Commonalities and Authoritarianism

 

The ugly war continues and the three leaders come to mind-Joe Biden,Volodymyr Zielinski and Vladimir Putin.  Are there common themes between them?  If so, what are they?  Does that mean that man has common temperaments, personalities or character?  This disquisition focuses  on a few common psychodynamic principles  and Authoritarianism . 

In primeval times , man was confronted by many obstacles and challenges  pertaining to survival.Being born becomes associated  with anxiety, fear,and inability to  survive alone- dependency.Within that dependency , the infant became part of a horde–his family  led by the most powerful , omnipotent authoritarian father type. This omnipotent brute became  master for all and provided safety needs - food ,shelter , rules and warmth etc. for survival. With siblings , rivalry surfaced.  To secure favor,the individuals became grateful, sympathetic, loyal, subservient in an attempt to win the love,protection , respect and gratitude. During existence,  the  omnipotent,despotic leader exhibited  favor , disapproval and even punishment.  Therefore, ambivalent feelings-of liking, loving, honoring,  fearing and hating became the norm. The authoritarian father figure with  unlimited power, dominance, and control used brutality to keep others subservient . All females and others were his property.  They were objects available for hm to satisfy his sexual requirements and gratifications . If the authoritarian felt threatened, or was jealous, he  castrated, killed or banished the rival. It should be noted that  the youngest male was in favor and was protected by the mother.  If the father figure, aged and died, that younger sibling might assume power and control of the horde.  With cannibalism, it became  a totem feast and the  siblings would actually Incorporate the father figure in order to symbolically-magical thinking  acquire his power. With that being said,  the children witnessed, on many occasions , the sadomasochistic  behavior of the father figure, which became a model that they exhibited as well.  In essence, the existence of anxiety , insecurity; dependency;  ambivalence; rivalry; and sadomasochism are behavioral tendencies that were established and surfaced within this social structure ruled by  an autocratic,  dictatorial, despotic, tyrannical , authoritarian father type with unlimited sovereignty  over the horde.

Later, Moses.surfaced from the Iknaton Empire. Was Moses an Egyptian?  Regardless, monotheism was established within that Egyptian Dynasty. It’s believed that Moses led the Levite slaves from Egypt into the desert for 40 years. Moses was an authoritarian father figure  leader?  In  leading his people,Moses required rules ,mores and regulations regarding man’s behavior. In the story, he provided God’s 10 commandments that pertained to the moral and ethical behavior of how  others are supposed to treat others.  Unfortunately, Moses never reached the promised land because he was murdered beforehand. It should also be stated that Jahve was an authoritarian father . That  primeval father. exhibited omnipotent power over the known world.  He established commandments and he could punish others.  He made the Red Sea part and allowed a terrible flood to inhabit the world.With the  power of salvation, he was unchallenged, and the only God.

About 4000 years ago,  civilization became  more established -ceramics development provided impetus for agricultural accumulation, grain availability , etc. In Babylon, the code of Hammurabi was established.  This code  was a collection of 282 rules, providing standards for commercial interactions, setting fines and punishments to meet the requirements of justice.  Once again, these codes were for the commoners; it became clear that the commandments of God were not effective in regulating behavior. The Authoritarian father figure  code : “to make justice visible in the land, to destroy the wicked person and the evildoer, and that the strong might not injure the weak.” It could also be said that human sacrifice, god's commandments and codes were moralistic ideas that did not succeed in regulating man’s behavior. Again, insecurity,dependence, rivalry, ambivalence and sadomasochistic tendencies were widely exhibited in Babylon too.

The Greeks also had their ruler, protector, father of all gods and humans.  Zeus was  authoritarian too.  He was depicted , in Greek mythology ,as the chief Greek deity  and shown as an older man with a beard  represented by symbols of  lightning bolt and eagle.

Philip of Macedon was the Authoritarian  father king who gained domination over all of Greece with military power and diplomatic means until he was murdered. His son, Alexander the Great ,followed .  Alexander’s conquests included Persia, Asia , Egypt,and India.With Alexander,there was a brutal display of sadomasochism.  His loyal army  and generals followed him regardless of hardships during the conquests. Yes, they raped and looted.But ,how much loot can you carry while marching to battle?  The soldiers followed, obeyed and were loyal and  dependent upon him, as he was dependent upon them as well.  Both Alexander and his followers displayed sadomasochism.  With ambivalence , rivalry, love ,hate and resentment surfaced.  Again, insecurity, dependence,rivalry, ambivalence, sadomasochism with an authoritarian father figure leader was the norm. Alexander was murdered too. Note, all  Authoritarian  father figures are represented favorably in the history of Homosapiens .

Authoritarian father figures  were prevalent with  Caesar,Nero, Hannibal, Attila,popes, Cortez,Napoleon, kings, queens etc. .Roughly 700 years ago, the monarch - authoritarian father  of England was Henry VIII .Being a Roman Catholic, he was confronted with church opposition when he desired Anne Boleyn.  He resolved his  conflict by establishing the Church of England with subsequent marriages.  Once again, rules, laws, God’s commandments, etc were not followed by him.  King Henry was above the law. He was the law and manipulated it  to his advantage as well as eliminating  his enemies.Further, he was described as one of the most charismatic rulers to sit on the English throne , yet was loved and hated as well.  Again, insecurity, dependence, rivalry, ambivalence, and sadomasochism were exhibited especially with his treatment of his six wives and enemies.Just ask Sir Thomas Moore  and Oliver Cromwell?

Recently, 80 –90 years ago , another  charismatic authoritarian rose from the ashes of World War I.  Hitler was  above the law as he was the law.  Codes,laws and commandments  were irrelevant for him.  His invasion of Poland  was based on a lie.  Insecurity ,dependency, rivalry, ambivalence and sadomasochism were in full sight.  His followers  were even  young adolescents who fought for him even though they were headed to their graves.  He killed , destroyed and ravaged  Europe with his irrationality and hatred.  In the end, this despicable individual took his own life and followers continue to mourn.

Today, Putin is the most powerful authoritarian  father figure on the planet.  He invaded Ukraine with irrationality and lies. His military  has been destroying Ukraine and his treatment by his military exhibits sadomasochism.  They are all guilty of murder.  Are they insecure , dependent and follow his commands?  Is there ambivalence  ? Some said they didn't  know why they were in Ukraine or thought they were on  a military exercise. No one can use the same excuse of thinking now. Can Putin be criticized in Russia?  Apparently not, as even  the Russian  people are not getting a true picture of the invasion. Yes,  rivals  are either killed or put in prison without commandments, codes or trials for protection .Will Putin ever face consequences for his war crimes? Fear,dependency,rivalry,ambivalence and sadomasochism are on full display in Russia.

Biden and Zelinski  are  leaders of their countries. In the United States and Ukraine,  voting for leadership Is different than in Russia.  That doesn’t mean that we have reached a total  or ideal democracy.  Our democracy is under attack by  authoritarian leaning individuals.  In Ukraine, there is insecurity, dependence,rivalry, ambivalence, and sadomasochism as well- but not for authoritarian leadership. Ukraines future is dependent on  NATO’s alliance for killing weapons .

The collective unconscious for authoritarian father rule is alive and well  in our country . A strong father figures' amoral conscience , being the law appeals to many of  insecure ,dependent , rivalry, sadomasochistic and sycophantic followers.Thus, we are at war with authoritarianism too .Can democracy win against the long standing historical collective unconscious of authoritarian  prevalence and dominance ?

In our capitalistic country, with the collective unconscious,human physiology within the context of child rearing dynamics , insecurity, dependency, ambivalence, rivalry, and sadomasochism become  dominant psychological  tendencies. With that being said,Erich Fromm described  a marketing orientation personality  influenced by our capitalistic society and its vulnerability to authoritarian influence.  Fromm stated that  with capitalism, our market  meeting place has changed from earlier times.  The exchange of goods and services  currently has become more abstract, impersonal and not based on value of use, but on supply and demand.  Because of this occurrence, individuals have not only become a commodity but  one’s value has become  based on exchange.  Translated, this means we now have a personality market tendency.  With a personality market, material success is based on personal acceptance by those who need the service and those who employ them.  This in turn facilitates more insecurity , superficial  interactions and roles with alienation-  dependency seeking protection which is authoritarianism.

Arthur Miller’s  Death of a  Salesman, provides an example of  a marketing personality placing those at risk, searching, needing and requiring  a protector. In the story, the protagonist is Willy  Loman. Willy becomes insecure  because of his inability to  successfully sell .He becomes unable to aggressively close the deal and anxiously awaits for the customer to say” yes.”His identity  is totally dependent  on  successfully making a living.He’s ambivalent regarding his employment  as he needs the job, yet is totally discouraged, resentful, depressed and down and out because of being fired.  He could not compete successfully with other salesmen.  In essence, he was a market failure economically and no longer able to sell himself or his product.  His  interpersonal relationships were superficial  and contributed to his  loss of identity and meaningless existence.Thus, insecurity ,identity, meaningless and depression result in wishing for acceptance,love and protection from an authoritarian father figure  as Willy unable to stand on his own two feet.

The battle between seeking an authoritarian father figure -dominant,protective, exploitative, lying, cheating, stealing, with little moral or ethical regard versus a humanistic democratic orientation -truth, objectivity,reason, rationality, fairness, love, respect  continues within  much insecurity and economic discrepancy.  A few words from those enlightened humanists : Lao-Tse  “True words always seem paradoxical but  No other form of teaching can take its place and He who conquers others is strong, He who conquers himself is mighty;”   Plato  “  Who then are the true philosophers?  Those  who are lovers of the vision of truth. And Hosea  “My people are destroyed by the lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee.”

PS

Psychologically ,Insecurity, dependence,rivalry, ambivalence–sadomasochistic tendencies were commonalities exhibited within the families.  Two examples from a family of five pertaining to  older and younger  siblings.  The first example, the  younger sibling, because of his anger and resentment, hurled a pitchfork at his brother.  In the second, the older brother took his younger brother out to play football.so the older brother could run over younger brother - psychodynamic tendencies exhibited..

Reference

Fromm , Erich.  Man  For  Himself  An Inquiry Into The  Psychology  Of Ethics.

License to Kill

 

The news for  the past months has been brutal, sad and sickening. We are witnessing killing, hate,destruction, good and evil.One time, Russia was our ally and Japan, Germany and Italy were enemies. Things have changed.  The Russian invasion by Putin was despicable and his reasoning suspect.  Words like” war criminal,””crimes against humanity” and  “genocide” have  labeled Putin correctly. How can  war be classified other than being criminal?  This essay relates to the permission to  kill.

Early in man’s history,there was  evidence of  bashed skulls , human sacrifice, and jealous leaders  of a horde, killing and banishing a rival son for dominance. Cannibalism also was present. Thus, man killed man.

The Old Testament  identified one of man’s sin’s: “thou shall not kill.”   Unfortunately, that message is mixed and filled with ambivalence.  For example, the parting of the Red Sea  saved the Levites,in about 1350 BCE, but killed the Pharaoh Ramsey and his Egyptian army in pursuit.  Also, Noah and his family were saved but not the others with God’s great flood. Thus, the authoritarian father figure Jahve had a license to kill.Further, I did not forget about Pontius Pilate’s killing of Jesus.

Samson was a hero as he killed  bad Philistines.  However, Samson committed suicide when he destroyed the worshiping Philistines at their temple.  David killed Goliath with a slingshot and Esther and Judah Maccabee had their victory over the evil Syrian general. In addition to the  stories of good and bad, we find the passage in Leviticus “and a man who injures his countrymen……. eve for eye ,tooth  for tooth…. so it will be given to him” which is permission and justification to avenge.Yes,the license to kill was established historically.

 TV , movies ,video games and novels have done a masterful job with historical re-creations with themes of killing , good versus evil, and revenge.A few illustrations follow: Alexander, Spartacus, Cleopatra, Ben Hur and Dr. Zhivago.  Early action heroes starting with Douglas Fairbanks Jr, Earol Flynn, John Wayne, Gary Cooper and many others did their part. We now have  Daniiel Craig, Sylvester Stallone, Matt Damon, Dwayne Johnson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Cruise, Daniel Day- Lewis, Al Pachino, Robert De Niro and many others doing the same. We see movie thrillers:  Avatar, Lord of the Rings,Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,Game of Thrones, Pulp Fiction, Gangs of New York, There Will Be Blood and Yellowstone, to name just a few doing likewise.  Do not forget about movies with Generals: Patton, MacArthur, Eisenhower, and of course George Washington-   killing galore  with the good guys winning at the end.  Sometimes  it’s hard to find morals- who is good from who’s bad. Do not forget the government’s message in the James Bond and Mission Impossible movies - you are on  your own -government is not responsible for your behavior. Marvel Comics has contributed with the   glorification of killing “ evil.”Please don’t forget the Winchester ‘73 movie with James Stewart and the famous rifle.Thus, license to kill has been beautifully modeled by the protagonists .

Government decides who can kill and who can't kill based on the laws and the Supreme Court.  In fact,our government even pays individuals to become experts at killing. Just yesterday, one Marine on TV stated  that he was helping train  Ukrainians in their fight against evil and being invaded.  He also said  that his tours in Afghanistan  were not what he was trained for and that he experienced dissonance while on tour in that war.

We also have capital punishment which is supposed to reduce killing.  Per capita state execution rate rankings  based on 2019 population per 100,000 residents  were:  28 .Washington 0.07  29. New Mexico  0.05 30. Oregon 0.05  31 California  0.03. Also,  statistical ranking  of gun deaths per capita by state:1.  Alaska 2.  Alabama 3.  Montana  4.  Louisiana 5.  Mississippi 6.  Missouri 7.  Arkansas 8.  Wyoming  9.  West Virginia 10.  New Mexico.  On the other hand, these states have the lowest gun deaths per capita and have the lowest gun ownership in the United States: 1.  Massachusetts 2.  New York 3.  New Jersey4.   Hawaii 5.  Rhode Island.

Forget morality, we  have  gone to license to kill by our police force.  Everytown  Research  and Policy in a titled  article “America’s  gun violence epidemic includes gun violence by police.”Statistically,  every year police. in America, shoot and kill more than 1000 people; 96%  of the deaths of civilians caused by police are with a firearm and Black people are  the victims  at a disproportionate rate-they are nearly 3 times more likely to be shot and killed by police than white people.A few days ago,In Grand Rapids, Michigan a black individual was lying facedown on the ground with the white police officer on his back. The officer  shot him in the back of the head.  The so-called reason for the initial stop of this black man had to do with some inconsistent license plate data.

Killing is done in all the states with some more and some less.  Gun ownership and killing is a symptom along with fear, poverty,education,and illness. This is our historical pattern : 1.  Horrible killings of children as in Sandy Hook Elementary and Marjory Stoneman Douglas  High School 2.  Public outrage with 24-7  TV coverage 3.  Political rhetoric about gun violence, background checks, automatic weapons legislation etc. 4.  Social media and other sources regarding Second Amendment rights, Government taking of guns etc. 5.  Ammunition and gun sales become all time highs. Thus,  scare the populace to increase demand so the demand  exceeds the supply.  In essence, profits as we witness capitalism at work.

Our government has the largest military in the world and the great majority of its budget is related to defense.  We go to war in order to protect our interests, which are related to resources regardless of location.  Generally, war is based on acquiring territory, resources and oppressing people .  Eisenhower pointed out the  power of the military-industrial complex within the capitalistic model.  We were told going to war in the Middle East was based on an enemy who had weapons of mass destruction.Earlier we had  sold him arms . Putin is our current enemy and Russia actually has weapons of mass destruction.So we are at war again by providing military and humanitarian aid. Some of our corporations continue to benefit. Do not forget the Second Amendment in our Constitution, which also is a license to kill.

In  summary, the history of man,in large part, is illustrated with hate,revenge, killing,war,destruction and misery.  We have glorified good versus bad with revenge. Politics has mastered the ability to increase fear in order to motivate its subjects.  Politics is also excellent at  providing solutions, as in gun purchase, as a remedy, as well as permission  given in the Second Amendment or license to kill. Civilization established  sin and then we created laws defining good and bad. Unfortunately, too many Homo sapiens act on their malignant impulses and kill.  Weapons are a good profit product in the capitalistic economic system. Just look at all the people fighting in various parts of the world and marvel at their weapons.  With that being said,it leads me to  John Lennon.  Although Lennon was not a saint,  for him to be murdered? Yes, Homo sapiens  by physiological and psychological design , have  acquired the potential to kill. Too many  Homo sapiens act on that potential and do kill. The county is limited from making society safer because of the driving force of capitalism, the constitution and our Republic. Morality  is dead, which means God is also.  We have undivided faith in Capitalism which we  currently worship .Now, a quote by Thomas Aquinas.  “ To one who has faith, no explanation  is necessary.. To one without faith, no explanation is possible;” and another by Martin Luther King Jr. “Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

 A couple of considerations regarding school shootings: 1.  Deny media attention  for the shooter. Do not provide him 5 minutes of fame. The motivation of his hate of self and others are irrelevant. No relevance of his story to be gained  on TV for the public . His consequences  will be either being killed as in self suicide or finding justice with incarceration.  His contribution to society is hatred and should be ignored.  2.  Provide media attention to the victims, families; school, local politicians and community  for their plans, suggestions and implementation of programs for betterment.

Brady Sisyphus and the Phantom

 The idea for this week’s essay began with a morning walk with Linda and Teddy. Linda made a negative remark regarding aging that got my attention.  She  turned  to go home and I continued on my trail run.  I began thinking more about her comment. As a result,I apply an analogy with Sisyphus  and the song “The Point of No Return” from  The Phantom of the Opera regarding aging.

Sisyphus was a  figure in Homer’s Iliad and subsequently was punished by Zeus because he cheated death.  His punishment was to push an immense boulder up the hill, only for it to roll down every time he neared the top.  He had  to repeat this action for eternity.  Symbolically, the boulder represents the internal doubts ,fears and additional obstacles,  barriers,  challenges and all the stresses that seem to be in the way for goal attainment-reaching the hilltop. The song’s lyrics”: No  backward glances  Our games of make  believe are at an end” suggest the train has left the station and not to return.  These two symbols  highlight the aging process.

Homo sapiens grow and develop physically until certain physiological occurrences set in.  For example, we have what’s called the human growth hormone. HGH is a protein made up of a single chain of 191 amino acids.  The primary function of HGH in childhood and young adulthood is to help bones lengthen and expand. By the mid-20s, we are taller, with longer limbs, stronger bones etc.  The HGH hormone reaches its peak around the age of 20 and then steadily declines. DHEA is another hormone . It is produced by the adrenal glands and has been called the mother of all hormones because the body uses it to produce male and female sex hormones-testosterone , estrogen, progesterone as well as corticosterone.  The body's DHEA levels continue to rise up until roughly the age of 25 and then production drops off.  At age 65, Homo sapiens are producing only 10 to 20%% of the DHEA that  bodies manufactured  at age 20.  Also, estrogen is one of the most powerful homes in the human body.  Some 300 different tissues are equipped with estrogen and estrogen receptors. This means that estrogen levels in the body can affect a wide number of tissues and organs in the brain, liver, uterus, urinary tract, breast, skin and blood vessels.  Estrogen continues to produce well before the onset of menstruation and then begins to fall well before the onset of menopause  - earlt 30’s.

Testosterone is the male sex hormone.  Testosterone affects sex drive, fatigue, mood, osteoporosis, loss of weight and secondary sex characteristics.  After puberty, levels of testosterone drop  gradually in men.  Further, as many as 20% of men over age 50 have low levels of testosterone.  Once again, growth accelerates until a certain point and then begins to decline with gradual and continuous loss of strength, libido, etc.

Athletes are good examples for physical superiority.Consider Tom Brady, George Blanda , Joe Montana, Brett Favre ,Mohammed Ali,  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lebron James, Gordie Howe, Phil Mickelson, Jack Nicholas and Tiger Woods, to name a few.

Brady is a current example.  Tom Brady retired for about a month and then announced he was returning to football.  Does Brady have enough economic power and prestige at this point?  His attractive wife is exceedingly wealthy and he’s been called the goat-greatest of all time.  Yes, it’s true that he’s  strong and has affiliative ,dominance, play and  exhibition needs.  Do not overlook his need for competition as they relate to needs of power, prestige, and  possession as well.

Competition is a struggle with others that take place in all spheres of life- social relations, play , economics, etc. Everyone is competitive to some level, but Brady is extremely competitive.  With competition, one measures self against others, even if there is no reason to do that.  Has Brady had enough success and prestige from winning?  He has accomplished so much and appears to be unique and exceptional.  He may actually believe that he cares more about the team, teammates, etc. not just about his own success. Tom may or may not be aware of this dynamic.  However, he has great frustration and sensitivity regarding losing.  His last competitive game was against the Rams and he lost.  It actually might be more important for him to defeat his rivals than to succeed.  Note he retired. while coach Arians  was the boss in Tampa Bay.  Was it a coincidence  that when Arians retired, Brady came back?  Perhaps Brady must prove again that he can win with or in spite of his coach.  Brady proved that point with former  coach Belichick.  After Belichick let him go.  Brady won the Super Bowl that year with a different team.  Further, the other side of competition is fear of failure.  Brady’s competitive needs are strong as well as his fear of failure. A few illustrations to combat his fear of failure are as follows: 1.  He watches  and studies game film compulsively.  2.  He treats his body like it’s a precious vessel.  He has experts on nutrition, physical therapy, conditioning, etc. 3.  He practices his skill repeatedly. Has Brady reached the point of no return?

On the cognitive intellectual level. We also see growth and then decline with words, understanding, intellectual and creativity.  Discoveries by Freud ,Einstein , Mme. Curry, Pasteur, Sabin and Lawrence Bragg were youngsters that did not exhibit long white hair , long white beard, or dressed in long robes.  What was once believed that  scientific discoveries that were not made prior to age 30 will not be made at all.  Today’s research found that scientists awarded the Nobel Prize have an average age now of 48.  Beethoven became less socially involved around 50 years of age and Mendelssohn’s famous works began when he was 17 and lasted until the age of 37.  These famous individuals reached “The point of no return.”

Cognitive memory has a period of growth and then declines as evidenced by findings in  the cerebral cortex.  The first decline is called normal forgetting.  Do not forget the brain reaches maximum size in the teens, and then shrinks in size until about  age 28.  With brain volume decline, there is continuous loss of neurons, connection with other neurons, reducing blood flow to the brain and then atrophy.  After normal forgetting, the next progressive stage is called age associative memory impairment.  The next stage or third stage is called mild cognitive impairment and the last  is the deadly stage called dementia.  Losses are progressive and strongly affected by aging.  Yes, we can say that a point of no return  becomes established for too many.

Recently Linda and I received our second booster shots for Covid-19.  While at the drugstore. I saw a number of cognitive memory supplements for sale regarding improving memory.  Unfortunately, the bottles did not describe the variables related to age, length of memory improvement, nor were semantic, declarative, long-term, short-term or other memory deficits mentioned.  Also , on the shelf were supplements regarding  improving strength.  Once again an absence of definition on the bottles nor what variables were going to be improved or how they were measured.  Just minor details omitted

With the Sisyphus analogy, I view aging as being affected by genetics, disease, accidents and lifestyle choices.  Aside from these givens, we  create goals and pursue them based on our needs and character. Regardless of the goals, there are challenges, barriers, roadblocks, interferences  from our own thinking mind and from external sources.  One challenge might be a bachelor’s degree, Master's degree or a PhD.  All types of obstacles and hurdles must be addressed  in order to succeed.

While aging the degree of hill slope changes.  We don’t have to win or come in first in the trail run. We can come in first in our age division.  Bolder dimensions  also change.  Winning a trailrain depends on age, tremendous mechanics, excellent training, a strong will etc. Age division winner is different and varies a lot.  However,a strong will and positive  reinforcements along the way are necessary.  Thus, the boulder and  hills change but expectations and motivation are the main key irrespective.

Tom Brady is not the same physiologically that he was while he was playing for the University of Michigan.  Intellectually, there may be a decline but his wisdom and experience regarding the game and conditioning facilitate his effectiveness.  Sure, he requires an offensive plan ,lineman ,skill position players, and a good defense as other variables.  Obviously he believes that he has not reached the point of no return.  He’s not playing for money but for power, possession, prestige, affiliation, play, dominance, exhibition and competition.  Being at  home with his family was not the same as receiving the adulation from fans, players and coaches–his extended family..

Tom Brady is likely to have difficulty this football year as a result of his ambivalence.  He announced his return to the game, suggesting earlier  some doubt about his ability to succeed at the highest level- fear of failure.  For the past 20 years or so, he accomplished an unbelievable amount of success, thus establishing a strong expectancy or expectation.  Then doubt surfaced, and he retired  . Shortly after announcing his retirement, he indicated he was coming back to the game.  

With ambivalence , mixed feelings  or conflict,  Brady, in his thinking, has to change the negatives into positives - to undo his thoughts, a reversal from the initial emotional reasons given to retire.  In other words, anxiety and stress  were created by his reversal.  The mind has to be able to control, reduce, and subdue the previous emotional based thoughts in order to bring back  harmony or balance.  In order to accomplish these cognitive gymnastics, the mind has protective thinking devices at its disposal called defense mechanisms.  A combination of defense mechanisms  were employed which allowed him to reduce his mixed feelings .His defense mechanisms and dissonance include–repression ,reaction formation, denial, rationalization in order to justify playing again.  Hopefully Brady can deal with his emotional conflict.  If not, Brady faces another hurdle regarding football.  When did Brady seriously ever not want to play quarterback?  Tom Brady, your window of opportunity is closing. Another point of view from the brilliant George Bernard Shaw  “We don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.”

References

Freud, Anna.  The Ego And  The Mechanisms Of  Defense.

Klatz, Ronald  and Goldman, Robert.  Stopping The Clock..

Oedipus" Guilt

 

Last week’s racist babies essay and  the New York Times, November 21, 2022 titled '' Madison Saw Something We’ve Forgotten “ article spurred interest in morality. Yes, it’s true that immorality began in our country in 1619, and continued with the ⅗ black to white ratio in the South, for the  ratification of our Constitution. In my eight decades, I’ve witnessed Hitler, the Bomb, McCarthy hearings, Korea  and Vietnam.  Additionally,I remembered the Freedom Riders, Little Rock, Arkansas, Selma, the assassination of the Kennedys , Martin Luther King and other atrocities.  This  disquisition addresses the rise in immorality.

A brief overview of  conscience development follows.  Conscience Is the moral functioning of personality and relates to approval or disapproval on grounds of  rectitude.Conscience, early in life, is developed based on  identification with parents .Good  and bad are parental standards  based  on their approval or disapproval of behavior. In other words,a parent's  conscience becomes the baby’s.  A parent's presence generally determines whether or not a transgression occurs . Later,the internalization of right from wrong becomes more established regardless of a parent's presence.  Developmentally, and importantly, a baby becomes critical of his behavior with an unconscious demand for self punishment or repartition.  Remember,in the mind, a conscience keeps a record of good and bad thoughts and actions that continuously takes place irrespective of  all the fictions told to self.

Actually, this unconscious process results in a much more severe moral demand and prohibition taking place  regardless of the  inflation of the belief that he’s so good. However,baby’s are able to praise themselves for virtuous and desirable thoughts and actions too. By age 5 or 6, the  belief that wrongdoing must be punished becomes established.  However, by age 9 or 10 ,this internalization of being punished begins to become more prominent as the conscience becomes modified subject to  the many additions and modifications with  identifications.  Other identifications include babysitters, teachers,coaches, religious persons, dirt, flag,celebrities, sports teams, star players , political parties etc. The pursuit for identification continues as humans attempt to compensate for various deficits. Moreover,  identification figures can actually exhibit victim behavior and other negatives too. And with  group identifications, one actually internalizes the groups moral standards and ideals as well.

The  superego and ego battle taking place in the mind becomes whether or not to gratify  and act on  irrational ,amoral ,hedonistic  impulses and thoughts . Will there be prohibitions or will there be  transgressions with opportunity or temptation? President  Carter: “I’ve looked  at a lot of women with lust.  I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times.”  Pres. Carter has anatomy wrong.  He thought about adultery in his mind and his ego and superego agreed. On another note, how would one explain the motivation of an educated individual that has a tendency and compulsion to make similar relationship mistakes  more than once and that behavior  not only interferes with well-being but causes anxiety, depression, heartache and a victim stance ?  Would one expect that the person in question to be able to learn from his mistakes, have  high self-esteem, have a sense of superiority and an absence of guilt regarding such repetitive behavior ?  Guilt remains one powerful motivator with negative consequences like a sense of inferiority, lowered self-esteem, making it difficult to change with an absence of joy and happiness.For these individuals, feelings of guilt are more or less disguised but their presence is suggested by behavior, attitudes and ways of thinking and reacting.

Take Oedipus Rex. Oedipus with his incestuous, aggressive impulses, pursuing power, prestige, and possessions killed his father,the King, and married his mother,the Queen.  Guilt  and self-destructive behavior followed . Oedipus  blinded himself so that he didn’t have to face his mother and others with shame, thus a victim.

A word about the New York Times article.  This article addressed the power of the states,congress and the supreme court when it comes to voting.  They all claimed that the Constitution was on their side.  Currently Republican-controlled state houses are proposing gerrymandering districts in an effort to  swing the upcoming 2022  election . Can Congress protect the right to vote?   Does the federal government guarantee every state in the union a fair form of reprepublic government?  James Madison wrote that the republic ought to clearly possess the authority to defend the system against aristocratic or monarchical innovations.  The Supreme Court  had  opinions on this matter.One justice stated that Congress has a right to decide what government  is established ; another ruling stated  this subject was beyond the scope of the Supreme Court to enforce or guarantee a republic form of government; another ruling worried about sinister state legislation that might interfere with freedom and place a condition of legal inferiority upon a large body of American citizens and  a state rights article stated that anything that impedes a states republican form is one step closer to eventually unraveling  a states republican form of government.  At this time, what can we expect from amoral state legislatures, Republicans in Congress  or the conservative Supreme Court  as far as fairness when it comes to protecting voting rights ?

Years ago, I remember  an 8  ½ minute  gap from Nixon’s tape; Watergate; Nixon’s corrupt VP Spiro Agnew;Reagan’s  Iran-contra Contra Affair scandal; and  Bush’s weapons of mass destruction debacle as some examples of immorality. 

  Moreover, the Freedom House is an American organization that has warned ,since World War II, against aristocracy and repression around the world.  They stated, the United States has slid down its ranking of countries per  political rights and civil liberties. Our country Is now 59th on their list, slightly below Argentina and Mongolia.  The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, a Stockholm based think tank, added for the first time the United States to its list of countries facing an acute crisis for democracy.

Within the last six years, we’ve had two impeachments; two Senate Votes  with no convictions; a discreditable Atty. General,a dishonest chief of  staff; unscrupulous attorneys; unprincipled advisors; disreputable secretaries of State; shameful Supreme Court justice; dishonorable senators and congressmen; and a corrupt, manipulative ,untrustworthy and corrupt  president. Further, we had an attack on our governments transfer of power; Republican candidates  are running for office on the platform that the 2020 election was stolen-the view held by three quarters of Republican voters;  25 state legislatures have tried to pass legislation directly targeting the election system; bills that would place election oversight for certification in  the hands of partisan legislatures; and even bills for punishing officials who blocked attempts to overturn the 2020 election outcome in Trump's victim stance{ election stolen from him} favor. Furthermore, higher murder rates in Republican controlled states than Democratic controlled states{ the 25 states won by Trump in 2020  have 40% more  murder rates}.

Some argue that this victim has gotten away with “murder” and  continues his behavior without consequence. Yes and no, I take a different view.  I see him as a troubled, unhappy, joyless,  criminal unaware of his guilt returning to the scene of his crimes over and over again, as if he’s never learned and wanting to be punished.It’s his unconscious wish for  punishment.The conscience  has consequences for bad, inappropriate,Indecent, perverted , dishonest, vicious and corrupt thoughts and actions. This is guilt  that’s accompanied by feeling inferior with lowered self esteem.  The conscience has an established no nonsense mechanism  for punishing  amoral behavior.  It manifests with self exhibited punishment that is directed  with repeated acts and occurrences of physical injuries, and other negative transgressions against oneself. This man eats poorly,sits on a golf cart, had Covid-19 and is obese, thus affecting his cognitive and physical well-being.  He is punishing himself. Anyone want to trade places with this victim  right now? As a victim, he can place blame, for his failure, on external fictions.

His followers internalize his conscience and become prone to his will, his commands , precepts and his amoral laws.  Identifying with  this leader, results in a common  immorality. With antisocial impulses, thoughts and behavior comes guilt and consequences with actions directed against self, aside from Indictments and criminal prosecutions. In other words, guilt becomes a powerful motivator contributing to  the following rise: 1. Non rising life expectancy numbers despite  our wonderful physicians and medical tools. 2.Obesity 3.Diabetes 4.Covid -19, 5. Heart disease 6.Lung disease,7. Stroke 8. Cancer 9.Suicide 10.Depression 11.Anxiety12.Alcohol 13. Drug addiction14. Accidents  15. Alzheimer’s. Guilt plays a major role in the  irrational self-defeating amoral thoughts and choices for risky behaviors.

In essence, amoral behavior Is on the rise as evidenced by the poor physical and mental health in our country. Of course,DNA, needs , character, poverty, income , education inequality,crime ,and wars  also contribute to illness. The battle between the id and superego seems to be tilting in favor of the id as the ego becomes handicapped in the process. Of course, politics is just one example of  amoral behavior. I read recently of the Yale administrator stealing $400 million from that institution. Lying  seems to be the norm, as evidenced  by various individuals on TV, radio, and social media. Finding the truth has become more difficult.  As moral  or amoral standards pass from parents to children and become repeated when children become adults, I’m not optimistic. The transgressions of God’s commandments are in force with self punishment as   moral masochism .

 

Reference

Freud, Sigmund .The Ego and the Id.

No Racist Babies

 

This  disquisition pertains to the Senate's judiciary committee's confirmation hearing regarding Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.  At her hearing, one Sen. asked  the question "are babies racist?"  Was he referring to American or Ukrainian babies?  He neither defined  babies nor racist.  However, I define a baby as between the ages of birth to age 4. And, I define racist “ prejudiced against or antagonistic against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.”This definition has aggressive, cognitive, and moral components.  As a result of the definition of racism, these 3 major components are considered with the question “are babies racist?”

The definition of being a racist, leads us to the development of a cognition, morality and aggression. What about the newborn's first year of life ? Initially, the newborn experiences anxiety and tension surrounding its birth along with its physiological needs for existence.  During development, it  initially becomes aware of fingers,toes and mouth before it becomes able to discriminate between "self" and "other."  In about six months or so, it begins to now be able to distinguish between self and other while forming an attachment to mother.  When a mother leaves the baby,  it typically cries or fusses- separation anxiety. Later in development,  when a stranger enters , the baby cries - stranger anxiety. Also, the baby is  able to repeat some words but is still dependent on the mother for survival.  The baby at this stage of development is unable to formulate racism or express antagonism because of skin color or beliefs.  The baby has  experienced fear, anxiety and has expressed aggression toward the mother.  Just ask any nursing mother about her sore nipples during breast-feeding ?

In the second year, the baby begins to experience ambivalence .  Ambivalence is both a liking, a preference as well as a  disliking , a disgust toward another or something . When positives are gratified,like with ice cream, we have liking and when negatives are presented, like with broccoli, we have disliking or disgust.  We also experience dislike with punishment, rejection or disapproval .  At about three or four years of age, with attachments, we have the development of identification, possession and or possessiveness.  Feelings of love, hate, jealousy, fear and rage  become more exhibited.  Briefly, the baby expresses these feelings in a number of ways, and may even say "I hate you." Expressing hate at that age relates to  emotional factors such as insecurity, anxiety, fear, jealousy, rivalry . These factors are  necessary factors for developing a prejudiced and racist attitude and behavior during  later stages of personality development .When the four-year-old  hassles or hits his or her brother for some reason, the aggressiveness is not racist based.

Let’s now turn to Piaget's view of intellectual development. Piaget referred to the first year and a half of life as  the sensorimotor stage of development .  He characterized intelligence as being action oriented  as in innate reflexes- sucking. Actions become repetitive,  in which there seems to be no intent or purpose . This is followed by a trial. Now actions are  repeated to produce a result. For example, the baby  kicks his legs in order to produce the swinging motion of a toy suspended over his crib. Then, the baby advances and now becomes able to knock down a pillow in order to obtain a toy hidden behind it. Later, in development, the baby proceeds to more trial and error experimentation. The baby now becomes able to vary his responses  in order to obtain the goal.  The baby,generally,by 4 years . has developed a primitive form of representation, a kind of imagery that's used in problem-solving.  The child is now able to invent new ways to obtain his goals by the  development of an internal or inner exploration.

Further, Piaget classified the ages 1 1 /2 to 7 as the  preoperational stage,The baby begins language development of language with meanings of objects and events . The baby becomes able to treat objects as symbolic things rather than themselves.  For example, he may treat a stick as if it were a candle and blow it out .Also the 3-year-old’s words and images are not necessarily organized into firmly and articulated concepts and rules.

According to Piaget, a five-year-old can learn to walk four blocks from his home to the neighborhood store. However, he cannot sit at a table with a pencil and paper and trace the route he took.  He does not have a mental representation of the entire sequence of actions at this level of functioning.  Piaget also found that four-year-olds are not experienced at the stage of conservation which is when  liquids and solids can be transformed in shape without changing the volume or mass. This task is manifested only when the child reaches the age of five and called concrete operations.  Further, the child does not understand relational terms such as darker, larger,and bigger . He interprets darker as meaning very dark rather than darker than another object when being shown  light objects in one which is slightly darker . When asked to pick the darker one, he may not be able to answer.  According to  Piaget, another facet in the preoperational  stage is that babies cannot reason simultaneously about part of the whole and the whole.  If a five-year-old is shown 8 yellow candies and four brown candies and asked “ Are there more  yellow candies or more candies ,” he’s likely to say more yellow candies.  Piaget suggests that the baby  cannot reason about part and whole simultaneously. 4 year olds are unable cognitively to define, employ, or understand “ prejudice” which is related to the membership of a particular racial or ethnic group.

Additionally, according to linguist Eve Clark, the average baby by 2 years  has a vocabulary that he can use or understand of over 300 words.  By the time he is 5, about a thousand.  A baby's vocabulary is generally more concrete than adults and the baby has a tendency to over discriminate.  For example, there are cases in which familiar objects are not considered instances of the general class.  For instance, some babies said in response to  a picture of the dog, "That's a dog, not an animal."  Further, preschool-aged babies often seemed to interpret pairs of antonyms such as more and less, same and different, before and after as synonyms.  Therefore, cognitively, it's highly unlikely that a four-year-old can give  an exact and know the definition of prejudice, let alone the term racist.

 In thinking about antagonism towards people, a few words about moral development.  At about two or three years of age, babies' conscience development tends to be erratic, confined to prohibitions against specific behaviors based on external rather than internal sanctions.  By 4 to 6 years of age, most babies become less confined to specific behaviors and begin to involve the development of more generalized abstract standards; become less exclusively determined by external rewards and punishments ;more by internal sanctions and begin to involve not only the avoidance  of prohibitions but also the pursuit of what one should do.

  Lawrence Kohlberg, in his brilliant study of moral behavior , found  that four-year-olds tend to judge and act as good or bad in terms of administered reinforcement.  That is, whether the reinforcement led to punishment or reward rather than  in terms of the rule.  Perhaps, babies with strict parents are more afraid of violating their parental prohibitions, which is the lowest level of moral development. In other words, antagonistic actions motivated by race and prejudice, do not exist .  These actions are not guided by inner principles-  abstract ethics,logical comprehensiveness or by consistency.

It’s clear,  newborns are not racist. Their  cognitive and moral behavior development is based in large part upon the parents character and reinforcement style. That's not to diminish the role of discrimination in our society.  For example, in Iowa, although 3% of the population is black, the incarceration rate for blacks approaches 50%.  Turning back to the baby's development, the concept of identification has been established and instrumental in conscience development. Pros and cons; good and bad; right and wrong are initially based on the  attitudes,values , language and actions of the parents.The legendary behaviorist John Watson stated that  he could turn people into doctors , lawyers or plumbers based upon his conditioning.  Further research by behaviorists found that modeling and imitation increased aggressive behavior . Further, an increase in aggressive expressions by babies is related to parental reinforcement  and their permissiveness towards aggressive behavior .Parents model aggressive angry behavior. Although punishment was often effective in reducing the amount of aggressive expression, the effects of parental punishment on children's aggressive behavior is complex . Physically punishing a baby in order to inhibit their aggressive behavior serves as an aggressive model. Now the baby is more guided by an orientation towards punishment and obedience compared to trying to maintain the approval of

parents..Parents are experts at modeling aggressive and racist behavior.

It should be clear that the baby's tendency to become racist is likely to be learned,initially, by the character of his parents; attitudes and actions in the peer group and in society at large.  Parents who verbalize aggressive, sadistic antagonism towards individuals of different color or belief system repeatedly and/or behaviorally send a clear, concrete message to their children.  With a malignant and inconsistent sense of moral and ethical development, the punishment  or non punishment practices by  parents reinforce  attitudes when disciplining or not disciplining their  babies verbalizations and behavior.

Confirmation means “an act of ensuring the truth. of strengthening, or approving. “ This confirmation hearing was an embarrassment.  When a senator asked the question  “ are babies racist”, the senator was telegraphing his character.  He was not at all looking for the truth with Judge Jackson. This ambiguous racist question was about his racist  character and disrespect for this judge.  He believes this behavior will please  some , so they will vote for him.  On the other hand, Cory Booker asked and elicited from Judge Jackson  about her values and about her character.  He was proud.  Too bad that television was misused for this  political spectacle. I just donated to NPR.

I was not born prejudiced , antagonistic towards Russia nor taught communism was evil.  During childhood, I learned that my grandparents not only came from Russia but my grandfather first arrived as a teenager.  I also learned that my cousin Morris G. performed for Nicholas ,the Russians Czar and he taught my mother to play the piano. At age 10, I learned that Russia and Communists were evil during the infamous Joe M .  Congressional hearings. That demagogue Joe accused, without evidence, many in our government; journalists; and Hollywood celebrities as being communists. Then, I read that my father was accused, by some unnamed source, of being a communist.  As it turned out, my father's colleague Jim N. and friend's wife were associated with "communists."  Was my father, a communist,  guilty by association?  Subsequently, Jim N.  was fired from his government job and wound up in Canada.  I was not accused of being a communist even though I played and associated with  Jim's eldest son.  

Reference

Mussen,Conger and Kagan.  Child Development and  Personality.

 

Aunt Eva Knew

 

Linda and I recently viewed a Tom Hanks movie  titled” The Green Mile “based on a Stephen King novel.  Hanks  was in charge of the unit in a southern  state prison that facilitated the electrocution of criminals.  A huge giant of a man was sentenced to die for killing two young children.  It was clear from the beginning that the   man was innocent.  During the film, this man resolved Hank's urinary condition; brought back to life a young mouse and took away a woman’s diseased brain tumor.  Making a long story short, the man , prior to being executed,  passed along some of his God-given magic to Hanks.  At the end of the film, Hanks at 109 years of age  told a woman in the old folks home that God cursed him to live that long and lose loved ones because he allowed God’s messenger to be electrocuted.  This disquisition raises the question, is it a curse to grow old and lose your loved ones?

 In the Old Testament, God's supernatural power was  exemplified by  curses of Eve, Cain and Abel, Jezebel, Noah, etc.Male old age was illustrated by Methuselah, Adam, Seth, Enosh,Mahalalei, Jared,Enooch and Lamech.  In Greek  mythology, the gods had no difficulty with their curses and told  dramatic stories about man. For instance, Sisyphus with his heavy boulder battling the mountain by pushing it up but never reaching the top over and over again; Hercules’s initial strength but insanity followed; Prometheus  day after day had an eagle tearing up his gut; and the personified figure of Geras, a bald bent, emancipated figure with pendant and reversed genitals as he leaned upon a thin, crooked stick.  In other words, the Greeks had mythical struggles between  strength which slayed the monsters, drained swamps, built walls and then  the feeble old man barely standing at the end.

Currently, we turn to the writings of Erik H.  Erikson, considered a neo-Freudian.  Erikson saw life as encountering psychosocial crises along the way.  If these crises were mastered, the individual would have developed a sense of character integrity.  If these crises were not mastered, the individual would have developed  a sense of despair in his character.  Jungian James Hillman wrote about the force of character during  aging.  Hellman, incorporated. Greek mythology and wrote about man’s struggles and  the outcomes that affect his character in a positive way. He stated what people do is who they are, is all they are.  In other words, character cannot be divorced from behavior.  He pointed out that aging is necessary for the human condition and suggested there's a reason why  we outlive  other mammals.  That being said, he believed  the last years confirm and fill one's character.

It’s true that aging can turn out to be a positive or negative experience.  For the negative. Dad passed away at 70 years of age. My grandfather died ,from diabetes,when father was 9. Dad began taking insulin for his juvenile diabetes diagnosis at age 21.  In his career, he was a union president and fought for his members and accomplished the extraordinary.  I was amazed when I attended one of his retirement dinners and heard about  his wonderful acknowledgements. His dreaded disease affected him physically and emotionally. At the end, he knew it was near when they began amputating his toes.  At the very end, he felt hopeless and in despair.

Mom was well thought of and well-liked.  She lived more than two decades after dad's passing.  Her life was directed towards taking care of her grandkids, reaching out to friends, former friends and helping a young  Charlotte navigate her life.  Mom sang,  played the piano, loved the movies, movie stars and demolished the competition at board games.  Mom lived independently and her children, my brother, a physician, became her personal doctor. He lived nearby with his family; my sister visited frequently ; and I often flew across the country  each year.  Mother being the second oldest had one brother, four sisters, and outlived all. She lived with integrity.

Yes, it’s true that with aging, there is loss.  If there is economic stress.  there is the likelihood of physical, emotional, and cognitive deficits.  Within that framework, aging can be  difficult as evidenced by addiction, obesity, loneliness, and suicide rates.Further, genetic predispositions can also affect aging in a negative way.Yes, we lose many terrific  and meaningful friends during the aging process.  As humans, we  can reflect and smile upon the  positive memories.

Today's centenarians are models for positive aging with  independence, prudent behavioral choices and with their cognitive and emotional  well-being.  For successful aging, one has to be able to keep physicality and play.  Jack Kirk comes to mind.  Jack was known as the Dipsea Demon.  Jack ran his first Dipsea at the age of 23 and ran his last at the age of 97; Ironman Lew Hollander competed in Ironman competitions into his 80s; Jim Steere, at 80, was the oldest to complete the Tevis and Doc. Shay, the rowing legend, in 2009 made her 30th crossing of the Molokai to Oahu, crossing.

Intellectually for optimum well-being during aging, one has many opportunities.  Reading,  incorporating and assimilation can continue to occur as wisdom develops and evolves.  Learning has no end but is a continuous process and there is much to uncover regarding our world and society.  Art, drawing for continued creativity employing imagination is paramount to none.  Other ways to stimulate cognition are engaging in philosophical and intellectual discussions.  Attending college classes, continuing education and seminars also provide avenues for stimulation and challenge. Personally, I enjoy all the above and incorporate material into my essays.

 Of course, thinking and behavior are related.  Engaging in risky behaviors, Is based upon  a distortion of reality. Playing competitive football, riding motorcycles, and competing in equestrian activities are factually  statistically dangerous irrespective  of meeting emotional needs of achievement, affiliation, aggression,  dominance and play. Our thinking is multifaceted and can deceive us easily.  Those risky behaviors are threats and stresses to well-being.  As a result, I had to repress or forget the dangerous realities. I did just that in my thinking.  I denied the danger's; rationalized the fun aspect and used reaction formation as defenses  by turning the potential harm to mind and body into excitement, thrills, with dopamine pleasures.  In other words, when confronted with real or imaginary intrapersonal , interpersonal, or predictive threats,  thinking  distorts reality in a multitude of ways. Thus, we cannot always trust our thinking as actions  are generally justified.  And believe me, with life, there are continuous threats and dangers ranging from physiological, safety, economic, power, prestige, possessions, love, and other losses as well as fear of disapproval, punishment and aggression from others or even  guilt. Reality presents dangers and subsequently we retreat inward to our imagination and wishful thinking. 

. Therefore, these risky behaviors are a realistic and potential  danger to  cognitive and physical or  mind and body . In thinking about these activities, one denies, distorts, and rationalizes  about the real  danger thereby with an attempt at distorting the reality of the threat . In other words, perception,thinking ,emotions and tension are at the site of our ego.  The proof is in the pudding or in the last phases of aging when one can ask “was it worth it?” Of course, one can and does continuously fool himself throughout. It’s not a curse by God  but about thinking and behavior.

Moreover, because of the negative attitude and opinion about aging in our culture, we need to reframe it completely.  Old age is not an affliction.  We have to change perceptions and illusions about aging and discover our intellectual intensity and/or passion.  Because we spend so much time in our minds, we have to think differently about our bodies.  We are more than our bodies.  We have our mind and imagination which separates us from all others. T.S. Eliot wrote, "Old men ought to be explorers."  Follow your curiosity, challenge old truths, look for reality in new places and by all means do not fear aging and death.

Emotional  well being requires contact with others.  I can't think of a greater gift than giving of self to another without the expectation of return.  Helping, assisting another is related to love and a humanitarian way of being.  Love is more than just words or a smile.  Love has to do with  attitude and behavior.  One has to be able to respect and trust oneself first.  If you can't respect and trust yourself, you can't do that with others.  Love also has to do with caring and being responsible.  With care, one has to be able to become aware with empathy of the needs of another.  To be able to care for a parent and/or spouse has no greater reward.  Being involved in their welfare and protection while keeping this awareness in your mind is significant.  Another way to give to another is through volunteering and the sharing of one's wisdom.  One can also provide monetary assistance to those in need.  There are many opportunities for giving and not taking which benefits both the giver and receiver. Of course, the physical, the intellectual and the emotional are based on character and character is a lifelong process.The quotes by Susan B.  Anthony "The older I get, the greater power I seem to have to help the world” fits nicely and by Johann Johannsson "Find the thing you do well and do it again and again the rest of your life."

In essence, aging can be a wonderful and positive experience or a negative and dreadful experience.Attitudes and beliefs are based upon the development of character.  Character determines the ability to make prudent, rational and self affirming choices or irrational, self-defeating, superficial, illusionary or supernatural ways of being. Of course, genetics counts for about 1/3 as far as  health is concerned.  In other words, examples  of our ability to deny, distort or falsify reality include finding scapegoats, blaming of parents, or a Que Sera Sera attitude.Thus irrational thinking simply reinforces the behavioral stance of being a victim.  Victims tend to perpetuate the behavior of being rescued and then behaviorally wind up persecuting that rescuer. Victims  also easily employ ego defenses of repression , reaction formation,rationalization,projection and endorse the fictional belief that they are entitled.More specifically, irrationality, in  thinking, is based on a neurotic  or misperceived danger . It’s anxiety or tension which is associated with helplessness; and/or the fear of interpersonal loss; fear of the loss of love or some gratification; some social ostracism threat, an idea , disapproval or punishment.  Unfortunately,  irrational thinking is repeated and followed with the repetition of turning against  self with punishing behavior.

References

Hillman, James.  The Force Of Character and the Lasting Life. 

Lieberman, Frank.  It Has Nothing To Do With Age.

PS

Aging provides a perspective.However, with aging we are aware of the transformation taking place physically, yet distort and separate the adolescent thinking taking place.  Historically, I marvel at all the outstanding and extraordinary accomplishments made by man.  On the other hand, I view the preponderance of lies, deception, misinformation and irrational behavior that's exhibited.  This war in Ukraine is an illustration.  We had no trouble invading Iraq because of the “weapons of mass destruction “ fiction. On the other hand, aunt Eva roughly  65 years ago, give or  take, provided me  with the secret of aging-one’s health.

Freedom Is Another Word For

 Today’s essay is based  on an article titled “The Exploitation  of Freedom “ found in the New York Times, February 6,  2022. The word freedom  as a noun is defined as “the power or right to act, speak, or think if one wants without hindrance or restraint.”   Additionally, this word suggests the absence of necessity, coercion or constraint in choice or action.  Religion, economic, political,intellectual, academic, etc.  are areas to express freedom. Similar to freedom are the words  privilege, prerogative, and due.This disquisition pertains to freedom.

Points made  in the article  include the following: 1 An Executive Order to ban the teaching of critical race theory, explaining that the state must promote freedom of thought.  2.  Lifting mask mandates in public schools, citing individual liberty.  3.  An individual freedom bill in Florida that would limit the discussions about race and discrimination in schools and businesses.

Other points made include the following: 1.  At the time  of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, only 2% of the city’s population were qualified to vote 2.  Slave codes allowed white property owners to possess black humans.”White Freedom” the belief that freedom is central to white racial identity and that only white people can or should be free.  3.  Freedom for a white master extended to torture, rape, and lifelong control over humans, he or she owned 4.  In 1827, a  legal scholar argued the law had given man a reasonable superiority and control over the person -of his wife.  He may even put gentle restraints upon her liberty, if her conduct be such as to require it 5.  In 1963, governor George Wallace couched his stance against Integration as our right for freedom and justified it as the ideology of our free fathers.

 Employing the old southern playbook, the current politicians are now motivated to keep their own uninformed and ignorant as opposed to their dark skin  subjects..  Yes, it’s freedom  to be a racist.  For George Wallace,  his argument is really I enjoy having the freedom to be a bigot. Don’t tread on me.

It’s obvious that the word freedom applies to those in power and not to the majority. In 1773, the Sons of Liberty protested King George’s tax.  Suggesting economic motivation, these protesters dumped, in the Boston Harbor, 342 chests of tea that belonged to the British East India Company . 90 years  or so later, a  civil war began.  However, there was nothing civil about that war.  Civil is defined as relating to ordinary citizens and their concerns, as distinct from military or ecclesiastical matters.  Another definition relates to being courteous and polite with similar words as well mannered, well  bred ,gentlemanly,respectful, cultivated, civilized, etc.

Conditions at the Andersonville military prison were described as housing 45,000 Union soldiers and nearly 13,000 died.  This was the largest southern prison  and known for its unhealthy conditions and high death rate.The war  for the South  was about their economic interests.  The white wealthy plantation owners required slave ownership in order to make a profit and sustain their manner of living.  Eliminating slave ownership dramatically affects profits.  Allow slaves to vote, affects political power.  The question  of freedom  relates to a white minority and their economic interests at best.

Today,  groups claim that not being vaccinated,  not wearing a mask  or what not to teach is about Freedom. They're obviously not employing the meaning of the word Freedom correctly .  I bet that some clearly know the definition of freedom,while others do not. Essentially, the  use of the word freedom,  for these individuals  suggests they are compensating for feeling a sense of  lack of power or control over their lives.

Moses  led the Israelites  from Pharaoh, thus emancipating the slaves from Egyptian rule.  The Passover Seder ,characterizes the beginning of the rebellious story of the Israelites and their liberation. The Pharaoh was not happy as having slaves was in his political and financial self-interest.

Freedom is very limited under authoritarian rule.  For example, the Romanov family  was the last imperial dynasty to rule Russia.  They first came to power in  1613 and  ruled over the next three centuries. 18 Romanovs  ruled  the Russian People.In 1917, Nicholas 11 abdicated the throne and in 1918, the Emperor and his family were executed.  My grandparents left  Russia prior to World War I in their quest for freedom to escape discrimination. Since the Russian Revolution, Stalin, Khrushchev and now Putin  and others have ruled Russia.  Their dynasties are more short-lived than the Romanov’’s.

Under authoritarian rule, freedom for whom?  According to news reports, Putin lies about his  Ukrainian war.  Some of the  Russian soldiers believed they were going on Military  exercises.  Now, it is reported that his privatized military is creating havoc among the civilian population in Ukraine.

It’s obvious that Putin was not elected democratically; has killed his opponents  and imprisoned other opposition.  There is no free press; no free media; and the state  dictates his wishes.  Putin has oligarchs, his military,  and  his own political system.  This group has more freedom according to the definition.  The population at large does not have as much freedom.

Roughly 80 years ago, there was Nazi rule in Germany.  An  authoritarian took control and began a  war on Poland, claiming they first attacked.  The humiliation suffered in World War I; the Great Depression; employment scarcity , poor economic conditions  and the Jews were blamed for Germany’s plight. Does that mean that .Albert Einstein,Paul Ehrlich, Erik Erickson,Kurt Goldstein,  Kurt Lewin, Sigmund Freud, Fritz Perls, Theodore Adorno, Theodore Lessing, Herbert Marcuse, Karl Marx, Hannah Arendt, Gustav Mahler, Felix Mendelson, Andre Previn, Anne Frank , Heinrich Heine,Eugene Sandow ,Alfred Adler, Viktor Frankl ,Franz Kafka etc had to be scapegoated and blamed for German blood being what? 

What were the dynamics that  caused  so many Germans to follow an authoritarian madman with the result that they became victims? Briefly, many of these lower middle class, jobless officers , and students were alienated individuals. They were experiencing unconsciously and somewhat consciously their insignificance  especially if out of work or with limited income.  Spousal and family relationships suffered.  One can be king of the castle only when wife and kids  are his subjects.  Not being able to provide economically also affects one's self-esteem as well as one's relevance. Further, related are feelings of being powerless.  How can one change their economic deficits without some manner of control?  They did not have control over opportunities for employment; availability of employment; let alone able to determine hours and wages.  With economic constraints, one does not have the power and control over self or others.  This leads to feeling inferior, especially when comparing themselves to others who seemed to be doing  well like German Jews.

One way to escape psychologically these feelings is through  transference or identification .It’s a mechanism  in order to supplement or compensate for a weakness.  One can identify with a person, a flag, tribe, country, or even an animal like in times of old.  In other words, the individual requires some outside something outside oneself in order to acquire that strength or deficit which that the individual is lacking.  It's essentially a substitute .

With identification, a sadomasochistic character trait becomes established.  When one identifies, one becomes dependent on, subservient, relying upon, and devoted to. This dependency often expresses itself passively to this external force.  In doing so, one accepts blame, resignation,  fate, willing to admit wrongdoing and even atone. In other words, one can easily become a victim  with masochistic tendencies.  Also, aggressive, callous, perverted, vicious, brutal , cruel or sadistic tendencies become activated.  We now have a sadomasochistic character trait.  In  inflicting pain upon another, one often  requires a scapegoat. In one's collective unconscious, the Jews have been targets.  So German  and Austrian Jews can be conveniently scapegoated because of envy of their economic well-being, their educational excellence,  professional superiority, and their artistic talent.Their contributions to German society becomes irrelevant.

Let Hitler rise from the ashes.  With the brutal  and humiliating defeat of World War I,a treaty was implemented.  There was a Treaty of Versailles that consisted of Germany accepting guilt for starting the war; limiting the Germany army to 100,000 men; Germany having to pay for damages caused by the war; and German territories and  colonies being taken over.  Germany despised the treaty, did not take part in the conference and disagreed upon the terms imposed upon them by others.  We now have the motive for revenge or to avenge that  wrong handed out by these other nations.

With that being said, rising from the ashes was Hitler.  This egotistical madman was hypnotic during his late night  rallies when people were tired at the end of the day and suggestable to be hypnotized.  His messages were carried on the radio and newspaper. His rhetoric symbolizes strength, power and sureness despite lies and mixed messages.  Individuals wore armbands, saluted him and marched with togetherness. The strength was reinforced while the military-industrial complex began arming themselves for the next conflict.  The youth was indoctrinated and fed the propaganda of superiority.  Who cared that Hitler did not acknowledge Jesse Owens' triumphs at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin?  Hitler became their model, their idol and their god.

His loyal followers  followed him to their graves.  Yes, they did follow him and wound up being victims themselves and they didn't even have to commit suicide.  Did these followers of Hitler, establish freedom?  Is freedom associated with  defeat; is freedom associated with being a loser; is freedom being associated with being killed; is freedom associated with entering a war that can't be won; is freedom associated with hearing one side of the story; is freedom associated with lies ; is freedom associated with having to serve in the military; is freedom associated with the burning of books; is freedom associated with hate; is freedom associated with discrimination ?

 Being alienated, the individual is  unable to  trust  or have faith in self, to trust or have faith in others but instead escapes to an idol.  In doing so, the individual negates his individuality and his ability to reason.  In essence, the alienated are escaping from freedom  because the idol leader negates freedom.  For example, Hitler was called the builder of a new Germany.  Instead, he was the maniac of destruction.However, freedom is possible, likely, under certain conditions.  These conditions include knowledge of self, of others, of socioeconomic conditions, of a collective unconscious history while pursuing truth and independence. 

PS

Janis Joplin your words "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose"  is discouraging to say the least.  Without freedom in areas of economics, health, education, politics and religion, we have everything to lose.Pope John Paul II added “ Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.”

Reference

Fromm,Erich.  The Sane Society.