Anxiety and Survival

 

 

 Last week’s essay pointed out the negative psychological impact of our society on man as well as man’s wonderful contributions within society. The words of Ralph Waldo Emerson “The first wealth is health” was very much applicable as we are confronted with illusions regarding Covid-19, global warming, authoritarianism and nuclear destruction. This disquisition addresses the relationship of anxiety, separation, union and thinking  pertaining to survival.

The documentary “Equus- Story of the Horse “received my attention. This documentary reminded me of my endurance and ride and tie past. Raider and Gypsy were two of my famous 100 mile equines. I buckled with Raider at the Tevis and with Gypsy at the Swanton Pacific. Those wonderful horses were connected and demonstrated it during separation. If separated, both audio and physical expressions surfaced. In fact, one weekend, Linda and I were in Oregon. I was competing in a Ride and Tie event on Gypsy and Linda was competing with Raider on a Rogue River endurance ride. At one point, we were riding towards each other coming from opposite directions. I was expecting the two horses to physically react to each other, but, to my surprise they didn’t.

Another example of separation anxiety pertains to Linda and her dog Teddy. Linda and Teddy have bonded and it’s not unusual to see Teddy on her lap. Often, Linda may get up from her chair and go into another room with Teddy following her. When Linda leaves the house, Teddy goes to the door and waits for her return. The same thing happens when Linda drives away. Teddy looks for that leaving vehicle. Yes, Teddy, when separated, has barked on many occasions.

Returning to the equine documentary, Karen McComb, a psychologist, has identified 17 equine facial expressions while conducting experiments such as showing different photographs of humans and placing foreign objects in a corral. Related, according to a biologist, equines are herd animals and rely on speed for their survival. However, equines also use their brain by staying together for safety. I would add emotion.

The documentary depicted a trainer introducing a saddle to an unbroken horse. In the “olden days,” a horse was manhandled and made to submit when introduced to a saddle. Now, enlightened trainers introduce the saddle by a series of anxiety reducing measures in order to create safety, focus and calmness with a number of small, discrete, shaping behavioral conditioning steps. Trainers talk about developing trust. However, it’s a really about reducing anxiety of the equine with calmness, baby steps, consistency, and focus within the confines of safety. Trainer knows when he has the horse’s attention and receptivity for receiving a horse blanket, saddle and being mounted. Thus, animals experience emotions. For additional equine viewing, watch Amy of the Heartland TV series.

Humans begin life in the womb and reduce anxiety with positive mother attachment. Father also becomes an attachment identification. Thus, the infant has now developed a sense of self or self-awareness. With occurrence, the infant now begins to sense aloneness, separateness and anxiety  when physically separated from the mother and experiences anxiety that’s expressed loudly and behaviorally.

With the drive to reduce uncomfortableness, results in the need for positive contact. Needs for affiliation, competition, submission, dependence, vulnerability etc. also become activated. With sibling rivalry, the competition need becomes apparent.

When separated, there is anxiety and therefore seeking positives for love, comfort, praise, admiration etc. to reduce separation anxiety with union. That delicate dance is repeated over and over again throughout the life cycle. One has to be united in some way, while seeking special attention and love. Initially, the importance of parents is apparent. Then, the union need becomes generalized to include peers, teachers, teams, groups, clubs, political parties etc. Other examples of” dealing “with separation or union anxiety include intoxicating drugs, alcohol, group sexual activities, Facebook with all the “friends” etc.

Another important and significant example, not to be lost, with the power union was found in a July 11, 2021 article in The New York Times “The Joy We’ve  Been Missing” pertains to the possibility of experiencing positive effervescence coined by Emile Durkheim. Effervescence is a sense of energy and harmony many people feel when they come together in a group around a shared purpose. Over 15,000 vaccinated people participated in the Foo Fighters concert with the reopening of Madison Square Garden in late June and experienced effervescence.

Like animals, humans seek to become part of groups for positive emotional survival. We proceed from mother, father, and the family to the clan, tribe, and nation. Unfortunately, our and the animal’s emotional level, is located in the primitive or mammalian part of our brain with its memory functions, amygdala cingulate, hypothalamus, hippocampus and limbic systems. With evolution, we acquired a cerebral cortex or New Brain with its ego functions. Our brain is the most complex machine in the universe when in the rare case of fully functioning. Realistically, that becomes problematic per Epicurus “Nothing is good or bad, thinking makes it so.” Illusions beware.

Even though we’ve had a history of nationalism- Kings, Queen, Pharaohs, Alexander’s, Caesars, Napoleon’s, and Hitler’s we also acknowledge the following humanistic ideas regarding man. Briefly: 1. Buddha thought of man as having the same structure, the same problems and the same answers without regard to culture and race 2. Isaiah “shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.” “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” 3. Antigone sacrificed her life in defense of universal human or natural law against state law 4.Zenon had the vision of a universal commonwealth 5. Prometheus stole fire thus laying the very basis for civilization 6. Kant constructed a moral principle that the state is only a result of human forces, only the work of our thoughts, but man is the force of the source itself and the creator of the thought for all men and outlined the possibility of eternal peace 7. Schiller “The state is only a result of human forces, only work of our thoughts, but man is the force of the source itself, the creator of the thought.” Thus we have the conflict of nationalism versus humanistic ideas regarding man’s place and how man treats man on this planet. Currently, we do not have enough harmony and cooperation placing our planet at risk.

World Wars I and II, The Great Depression, and the atomic bomb has just about decimated the concept of humanism. Anxiety, and insecurity draws us toward others for survival and protection. The “others” proceed from family, clan, etc. to nation. We initially experience stranger anxiety at about nine months and that dynamic translates “beware of the stranger. “ The stranger may look different; have different skin color; sound differently; have different religious and spiritual beliefs; have a different economic and political ideology etc. Unfortunately, as groups grow in size, individuals become strangers to each other and not neighbors thus setting the stage for nationalism or authoritarianism.

With authoritarianism, we live emotionally in the Stone Age with our Mammalian brain with the archaic passions of fear, hate, devotion and greed. Thus, we are prey to narcissistic and evil manipulators. These “leaders” are motivated by their narcissistic passions for economic power, possession, and exploitation. Doesn’t seem to matter who gets in their way.  It’s about being number one and number one only. Propaganda, illusions and rationalization mechanisms of love of country, love of flag, democracy, and capitalism become ideologies. Followers become fanatically subservient and serve their idol or master, with blind faith and allegiance; lose their ability to think rationally and become stupid without common sense. They lack the developed capacity for understanding the less obvious causes of phenomena and realities; of grasping contradictions within the same phenomenon and realities; and of making connections between different and not obvious related factors, phenomena and realities. They obediently follow and employ their impaired ego functions of loyalty with illusions and rationalizations. They cannot objectively judge, and with distortion convince themselves of anything and believe untruths, biases, lies etc.; their conformity is powerful; they cling and they are unable to separate because they are dependent and drawn to power. They believe that the powerful are more talented more intelligent etc. making rationalization a protection and justification for following.

Not being aware of the irrational, the fiction and the illusions within emotional functioning results in herding, making it difficult to take one’s head out of the sand and live cooperatively.  Eve’s, bite into the Apple resulted in her ability to see her reality and thus her action was the first act of disobedience. Disobedience has been positively demonstrated throughout the history of man. Is it too late to confront the realities, not the illusions of the pandemic, global warming, democracy and “the bomb?” We must deal with the reality of the lack of cooperation among and between men and diminish the fears and anxieties. Maybe it’s time for disobedience and wake up to the evils of nationalism, illusions and start with the “Big Lie” and Covid- 19 Hoax.” Buddha’s message “Awake from man’s illusions, become aware of realities- sickness, old age and death” is still relevant. Importantly, do not forget that words can be a distortion from reality and according to Thales “A multitude of words is no proof of a prudent mind.” More to follow.

PS

All the lonely people, where do they all come from? All the lonely people, where do they all belong?

Eleanor Rigby

I get by with a little help from my friends

With a Little Help from My Friends

 

 

Reference

Beatles, Eleanor Rigby, Revolver, 1966.

Beatles, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967.

Fromm Erich, “Beyond the Chains of Illusion-My Encounter with Marx and Freud,” Bloomsbury Academic.

Institute For Natural Resources Institute, Understanding Dementia.