A Common Thread

Many months have slipped by since my last published article. I can assure you, the mind has been fully engaged over these past months. "Overthinking everything", it's simply my NORMAL!

There's been a complete disruption over the past 18 months of the daily flow of people's lives, touching every continent, culture and community. The flu epidemic of 1918 endured for three years. Despite our current technical knowledge, tremendous biological understanding achieved, there is no definite end date insight.

Daily news events reveal social unrest in every corner of societies. In nearly all social groups, regardless of geographical location, populism understanding has been pushed past the breaking point. Outbursts and tempers circulate social media. This heightened awareness travels around the globe, fuelling more of the same behaviour.

What is the common thread? This global phenomena is simply a frenzy of emotion. Emotion driven by fear. Fear that the familiar social world of their daily lives has been forever changed. The populism view that unknown forces or agendas are the root cause. No amount of data or facts will sway the populist view. "A mob mentality / the Salem Witch Trials."

Can we alter the populist direction? My initial response is an unequivocal NO. Why? As a species, we share many traits that can be commonly observed in other species. "house-trained", the commonly understood social conditioning after bringing a pet to be a new member of the family. There are those in society that will spend thousands of dollars on a new puppy sending it to obedience school. Some members of our society spare no expense through private schools and individual tutoring for their own children at the earliest age of intervention. Conformity and predictable responses is the end goal. This is easily observable in the social structures of the elite in society. Perhaps it is not so easy to observe in the general population. Perhaps we cannot see the forest for the trees. In the general population, populism is the "order of the day". The hereditary biased perceptions of reality. Shaped by ethnic and cultural boundaries. What is observable across these ethnic and cultural boundaries through social media are the outbursts of emotion displayed. Common language and direct communication is not required. Simply the observance of others pushed past the breaking point. The "breaking point" need only be observed. Thus, a common thread of social unrest spreads. Individual out-of-control emotion seeks a quick fix. Populism is determined to solve the problem by the most expedient means available.

Many today are aware of the term "hyperactive". Over the past two decades or more, ADHD in our educational systems has been treated with prescription drugs. I stumbled across a crumb of information some months ago. Perhaps it could lead to some understanding and conclusions regarding educational systems needing to deal with behavioural problems of students. It goes: among North American baby boomers, perhaps 40% could be undiagnosed fetal alcohol syndrome. Our school system, therefore, has been burdened with the children and grandchildren growing up in households where fetal alcohol syndrome has been present. Now unravel the social unrest, the social predicament called populism around us. There is another twist to add to our social behavioural fabric. The spread throughout the fifties and sixties. I'm speaking of "Billy Graham" events drawing crowds everywhere. Subtly below the surface, travelling in the same social circles, the establishment of Alcoholics Anonymous groups. Here, the common thread has a slight diversion, however, a common general direction. The Billy Graham events drew people in by the thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands. The early beginnings of what we commonly observe as the "evangelical Christian movement". The other path, as social construct, a place of eventual belonging, by many that did not embrace the Billy Graham rallies. These individuals in society rebelled against conformity, eventually succumbing to self-medication. We commonly understand today that there are over 50 vital organ conditions which develop in senior years, which are directly because of alcohol consumption. The convergence of those with failing health, with the groups of faith-based newly formed alcoholics anonymous groups begins. Through social pressure, afflicted individuals are coerced to join these groups or succumb to being further social outcasts in the community. These AA groups have flourished for many decades. "The acceptance of a power greater than yourself, because you have come to the understanding that you can no longer manage your personal daily life." Many will attest, "I'm not religious, I'm spiritual." "Belonging to an AA group saved my life." It then comes to pass that during the decades of a seniors experience, there is a common ground, "a populism". A "common ground" solidified by personal experiences, and therefore immovable. No amount of logic or reason can dislodge these personal opinions from their own experienced and observed reality.

Mental health. What? What is it?

A sense of well-being. Comfortable in your surroundings.

The foundation of mental health, the amount of dopamine released into the bloodstream. If the levels of dopamine are low, perhaps you are depressed. If the levels of dopamine are too high, perhaps you are hyperactive or ADHD. Somewhere in there, we must attain a balance. There is another chemical released into our bloodstream. Adrenaline is released because of hyper or extreme emotion. These extreme emotions encompass all of our human states. From extreme fear to extreme attraction. These two chemicals are directly responsible for our mental health and our mood swings, in some, which can be excessive. The vast expanse of our social community construct of dysfunction on so many levels, no one knows where to resolve the situation.

That which is acceptable in one's social circle is perhaps deeply offensive to those in another. As history has shown us, these incompatible social circles bonded against "common foe" during the first and second world wars. In a time of extreme threat, a common goal was pursued. Perhaps this is why there has been a common thread in our Western-based societies that in social circles: "do not discuss politics or religion." There is no better common ground for this to be shown than in the establishment of Legion chapters. Military veterans gather to celebrate and reminisce. To relive the "us against them", good and evil. 

These groups exist on both sides of the conflict.

Continuing the common thread. Adrenaline and dopamine, responsible for our mood swings, and therefore our perceived mental health. There is a more sinister and underlying causation for these two chemical releases. Individual comfort or stress precipitates from a general understanding of our surroundings. If you are inquisitive by nature, this will immediately fall into place. If you need verification and acceptance, depending on your social surroundings, your future general knowledge can be severely compromised.

In the first instance, the inquisitive individual is capable of self-regulation of dopamine because of their own internal self reward because of learning and achievement. Once this lifelong cycle is started, it would commonly become a lifelong pursuit of knowledge. This is a lonely road, filled with social rejection. This path has the high probability of never belonging to populism of the time. Commonly labelled "the know it all", "over thinker". Populism finds these individuals the most antagonistic and disruptive people, simply because of what they know. It has been my conclusion that sharing of knowledge and experience does not require the insertion of authority or ego. Because this is a lonely road, isolation can lead to periods of depression caused by rejection. It was once stated by one of the ancient philosophers, "the greatest weapon is rejection." If on this lonely road, the cycles of depression cannot be self understood, then self-medication may overtake the moment. Once derailed by self-medication through substance abuse, many times leads to the downward spiral which never recovers.

The second instance, the individual that requires a sense of belonging. Perhaps from the earliest age possible immersed in a sport, probably a team sport. From this earliest age, the natural development of "inquisitive nature" has been diverted. A sense of well-being derived from closely managed and directed activities. Group activities that encourage the development of ego. In this social circle, the greater the conformity, the greater the stroking of ego, the higher the dopamine levels. In this case, individual self identity is shaped by the group through behavioural practices. The perfection of power and control elevates the individual status. Elevated individual status continues to be rewarded, and therefore, a vicious cycle of ego is developed. There is no foundation established regarding the natural world, which can be the personal arsenal of survival skills. It's all about populism and dominance. Self-medication and substance abuse is widely acceptable within these social circles, because "everyone knows" there will be a premature ending. Sports celebrities, entertainment celebrities, all examples of glamour and glitter, overindulgence.

This is the price paid to forgo naturally inquisitive nature. These paths are hereditary. Children and grandchildren following in the footsteps of many celebrities. Substance abuse and addictions abound. Some partially recover partway through their lives and turn to evangelical Christian movements as a means to sustain a meaningful nondestructive future.

I would summarize by saying that we have two choices. Allow the natural development of the individual, or impose a hereditary path. I would compare this to buying a computer with a predetermined "operating system". The hereditary preloaded operating system contains much self-indulgence which would inhibit any alteration to its future path. It is a path where the development in real time of "critical thinking" has already been sabotaged. For the self-development within the individual of their own critical thinking, will generate the natural dopamine as a self reward. The sabotaged individual is on a path of codependency for brief periods of dopamine. The latter being a life of continual acceptance and rejection cycles. This is the past for most of society, because society rewards conformity while rejecting individual identity.

Perhaps as a hypothetical example, the star hockey player in his early teen years, later becomes the star dominant alcoholic male at the local watering hole, then succumbs to sclerosis of the liver, and is remembered fondly by his peers as "a great guy". This is the life of the "good contributor to society". Because nobody wants a "know it all" around that makes us feel stupid.

Helplessly Tethered

The following rambling precipitates from my morning routine of “overthinking everything”. My observations and conclusions which follow are from personal experience. I have not experienced higher education, a university environment. It is with this in mind that I expect criticism and rejection from those with academic standing.

The person we become results from observations and experiences. As the decades pass, we climb up a pyramid slope to a new level of perspective and understanding. Visualize a pyramid. As we move up the pyramid, the surface area becomes smaller. What is the first conclusion that comes to mind? Therefore, the higher you go up the pyramid, the smaller your social community. Let us consider that the layer that you exist on represents those that agree with you. Directly below your layer are all the previous layers. Consider that the extended surface area of those layers below you beyond the size of your current layer represents the people that no longer agree with you.

Why did I title this article “Helplessly Tethered”? Because you were once part of every layer that exists below you. As you move up the pyramid with new knowledge and understanding, you still carry an emotional attachment to what once was. The emotional attachment is the tether.

Perceive that the bottom layer was your or early childhood experience. You have an emotional attachment to parents and grandparents. Even before you learn to speak, you have already developed emotional attachments and probably one or more role models. From the time of language through to your mid-teens, testing and establishing their social boundaries. Perhaps a distant family member, or even a neighbour, becomes someone you mimic. All of this happens before the age of maturity. Studies of the human mind now conclude that the human brain continues to develop until approximately the age of 30. Through these mid-teen years, the time of puberty, adult responsibilities encourage adult maturity. We have approximately another 15 years for these responsibilities to develop in what we refer to as maturity. Back to that word I used “Tethered”. We are all emotionally tethered to those who have been part of our past. Especially those that are the role models. Perhaps an aunt or an uncle, maybe even a grandparent, was a clergy member. Here is the tether. Most people will carry a tether to such an individual throughout their entire lifetime. Why? Because in our Western Christian societies, it is socially unacceptable to express anything but reverence and respect for individuals such as these. So if sometime later in your life become skeptical, become critical, develop critical thinking, your social community will chastise you for speaking. In this example, all the layers below you in the pyramid are intolerant of the person who you have become. Each layer represents a collective cohesion. When you left the layer and moved to the next layer, you still kept an emotional attachment to some of those you intellectually left behind. We can perceive many examples which show emotionally tethering to your past. 

Why would this be a problem? Because I would suggest that these emotional tethers are bonds which are kept late into your senior years. Long after your current decade of existence fades, those earliest memories remain. We describe dementia as the ability to keep some memories from the far distant past, but cannot recognize and remember those within their recent and current time.

I wonder? When a person moves forward into their senior years, understanding and knowledge aquired for most of their working life fades and vanishes. What do we have left? We have the memory from the far, far distant past. Perhaps of that relative who was a member of Clery. The senior, now described as having early onset dementia, appears to have a limited recollection. Frustration and confusion abound. Perhaps even to the extent of disruptive behaviour exhibited towards staff in the long-term care facility. The elderly individual might exhibit moments of terror. Aha, there’s that tether again! Perhaps a fallback in the mind, when as a young child this individual woke up from a nightmare and climbed into their parent’s bed. Except now they are perhaps physically unable, and there is nowhere down the hall for the childhood experience of safety and warmth. Perhaps this tormented, aged mind has fallen and slipped backwards into childhood immaturity. Terrorized within their mind from trauma of nightmares in their early childhood. Trauma in their early childhood before they developed speech. Overhearing the adults, perhaps during Bible study. Early child’s visualization of “burning in hell”, resulting from overhearing the adult’s discussion.

The above example takes a special reference to religious affiliation. Tethering does not have to be this extreme. Influence can just as easily be someone who achieved fame in the realm of team sports. Another example may be perhaps the uncle that by today’s standards would be a toxic male with an over-inflated ego. But from a time over 50 years previously achieved their goals in life, was an influencer, a role model. As a role model, the reason smoking or drinking was acceptable. It began at a pre-adolescent age, usually secretively away from the parents. Influencers take many forms, they need not be within the family or community social circle. They can be a media icon or are extremely successful on the world stage of sports or music. It is our human nature to lock our sights onto someone as we grow into maturity. Imprinting of behavior establishes the goal to grow up to be just like them.

The role models, the influencers in our Western society, high-paid rock stars, sports celebrities with multimillion-dollar contracts, the list goes on and on and on. Simply follow the money! As the decades pass, no one admits that they have taken a self-destructive path. The very circumstance of addiction and substance reliance is denial. Denial that it is causing self-harm. “You’re going to die, anyway.” So we continue to glorify toxic behaviour, pay huge multimillion-dollar contracts, and glorify what is destroying the underpinnings of our society.

Let’s use the three-legged stool as an example. Each of the three legs is essential. In our Western society, as we know it, how can we envision the concept of this stool? One three-legged stool might comprise social responsibility, government, and freedom. We achieved social responsibility provided by the government through taxation. Those who cannot care for themselves receive benefits. Through our freedom, our democracy, we elect a government that collects taxes which then provides services to those who are incapable of caring for themselves. Sounds like a wonderful system, doesn’t it!

Let’s take this one step forward. A democratic process, individual freedom, the right to go out on a Friday night and have pizza and beer with your friends and watch the hockey game. Seems rather benign. What could be the harm? Just today I heard an individual calling in on a talk show. He made the following statement: “those affected by fetal alcohol syndrome may amount to 40% of society.” Wow! As much as 40%? 40%, or even 15% is a high burden of social responsibility for our tax dollars to pay for the healthcare of. Why do we have fetal alcohol syndrome in the first place? Because alcohol is legal. It is some decades now since the seatbelt legislation arguments. For the greater good in our democratic society seatbelt laws passed, because we simply had statistical evidence that we could not afford the future costs if we didn’t put this in place. Is this not a parallel with alcoholic behaviour? If we had 40% of the population in the hospital due to traffic accidents that seatbelts could prevent, the seatbelt legislation would’ve fallen into place easily. Yet we can have as high as 40% of parts of our population suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome, but nobody wants to bring up the topic. Why? Not very complicated! Follow the money… taxation, alcohol and cigarettes pays for Social programs are the highest taxed items. The spinoffs throughout all sectors of our economy are interdependent on each dollar creating more economic activity. With this recent pandemic, the tourism industry has fallen to 5% or less of what it was. Nearly all the hospitality industry is out of work. Many businesses associated with the hospitality industry will seek bankruptcy protection. What is the major component of the hospitality industry? Almost a silly question! Alcohol. The current pandemic has gone viral caused by a virus. The next economic pandemic might be middle-aged people with varying degrees of fetal alcohol syndrome, those never diagnosed. Perfectly functional people within the economics of our nation. Managing day-to-day and collecting a paycheck. Bring on the stress of middle-age, a magnification factor for their undiagnosed condition of fetal alcohol syndrome. Mental illness? As a Western society, we have brought this upon ourselves. Declining economic activity, declining tax revenues, will not care for the ageing population with a variety of abnormalities too many to mention. Not only are there future costs for healthcare, but there are also future costs for infrastructure that was built after World War II overdue for replacement or upgrade two decades ago. We have two converging economic pandemics heading in our direction. An ageing population with predictable health outcomes, and ageing infrastructure of water, sewer and bridges. Even if we recognize these two waves heading in our direction, we have a third wave that no one wants to talk about. It’s not just climate change, it’s the habitat of the natural world around us. We have over 500 years of burning fossil fuels. 600 years ago the City of London in the United Kingdom experienced the deterioration of buildings and health problems because of acid rain from the sulphur in the atmosphere as sulphur dioxide from burning coal. For another 500 years, we have continued to take these items out of the earth’s crust and disperse their content into the environment of today. Decades ago, scrubbers on the tall stacks in the American Northeast manufacturing area to remove sulphur. Vast areas of Ontario suffered from acid rain. The destruction of lakes and forests. Sulphur removed from fuels helped. When we burn fuels, we have carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. When these two gases combine with moisture, they create carbonic acid. Carbonic acid reacts with the aquatic shellfish community. Extensive areas of the western coast of North America have studied and determine that the shells of these inhabitants are now thinner than they once were. Acidification is closest to the shore, because of wave action with the higher concentrations of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, along with our highly populated communities. We are continuing to collapse the natural environment through the use of fossil fuels. We are collapsing the food chain around our continental shelves. The East Coast fishery collapsed decades ago. The salmon fishery on the West Coast is not now far behind. Pods of killer whales on the West Coast are in danger of extinction because they are starving. Trawlers from many countries fish off the western Coast and indiscriminately with large nets take everything. High-value items processed into the food market. The by-catch ground up into pellets for fish farms and agricultural supplements. Potash mining over the past fifty years poses another environmental change. The widespread use of phosphorus fertilizers has caused algae blooms in both fresh and salt water eco-systems. These algae bloom consume all the oxygen and cause dead zones. Dead zones that extrapolate into greater collapses of the natural food chain.

With all the knowledge readily available around us, with every human being able to read and educate themselves, we still hear the cry, the denial, “but, but, but, people need jobs!”

Another topic that needs to be mentioned. Public service pensions. Safe and secure? With this recent pandemic, it’s now brought clearly into public view that care homes have been the hardest hit. What do pensions and care homes have in common? Many of the public service employees’ pension plans have invested in private healthcare and care home infrastructure. Seniors’ care homes private or public are the most profitable investments for future pension plans. How are they the most profitable investment? The same way that agriculture attains higher profitability through use of foreign worker programs, to maximize the return to the investors, the public service employees pension plans. They involve many of the same employees in planning committees that establish foreign worker programs. Isn’t this a conflict of interest? It would appear that they are making decisions that will establish their future retirement, at the expense of the already retired individuals of their friends and neighbours and co-workers.

Where do we go from here? We cannot continue on the path that we are currently on. Yet we are tethered. Tethered to a standard of living. Tethered to an emotional reverence to our ancestors. Tethered to ideology that assures us to be reunited in an afterlife. Tethered to social communities that refuse to change, Tethered to destructive addictions to drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. Our species, a collection of mammals of varying degrees of posttraumatic stress at every front. Of which they brought upon themselves because they simply didn’t know any better. Still, others that choose the path of willful blindness. The skilful, manipulative and greedy, that just don’t care and want more for themselves regardless the cost.

~Howard R. Titman, writer - April 2021

Our Inheritance

This morning I made a Facebook post.

It is as follows:

Looking for feedback of my early morning conclusion:
Two male children.
The firstborn inherits the dominant behavioral characteristics from the father. The second born inherits the dominant behavioral characteristics from the grandfather on the mother's side.

Personal observations reflecting over 50 years would lead me to the conclusion that this is the general rule of genetics.

Soon afterwards I ever received this response:

Genetics are predominant and account for about 85% of our physical and psychological characteristics. People are reluctant to accept this and are always trying to manufacture or buy advantages for their kids. Bad news (such as the 50% chance of becoming an alcoholic, if either of your parents were) is just ignored rather than faced up to! 

With a high school education and only my personal life experiences to reflect upon, I often reach out for an opinion.  It can quite often lead to an aha moment! Are We There Yet?  No!  There is no destination that we refer to as “there”. What we experience is the here and now, the being in the moment, the steps along the journey.

Previously, I have discussed our human condition, that is, the development of our mind.  Modern psychology and biology has determined that it is complete, approximately at age 30.  Of course, we all know that you can learn something beyond the age of 30.  It would be silly to make an assumption otherwise.  With this in mind, I would like to present the following analogy.

Let’s take a quiet afternoon drive through the mountains on a beautiful sunny day.  Picture the surrounding landscape.  Picture one of these mountain slopes and equate it to your life.  That slope of the mountain represents gradual erosion.  In this quiet secluded valley, the slope that represents you, and the slopes of the mountains around you have many similarities.  Everything is beautiful.  Everything is in harmony.

Now I present to you a curveball, on the mountain slope that is “you”, or may be, perhaps the slope that represents someone in your social network.

It It was collectively decided that for the future advancement and benefit of our valley, we will log these mountain slopes.  Prosperity and growth will follow.  We will have jobs and economic development.  It doesn’t matter which slope we log on.  Perhaps this began on a slope near you, maybe on your own slope, over a century ago.

Within the first two decades of this initiative.  Economic activity is robust, and everybody is on a winning team.  The common thought of the community is that “divine providence” has smiled upon us.  Everyone agrees, life is perfect.

Move forward two centuries.  We see the results of the practice of clear-cutting over decades past.  Our community is at risk, the mountain slope is unstable.  Seasonal runoff saturates the ground, and a landslide could happen.

During those first two decades of logging, clear-cutting became the practice.  Everyone agrees.  Just as with the development of your early preteen years, logic and reason predetermined by the Democratic majority of the community establishes educational practices.  All children must recite the Lord’s prayer at the beginning of each school day.  We strongly encourage all families to join a local faith community and follow what has become “standard practice” of their group.

This example of “standard practice” is the process of indoctrination of young minds, pre-adolescence.  They have firmly established geographical community conformity.  There are no exceptions.

Two centuries later, after the practice of clear-cutting, it is self-evident regardless of the attempts at tree-planting, reforestation to the original slope can never be established.

Throughout the history of our human existence, it has become apparent that many of the attributes of society are inherited.  They are rituals and cultural practices  handed down.  There is one other interesting aspect to this hereditary situation.  That is this.  We pass the stress and hardship of individuals on through genetics; it mutates the offspring to establish future survival.  We have documented this with respect to indigenous people, and indigenous schools, the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the residential school survivors carry the genetic scars of life which they themselves never experienced.

Another interesting aspect of our species, and our lives, is that once at problem is identified within our behavioral context, it takes approximately five generations for the genetic mutation to be eliminated.  This then requires that for the next five generations.  We must acknowledge the past on knowledge and a conscious effort made to take corrective action. When we consider the social cohesion of our surrounding communities, it is highly unlikely that any family would continue for five generations to achieve a goal. Therefore, when I received a response that 85% of an individual is inherited, I arrive at another conclusion.  Family lineage is incapable of accomplishing a greater good for their future.  It is therefore only community-based initiatives with long-term goals that could achieve such an end.  This brings the forefront another dilemma.  Community initiatives are driven by democratic process.  To a high huge degree, the democratic process is driven by the populism of the moment.  Populism is self-serving to those in power and authority.

To understand the preceding cascading circumstance, it is highly unlikely that goals can be achieved for the greater good of our species.  Everything that is politically driven, has selfish goals, greed, and economic prosperity as the only endgame in town. Our species is inherently crippled both intellectually and genetically to achieve long-term goals.

Perhaps there is a positive outcome.  We are perhaps into our second decade of artificial intelligence, determining individual credit score.  Big Brother is deciding.  Whether you qualify for a loan.  For the first time in human history, your community, social status is not the contributing factor regarding qualifying for a loan. If we can extrapolate this into our future and use artificial intelligence to establish common goals and boundaries regarding communities’ greater good, we can set in place long-term goals.  For the first time our species will be free of theological determination, and “divine providence” guiding our future.  The establishment of broad databases of social, economic, biological, just to mention a few, criteria can provide the future boundaries.

Big brother needs to take the wheel.  The United Nations’ declaration of human rights, being a starting point for artificial intelligence decisions.  I would conceive that only be on geopolitical boundaries, for the greater good of all members of our species, can we manage our ecological conditions and circumstance.

Our own individual circumstance, our inherited characteristics from parents, and grandparents, even if recognized, have little effect on the navigation that is required.  The short temper and intellectual ability of a family member being inherited cannot be corrected.  Just as the clear-cutting of the mountain slope cannot be corrected two centuries later.  We have many mountain slopes as analogies within our Western world.  This past four years has been self-evident that genetic behaviors to have elected a president that is so disruptive, we must find a better way.  Further to this, it becomes more self-evident that since World War II, our community educational systems have failed us.  That such a presidency has occurred, is a failure on the education of the general population.

And thus, in December 2020, the prospect of new initiatives for 2021, new directions and goals have possibilities.

Systemic Extortion

 This was my morning post on social media.

Overthinking again! I think therefore I am. Therefore I will depart. Or should I say retreat? Where?

Perhaps into the deep and dark secluded corners of the mind.

Conclusion: our individual perception of "the present moment" is the concatenation of life experiences. There are no two snowflakes alike. There are no two "realities" alike. As individuals reality is established through the lenses of life experience through which we view the natural world.

So off I go to my quiet secluded space, with my voice recognition software, Grammarly and the Hemmingway Editor, fighting procrastination all the way. Wish me luck! I will be back…

/h

Systemic Extortion

Now isn't this an odd title for an article? Yes of course it is, because only with the harsh reality can we be enticed or forced to arrive at new conclusions. Through personal observation, I would suggest that important critical changes are only achieved after experiencing a variety of natural human emotions.

So you've been to the pet store, and you are now home with a new member of the family. What a cute puppy. Now begins the many many months of "puppy training". Treats in your pocket, and perhaps a rolled-up newspaper. Good behavior is rewarded with praise and a treat. Deterred behavior with a swat from the rolled-up newspaper. This continues day after day, many times throughout the day until automatic responses are generated in the puppy, and we now consider our "best friend" housetrained.

The same is true of our social communities, as young individuals we are groomed into the community. Praise and stroking of individual egos, and criticism for noncompliance. No two communities are alike. No two individuals within the community are alike. Each individual grows and develops as an adult according to their early life experiences.

The title "Systemic Extortion", because the "puppy training" of each of us as individuals in our early years is a process of "reward and punishment". Praise and ego-stroking, and harsh criticism or rejection. In extreme cases, individuals are ostracized. The cornerstone of Western civilization is perpetual "Extortion". We don't call it extortion, because when the shaping and grooming of social behaviors are done by individuals that have conceded, their right to do so, from "Divine Providence ". "Systemic Extortion", has become standard social practice, the fabric of "faith-based" social networks.

We live in a world of engineered reality, that has evolved over many centuries. The leaders, the facilitators, the perpetrators are elevated to layers of social standing everywhere around us. If we examine human behavior, for the term "narcissism", we may reflect a new and deeper understanding. With the underlying purpose of "Divine Providence", in the hands of leaders, facilitators, and perpetrators the label "narcissist" is conveniently dropped. Conveniently dropped because in the broader context a greater good for the social structure is perceived. This begs the question, why drop the term narcissist? Do not each of these individuals mentioned retain social status, power and authority? Therefore their community and social group standing is solely dependent on narcissistic traits to be perfected to maintain the social hierarchy. In all instances along the way, "a power greater than myself" as self-determination defuses any criticism.

How is it that we continue to perpetuate these chains of events? It begins possibly during times before the example I will give. The early Greeks and Romans established the social process of removing the young boys from the home environment and placing them in compounds with other young males. From the earliest age, young boys found role models in their every day new environment and were gradually shaped. These times were before the establishment of what we observe today to be modern-day Christianity.

Psychology today understands the development of the human mind in much greater detail than our ancestors. The overall conclusion is this, the biological and physical maturity of our human brain is completed approximately at age 30. Keep in mind the previous two paragraphs as we move forward.

In the early months of human development, young child is observing their surroundings. Language and communication have not developed yet, but observations are establishing conclusions in the young mind. Keep in mind that there are a variety of environments, each one uniquely different. The widest gamut possible is the possible reality for each of these new members of our species. It can be a well-meaning and dedicated evangelical Christian household. It can be at the other end of the spectrum and narcissistic and abusive, substance-dependent environment. Without communication, the young mind can only come to conclusions and make decisions resulting from observations. The "reward and punishment" is understood and conclusions arrived at. Both of these extreme examples of the family atmosphere and all deviations exist in our communities.

In those early preteen years, communication is established with the outside world through acquired language. Clichés and phrases, shape the cultural lensing of the young mind. Dependent on geographical and cultural immersion, the young mind becomes a modified copy of both ancestors and community.

Now arrives adolescence. Language and cultural practices have been adopted, and now is the time to give responsibility to the developing mind. Stroking of the ego, reward and punishment go hand-in-hand with establishing the desired endpoint. Perhaps in the evangelical home, the young person takes on responsibilities to assist in their Sunday school program. At the other end of the social spectrum, substance abuse might result in the young individual beginning the use of these substances themselves. Why? Because in each case the young mind perceives a value in conformity. The young mind desires to mimic what is perceived to be advantageous traits. Throughout the teenage years, behavioural confirmation by the group begins to set firmly in place the personal conclusions. By the time the teenager passes through adolescence and reaches the age of 30, constructs in the mind can become firmly entrenched. No further knowledge or understanding is required, I have learned all I need to know, I am now an adult, I'm all grown up.

Here I will throw a curveball into the mix. As I had mentioned in a previous rambling, I attended a Congregational meeting in Saskatoon, perhaps 10 years ago now. It was suggested by a childhood friend that I attend, however, he had other commitments and would not be joining me. Innocent enough, I did. The meeting began with a recorded presentation of a debate between a believer and a nonbeliever. The presentation chosen was such that I can assume most people watching concluded the believer won the debate. After a brief interlude, perhaps 10 or 12 individuals from the congregation seated themselves on the stage. The lead facilitator of this gathering stood up and made a statement. "We are here to try and understand why more than 90 percent of our young people leave their faith after two years of higher education."

The reason I have related to this personal experience is that from the time the young mind leaves high school and enters institutions of higher learning, change is still possible. I recall out of context, from my preteen years, attending the rural Lutheran church service. "Maintain the innocence of a child." I do not recall the context or any other details, or even when in my early life this memory remains. I bring it forward at this time as an example that even upon completion of high school, "maintain the innocence of a child", has not solidified the possibility of a broader understanding by our human mind. In some individuals, even after the age of 30, conclusions are arrived at and major life decisions are made.

In conclusion, there are many facets of our human social interactions. We are all shaped by our life experiences. Those that claim to be the most caring, and for the greater good, clearly by example are the ones that practice "extortion" to the highest degree in the disguise of "divine providence". Collectively as members of the species, we must open our eyes to these practices and behaviours, and gradually through whatever processes necessary, stamp them out as detrimental to our collective advancement. During an earlier time, Hans Christian Anderson wrote "The Emperor's New Clothes", a poke in the eye of the social conformity during his time, of the obvious. Peter Boghossian, assistant professor of philosophy at Portland State University, defines faith as "pretending to know things you don't know."

2020 Christmas morning

Do you remember Alice in Wonderland?
Of course you do!

Come with me, and let us go for an adventure.
A stapler? Why?

Perhaps for at least the last few decades, this recognized tool, has played an instrumental part in our everyday world. It comes in varied shapes and sizes, for stapling together paper, stapling vapour barrier during construction, stapling bags closed, and many more. Let's not forget stapling wires or cables along the baseboard by the telephone or alarm system installer. Why such detail? Because this should all come together with the realization that regardless of the tool, the concept is the same. Take the shape designed for the tool, and get the job done. staples for cables, staples for attaching vapour barrier during construction.

Now let's extrapolate this, and perhaps go down a rabbit hole. Please consider that staples, regardless of the size or shape, represent the collective knowledge and understanding during the current era. That being established, let us understand that the stapler is the tool to establish greater common understanding.

Regarding cables and wires, and staples, we have now arrived at a time when many of the devices are wireless. Everything can be connected to everything else. Perhaps in this regard staples have become obsolete. If staples have become obsolete with the transfer of data, then what is the point of having a stapler? Yes for some jobs, we will always need one.

Vapor barrier, construction? Many building materials do not require this previous method, they themselves are a vapor barrier. Many methods of attaching building materials today use adhesives. Again the staple gun is obsolete, and only used in special applications.

A stapler is the method of delivery, of the staple. The staple is the common knowledge of the time. In an information and technological age that we exist in, communication is global and wireless. It knows no boundaries. At least very few boundaries. If we would consider that the stapler, as analogy analogy, to be the "College of Theology". Most if not all university campuses have one.

The very general purpose of the College of Theology, was to establish general consensus and cohesion in community or nation. Apply the common knowledge of the day in such a way that the general population understood the greater good. In this way the stapler, the College of Theology, established conformity. The fabric of community, the rule of law, for social and economic harmony.

Today, "common knowledge" is available to everyone regardless of social or economic strata. Available through many devices, in many languages, across cultures. A global network of data. As this decade moves forward past the year 2020, perhaps the most obvious observation, is that the "stapler" is relegated to the dustbin of history. A delivery method from an earlier time. Just as the textbook used in earlier medicine, perhaps from 500 years ago, is now a museum piece. We certainly do not accept as standard practice, curing ailments by a practice of "bleeding". We have advanced past the time when sickness and disease was accepted to be something in the air around us, a part of "the ether". We simply did not know any better!

Colleges of theology, over centuries, have evolved strategic methods to establish social conformity. The general population in our recent past accepted without question the opinions of the graduates. The power of the microbial world has been demonstrated to us globally in this year 2020. These graduates of theology, "stand down and stand by". Everyone recognizes this year the insignificance and assertions of certainty which cannot be measured or defined.

Two major disasters in our modern recorded history shaped our modern world. These two disasters were the earthquakes in Spain which caused the general population to question and reevaluate "The Divine". In recent history, the events of 9/11 precipitated the past two decades of divine purpose for a greater good. "The War on Terror". A concept for retribution, firmly based on the foundation of evangelical Christianity, the heydays of "Billy Graham" popularity. Reflecting back from 2020, we can clearly see that this firmly established "Christian arrogance" is simply attempting to apply obsolete staples through an obsolete staple gun. Perhaps more clearly, and attempt to apply concepts from early colonialism to our current era. Science and genetics, the knowledge of the microbial world, space exploration and astronomy have rendered the foundations of "the College of Theology" an elephant in the room which has not yet begun the process of fossilization.

This concludes my 2020 Christmas morning of "overthinking everything". Thank you for reading!

/h

Through the centuries, we know more.

 
As you slowly scroll this website, the text will appear on alternate sides of the screen, giving you a slow and gradual explanation of the image in the center.

"Big-bang", no...
With time and the advancement in technology we, as a species, arrive at a new understanding of the natural world - including far distant space. Far distant space, that our ancestors had no concept of.

As I read more, over the years, there are a continuous number of "big-bang" events. These are natural phenomena beyond our earth's atmosphere. We come to observe this natural cycle of energy and matter, in a never ending cycle. It appears to be regional in parts of distant space. events occur that lead to the demise of stars and planets. There are events that lead to the creation of new planets and stars. These events happen over BILLIONS of years, a time scale that our human existence commonly is in DENIAL OF. As a "species" we are "self-centred", certain that our personal "life" is of some great importance, What we observe in these recent decades, is that this is not the case. 
One example to illustrate the "time-scale" is this.  Hold your arms out on each side of your body. At the far tips of your hands on either side, your fingernails extend. Now imagine taking a nail file and stroking the tip of the farthest nail. 
The fully extended arms represent the age of our planet.
The single stroke of the nail file at the extended finger tip represents "human existence" on this planet.
Will a single stroke of the nail file, you have removed our entire human existence on the face of this planet.

What we observe far off in distant space are events that happen during multiple time frames that would be measured by the distance to the fingertips of your extended arms. Let's call this "extended arm" time frame a "celestial year". We as a species are insignificant.
Our hereditary concept of afterlife appears to have no place in this time frame. We exist, and someday we will no longer exist. We are  but bugs in a slow moving storm of transitions of energy and matter. 
/h



“Black holes are enormous sources of energy in the universe, and that is because material falls into the black hole. As it does so, it goes faster, and if it collides, those collisions can take kinetic energy and turn it into radiation. In terms of the lifecycle of a galaxy, the black hole at the center plays a major part in how the galaxy evolves.”
https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/assets/media/multimedia/fabian/index.html 

No no it is simpler than that!

 

No no it's simpler than that!

Break the problem into smaller pieces.

Overthinking and rethinking. Eventually you break it down. You arrive at the lowest common denominator. Why?

In order to be an instrument for change, knowledge is required. You acquire knowledge by being observant. As you observe patterns begin to emerge. Patterns? Yes patterns in behaviour of our species.

I'll begin this discussion quoting one of the very common introduction statements. I reflect back over many decades, this one appears to be very common, a lowest common denominator. Why? More to come about the "why" near the end.

"Howard, you seem to be a nice person?"

Why do I find this a low common denominator?

In past experiences of interactions, this has been the lead in statement. Usually made by those either new to my social circle, or on the fringe areas. I conclude that they have observed my behaviour for some time, and they simply cannot help themselves to interact and find out more. Find out more about you? Yes! The "more" they want to find out, is to determine if you are part of their "camp", "worldview".

The conclusion, or profile, that I have arrived at which is common to all of these interaction is this. They have been observed your knowledge and experience. They highly respect your accomplishments and lifestyle or behaviour. Perhaps to sum it up, "we need people like you". It's part of the recruitment strategy. They need to know if you are already part of their "camp", and if not, I'll desirable recruit.

What has been the common outcome? The common out come is that they soon realize they cannot compete with your knowledge and experience. What I can best describe as "Christian arrogance". Ask them questions, and the most common response will be a biblical reference. The soft pushback? "You have to believe in something." Within a few minutes it can quickly deteriorate to a personal attack. The most common personal attack statement: "I don't like the way you think!" Many times profanity part of this last statement.

Reflecting back to the mid-nineteen eighties, a particular individual. Literally many hundreds of hours spent together, enjoying our adventure with the common interest of playing music. Now more than 30 years have passed. The individual refuses to meet for coffee. Why? Because through all this time he has assumed that I was part of his "worldview". Through those early years of togetherness, he was always the dominant alpha male personality. Continuing to this day I am sure to volunteer with the local "mustard seed" outreach. Over the past five years I have sent him a few email links, and all I have received back from him are scripture quotes. What happened? Perhaps for the past 30 years he has made an assumption that, "Howard you are a good person". Only now within less than five years, perhaps Google searching my name, he found something and could not contain his curiosity. He had found a LinkedIn entry which I had made in my work history. That entry was that I had been a volunteer for "Recovering from Religion". His first contact back to me after many years was to ask me what this was about. I sent him a few links. I realize that this is been a turning point. For three decades he had made the assumption, that I was a "good person", and now he found out that I was an instrument of "evil". I can only imagine his internal anguish with respect to biblical statements about associating with "nonbelievers". His personal dismay at how he could have been wrong all these years. His internal angst that he had collaborated with the nonbeliever all this time. Perhaps best described that his mind is that of an eight or 10-year-old, running to his parents in the middle of the night, because a nightmare woke him up.

I have other instances, this is just one example of my observations of human behaviour. Just one example that I observe of the suppression and obliteration of the natural "inquisitive nature" of our species. The pattern that I observe is that this lifelong personal position is established before the age of 13 to 15. The establishment of critical thinking can continue mental development throughout the lifetime. However the human brain reaches maturity approximately age 30. This being observed, most individuals spend the second half of their intellectual development in echo chambers that cement perceptions permanently. Between ages 15 and 30, many are given adult responsibilities. These adult responsibilities stroke the ego and establish their personal identity. As with this individual that I have used as an example, past the age of 50, there is little chance of change. Perhaps in their later senior years, as memory begins to fade, the early preteen childhood nightmares are remembered and become their true every day reality.

Probably, I could go on for another two or three paragraphs with more detail, I hope that the above is sufficient to demonstrate a pattern.

"Faith is hope masquerading as knowledge." ~Peter Boghossian, Washington State University. 

I now come to realize in my early seventies, that when you start to see this pattern, an interpersonal relationship cannot be derived. The lifelong position of "faith", is firmly entrenched. Reason and logic was hijacked sometime back when they were in their mid-teens. The "inherent truth" as understood by them from their scripture reading trumps everything.

In summation, be a role model, be an instrument for change. Be visible in your path of the logic and reason. The inquisitive nature will find what it's looking for you just by watching you, even if only from a distance. I attended an evangelical Congregational meeting one evening. I was the outsider, I didn't know that I should not have been there. The topic of the evening was "why do 95 percent of our children leave their faith when attending higher education?" As mentioned earlier the human mind completes growth and development about the age of 30. Consider that these children, in spite of their evangelical and homeschooling or private upbringing, 95 percent left the "faith" of their family and community within two years of higher education. The inquisitive mind will continue to develop until about the age 30. Therefore those that continue on to higher education have approximately 10 more years. These 10 years are crucial to disbanding hereditary faith groups and systemic racism. Since the wide acceptance of the Internet, even those that do not continue on to higher education, may all of their own discord, walk away from the understanding of their family and community. Information is now readily available to all those who are curious. The broadest base of common knowledge, available to all regardless of country of origin or nationality, is now available to everyone.