produced sensations, there’s a discharge or a reduction. The id’s goal is to reduce tension in order to bring back pleasure or comfort. This is Freud’s “pleasure principle.” The pleasure principle’s aim is simply to obtain pleasure and avoid pain.

 Freud’s second operational component is called the Ego. It’s psychological. It deals with the world of reality. This system obeys the “reality principle” and performs its role through cognitive- the intellectual functions of perception, sensation, intuition, thinking, and memory. This system is called the executive function of personality because it influences decisions, actions, or behavior. This component of personality selects features in the environment in which it will respond, and decides the manner in which the instincts or drives will be satisfied. A secondary objective of this system is to maintain the life of the individual and to see that reproduction occurs, which is necessary for the survival of the species.  For example, with the instinct of hunger, a person experiences tension. The individual forms an image or wish fulfillment {it’s the id or things in the mind}, then thinks were he may find food and then proceeds to look in that place. This ego functioning is called reality testing in its dealing with the external world.  When food is not found, this results in frustration and could lead to aggression.  This reminds me of the story of Les Miserables.  Jean Valjean stole a loaf of bread to feed his family. He served his time and then committed another violation. In the story, he became prosperous but was hunted down for decades by a ruthless policeman named Javert.  Valjean was on the run but worried about Javert’s pursuit. At the end, Valjean, to relieve the guilt in his conscience, gave himself up to Javert.

This leads to Freud’s third system or component of the personality. The Superego is the last to develop and becomes the conscience. For a more detailed account, consult Freud’s “Civilization and its Discontents, “published by W. W. Norton and Company Incorporated. This essay focuses on Trump’s conscience per Freud.

The superego is the incorporation of the traditional values and ideals present in society. The child incorporates these moral or amoral values and ideals initially from his parents (Fred Trump) by commands, reinforcements, and actions as well as from other significant models, peers etc. during his lifetime. The superego becomes the moral censorship for determining what is good, bad, right, wrong, evil etc. The superego has no confusion nor ambivalence. It knows what is permitted and what is not permitted. The functioning superego operates on receiving love and/or approval from the authority figure. Punishment, is fear of losing love and/or disapproval from that authority figure. As a result, morality or amorality is determined by the rewards and punishments handed out by the parents.  Initially, the child’s morality or amorality is similar to the parents. Later on, with development and various experiences with peer group, TV, radio, social media, movies, novels and videogame experiences etc., the child evolves and develops his own standards of morality or amorality based on a firm or fragile superego. 

However, with amoral parents, inconsistent reinforcement applications the individual’s foundation for a healthy superego and conscience development is compromised. Having a weak and compromised foundation at the start of development, severely hampers the internal superego mechanism regulating and assessing right versus wrong. Being structurally weak, that conscience becomes more easily influenced and susceptible with a tendency  toward amoral identification models; acting out peer group; hate and racist TV, radio, social media rhetoric; violent movies, novels; and various conspiracy beliefs. Political and religious discrepancies and prejudices also influence amoral thinking and behavior. Impulses and thinking, with limited or without internal superego controls render and contribute to weak character. It’s apparent that character motivations of greed, power, control and other masks of insecurity can dominate a weak or limited superego. When this happens, there is a loss of control and diminished guilt. It’s as if moral behavior is run over, demolished and non-effective. With the loss of guilt for regulation, we have nothing or no mechanism to stop amoral tendency behavior.

Throughout life, individuals have numerous conflicts and interactions. Will the individual find love from the authority figure or will his drive for pleasure be thwarted? The instinctual drives or desires are typically bad and amoral. However, if the individual can inhibit his id based drives, the result is frustration and a propensity for aggression which is directed inward toward self or outward toward another. A sense of guilt now exists by either thinking or acting on a “drive”. In other words, impulses of evil, perception of evil, and guilt exist in the unconscious part of the workings in the mind.

Guilt can be conscious or unconscious, and is essentially found in one’s conscience. This superego /conscience censorship is necessary for the survival of our civilization. It is a morally social component, in the mind, because it can inhibit impulses of those of a sexual or aggressive nature.  These impulses are usually punished by society. Just remember the 10 Commandments and “Thou shall not kill and Thou shall not commit adultery.” One’s superego -conscience, when working properly, persuades the ego to substitute moralistic goals for nonrealistic ones. In essence, the superego attempts to block gratification from the drives of the id.

With neuroses, guilt is unconscious and results in a need for punishment. These individuals are not aware of their need for punishment. A sense of guilt is experienced as uneasiness, tension or anxiety. With dissatisfaction, tension or anxiety, these neurotic individuals often seek other motivations like pursuing power, control, prestige or possessions in attempting to diminish discomfort while searching for pleasure. Punishment can occur at different times and in many different forms.

 Certain individuals have weak controls or non-functioning amoral conscience and get away with murder. Hitler, Saddam, Qaddafi and Bin Laden come to mind. Yet, in the end, they all received their long-overdue punishment.

Employing Freud’s model of conscience, let’s take a look at the narcissistic, amoral and angry Donald.   Donald’s punishments have usually been embarrassment, shame and a dollar payment for inflicted damages on others. Way back when, both Donald and his father were found guilty by the US government for their housing discrimination policy against blacks. Donald has gone bankrupt six times and has run his casinos into the ground. He no longer can borrow money from US banks.  He has been involved in many lawsuits and settled with dollar amounts. Donald wanted to be an NFL owner but was boycotted by the league. He bought a USFL team in response. Donald and the USFL engaged in a lawsuit against the NFL for antitrust statutes. They won the lawsuit and were awarded three dollars, by the court for damages. He won the battle but lost the war.  Donald’s university and foundation were both phony and penalized. Currently, his tax returns are being audited. The District of New York is also investigating him for fraud. Furthermore, his obesity, based on poor food choice, is another example of aggression turned inward or self-punishment. His lack of nutritious health puts him at risk.

 Donald’s amoral behavior has been exhibited within the last four years. He appears to be out of control and without moral limits. He’s been protected and enabled by William Barr “sitting Pres. can’t be indicted;” and the Republican Senate which did not convict him on his impeachment. Numerous members of his staff have resigned and written books about his incompetency.

For the past few months, he has been promoting lies of voter fraud regarding the November 3rd election. He and his sycophants have gone seditiously and without evidence to court over 50 times in an attempt to overturn the election by disenfranchising black voters.  Republican Atty. Gen.’s in 18 states with the support  of over 100 Republicans in Congress have submitted false claims, this time to the Supreme Court. It’s apparent, in this case, that political motivation along with insecurity supersedes and dominates a clinging to the power of political office. With that being said, appropriate democratic values and moral behavior take a backseat. It’s as if one’s conscience is impaired or stuck at a level characterized in adolescence. The amoral character of Donald and these Republican representatives is discouraging. Keeping their elected positions is based on anxiety of being powerless and therefore dominates their behavior.

Donald lies, cheats, and attempts to subvert the mass voting in our Republic in order for him to keep his unchecked power. He owes millions of dollars to unnamed sources. With that being said, his character is important. Will his unconscious need for punishment result in him being defeated? Will a jury find him guilty after leaving office?  Time will tell. The cliché “what goes around comes around” comes to mind. His fate will come, it’s only a matter of time.

Returning to High School

 

The cliché “it’s all downhill after high school” is not only catchy but has important meaning. Individuals often return to the imagination of high school as if these memories were imprinted on their psyche. Statistics have revealed that one third of all adult males in the United States and one quarter of all adult women would choose to stay permanently between the ages of 15 and 19. This disquisition focuses on the why we return to our high school years.

Does reverting back to high school years happen because of the boosted testosterone levels and wet dreams; driving that first car; getting to first base; dating, dancing, joining the popular peer group etc.? What about the myth of Eternal Return? This myth suggests there is a utopia as in paradise or heaven. Further, as time shortens, reality fades in older age. That imaginative return is alluring. Is it a glimpse of pleasure, happiness and youth in another place in another time that appeals?

This Eternal Return is based on a premise that time is cyclical. In other words, what happens now has happened before and will happen again at some basic level if not exactly in the same detail. On the other hand, life, in the world, moves forward in secular time. Often we do not see that the new is the old come around again, and to understand the new we must return to the old. Scholars of the myth contrast two kinds of time. The first is secular, sacred, rational, mystical, forward moving, and timeless which is like the body. The second aspect of time moves in circles like the psyche, soul or character. It’s a movement of self-concentrated awareness of intellectualization, of living its life reaching to all things so that nothing shall be outside of it and nothing anywhere but within its scope. This was the description of the myth according to the Greek philosopher Plotinus.

Turning from philosophy, I have another opinion as to why we return to memories and imagination from our high school years. Theoretically, we pass through life in developmental stages. These developmental stages are critical periods for human growth. Successful resolution and working through that critical time or stage, suggests that one has a much better opportunity to successfully work through the next stage and so forth. By the same token, difficulty or impairment at any stage negatively affects the next succeeding stage or period. The high school years encompasses developmentally one such critical period in human development.

 For example, according to Jean Piaget, there are four stages of intellectual growth. He called the first stage Sensorimotor and the fourth stage as Formal Operations .Formal Operations begin in adolescence and then on to adulthood. In his thinking, Piaget believed that in Formal Operations, the individual was now able to think more sophisticated with abstraction, theoretical concepts, with such skills as logical thought, deductive reasoning and systematic planning. In other words, the adolescent is intellectually capable of: 1. Increased ability to consider hypothetical possibilities 2. Guided by self-awareness of one’s physical and psychological changes 3. More introspective and analytical. Just discuss some topic and debate a teenager around any issue especially pertaining to rules, restrictions and regulations and you’ll know what I mean.

As far as moral development, Lawrence Kohlberg believed there were three stages of moral development. The first stage in Kohlberg’s thinking was Preconventional and the third stage was Post Conventional. Adolescents, in the Post Conventional stage have the capacity to: 1. Begin to think about, challenge and question the social and political beliefs of their parents 2. Begin to think about and question beliefs and ideas from other significant ideological groups 3. Began to become more oriented toward inner concerns and become less other directed, but still without clear rational and universal principles 4. They begin looking for a more widely societal consensus.  According to Kohlberg, many adolescents do not proceed beyond this stage but a limited number go on to achieve a higher level of moral reasoning. For example: 1. They tend to be guided by abstract ethical principles appealing to logical comprehensiveness, universality and consistency 2. Their motivation for conformity is based on their consistent, internalized moral standards 3. They become clearer with their principled thinking 4. These few adolescents are then able to incorporate consistent internalized moral standards. Empirically, Kohlberg incorporated upon Piaget’s cognitive theory of intellectual functioning.

Physically, during adolescence, levels of hGH, DHEA, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are rapidly increasing. Physical strength, skill and motor control proceeds with rapid development. Did you look at the physique and watch Lebron James, Kobe Bryant or Kevin Garnet play high school basketball? Sure, later development occurred. But their ability, at that age, was phenomenal. Just observe the skill level of all the freshman college football players. Today’s young athletes are impressive.

Psychologically, with the development of character, the individual is also forming his identity which is a necessary component. Erik H Erikson postulated 8 stages of psychological ego development. In stage 5, the development of Ego Identity, the individual puts together or assimilates his relationship to academic and intellectual skills, rapid body growth, and genital maturity along with the ability to relate to others in different ways. With ego identity, if successful, one has the ability to integrate the various identifications with the development of his physical endowments along with his many or limited opportunities offered in the availability of social roles, future life work and goals. In this stage, people are remarkably clannish, cruel and they tend to exclude others of darker skin color, cultural backgrounds, how they dress as well as other minor differences.  In other words, they can be very prejudiced and clannish within this stage. They form cliques, have enemies and pledge fidelity to certain groups and ideologies. It’s important to be in the “in” group versus the “out” group.  If you happened to be in the wrong group, you were out of luck and insecure. Successful resolution in this stage gives that adolescent a better opportunity to develop, at the next stage, a sense of intimacy for future relationships. If unsuccessful, narcissism, being alone and failed relationships follow. Moreover, with a weak ego, unfortunately leads that teenager to look for deviant, amoral, antisocial groups for identification and alienation from mainstream society.

During the high school years, we have a much different animal psychologically, emotionality and physicality. Yes, we had so many unique and significant emotional experiences. As a result of our imagination of our sexual experiences and the importance of peer affiliative memories, we have accumulated being scared, pleasure, happy, sad, disappointed, joy, excited etc. These sexual and emotional experiences happened during a significant or critical time of our life. Who could forget them? Why would anyone not want to remember them?  Maybe so, if an individual had difficulty learning, was bullied and was excluded and rejected it might be a different story. With that being said, the return might be to Utopia, Hell or some place in between.

The powerful experiences pertaining to friendships, achievements, sex, rejection, safety, disappointments, highs, lows, ups, downs, pimples, wearing Levi’s etc. played a significant part in the ongoing continuity of our character. Our psychological needs had to be met then as well as now, for our well-being.

Yes, time proceeds in a straight line as evidenced by changes in body. Yes, psychological history tends to repeat itself. With the dynamic of repetition compulsion, we repeat situations which is also a function of character. Yes, there can be an unhealthy regression to the past with fixation. In that case, there’s a chink or deficit in the armor of character. It’s about character and the ability to incorporate the past, the present and the future. Sound character leads to a fulfilling life that encompasses all our previous imaginative stories especially those from adolescence. Of course, we have other imaginative tales from other critical periods during our lifetime. However, the critical period of adolescence with cognitive, moral, physical and ego identity challenges are most powerfully based.  Its importance lies from the point of view of character development. The frequent imaginative return is proof of that fact.

PS

I continue to maintain contact with my high school buddy Wayne and visit him when I returned to the Detroit area. Incidentally, prior to Covid-19, Wayne meets regularly with our high school buddies.

Aging Revisited

  

The following is a continuation from last week’s essay utilizing James Hillman’s terrific insights on character and aging.  A few facts as follows: we know about mortality tables as well as strategies to increase lifespan. More specifically, we know about  various  aging theories; the effect of hormones; miracle minerals; the antioxidants; benefits of exercise; numerous   diets; and anti-stress tips for antiaging. However, psychological characteristics that accompany aging are less well known. This disquisition focuses on four psychological conditions associated with aging. As I am aging, I’ll personalize this disquisition.

It is known that memory is one of the functions in the limbic system and that for most people the left hippocampus is involved in verbal or language oriented memories and the right hippocampus is involved in nonverbal memories.  Specifically, let’s take a look at short-term memory loss which seems to be fairly common as in searching for a word or remembering a name compared with long-term memory. One way to think about the difference between long and short-term memory is that we don’t want to fill up the storage of our significant long-term memory with irrelevant short-term items such as where did I leave my keys?

We certainly want to be able to retrieve, with imagination, our meaningful stories and facts from our past. According to research, the higher intellectual areas of the cerebral cortex have a significantly lower degree of cell disappearance…. It may even be that the neurons increase their activity… Recent research suggests that certain cortical neurons seem actually to become more abundant after maturity…..the dendrites of many neurons continue to grow in healthy old people … Neuroscientist think they actually have discovered the source of  wisdom which we like to  think we can accumulate with advancing age.

I attended Wayne Elementary School; Jackson Junior High; Denby High School and Wayne State University in Detroit. These schools are located in Wayne County, Michigan which recently was in the news regarding an attempt to overthrow the Democratic voting process. Give thanks to the name Wayne because of Mad Anthony Wayne born in 1745. He was an American soldier- statesman during the beginning of the American Revolution. Unfortunately, Maj. Gen. Wayne died of medical complications during the return trip to Pennsylvania from a military post in Detroit in 1796.

I can tell you, with my imagination, that the following cannot be challenged since it’s my story based on my memory. The kindergarten teachers were Miss Goebel and Miss Rose at my elementary school; Miss Bell was my fourth grade homeroom teacher, Ms. Goodman my fifth grade homeroom teacher and Mrs. Jaques my sixth grade homeroom teacher. I attended homeroom in the morning and learned the 3Rs. After lunch I attended special classes in auditorium,  art, Miss Mallard for music, Mr. Bachman for science and In PE, I ran a 7.7 second 50 yard dash. I probably beat everyone except my competitor Tom Smith. Tom lived on Beaconsfield. At Jackson Junior High, I had to walk to the bus stop for school transportation. Tom, Bob Adams and I were unbeatable in three on three basketball. Attending Denby, Tom and I parted ways only to meet up on the football field as teammates. Smith was a team captain in our senior year and then went on to play for Dan Devine at the University of Missouri. Tom successfully became a school principal but unfortunately was killed in an automobile accident. Years later at a high school reunion I met and fell in love with Judy Knopp. She told me that she and Tom were boyfriend and girlfriend in high school. How’s that for coincidences?

Prior to the start of the football season, in my senior year, I would go to the high school and play football with alumni and current team players. On one kickoff return, I blocked and knocked down Mitch Newman. Mitch congratulated me on that tremendous block. The season started and the first game was against Southeastern. The game occurred on the Jewish holy day of Rosh Hashanah. Our team huddled prior to the kickoff and team Capt. Mitch Newman stated to everyone “let’s win this game for Frank as it’s his holiday.”  That moment was special for me. Mitch later went on to play for Duffy Daugherty at Michigan State.

After the season and graduation, I attended The University of Detroit on a football scholarship. On the first day of practice, I met recruit Dennis Cole, who played for Southeastern high school. Incidentally, we won that game- Denby 40 Southeastern 7. Dennis became a friend and after leaving The University of Detroit, went out to Hollywood and was a costar with Howard Duff in a detective TV series. Subsequently, Dennis married Jacqueline Smith of Charlie’s Angels fame. Dennis was an extremely handsome man.

Another characteristic of the aging process is a heightened irritability. That can be expressed with intolerance, not wanting to put up with inconvenience, refusing to be rushed and rattled. One could fly off the handle with little provocation. Often, frustration plays a part. Frustration could be the result of one’s perception of physical changes and challenges; economic disruptions; political shenanigans; interpersonal disappointments etc. We all know that living in the 21^st century with the current  pandemic and economic fallout is very frustrating, in part because of the disregard for scientific messaging regarding health and prevention. Aside from the political nonsense regarding not wearing a mask, I can become irritable while watching a so-called “news” broadcast. Sometimes the answer to the questions are elementary and obvious to all especially the person that asked the question. Sometimes, the question cannot be answered because it’s vague, hypothetical and based on some future occurrence. If one talks in measured probabilities that would be more accurate. Asking someone or a supposed expert to make a prediction seems meaningless to me.

Waking at night is another condition in aging. The frequent emptying the bladder, results in disruption of sleep. Research finds that a sleep deficit or sleep deprivation results in significant brain changes. Unfortunately, areas of the brain responsible for judgment, impulse control, tension and visual association all become dysfunctional. Chronic sleep deficits are also associated with increased irritability and associated with significant health risks including higher levels of diabetes, impaired immune response, decreased growth in children, increased obesity and higher levels of depression.

At one time, early Christian monks who lived in desert caves tried to banish sleep altogether. They believed that pagan powers were thought to approach pious souls through dreams. In other words, devout persons who were intent upon building a strong character had to be less eager to sleep and had to watch or be awake at night. So character depended on fending off all the fantasies and voices that threatened to lead one away from the Christian path.  If awake, they could discriminate among the various spirits. How’s that for bunk?

Sleep and dreaming however can be beneficial. With dreams, you come to know what you cannot know during the day. Freud called this characteristic repression in that it allows sleep to be protected. Dreams mostly let us sleep peacefully by masking our worries and terrors. Dreams are present in the guise of images we generally don’t understand. It allows us to sleep without waking.  Research in Denmark and Japan found that emptying the bladder was more common for older men because they were no longer retaining salt and water during the night. They excreted more sodium at night and thus voiding more frequently.  The report concluded that some people with nocturia have disordered circadian rhythms and there’s not much you can do to regulate your body’s clock.

We have about a great number of sleep disorder diagnosis and there are numerous sleep disorder clinics. One time, 10% of the population reported a significant nightmare, a thrashing, a whimpering at least once a month. We take numerous sleeping pills, wear incontinent pads, dim the lights, turn down the temperature and eliminate alcohol so that we can rise in the morning without having to tangle with a leaky bladder.

Our dreams represent some residue of the previous day or day’s activities with the addition of fatalistic anxieties, recriminations and vengeful afterthoughts from our history. Perhaps these images belong and should remain in the dark or the impersonal side of the world. Perhaps, they should become available only through the ordeal of nighttime awakenings.

We could began a surface understanding of that hellish reality of the underworld from our unconscious. Our dreams often tell another and deeper story of the dark side of our character. It may not be a rosy picture of who we are as evidenced by nightmares or night terrors. Some choose to explore the dark side or shadow of their character. The majority, however, do not dare to enter the dark side of their character in order to pretend they are normal.

Erotic’s or “Eh, mister! Your fly is open, mister” by James Joyce is another characteristic in the aging life process stage. It is known that lust becomes more extravagant. It certainly is a condition in the psyche that fosters creative art, prophecy and exaggerated emotional instability. While the physical powers diminish, imagination cuts loose and runs wild.  On one hand there can be impotence, misogyny and depressive isolation. On the other, lewd fantasies of a dirty old man rises. The power of imagination is extremely important per Socrates and Plato. They believed that “lustful thoughts and images swell the organs.” However, today physiology tells a different story. It reports that only the ovaries in women and the sexual capacity of men decline faster than perhaps anything else in the body. Female lubrication, and male erection can occur .However, with a problem, performance anxiety increases, followed by increased performance failure which then increases performance anxiety etc.

I am pleased that with imagination, touching and foreplay, I have, in my opinion, a well charged and well-functioning libido. Linda, my loving partner and I are in synchronicity. We have what Freud calls “genital love.” Loving and respecting each other during the rest of the day ads to that fulfillment.

At age 88, Dr. Atkins stated “Thanks to erotic imagination… Here is victory over decay... William Butler Yeats in a letter to a friend and former lover at age 87 wrote “I shall be a sinful man to the end, and think upon my death bed of all the nights I wasted in my youth.” Walt Whitman near his end in 1891 wrote letters and notes that paralleled his increased bodily decay. As a patron saint of the naked body, masturbation and sexual love between men, Whitman made that clear distinction between behavior and imagination. During his decline he had numerous physical ailments such as tubercular abscesses, tuberculosis ravaged lungs, intestines, liver and kidney issues, large prostate, and an enormous bladder stone.  He said at old age, erotic fantasy is more than a symptom, more than a compensation. It becomes a private necessity and consequently a societal benefit.

Sexual life is primarily imaginative life; it starts there, feeds there and persists there long after the abrupt and sometimes absurd actualities of events.  Gender does not determine imagination. For example French actress Jeanne Moreau chose roles and directed films that allowed her to grow old gracefully. She stated “you speak of sexuality, most people expect physical sex but sexuality starts in the mind with imagination.” Bernice Wood at 105 stated that after age 85 she liked to play the courtesan and, flirting with outrageous coquettishness. She loved to cultivate the myth of her wickedness and rampant sexuality. “Isak   Denison and Georgia O’Keeffe each accompanied and were attended by much younger men, themselves artists who spurred their imagination and old age. Isak Denison “evenings were spent drinking wine, quoting poetry to each other, playing Schubert… making imaginary voyages and taking imaginary lovers.”

William James wrote about fantastic and the necessary character of human wants. .James said these “wants and even when their gratifications seems farthest off, the uneasiness, they occasion is still the best guide of his life and leave him to issues entirely beyond his present powers of reckoning. Prune down his extravagance, sober him and you undo him.”

 Further, fear and shame can occur during this time as well. The fear of arousal according to historian David Friedberg, lies at the root of censorship, iconoclasm, and the resistance to imagination.  Why should I be so conflicted about the extravagance of imagination? After all they are merely images. Why should I be ashamed? Do not forget that sex, in earlier years, can be more serious as in a conquest. Later on, sex can become more playful, humorous, less serious and less demanding. It can become more of a fulfilling partnership that complements the union.

The presence of beauty and a young body is an inspiration for the old was analyzed by Plato.  Perhaps Dionysus was correct. He didn’t discriminate between gender and age in his display of wine, ecstasy and fertility. However, he had a temper and could be brutal. With pleasure can come negative consequences? No one can blame imagination, its decisions that can lead to self-defeating behavior. Take advantage of imagination with long term memory and eroticism; acknowledge sleep and dream consequences and embrace irritability during this one time adventure.

 

The following is a continuation from last week’s essay utilizing James Hillman’s terrific insights on character and aging.  A few facts as follows: we know about mortality tables as well as strategies to increase lifespan. More specifically, we know about  various  aging theories; the effect of hormones; miracle minerals; the antioxidants; benefits of exercise; numerous   diets; and anti-stress tips for antiaging. However, psychological characteristics that accompany aging are less well known. This disquisition focuses on four psychological conditions associated with aging. As I am aging, I’ll personalize this disquisition.

It is known that memory is one of the functions in the limbic system and that for most people the left hippocampus is involved in verbal or language oriented memories and the right hippocampus is involved in nonverbal memories.  Specifically, let’s take a look at short-term memory loss which seems to be fairly common as in searching for a word or remembering a name compared with long-term memory. One way to think about the difference between long and short-term memory is that we don’t want to fill up the storage of our significant long-term memory with irrelevant short-term items such as where did I leave my keys?

We certainly want to be able to retrieve, with imagination, our meaningful stories and facts from our past. According to research, the higher intellectual areas of the cerebral cortex have a significantly lower degree of cell disappearance…. It may even be that the neurons increase their activity… Recent research suggests that certain cortical neurons seem actually to become more abundant after maturity…..the dendrites of many neurons continue to grow in healthy old people … Neuroscientist think they actually have discovered the source of  wisdom which we like to  think we can accumulate with advancing age.

I attended Wayne Elementary School; Jackson Junior High; Denby High School and Wayne State University in Detroit. These schools are located in Wayne County, Michigan which recently was in the news regarding an attempt to overthrow the Democratic voting process. Give thanks to the name Wayne because of Mad Anthony Wayne born in 1745. He was an American soldier- statesman during the beginning of the American Revolution. Unfortunately, Maj. Gen. Wayne died of medical complications during the return trip to Pennsylvania from a military post in Detroit in 1796.

I can tell you, with my imagination, that the following cannot be challenged since it’s my story based on my memory. The kindergarten teachers were Miss Goebel and Miss Rose at my elementary school; Miss Bell was my fourth grade homeroom teacher, Ms. Goodman my fifth grade homeroom teacher and Mrs. Jaques my sixth grade homeroom teacher. I attended homeroom in the morning and learned the 3Rs. After lunch I attended special classes in auditorium,  art, Miss Mallard for music, Mr. Bachman for science and In PE, I ran a 7.7 second 50 yard dash. I probably beat everyone except my competitor Tom Smith. Tom lived on Beaconsfield. At Jackson Junior High, I had to walk to the bus stop for school transportation. Tom, Bob Adams and I were unbeatable in three on three basketball. Attending Denby, Tom and I parted ways only to meet up on the football field as teammates. Smith was a team captain in our senior year and then went on to play for Dan Devine at the University of Missouri. Tom successfully became a school principal but unfortunately was killed in an automobile accident. Years later at a high school reunion I met and fell in love with Judy Knopp. She told me that she and Tom were boyfriend and girlfriend in high school. How’s that for coincidences?

Prior to the start of the football season, in my senior year, I would go to the high school and play football with alumni and current team players. On one kickoff return, I blocked and knocked down Mitch Newman. Mitch congratulated me on that tremendous block. The season started and the first game was against Southeastern. The game occurred on the Jewish holy day of Rosh Hashanah. Our team huddled prior to the kickoff and team Capt. Mitch Newman stated to everyone “let’s win this game for Frank as it’s his holiday.”  That moment was special for me. Mitch later went on to play for Duffy Daugherty at Michigan State.

After the season and graduation, I attended The University of Detroit on a football scholarship. On the first day of practice, I met recruit Dennis Cole, who played for Southeastern high school. Incidentally, we won that game- Denby 40 Southeastern 7. Dennis became a friend and after leaving The University of Detroit, went out to Hollywood and was a costar with Howard Duff in a detective TV series. Subsequently, Dennis married Jacqueline Smith of Charlie’s Angels fame. Dennis was an extremely handsome man.

Another characteristic of the aging process is a heightened irritability. That can be expressed with intolerance, not wanting to put up with inconvenience, refusing to be rushed and rattled. One could fly off the handle with little provocation. Often, frustration plays a part. Frustration could be the result of one’s perception of physical changes and challenges; economic disruptions; political shenanigans; interpersonal disappointments etc. We all know that living in the 21^st century with the current  pandemic and economic fallout is very frustrating, in part because of the disregard for scientific messaging regarding health and prevention. Aside from the political nonsense regarding not wearing a mask, I can become irritable while watching a so-called “news” broadcast. Sometimes the answer to the questions are elementary and obvious to all especially the person that asked the question. Sometimes, the question cannot be answered because it’s vague, hypothetical and based on some future occurrence. If one talks in measured probabilities that would be more accurate. Asking someone or a supposed expert to make a prediction seems meaningless to me.

Waking at night is another condition in aging. The frequent emptying the bladder, results in disruption of sleep. Research finds that a sleep deficit or sleep deprivation results in significant brain changes. Unfortunately, areas of the brain responsible for judgment, impulse control, tension and visual association all become dysfunctional. Chronic sleep deficits are also associated with increased irritability and associated with significant health risks including higher levels of diabetes, impaired immune response, decreased growth in children, increased obesity and higher levels of depression.

At one time, early Christian monks who lived in desert caves tried to banish sleep altogether. They believed that pagan powers were thought to approach pious souls through dreams. In other words, devout persons who were intent upon building a strong character had to be less eager to sleep and had to watch or be awake at night. So character depended on fending off all the fantasies and voices that threatened to lead one away from the Christian path.  If awake, they could discriminate among the various spirits. How’s that for bunk?

Sleep and dreaming however can be beneficial. With dreams, you come to know what you cannot know during the day. Freud called this characteristic repression in that it allows sleep to be protected. Dreams mostly let us sleep peacefully by masking our worries and terrors. Dreams are present in the guise of images we generally don’t understand. It allows us to sleep without waking.  Research in Denmark and Japan found that emptying the bladder was more common for older men because they were no longer retaining salt and water during the night. They excreted more sodium at night and thus voiding more frequently.  The report concluded that some people with nocturia have disordered circadian rhythms and there’s not much you can do to regulate your body’s clock.

We have about a great number of sleep disorder diagnosis and there are numerous sleep disorder clinics. One time, 10% of the population reported a significant nightmare, a thrashing, a whimpering at least once a month. We take numerous sleeping pills, wear incontinent pads, dim the lights, turn down the temperature and eliminate alcohol so that we can rise in the morning without having to tangle with a leaky bladder.

Our dreams represent some residue of the previous day or day’s activities with the addition of fatalistic anxieties, recriminations and vengeful afterthoughts from our history. Perhaps these images belong and should remain in the dark or the impersonal side of the world. Perhaps, they should become available only through the ordeal of nighttime awakenings.

We could began a surface understanding of that hellish reality of the underworld from our unconscious. Our dreams often tell another and deeper story of the dark side of our character. It may not be a rosy picture of who we are as evidenced by nightmares or night terrors. Some choose to explore the dark side or shadow of their character. The majority, however, do not dare to enter the dark side of their character in order to pretend they are normal.

Erotic’s or “Eh, mister! Your fly is open, mister” by James Joyce is another characteristic in the aging life process stage. It is known that lust becomes more extravagant. It certainly is a condition in the psyche that fosters creative art, prophecy and exaggerated emotional instability. While the physical powers diminish, imagination cuts loose and runs wild.  On one hand there can be impotence, misogyny and depressive isolation. On the other, lewd fantasies of a dirty old man rises. The power of imagination is extremely important per Socrates and Plato. They believed that “lustful thoughts and images swell the organs.” However, today physiology tells a different story. It reports that only the ovaries in women and the sexual capacity of men decline faster than perhaps anything else in the body. Female lubrication, and male erection can occur .However, with a problem, performance anxiety increases, followed by increased performance failure which then increases performance anxiety etc.

I am pleased that with imagination, touching and foreplay, I have, in my opinion, a well charged and well-functioning libido. Linda, my loving partner and I are in synchronicity. We have what Freud calls “genital love.” Loving and respecting each other during the rest of the day ads to that fulfillment.

At age 88, Dr. Atkins stated “Thanks to erotic imagination… Here is victory over decay... William Butler Yeats in a letter to a friend and former lover at age 87 wrote “I shall be a sinful man to the end, and think upon my death bed of all the nights I wasted in my youth.” Walt Whitman near his end in 1891 wrote letters and notes that paralleled his increased bodily decay. As a patron saint of the naked body, masturbation and sexual love between men, Whitman made that clear distinction between behavior and imagination. During his decline he had numerous physical ailments such as tubercular abscesses, tuberculosis ravaged lungs, intestines, liver and kidney issues, large prostate, and an enormous bladder stone.  He said at old age, erotic fantasy is more than a symptom, more than a compensation. It becomes a private necessity and consequently a societal benefit.

Sexual life is primarily imaginative life; it starts there, feeds there and persists there long after the abrupt and sometimes absurd actualities of events.  Gender does not determine imagination. For example French actress Jeanne Moreau chose roles and directed films that allowed her to grow old gracefully. She stated “you speak of sexuality, most people expect physical sex but sexuality starts in the mind with imagination.” Bernice Wood at 105 stated that after age 85 she liked to play the courtesan and, flirting with outrageous coquettishness. She loved to cultivate the myth of her wickedness and rampant sexuality. “Isak   Denison and Georgia O’Keeffe each accompanied and were attended by much younger men, themselves artists who spurred their imagination and old age. Isak Denison “evenings were spent drinking wine, quoting poetry to each other, playing Schubert… making imaginary voyages and taking imaginary lovers.”

William James wrote about fantastic and the necessary character of human wants. .James said these “wants and even when their gratifications seems farthest off, the uneasiness, they occasion is still the best guide of his life and leave him to issues entirely beyond his present powers of reckoning. Prune down his extravagance, sober him and you undo him.”

 Further, fear and shame can occur during this time as well. The fear of arousal according to historian David Friedberg, lies at the root of censorship, iconoclasm, and the resistance to imagination.  Why should I be so conflicted about the extravagance of imagination? After all they are merely images. Why should I be ashamed? Do not forget that sex, in earlier years, can be more serious as in a conquest. Later on, sex can become more playful, humorous, less serious and less demanding. It can become more of a fulfilling partnership that complements the union.

The presence of beauty and a young body is an inspiration for the old was analyzed by Plato.  Perhaps Dionysus was correct. He didn’t discriminate between gender and age in his display of wine, ecstasy and fertility. However, he had a temper and could be brutal. With pleasure can come negative consequences? No one can blame imagination, its decisions that can lead to self-defeating behavior. Take advantage of imagination with long term memory and eroticism; acknowledge sleep and dream consequences and embrace irritability during this one time adventure.

 Old, Are you kidding?

 

Last week during one of my 10 mile trail runs, I stopped and talked with Chris. Chris was a long-distance runner for Sac State; a ride and tie champion; a sub 24 hour Western States competitor; my trainer and friend for my Western States run; a ride and tie and running partner. Chris asked me if I was going to run 81 miles during my birthday week. I told him, that I’m using Tony, my running partner friend, as an excuse. For most of the year Tony has been on Whidbey Island building a second home and is still there. If you want a motorcycle or kayak built or a computer or printer serviced, a running or pacing partner, or want to know where to get ice cream, Tony’s the “stud muffin.”  Tony also has completed the Tevis 10 times. This disquisition has to do with old, aging and character.

After that meeting with Chris, I thought more about my tradition of running the same number of miles per week as my age. I had an epiphany. Why not run 10 miles for six more days? Doing so, would give me 70 miles for that week.  I did just that. With more thought, I came up with the brilliant idea of using 70 as a base and then I would subtract 1 mile each year. So in 2021, I would run 69 miles in that week and so forth. By implementing this original proposal, did this mean I’m getting old? No, I’m going to differentiate between “aging” and “old.”

At one time in our history, “old” was a condition independent of years. In fact there was value in having a special category not related to aging or death. Notably, old was both an endless and ageless character. Old masters paintings and old manuscripts are viewed as illustrations that have nothing to do with dying but instead lasting. Paleontology, archaeology and geology are studies of the old. Also, the word “old” was defined as something fully nourished, grown-up and matured. Benefits of old included trustworthiness, venerability, proverbially, and value. In the poem “Beowulf,” oldness was related to virtues of nobility, mercy, esteem and power. However later, Shakespeare used old as an instrument of insult and ridicule. His examples were “old and foul,” “old and wicked,” “old and miserable,” and “old and deformed”. Since Shakespeare, the word old has negative connotations.

Why not change, reframe and return to the previous meanings of old. For instance, I like my old and comfortable shoes, my old friends - Beverly, Rita, Lorna, Gail, Ferris, Dave, Maylon, Emmett, Rick, songs like Laura Nyro’s “Eli’s Comin” and ” Silhouettes” by the Rays ,  movies like “On The Waterfront,” visiting the British Museum, the Louvre, pyramids in Cancun, Roman Coliseum, visiting Thomas Jefferson’s home in Monticello, visiting Salem Witch Village in Massachusetts, visiting Anne Frank’s home in Denmark going through checkpoint Charlie  in order to eat in East Berlin, and novels like Ernest Hemingway’s “Old Man and the Sea,” and reading history books. I like history and that would’ve been my second major. Old can be, with the importance of long term memory, a life review of imagination that brings to life the wonders of all those long-lasting, informative, special and exciting relevant emotional events. It’s the power of imagination that deepens the integrity of character.

Unfortunately our society has discredited old and aging in our capitalistic process. It’s now about youth, new and beauty. Becoming old in our society is not valued at all. For example, the following has become reality: 1. the enormous number of nonscientific supplements available at health food stores 2. Numerous nonscientific creams, salves and lotions for skincare 3. A lot of products to improve hair, hair color and to grow hair 4. Cosmetic surgery to reduce and increase breast size and shape 5. Botox and other surgeries for changing body shape 6. Many fitness centers and home products like Peloton and NordicTrack 7. Many apps and personal trainers 8. Many diet and losing weight programs 9. Many books, information and apps to increase aging, compensating for HGH, estrogen and progesterone, testosterone, antiaging tips, increasing telomeres etc. 10. Many College classes and TV programs on Well-Being.

Despite the propaganda and irrespective of this multi-billion dollar industry, we have the following facts: 1. Greater proportion of older individuals that have illness and death due to Covid-19 2. Three quarters of the population are either overweight and/or obese 3. Physical illnesses on the rise like cancer, arteriosclerosis, hypertension, heart disease, osteoporosis, depression etc. 4. Decrease in life span rates 5. Increase in convalescent centers, retirement communities, home healthcare, reverse mortgage and other insurance programs.  Something is definitely not right and amiss.

I have data to support healthy aging. In my book “It Has Nothing To Do With Age,” I interviewed athletic individuals 65 years of age and older that were still competing in extreme sports. Yes, they were not as strong, as fast, as youthful as they were in their past. However, they were involved in a personal activity that provided a sense of mastery, achievement, recognition, meaning and pleasure as well as pain. In other words, they had fire in their belly that fueled their ability to compete at extraordinary levels.  It’s simply about their character. Character doesn’t diminish, it’s only the physiology in the body that changes. Character is key.

Yes, skin sags, eyesight fails, memory plays tricks, hair turns color, physical strength changes, over use injury surfaces, and running speed slows along with other cell death physiological differences. But what doesn’t change is my character, passion, motivation and attitude about running. I continue to enjoy being outdoors with my thoughts while being with nature. I look forward to running again with Tony when he returns from Whidbey Island.

We can learn much from Greek mythology regarding the process of aging. However, our beliefs, attitudes, and in some cases wisdom seems to be set. Our good and bad behaviors seem to become more cemented with age. We tend to repeat what we think and what we do over and over. In other words, despite the physical shape of our body, the strength of good and bad character seems intact.

According to Aristotle, the body is governed by its form, the psyche by the character of the psyche. It has no cause other than itself in it  fills itself by doing what it is naturally suited to do, which is also its pleasure. It’s been stated that old women gain their power by living long. In Socrates “The Republic,” Cephalus concluded “the doleful literary of all the miseries which they blame old-age…, there is just one cause, not old-age but the character of the man.” In Cicero’s De Senec-tute, “old men are morose, troubled, fretful and hard to please;… Some of them are misers too.  However these are faults of character not of age.”   Spinoza’s definition of essence “the endeavor to persist in its own being.”

From Greek mythology, we find an acting out of human affairs dramatizing struggles in the life process. Hercules was an archetypal hero with a willful image of aging. He had many hand-to-hand struggles with death [Thanatos] and with Hades the god of the underworld. Muscled Hercules had these terrific confrontations throughout his life symbolizing unparalleled strength. He never aged. However, his curse was that he became insane. Geras was a bald bent emancipated figure with pendant and reversed genitals. You could see him leaning upon a thin crooked stick while Hercules holds a huge studded club. However we find this personified figure in geriatrics, gerontology which is the study of old age. Tithonos was a human whose wish was granted of living forever. However, he neglected to specify at his present youthful age so he was cursed to live on and on forever growing older. Sisyphus, was punished by Zeus for eternity with pushing a rock up the hill. Once Sisyphus reached the hill top, the rock rolled back down again for another do over.  Symbolizing the persistent struggle in life against the absurdity of life or the repetition of irrational behavior is obvious to all. Sisyphus persisted in his own being as defined by his character. Socrates stated “To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.”

When I was in private psychotherapy practice, I met a number of individuals looking for assistance in knowing thyself. Unfortunately, it’s very difficult to change attitudes, beliefs, irrational thinking and self-defeating behavior let alone the emotions connected with various conflicts. With a lifetime of non-logical thinking and poor decision-making, it’s easy to find an external source or scapegoat for blame for one’s psychological and/or emotional state of being. As a result, knowing thyself and making a positive and continuous change was very difficult. I agree with Spinoza “the endeavor to persist in its own being.”

Yes, I am aging and have experienced many physiological changes over the past 8 decades. But I am not old. However, I continue to look forward, have motivation and drive to achieve, think objectively, employ wisdom, avoid self-defeating behaviors, nourish significant interpersonal relationships and continue to laugh at myself. Do I have to run 81 miles this year, 82 miles the next year etc. in a week? No, but running provides meaning, a sense of accomplishment, and good physical health which reinforces and fuels my passion which encompasses my character. Remember, reframe old, and acknowledge aging with lasting character.

Reference

Hillman, James.  The Force of Character and the Lasting life. Random House 1999

The Rise of Moral Cynicism And the Decline of Altruism

 

 

Aggression in our country continues to increase at an alarming rate as moral behavior declines. Conscience, the psychological apparatus that regulates and differentiates good from bad and right from wrong develops as the result of the various identifications with significant models in one’s life space. However, if the models exhibit amoral, narcissistic, selfish and non-altruistic behaviors a sense of morality is challenge and impaired.  Moreover, with morality behaviors on the decline, we turn to those influential models as integral components contributing to this troubling dysfunction. One factor that contributes to the increase in amoral behavior are the presidents that model and reinforce wrong and the bad behaviors of exploitation, sadistic expression, greed, power and cruelty. Their behaviors contribute to our current state of moral decline and dysfunction.  This disquisition provides examples of presidents that model, thereby sanction and give permission for many in our society to exhibit amoral and non- altruistic interactions among and between its citizens. Our norms have changed for the worse.

We can now witness the  denial , lies and cheating attempts about who won the November 3^rd election, the presidential  assassination of unarmed black men by the police; the statistical increase in citizen deaths by weapons; the ability to openly carry assault rifles to rallies and protests; the legalization, in a few states  , of marijuana; the intended kidnapping of a governor for trial and assassination-Mitt Romney’s father George, as governor of Michigan was never kidnapped; “religious” leaders going to jail; parents indicted over college admissions for their children; the excessive intentional lying and disinformation on social media; the pandering  and enabling by  Senate Republicans ;  the threat to The Affordable Care Act and Social Security; and the despicable spreading of conspiracy by “guests” on so-called” news “stations. Let’s hear from Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw. Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite are turning over in their graves.

Our country’s history has been based on amorality despite having “In God we trust” printed on money; and by referring to our country as a Christian nation. I’m going to focus only on the past 50 year or so. I am also going to use the term “moral cynicism” coined by Robert Sampson. Moral cynicism refers to the notion that laws and informal rules aren’t really and truly binding; and as a nation we lost our sense of an altruistic moral purpose which is a collective will to do what is decent and right. Sampson believed that” we have been living in a state benumbed and a benumbed state in which nihilism prevails and corruption oozes from the very top. “Further, normalized selfishness has prevailed.

Altruism, means a number of things. One important meaning relates to how to treat others. The idea of caring for, and loving others can be found as a major principle in all religious foundations. In the 10 Commandments for example, the idea of loving and honoring another are clear. In essence we are talking about the behavior or behaviors related to how we interact and move toward others as opposed to moving against others. Black skinned people read the same Bible, worship and pray to the same God as white evangelicals. Yet, these evangelicals do not treat these fellow worshipers in an altruistic manner. However, if Jesus was alive today, he would condemn them to say the least.

In 1968, Richard Nixon ran for president. Also running for president was George Wallace, the governor of Alabama. Wallace was an unapologetic defender of segregation and he reportedly promised that he’d never be “out - nigguhed again.” He pledged “segregation now, segregation tomorrow and segregation forever.” Anyone who attacked Wallace was called a “nigguh-lover, a pinko or a communist.” The governor’s goal was to destroy democracy at its best. Wallace was going to pit the white race against the minorities in this country.  Wallace also told a group of police officers in Bethany, Oklahoma “there’s nothing wrong with this country that we couldn’t cure by turning it over to the police for a couple of years. You fellas would straighten that out.” “Folks are mad about law and order and about schools … Race mixing doesn’t work. Show me a place where it worked.” Wallace gathered 13% of the popular vote and carried five states in the Electoral College.

Wallace scared Nixon and as the campaign went on, he endorsed a more and more Wallace in his core campaign. In addition to Wallace’s positions on crime, Nixon spoke out against school busing, federal enforcement of school desegregation, antiwar activists and the federal judiciary. Despite a report of National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, which concluded that structural racism was the underlying cause of the terrible riots that affected Watts and Newark. “What white Americans have never fully understood-but what the Negro can never forget-is that white society is deeply implicated in the ghetto.” Otto Koerner and John V. Lindsay said “white institutions created it, white institutions maintain it and white society condones it.”

Nixon created “The War on Drugs.” Actually, it was a war against people that used drugs. Now, the government could incarcerate them and lock them up at will. This policy was aimed at discriminating against the black community. They were sentenced differently and more severely than whites and were incarcerated differently and more severely than whites. The white majority supported this policy. His presidency added to the turbulence and he’s a good example of amoral behavior by  a Pres. His lack of altruism supported, reinforced  and embraced the existence of moral cynicism. What happened to Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew? Nixon has not  followed  the  Beatitudes of Jesus : Blessed are the poor, Blessed are they who mourn, Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, Blessed are the merciful, Blessed are the clean of heart, Blessed are the peacemakers , Blessed are they who are   persecuted for their sake of righteousness etc.

Ronald Reagan was “no ordinary political phenomena. He is, as Goldwater was, a symbol of the old values of God, Home and Country, his appeal was visceral.” “Reagan was for lean government, low taxes and flag wearing patriotism. He is against civil rights legislation, University radicals and expenditure of government funds in the ghetto.” Reagan was also for “The War on Drugs” or let’s make war against blacks.

The Congress did not go along with wanting to give Reagan funds to overthrow the government in Nicaragua. Reagan rationalized the reason for his dislike of their government. He claimed that they were communists. To make a long story short, Reagan’s national security advisor John Poindexter and Col. Oliver North secretly involved the CIA in providing weaponry for the rebels in order to overthrow the government. The CIA became buddies with the drug cartels and facilitated with American planes and American pilots bringing cocaine to Los Angeles and other communities. The distribution and selling of the drugs resulted in huge monies that purchased weaponry for the rebels. The rebels got their arms and the black community got their drugs and their addictions. Reagan was happy. He was attempting to amorally overthrow a government at the expense of addicting people, the citizens he was supposed to protect.

 The Tower Commission investigated Regan’s Iranian scandal. Reagan was found guilty and 10 officials in his administration were convicted and others forced to resign. Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger was indicted for perjury. A War on Drugs? What a joke and once again the white public went along with the propaganda message as moral cynicism conveys the absence of altruism that was continued and reinforced. What a moral and altruistic leader?

Osama bin Laden had his fellow Saudi’s fly into the World Trade Center on 9/11. Bush did not want to attack our allies [they buy our weaponry] so he went along with the phony “Weapons of Mass Destruction” scheme. Saddam bought our weapons too, but he angered some by invading Kuwait.  So we supposedly, as told by propaganda, were bringing democracy to Iraq. Our country went along with the war propaganda and our revenge was justified. We punished Saddam and in the process created more terrorists. Again, moral cynicism continued to be reinforced. War, the killing of innocent children is morally good? Not much altruism present here.

This brings us to our current state of affairs. Trump, has normalized selfishness, greed, ineptness, racism, police brutality, bigotry, racial inequality, weakening the Constitution and  our Republic, trashing the presidential election, diminishing the news except on Fox,  exploiting scapegoats, sending unidentified “agents” with tear gas to break up peaceful protests, breaking the law etc., etc. Moral cynicism gets expressed by “we love him, and you may not like his personality, but he is good for the country.” However, he’s a loser regardless of his oppositional behavior.

Laila Lalami gives a few examples of not fitting in and moral cynicism in in her book “Conditional Citizens on Belonging in America.” She’s an American citizen, Moroccan by birth and came to the United States for graduate studies in linguistics. This educated woman “I thought, somewhat naïvely, I admit that I would be treated no different than other Americans.” It didn’t take her long to grasp the yawning gap between the ideal taught and civics lessons in the reality. She argues she is a “conditional citizen.” She adds that conditional citizens are not allowed to the question the choices of their government; if they do, they are viewed with suspicion and their allegiance to the new country questioned.

In her book, she points out that immigrants built this great country! We are a nation of immigrants! Immigrants bring disease, crime and rob us of our jobs! -and conditional citizens are regarded as America’s best hope and its greatest threat. Lalami described her first interaction with the federal government after she became a citizen. A border agent at Los Angeles Airport asked her husband “how many camels did you have to trade in for her?” After 9/11 “you’re either with us or you’re against us” were comments from her colleagues who treated her with suspicion when she voiced dissent about the country’s wars in the Middle East; and questioned US exceptionalism, Then her allegiance to America was attacked. When her and her husband moved to Manhattan Beach, California 24 years ago, the local cops stopped her three times in her first year for not signaling a left turn-something her German-American husband who has white hair fails to do but for which he has never been stopped. She stated, Trumps 2016 victory  was driven less by angst over losing jobs to immigrants than fear on the part of whites that their group dominance and privileges would slip away and they would became a more demographic minority. One survey found that the white working-class voters were 3 ½ times more likely to support Trump if they felt “like a stranger in their own land.”

Our “Christian” country began over 400 years ago when English pirates captured a Portuguese ship carrying African slaves. That certainly was an amoral act by the English and the Portuguese. Whenever we have aggression toward or against another that by definition is almost always amoral as well as an absence of altruism. American amorality and lack of altruism, by the Nixon, Reagan and Bush presidencies, continues today in greater overt proportions. Over 72 million citizens voted for the greatest amoral and non-altruistic president in our short history. This president, along with his father, has amorality and a lack of altruism a built into their character. It didn’t matter to him that the office of the presidency was held in high esteem. He trashed the Constitution and the government agencies. It was disturbing that so many of his followers in and out of the government exhibit moral cynicism and non-altruistic behavior by enabling him.

We have, thanks to the current president, the worst statistics on the Covid-19 pandemic in the world. Modeling not wearing a mask is certainly non-altruistic. Moreover, it’s a passive aggressive act as well. Believing that not wearing a mask is a right of a citizen is denial and rationalization. The health of society, as expressed by public health scientists, is related to mask wearing, social distancing, washing hands etc. Not wearing a mask, puts others and our health care system at risk. The behavior of not wearing a mask is bad and wrong from a health, moral and ethical standpoint. Potentially harming another is aggressive and passive at the same time. Underlying emotional aggression is exhibited passively by not taking personal responsibility for mask wearing with defenses of denial (it’s a hoax) and rationalization (I have no symptoms). No altruism present here but plenty of moral cynicism.

 Joe Biden, the President-elect, a man of religious ethics, will provide stability, altruistic behaviors, abiding by norms, and a different moral direction. Joe Biden’s behavior will model moral decency and altruism. Remember, wearing a mask and social distancing are his health, moral and altruistic behaviors to be embraced. More than 79,000,000 citizens agree that Trump should be gone with good riddance. References for this essay are found in the November 1, 2020 edition of The New York Times. They Include the following: 1968 and 2020: Two Perilous Years; One of Us; and Our Faith.

An Absence Of Integrity

 

 

During the process of aging, one obsessively ponders about the various physiological changes that are occurring. It’s common to think about mortality as the evolution occurs. A healthier approach would be to restore the ancient link between older age and the uniqueness of character. Think of character as the distinctive qualities of an individual. Beliefs, attitude, irrationality, delusions, illusions and decision-making also enter into the equation. These qualities become a long-lasting history and define the individual, especially noticeable by others. With that being said, one important component, in a healthy character, are the behaviors of integrity. A description of integrity include: “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles, moral uprightness; and the state of being whole and undivided.” Emerson stated “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world.” References for this essay include: John Beebe’s Integrity in Depth published by the Texas A&M University Press, College Station and Erik H. Erikson’s Childhood and Society published by W. W. Norton and Company Incorporated. This essay address the absence of integrity of Trump.

The Latin root for integrity or integrate means to combine all the elements into one harmonious entity. This makes sense as Integrity has been described as” responsibility, uprightness, standing tall, being untouched, staying intact, completeness, perfection, honesty, moral obligation,  psychological harmony, continuity, psychological and ethical eros, sincerity, chastity, rigidity, obedience, conscience, prudence, purity, constancy, immutability, and holiness. Historical and psychological examples from Cicero, Benjamin Franklin and Erik Erikson follow.

Cicero, during the Roman Republic, used the word integrity in the prosecution of the governor of Sicily. Gaius Verres misused close to $1 million in today’s money from his Sicilian people. Cicero also wrote a book that became a manual for young persons who wanted to succeed. In his De Officiis, Cicero concluded that integrity was central to success in life, it was the right way to seek personal ambition and to win approval. Cicero’s theme in his book was a moral obligation, the standard of reputation as a way of making it in the world. This book was actually written for Cicero’s 21-year-old son who, at the time, was studying philosophy in Athens.  Socrates said that there is a direct shortcut to winning a reputation “make yourself the sort of man you want people to think you are, there are certain methods of ensuring that people do in fact discover what we are like, and I will now suggest what  these methods are.”

Benjamin Franklin arrived in Philadelphia as a young man to escape an endless apprenticeship from his father’s Boston. Franklin then established a way to attain the moral perfection of virtue. He compiled a list of virtues that included: temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, and chastity. Franklin later added humility to his original list of 12 virtues. He stated “I cannot boast of much success in acquiring the reality of this virtue; but I had a good deal with regard to the appearance of.” For Franklin, his struggle with pride, enabled him to achieve a lasting success. He was able to resolve his paradox of using integrity to advance ambition.

Briefly, Erikson postulated a series of 8 crises, in his psychosocial model, that man has to resolve during his evolution in order to become emotionally healthy.  Man’s first stage was being able to develop and confront the emotional crisis of establishing a sense of Basic Trust versus Basic Mistrust. If there was successful resolution of Trust versus Mistrust, the next crisis and succeeding crises became easier to resolve. Unsuccessful resolution, in the stage, or other stages results in significant psychological difficulty and emotional impairment. To illustrate the positive, a few of the lifecycle stages relate to various conflicts and to hopefully develop the ability for mastering skills necessary for productive work in our society; the ability to develop a sense of identity necessary for human development and functioning; the ability to develop a loving union; and furthering the care, education and well-being of the young for their generation.

The task in Erikson’s last stage was to develop a sense of Ego Integrity versus Despair. In this final stage, Erikson acknowledged the various triumphs and disappointments that occur during one’s lifetime. An individual has only one shot to become a mature adult. As one ages, one establishes different ideas and recognizes his love for parents have changed. One has to resolve all the previous crises, impulses, frustrations, conflicts, with an understanding of the psychological history of man. With this ego integration, one is now able to have the wisdom and mature participation in religion, politics, economics, technology, arts, and science. When one possesses integrity, according to Erikson, one is now able to defend the dignity of his own lifestyle against the various physical, economic and societal threats. If so, human integrity now stands or falls within his unique style of integrity. If successful, the individual becomes better able to face his future death. On the other hand, with despair one realizes that his time is now too short to start another life as well as to try out alternative roads to integrity. Disgust hides despair and remorse.

In essence, ego integrity implies an emotional integration which permits participation by followership as well as the acceptance of the responsibility of leadership. Moreover, with mastery and resolution of the previous seven stages, the individual experiences harmony, strength, comfort, well-being and accepts his mortality. In Webster’s dictionary, trust the first of Erikson’s ego values was defined as the assured reliance on another’s integrity. With that being said, healthy children do not fear life if their elders have integrity enough not to fear death.

More about Donald Trump was exhibited with the November 3 presidential election. As in 2016, with the help of Russia, he stated many times that the results of the election would not be accurate if he lost.  He falsely, without a sense of morality or evidence, called the election fraudulent. Was it fraudulent in the states that he won?

During this presidential election, Donald put hobbles on the Postal Service and again with delusion lied that there was election fraud. Benjamin Ginsberg, attorney for the Republican Party and a major figure in the Bush versus Gore election stated numerous times that there was no election fraud then nor now.

On November 4, Trump claimed victory despite the fact that all the votes had not yet been counted. On November 4 and November 5 Trump wanted to stop ballot counting in Pennsylvania but wanted the counting of ballots to continue in Nevada and Arizona. Numerous lawsuits were started as well disinformation coming from Trump’s White House. This was an obvious attempt to subvert and undermine the legitimacy of the election. Somehow, vote counting in the undecided states was called illegitimate.

Mitt Romney called Trump’s election fraud claim wrong and reckless. The Democrats are not trying to steal the election. Further Trump is wrong to say the election was rigged, corrupt and stolen. These claims damage the cause of freedom here and around the world… and recklessly flame destructive and dangerous passions. GOP Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania called Trump’s claim of fraud “very disturbing. There is simply no evidence anyone has shown me of any widespread corruption or fraud. The president’s speech last night was very disturbing to me because he made very serious allegations without any evidence to support it.” Mitch McConnell added every legal vote should be counted.

In summary, clearly Trump does not embrace Cicero’s idea of morality which in part, was stealing from the people; he does not embrace Franklin’s idea of humility or the other 12 virtues; nor is he able to exhibit Erikson’s sense of Basic Trust as well a sense of Integrity. He has no opportunity for “do overs” that classic line in the City Slickers movie. This inauthentic, greedy individual’s despair will be apparent for everyone to see. By now his character traits are well-defined and he is stuck with “who he is.” He does not nor is able to modify his verbal and physical limitations. He’s a sad and mentally unstable individual that is not able to edify his moral, emotional or intellectual behaviors. Over 5,000,000 more discerning Americans voted for someone with integrity. That number is reality and a statement of fact.