This essay has to do with five articles found in the March 24, 2024 edition of The New York Times. The articles are titled "Are You Thinking for Yourself."; " Testing Limits In Calling Out Anti-Semitism"; "The One Idea That Could Save American Democracy."; "Angst among Youth. Knocks US, Out of Top 20 in the World Happiness Report" and "America, the Reboot." Common themes are identified in this essay.
Thomas Jefferson wrote about the "Pursuit of Happiness " In our Constitution. A report ,issued in 2024 found that individuals in the US under 30 years of age are unhappy . This is not surprising with the significant amount of irrationality and teen suicide in our republic . According to this happiness report, the United States ranked 10th for people 60 and older, but 62nd for people under 30. Covid 19 and its effect on socialization, pre- social behavior and the ability for people to feel connected in their community were mentioned . Additionally, people between the ages of 18 and 25 reported the lowest levels of happiness , the poorest mental and physical health , loss of purpose, absence of close social relationships and financial instability as reasons. Time spent on social media was also identified as a problem .The amount of time spent on social media was correlated with depression and anxiety among teenage girls along with too much toxic news consumption .Teen,especially girls, are in trouble ..
Related to happiness propaganda and mythology are the inordinate amount of assumptions , falsehoods , contradictions and irrationality regarding our republic. The false sense , irrationality and the illusion associated with US greatness. superiority etc. must be examined . Perception, actions, feeling and thinking affect our well-being. It's time to rationally challenge the greatness myth of the US with objective findings, Democracy , discrimination and capitalism are problematic . The “playing field “ is not level..The streets are not paved with gold , but Trump’s toilet seat is. We are the wealthiest statistically., cut statistics can be biased and misleading. The pursuit of happiness is an economic irrational ,self-defeating nightmare for most. For example ,the following myth was found in the March 31, 2024 advertisement of The New York Times and titled " Coast of Happiness." This advertisement was about Bodrum, Turkey. Where you are guaranteed a warm welcome with clad white houses, tangerine trees, sun -soaked skies, cozy beachfront restaurants and yachting adventures. Additionally, there are 19 recommended restaurants, including 2 Michelin star restaurants, 2 Bib Gourmand restaurants, and 15 selected restaurants. Also for those who truly want to indulge themselves and release the strains of modern life, some of the world's finest spa experiences are on hand with top-notch facilities offering Turkish bath treatments as well as holistic therapies and yoga while surrounded by some of the country's most breathtaking scenery.
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Another article identified the frontier and the gunfighter nation myth . The article suggested that reinvention could be achieved only through a white supremacist violence of” indigenous displacement “ with fatal shootouts. There have been a multitude of movies, novels, TV shows embellishing John Wayne types- the rugged, no-nonsense ,non-feeling ,good versus evil males . John Wayne brought justice by killing the bad guys over and over again. It was always a white superhero eliminating the dark skinned. The white males were right and had an obligation to dominate all others that got in their way. John Wayne was the American idol for many. In other words, it's not only okay, but it’s legitimate to dominate and wipe out all the inferiors . Once again, this type of irrationality ,mythology and craziness reinforces the idea that having a gun for killing is associated with masculinity.This mythology is apparent with the ability to visibly carry a weapon and the far right's mythology regarding masculinity.. As a country, White male violence remains supreme.
A sociologist identified race, gender, education, demographics, community, urban, suburban and rural variables influencing thinking with attitudes about crime, public safety, death penalty, gun control, and deportation of immigrants in our society. Some people believe that when it comes to politics, Individuals have abandoned critical thinking and moral reasoning. That’s correct because children first learn about good ,bad , religious preference,, political party favoritism from their parents' prior to their having a fully developed cognitive and moral capacity. Initial childhood learnings, biases, prejudices, likes and dislikes are difficult to overcome because of their persistence through life.
Further, critical thinking is negatively affected by the marketing propaganda of a “smart” phone and computer use .These electronic devices are associated with a dumbing down . Getting your medical diagnosis and political information from anonymous sources, suggests stupidity at best. Critical thinking has to do with credible sources , not pathological liars and propaganda from other sources .Politically, the mythology surrounding Trump is frightening .
There is a rise of anti-Semitism, especially in K-12 schools , colleges and social media . According to the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights , swastikas have been identified on school doors and the October 7 Hamas attack on Israelis being minimized. Anti- Semitism , hate, prejudice is irrational based on a history of misinformation ,mythology. envy and fear. Anti-Semitism, prejudice, good ,bad , love and hate are initially learned in the home from parents and siblings before cognitive development , reason and morality are fully established. It is reason that illuminates and teaches man what is good in order to truly be himself. Exceptional contributions from Jews - Moses, Jesus Spinoza , Marx, Freud ,Einstein ,Oppenheimer , Teller and others are well documented . Why would any rational individual hate these Jews -iCharlie Chaplin, Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, Carol King, Billy Joel, Harrison Ford, Jerry Bruckheimer, AAron Sorkin ,Steven Spielberg, Bob Kraft, Stephen Ross , Al Davis ,Dan Gilbert ,Mark Cuban, Bernie Sanders ?
On the other hand, Jews have been perceived as greedy, dishonest, seeking a pound of flesh, while being in a superior position as was Shakespeare’s depiction of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. .Currently,there are a number of falsehoods and misinformation regarding Israel found on social media. For example, there was a Palestinian person , on video, pretending to be seriously injured in a hospital bed one day and then found to be completely healthy the next day ; a video showing a large number of US Marines arriving at an airport in Israel;. That was from a 2022 video .
The last article suggested that democracy can be saved with solidarity and not division. Throughout history , there have been many events and policies that separate , segregate and divide our citizens. Some say the current political threat is existentially related to American democracy with the authoritarian Trump. Trump spreads craziness with lies about immigrants ,incarcerating political opponents , and attacking and disrespecting judges, prosecutors and democrats out to get him. All these messages portray Trump as a hateful,vengeful seeking victim. Is he really a victim or was he responsible for the 91 indictments against him ? Trump appeals for donations with repeated messaging of victimization, lies, irrationality , fear, hate, bigotry and misinformation . ..
Separateness , irrationality , lies are dangerous, nonproductive, resulting in divorce. On a personal level, marriage works when there is understanding,empathy, mutuality, and compromise. Also ,without respect and integrity, couples do poorly. Our statistics on divorce suggest that some problems can't be reconciled. For our country to trend toward some form of mutuality is important in order for democracy to succeed. We have to identify and confront the mythology, irrationality , narcissism and discrimination that gets in the way of our thinking, which is based on perception, actions and emotions. Emotions such as fear and hate get in the way of objectivity, reason, and rationality. If we are able to think more clearly by understanding our emotional biases there is hope. One trouble that exists is the amount of social media misinformation with its algorithms. These algorithms perpetuate and reinforce cognitive dissonance . They become a mechanism of brain washing and are difficult to counteract.
Misinformation,arrogance, falsehoods, mythology, and illusions affect our emotions, which influence our thinking. There is a preponderance of irrationality in our country. Factually, sapiens are born dependent with anxiety , fear and the attempt to minimize it with drugs , alcohol ,defense mechanisms and mindless activity . Because of unconscious desires , strong emotional underpinnings , man's thinking, beliefs , judgment, idealizations ,actions and attitudes become compromised and contradictory .
There are those in power that seduce and have been excellent at influencing the masses which are eager to follow. Sapiens look for protectors to make things better for them. It could be that special person, that special job , that special home, some promise that's going to bring them happiness. What follows is reality which is followed by another cycle of repetitive ,irrational self defeating perception, thinking, feeling behaviors. What's important for well-being is what's created inside - character with appropriate perception ,acting, emotional and thinking tendencies .Succinctly, happiness is not an end in itself but is what accompanies the increased potentiality which makes man most human.
PS
Albert Camus “ outside of that single fatality of death, everything , joy , happiness is liberty.” He also said”there is no love of life without despair “. Carl Jung “ where love rules. There is no will to power and where power predominates , love is lacking. One is the shadow of the other. “ Anna Freud “ I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence that comes from within. It is there all the time.”Frederick Koenig "We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have."
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