Illusions and Charlatans

 

Homo sapiens history can be characterized as illusionary because of  emotions , needs and  irrationality.Therefore, humans have been easy victims as numerous individuals have exploited the human weakness  and strength of these  emotions , needs and wishes . There have been  an exorbitant number of Pied Pipers with too many to name.  My critique of an article titled “These Workouts Build a Competitive Mind-Set” found in the July 12, 2026 edition of the New York Times follows .

Recently, a fitness company called Xenom was founded by an individual who previously was a cofounder of a publicity firm  promoting fitness races in Germany.  His current venture promotes “it’s about making you feel like a superstar, like the athlete you know you are inside.”

 Xenom is derived from the Greek word Exos and translates  as strange or foreign  . Participation in this two day program  includes 10 events  - barbell lifts, a 3 km run, gymnastics ,handstand push-ups and pull-ups .  According to the article, nearly 2 dozen men that included software engineers, salesmen, retired police officers and dads in their 40s took part.

This company uses many of the workouts from CrossFit, an official partner.  The founder raised 15 million in capital , primarily from the technology investment firm operated by the former Disney chair Jeffrey Katzenberg.  At the moment, about 2 million people work out in CrossFit’s worldwide network of almost 10,000 gyms and another 2 million readily put themselves through CrossFit inspired workouts according to the article .

The real purpose of this company is to deceive ordinary workout characters   and have them believe they are  pros .The illusion is to have them thinking they are Olympians or gladiators, if only for a couple days. This promoter spent more than $1 million for his illusionary  charade  that was held in Frisco, Texas.The cost to participate was $500. Promotionally, a number of people received their entry fee in a giveaway.  One Air Force Senior Master Sgt. said, “I think I'll do it again, but I’m not sure I'll pay 500 bucks.”

According to the article, there were two CrossFit  individuals competing in an elite division.  There was no mention of  the criteria for an elite division or other divisions . Were there  divisions according to age, gender and /or weight ? 

Clearly, the  company’s profit motive is supreme.  For the participants, they might have  met their ego needs of exhibition ,achievement, abasement and affiliation.  Hopefully , their  mental and physical health and pocketbook  won’t suffer in the process. Working out  and   participating  with their definition of a “pro” is supposed to do what ?

The promoter is appealing to Individuals that are  supposedly wishing to boost their self-esteem needs within their narcissism.  Participating in this  two  day competitive exercise program with strangers is supposed to boost what?  If you think you’re going to become a superstar ,because of entering this event ,you’re deceiving yourself .It’s just another  illusion.

Illusions  are  wish fulfillments that  are  compensations for childhood or infantile  emotions of  weakness ,insecurity and/or helplessness  .Thinking  that you are receiving narcissistic satisfaction  and believing you’re a superstar  in this venue is nonsense .

Illusions are  attempts at compensating for one’s inadequacies.  They are not based on fact , scientific evidence or  in this case Self-concept research.  Self-esteem is based on a number of factors during  development and experience.  Goals, expectancies ,level of aspiration , achievement and success or failure contributes to self-esteem development. One isolated experience ,in adulthood ,does not modify one's self-esteem.  Of course, one  can very easily  be duped by some external source  that intends to take advantage of an individual’s emotions , impulses, needs and  weakness .

 For instance, an amateur or CrossFit “Pro” running on a track with Jakob Ingebrigtsen  would  not only be embarrassing  but would also be  a threat to hIs self-esteem  and reinforce his inadequacy as would  attempting to keep up with Brenen Thompson of the San Diego Chargers.

Attend any sporting event with the parent and their son.  Watch the unnecessary involvement , body motions and verbalization taking place as their son participates. Parents have been known to verbally and physically attack the referee while supposedly protecting their son from some  call.  And, parents  pay exorbitant  amounts for their children’s pay to play for club sports along with their own enmeshment. Essentially,the parents are  reliving and attempting to compensate for their own inadequacies when they were competing participants.  They’re just projecting and displacing their emotions inappropriately.

This promoter’s statements about making one feel like a superstar is a promotional  illusion.  He has no evidence to support that erroneous statement.  Is his motivation purely greed or is it a combination of greed and ignorance?  With capitalism and its promotions , it is not unusual to detect the real motivation.  In capitalism ,the motivation is profit.

Additionally, intrinsic motivation is more healthy than extrinsic motivation.  For example, when I ran  The Western States 100, I was not competing against Scott Jurek, Tom Johnson ,Jim Howard or Tim Twietmeyer.  I accepted the challenge and was competing with myself. My self-esteem  and self-worth was developed as a consequence  of previous achievements,mastery ,self-confidence ,status ,dominance and recognition.  I essentially  was pleased and clearly  added another achievement or another medal to my collection.

A more realistic claim about competing in an  athletic event  is to state that proper nutrition,strength training and aerobic activities are associated with numerous benefits that include enhanced immune system, improved memory and cognitive function, enhanced sexual functions, Increased rate of healing as well as  living a more productive and healthier life .  In fact, I provided seven prescriptions for a better lifestyle in”It Has Nothing To Do With Age” that was based on the stories of driven athletes competing in extraordinary sports and who were at least 65 years of age and older.

Reference

Coopersmith, Stanley.  The Antecedents of Self-esteem.

Human Fraility

 

About 14 billion years ago, matter, energy, time and space came into being and was called The Big Bang Theory.  Animals much like modern humans first appeared about 2.5 million years ago. And, It wasn’t till about 70,000 years ago,  organisms belonging to the Homo sapiens species started to form  cultures and hold beliefs .Beliefs can be an acceptance that something is true or real  and held without absolute proof .Beliefs can also relate to something factual, right , wrong, good , bad , religious , spiritual, and even having confidence in one’s own ability or truthfulness.This very brief disquisition depicts  one particular belief about emotions , behavior and weakness .

Beginning with primeval  dyads and then,over time, with increasing numbers such as family ,clan, tribe ,race, nation and so forth, a powerful , dominant leader emerged to influence ,motivate, direct and rule.  For instance, the head of the family  or chief , with his many wives, was believed to be the wisest, strongest and/or the best provider. That did not mean that there were no competitors for that top position .More than likely it was the male offspring  or offsprings challenging for that top spot.

From a psychological perspective, Homo sapiens followers behavior and beliefs reverts back to  its early development occurring and beginning in infancy .Essentially ,early infantile Homo sapiens  experienced threats to survival that’s  emotionally characterized with fear, anxiety,helplessness,dependence, uncertainty and lack of safety  falling within its life space with  mother and father caretakers .Thus, the tendency for survival is an emotionally based motive . And importantly ,  becomes a long lasting  motivational prototype . 

Therefore, the  infant  initially perceives  a mother protector which becomes replaced by the omnipotent father . He unconsciously becomes  an implanted memory  for  safety and love. And with  an emotional  threat ,results in  wanting  and seeking that unconscious  wish or desire . The motivational  repetition  of that infantile emotional experience to seek safety, protection. love and  being provided and cared for  just like when being young  and powerless . Thus ,this  dynamic tendency emerges  in various degrees depending on a number of variables which are beyond the scope of this essay. 

Note, early on, the  young one can have ambivalent feelings like love, respect,admiration and also  fear and hate for father. So, one can be attached despite having feelings of anger and disappointment . Remember,these future  father protectors are unconscious  emotional substitutes .This means ,when survival is threatened, the person  identifies with that charismatic “leader”  who promised  to protect . That perceived  powerful character's father substitute is revered ,respected , obeyed , believed to remove all  sufferings with unconditional loyalty regardless of reality and one’s ambivalence .This ambivalence, this duality of emotions becomes assimilated .

In primeval times , man’s identified with a totem  coupled with beliefs regarding the powerful protection by that particular  totem  or primal ancestral father .These totem  beliefs among certain primitive people also provided a basis for their social and  religious organization. 

Essentially, these superstitious beliefs were based on the idea that there was an  ancestral relationship between man , every member of his group and the totem  Totems , if an animal, were believed to protect man who  then showed his respect by not killing it.  And ,if it were a plant  by not cutting or gathering it . Also, totemism was associated with exogamy and thus formed a protection against incest - one had to marry  or have sex outside his specific group ,clan or tribe.

Another belief  was in many gods. polytheism  as protectors for survival and the like. Each God would control a specific part of nature; human life or daily activity.  And, multiple deities were directed toward many distinct divine things, and they  also played specialized roles as individual gods  and ruled over specific domains like war, love ,sky and harvest.

A belief in the divine right of kings was  political doctrine, asserting  power during the monarch’s reign ,The king’s authority to rule came directly from God.  In other words, the king was accountable only to God for his actions making resistance or rebellion against the crown a sin against divine will. This  thinking was of  absolute patriarchal authority.

Also in Homo sapiens  history  were beliefs in human sacrifice, an ancient religious  ritual of killing of people to please deity powers ,securing good fortunes  and/or enforcing social control .It could also appeal to the gods by giving them a most valuable life in order to  secure rain  for crops or victory in war; retain the services by killing the servant or slave to accompany the dead king In the afterlife; or for social control. These public  religious rituals were used by elite rulers to display their absolute  power ,authority , sadism and to instill fear.

For a more humane belief and a different morality ,we turn to Old Testament prophets who believed in one true ( likeness of father ) God ; its covenant with Israel;  the absolute requirement for moral justice, social righteousness and genuine repentance . Prophets  Elijah and Elisha taught  love, unification, reason, truth and hope for mankind. 

Other prophets like Lao-tse,Buddha,Heraclitus, Socrates, Mohammed, and of course Jesus also  taught about the ideas of unity of man ,reason ,love and justice as humanistic goals .

And, around 1500 A.D. humanistic beliefs surfaced  again and were called the Enlightenment. With these beliefs, man discovered nature ; laid the foundations for the natural sciences and began transforming the face of the earth. Science became a  unifying principle ,  a new unity in the social and political unification of the planet along with the domination of nature.  Moral conscience  within the Judeo-Christian tradition, intellectual achievement, heritage of the Greek tradition flowered and artistic creations followed. 

The French Revolution ended the French monarchy ,abolished the feudal system and inspired modern liberal democracy with the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity . However, other beliefs occurred as Maximilian Robespierre, the Jacobins and  thousands of perceived enemies of the revolution were executed and  essentially Napoleon Bonaparte replaced  King Louis XVI and seized power in 1799. 

In addition , Homo sapiens have supported , reinforced ,followed and have been obedient to mullahs, Tzars,Ming dynasties,conquerors,Princes’, Emperors, fascists, authoritarians,prime ministers,presidents etc.

Returning to our beliefs of  today, there was a time when  there were significant political and economic differences  between the West and the East.  However, there’s  a convergence of both philosophy and practice with the USA and its government control of business; oligarchy and unequal wealth ; punishment of political enemies; media control; governmental lies ; doubletalk and human sacrifice with  wars,  poverty  policies , attacks on health , health insurance  and foreign aid .

 The  USA’S  fascist authoritarian  daddy figure script is in full view.  One can not hide from Big Brother , a father figure. George Orwell’s 1984 comes to mind with  War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery and Ignorance is Strength. Intelligence ,dominance, discrimination  and hate have flourished  with this ruler but not objectivity, truth ,humanism and moral reasoning .What happened to liberty,equality and fraternity and that all men are created equal beliefs ? They are not beliefs by the powerful but just slogans and illusions ?

Do not forget that  we were told to believe that a highly productive , technological , and mass production society  with man being in charge of machines would  solve  and master society’s ills. However,  AI’ and it’s asocial tycoon’s ;inorganic lifeforms;humanoid robots and

Cyborg engineering  is becoming  more dominant  without a set of guard rails at this juncture .

 With that being said, perhaps our Homo sapiens biological  species with its primitive ,fragile and emotional state weakness , unconsciously and consciously coveting security ,power,control and love results in a tendency to reunite, to identify with a primordial father figure leading us to our undoing- as did the pied piper. Irrationality, consensus, emotionally  fearful  easily manipulated  minds ,malignant narcissism ,hostility, anti-social, organic and non organic exploitation  with  amorality and false claims continues to be the norm  and our civilization seems headed in the direction of the point of no return .

Reference

Freud, Sigmund.  Totem and  Taboo.

Harari, Yuval Noah.  Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind.

Orwell, George.  1984.

Insanity

 

The title “The Strange Alliance Trying To Remake American Psychiatry “ article was found in the May 24, 2026 edition of The New York Times.  Again, Robert F.  Kennedy Jr. is a  champion  of discontent  and is associated with the number of characters dissatisfied with their lives and finding  a scapegoat to blame instead of taking responsible actions.And of all people, Kennedy Jr. cannot be mistaken for a sage.Instead he’s distorted by his infantile omniscience and paranoid hate while propagating a state similar to feudalism with distrust of science. 

Kennedy Jr. pledged to put the power of his agency behind psychiatric reform-overprescribing of medication at a MAHA Institute think tank.  It occurred at a summit  led by, in part, by a book publisher who blamed the combination of Tylenol and a non- identified vaccine  for his daughter's autism. Again, another non credible individual giving an absurd opinion. These opinions are irrational at best. Other characters present like a journalist protesting against mainstream psychiatry and a woman activist and former patient. Opinions are just beliefs , not scientifically based by these complainers . 

Another article dated August 9, 2026 titled “He Grew Up on Antidepressants .Now He Wants a Way Out” highlighted his MAHA discontent. Apparently, his mother at age 5 referred him to a pediatric neurologist who diagnosed him with.  Tourette’s Syndrome, Obsessive-compulsive disorder,  generalized anxiety disorder and prescribed Paxil. one of the S.S.R.I.s.

To make a long story shorter,  the following was reported: 1.  His mother was horrified at her father’s mental health condition upon returning from World War II and lamented that there were no antidepressant medications available .2.  Multiple psychotropic medication was prescribed over the years.  3.  He changed medications when the side effects became unbearable.  Then he would switch to other meds 4.  He was told that he had a chemical imbalance in his brain 5.  He began  complaining on Instagram and other social media platforms and began associating with up to 30,000 followers.  6.  He began submerging himself in frigid waters in order to give himself  a lift. 7. He hooked up with an associate Australian professor of psychiatry and began to follow his protocol to reduce his meds.  8.  He submerged himself in a cold polluted creek and caught a stomach bug.  9.  Concerned about tapering off his medication and dealing with withdrawal , he pursued online groups critical of psychiatric medicine 10. On social media, he complained about a lost childhood that was blamed on his meds  11.Because of his popularity,  he was solicited by individuals with a political agenda dissatisfied with psychiatry. 12. He accepted an invitation to speak at a MAHA conference and after, he started to publish social media posts in partnership with the telehealth tapering clinic by that Australian professor 12.  His goal is to live free of antidepressants.

A few comments about this article. 1.  How many characters provided this manipulator with a diagnosis in addition to his mother and a pediatric neurologist ?  2.  His complete personal and drug history usage nor all his prescribing doctors were not reported.  Interviewing  them might provide a very different picture.  3.  Scapegoating meds is a convenient fantasy  for him .He cannot ,because of mother attachment, pin it on his mother . He reportedly calls his mother daily .4.  An accurate clinical diagnosis of his mental health was  not provided.  5.  Tapering off psychotropic medication requires complete supervision by the prescribing doctor. 6. Psychotherapy is one integral component  for restoring  sanity.  7. Pharmaceutical companies are concerned with profit  and have no difficulty providing  research funding to  support their claims.  However,they do fund appropriate research associated with conditions associated with discontinuing  their medications.

We have a mental health crisis in this country - too many individuals require assistance ,not enough providers, absence of 3rd party payment and  the fees required for treatment. Attacking the nation's mental health crisis by scapegoating overprescribing meds is not the solution to fixing  mental illness.

 At this summit were a number of Department of Health and Human Services officials along with publications bearing the name of Trump printed at the bottom of every page.

Back in the day , I first started practicing  psychotherapy at a county mental health clinic .That clinic  was staffed by a team of psych techs, MSW's, psychologists and psychiatrists . Psychotropic medication  was available in addition to psychotherapy.  At that time , these county Short Doyle clinics were established ,in local  communities ,to replace  the closing of  inpatient psychiatric hospitals .

After a few years at that clinic,  I went into full-time private practice. Often, patients had third-party payments-psychotherapy benefits from their employer.  At that time, typically  psychiatric coverage  by insurance provided  50 outpatient psychotherapy visits  yearly.  

In my 25 years of full-time psychotherapy practice, I did not have any knowledge of psychiatric malpractice with consulting psychiatrists . However, on a personal level, I’ve heard complaints about  meds not working but also know that these individuals were not totally compliant .Medication alone is not realistic.

Then in the 90s, managed care arrived on the scene and became the middleman between the patient and the insurance company.  Visits were limited to a maximum of 20 sessions per year . Some systems allowed five visits and then documentation  if more sessions were required.  Essentially, this was a medical model which meant that one could receive treatment if it was a medical necessity. Medical necessity was defined by the insurance companies  with either an anxiety or depression diagnosis.

The Insurance companies' model was based on profit and it was common for psychiatry to become involved because their medication protocol was based on the symptoms associated with anxiety or depression . In other words, a variety of  pills and a limited number of sessions became  the standard mental health treatment 

 For example , individual, couples ,marital therapy or work-related problems were not defined as  a medical necessity by the insurance companies.  The insurance companies defined what was treatable and what was not treatable only based on their profit motive .

There is a mental health crisis in our country as individuals in our country have  multiple issues beyond anxiety and depression. An AI device is not the answer.

 If one wants to better understand underlying  self defeating motivation ,identifying and making sense of  suffering, improving  relationships with significant others, eliminating guilt , improving academic performance ,dealing with pain and accepting self,  five psychotherapy , limited sessions ,or pills is inappropriate . Removing a symptom does not address the causation.

Effective productive psychotherapy therapy  relates to the relationship  established along with the understanding of thinking, feeling ,emotion and behavior . Change  and effective treatment has to do with the special organic relationship  between two people and not based on some number of visits.Psychotherapy can become and result in a very special and  unique emotional experience between two people.

It's clear to me that this current Trump crowd ‘s motivation is about power and greed and does not concern itself with the common man.  In their opinion, the anonymous man does not deserve anything better and cannot expect the government to help or assist.  This administration is dismantling the government with its firing and loyalty pledges; incompetence at the head; attacking healthcare, snap ,waging war, disrespecting immigrants as a matter of fact. 

 As if not being able to meet one’s physiological and safety needs along with the excessively high rates of homicide, suicide, and drug addiction can be fixed by reducing or eliminating psychotropic medication is pure insanity. There is a mental health crisis in our country, pure and simple.  Our sick society is perpetrated and reinforced by inadequate parenting, the profit motive  of health care insurance and pharmaceutical companies, wealth inequities, Trump’s  GOP toxic policies and wealth management tycoons for starters.

Plato believed that in a thriving Republic that anyone acquiring more than four times the wealth of the poorest citizens should donate the surplus to the city. For example, Musk’s  net worth is 5 million times the wealth of the typical family .Plato was right when he wrote  in the Republic  “it is impossible that those who become very rich also become good.”  And that “true poverty consists not in lessening one’s poverty but in an increase of one’s avarice.”

Unlike our country’s mental health,  Sweden, Finland and Norway consistently rank higher in mental health outcomes due to  their comprehensive healthcare systems, societal support and preventive measures. In fact,Sweden’s emphasis on work- life balance and mental health services contributes to its top position  according to GPT.

PS

The intelligence of the Trump crowd is not being used for unification, justice or equality, but for greed, power , exploitation, discrimination , destruction.and insanity .

Epstein

 

The article "The Untold Story of Jeffrey Epstein's Death “ was found in the June 28 ,2026 edition of The New York Times.  I was neither surprised about the way the case was handled, nor the findings about his death.  Was it suicide; was it murder or was it assisted suicide ?  Will the truth ever be known?

Epstein was arrested on July 6, 2019 by FBI agents in New Jersey.  He was driven to Manhattan and placed at the (MCC) Metropolitan Correctional Center.  This facility was an overcrowded federal jail  noted for its poor conditions and dysfunction.  It was squalid and crumbling,   posted as a safety and security threat to inmates and employees  and was closed in 2021. 

 The building was stifling hot in the winter and freezing cold in the summer.  Many of the MCC's correction officers'  had  second jobs  and were found sleeping on this job. Many worked over time ; there were many absences along with understaffing. In fact, there were  untrained personnel like teachers ,nurses, clerical workers and other non -qualified’s filling in. 

Why was Epstein held in this facility for 35 days ? Why did it  fall upon Congress  to release more than 3 million pages of Epstein photos and documents ? And, why was Epstein  placed  alone in a cell without 24 hour video surveillance ? Was it incompetence , nefariousness  and/or a combination of the two ?

 

There were many quotes ,in the article , made regarding Epstein's mental state from multiple guards ,employees and fellow inmates. Some were made by inmates in other cell locations.  There were no descriptions of  their mental health training or even credibility for the  various opinions from these inmates. Their motives were based  on ?  How truthful were their individual comments ?  And ,some guards were fearful that Epstein might report them unfavorably. In fact, one inmate's testimony was relied upon credibly by the federal investigators but that individual died shortly thereafter.

Epstein was not monitored appropriately and he was not supposed to be in the cell alone.  In fact, US marshals notified the authorities that his cellmate was being taken and transferred.  Still, he was left alone in his cell and found dead. Also,evidence from his cell was not cataloged  well and photographs and objects were at odds with the autopsy report . At a court hearing , a US marshall noted he had”suicidal tendencies” yet was left alone with dysfunctional video monitoring.

A significant number of video cameras  were not working at the time of his death.  However, two  out of 11 were working . Video  coverage of his two jailers revealed that they did not properly monitor him. One had not received proper training and she lied  about her monitoring of Epstein during the shift in question.

 Epstein was supposed to be monitored every 30 minutes. The video of the other  guard that found Epstein dead  was found to  be sleeping during his shift . It appeared from the video that both guards were found to be motionless at  times. And ,that sleepy guard was  not easily  awakened.  

A psychologist  placed Epstein under suicide watch and then reported that he was acting during interviews . He also denied suicide intent. He said to the psychologist “Being alive is fun.” 

The following is not associated with suicide behavior .1.There was no suicide note . 2. The evening of his death, Epstein  called his girlfriend , told her he would not be able to call  her for about a month ,that she should be strong and that he loved her . He also said  ,”they are trying to keep me safe.”  3. He also told the guard to make sure that his CPAP breathing device was working in  order to help him sleep.  

The  death scene was contaminated by MCC staff and paramedics; the wrong  rope was placed into evidence; DNA  was omitted-  but routinely collected in  suicide death occurances; with the absence of staff and inmate interviewing. Also,an  assumption  was made regarding the identification of a person  from an orange blur  on video recording that was found in the pathology report.  

The pathologist retired and said that she gave an interpretive opinion and that Epstein might not  have died from suicide .  Other pathologists were surprised there wasn't a murder investigation t . And, that limited evidence was associated with strangulation- 3 bone and cartilage fractures in his neck were difficult to interpret .There were also discrepancies between  the noose that was logged into evidence and the marks on Epstein’s neck. Further,items from the cell had been thrown away.  Why wasn't this case treated as a homicide, stated one objective pathologist ?

Many inmates,jail employees,lawyers,federal officials and law enforcement officers had not been interviewed during  Trump’s Justice Department” investigation” regarding the death .And others involved refused to talk with the reporters .The government also  had hidden from view an alleged “suicide” note. 

A number of notes  apparently written by Epstein were found .These notes  were riddled with idiosyncratic capitalization ;punctuation and  not complete thoughts. The last note was described as resembling  his other notes.

It's clear  ,based upon this article,  that the Trump government's handling of Jeffrey Epstein' death was suspicious and troublesome  to say the least.  I do not trust the pathological liar Trump nor his loyal flunkies with the truth associated with anything that has to do with Epstein.  Trump has been a master  when it comes to his distortion of reality . And has used his power to continue, mislead ,distort and cover-up the truth .  

PS

Thom  Darden and I have been invited by the University of Michigan Alumni to host a webinar regarding Bo's Warriors.  The event is scheduled for August 16, a Sunday, at 1 PM Pacific coast time.  To register for the event 

https://umalumni.my.site.com/s/lt-event?id=a1QUS00000C3rAX2AZ 

Discrimination

 

 Love thy stranger  and love thy enemy from the Old and New Testaments are a call for humanism in contrast with Trump’s  discrimination  policies. And,according to him, we are  not a “melting pot. “  Religious ,racial ,sexual economic and political beliefs, race,  political beliefs, economic beliefs  have been used to discriminate against others since our founding.  As a result, our  history of discrimination has been repeated  over and over again . This essay describes a few examples of  repeated discrimination in our Republic.

In 1764, about 200 Irish settlers from Pennsylvania's backcountry rode to Philadelphia to confront a government they despised.  This angry group had already slaughtered a group of peaceful Indians and blamed  English Quakers for the attacks.  The Quakers expecting attacks, abandoned their pacifism and picked up muskets; and  the colony was spared from potential Civil War only by the diplomacy of Benjamin Franklin ( Benjamin Franklin PBS KVIE).

Instead of a physical war ,pamphlets were used that accused the Quakers of taking  satisfaction in the slaughter of Irish and German settler families at the hands of the Indians. That  misrepresentation   called for Quakerism to be extirpated from the face of the  earth. On the other hand, Irish Ulster Presbyterians were described as ulceration and piss-brute-tariens. Franklin himself referred to the English settlers as Christian white savages and Germans as Palatine boars who refused to assimilate or learn English.

About 100 years later, the Civil War pitted white against white .  Slavery was largely responsible for the economic wealth and success in the South, even though they were  considered 3/5 of a person . Racism  was not limited to the South as slavery was adopted and promoted everywhere.And, Jim Crow laws perpetuated slavery in the South until  1964 with Pres. Johnson’s Civil Rights Act .  .

When Woodrow Wilson was president there was anti-immigrant sentiment that was furthered by Wilson's hateful and discriminatory A.  Mitchell Palmer, his Atty. Gen.Also,  Palmer’s  efforts were aided by a young Justice Department attorney named J. Edgar Hoover.  Furthermore, Pres.Wilson's mean spirited talk about subversives lurking within America's borders accompanied by a compliant judiciary gave these executive branch leaders permission to discriminate. Ioo years or so later,  are we similar ?

Moreover, Palmer raids detained and deported individuals within the FBI's own history .Palmer scapegoated the Bolshevik revolutionaries  and those who migrated from Russia and eastern Europe.  Also, Wilson warned Congress of a threat posed by citizens born under other flags . Did they actually pose  great threats against  national peace and safety ? This is too familiar. 

The Wilson administration proposed to Congress the Espionage Act  which gave the government sweeping powers to clamp down on free speech , censor the press and  to protect the war effort. The Postal Service followed when the Postmaster General refused to deliver mail that he deemed subversive. Dea vu !

Also, Congress passed  the Immigration Act of 1918, which expanded the government's powers to deport undesirable aliens.and discriminate  against immigrants from Russia and Germany. This was our Democratic government then - sounds familiar .My grandparents left Kiev years earlier. 

With  Hoover  in charge , he  used wartime authority that Congress  provided that allowed federal agents  to burst into apartments and houses across 11 cities to arrest more than 1000 immigrants, many of them Russians . Some were arrested because they were deemed suspicious based on their accent and  were called communists. Democracy in action. Some melting pot !

During World War II, our government  interned Japanese civilians and also  harassed some German citizens.  After that war, Joe McCarthy began his witchhunt and made up stories about red subversives. The Manchurian Candidate  movie with Frank Sinatra provided a glimpse into that era. And,Dalton Trumbo, Hollywood screen writer was blacklisted but wrote scripts under different aliases.  In 1960 ,Kirk Douglas's Spartacus gave Trumbull full credit listing him as the screenwriter.

I remember that time very well.  In fact,when I was 10 years  of age, I found out that my father's name was in the Detroit News newspaper from my friend's  mother - “ Is that your father “? My father was accused ,by unknown sources, that he was a communist. As the story goes, his friend Jim  N, a friend and employed by the US Postal Service was married to a woman who apparently once belonged to the Communist Party.  It was guilt by association and my father was mad because he never knew  who his accusers were.  This was how things were then. What’s changed 76 years later ? 

Jim was fired, his family were deported and  moved to Canada. As a young boy ,we  often visited Jim and his family, and I became friends with his oldest son. Did that make me a communist too?  The McCarthy hearings were  anti-semitic attacks as many of the individuals rounded up, fired,harassed  or blacklisted were Jewish. The movie “ The Way We Were” with Streisand and Redford provided a glimpse into that time .

Today ,we have more of the same discrimination with a round up of immigrants based on the color of their skin.  Ice, military, Congress, Supreme Court, media and social media support the president and his Chief of Staff Miller in these actions despite their  illegality, brutality and murder. Irrationality and sadism are connected with their actions.  For example, an article titled How Hegseth Is Waging A War Against Diversity- Blocking of  a Promotion for a Black Admiral was found in the June 21, 2026 edition of the New York Times. 

Yes,many are in opposition and  are supported by the lower court findings.  However, the Supreme Court has overturned or stayed a number of  these lower court actions.

Freud ,Horney, Jung ,Fromm ,Murray and others have written and have  described man's dark side.  Homo sapiens history

provides us with the repetition of man's  discriminatory behavior. Unfortunately, the administration's policies are favored by too many. Also, Musk is proposing  to spend over $100 million in the upcoming elections . Will Trump, the fraud, and his allies  be able to steal the upcoming  November elections ? Their goal  is power and to continue  their discrimination . They are vengeful, sadistic, narcissistic,and  sociopathic  neurotics 

In essence, religious prophets talked about a man  loving man . However, psychology describes man’s character and points out that some do have the necessary ego supplies to accomplish and relate to others lovingly, while others are simply incapable because their  ego and character dynamics are equated with  narcissism, hate, control , power and  discrimination. Is this the government of the people,by the people and for the people…..? Or is it , of,  by and for some only ?  Elections matter.Do not let this greedy tribe prevail .

PS

Trump favorably interacts with Putin, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un.  Trump must be a  communist.  

 

Thom  Darden and I have been invited by the University of Michigan Alumni to host a webinar regarding Bo's Warriors.  The event is scheduled for August 16, a Sunday, at 1 PM Pacific coast time.  To register for the event .  

https://umalumni.my.site.com/s/lt-event?id=a1QUS00000C3rAX2AZ

Dementia

 

Dementia, which is on the rise, is a group of  symptoms affecting memory, thinking, and social abilities . In fact, it has become the fifth leading cause of death in our republic.  And dementia is a category for multiple diseases. But, the most common  dementia is Alzheimer's disease found in older adults. And, because of brain complexity, there has been  no effective treatment for this progressive disease.  This essay pertains to a few aspects of dementia.

The adult brain weighs about 3 pounds ;the size of a medium cauliflower with 100 billion neurons and 100 trillion synapses.  With that being said, there's essentially "three brains" of a human being.  There is the "Archaic Brain" typically found in lizards and snakes with  its  series of functions; the "Old Brain" typically found in cats and dogs with its series of functions and the "New Brain" found in humans with its functions. Essentially, the disease of Dementia is found in the three brains of the human which understandably makes it impossible ,at this point, to come up with the treatment to eradicate and/or reverse the progressive nature of the disease.

Significant parts within the brain include 1 .Brain Stem 2 .Cerebellum 3.  Thalamus 4.  Basal Ganglia 5.  Limbic System and more specifically-The Hypothalamus, Hippocampus and Amygdala 6. Cerebral Cortex 7 .Cerebral Cortex-Occipital Lobes 8.  Cerebral Cortex-Temporal Lobes 9.  Cerebral Cortex - Parietal Lobes 10.  Cerebral Cortex-Frontal Lobes.

Within brain functioning,there are Neurons and Glial cells in which there is a complex interacting network of neurons that send and receive messages that enable the brain to perceive the world, plan and carry out intentions and actions, think and solve problems, form and retrieve memories and generate emotions and moods. Glial and  other cells help neurons function and regulate neurotransmitters, clean up debris around neurons and protect neurons from potentially dangerous organisms and chemicals. Both neurons and glial cells are dysfunctional or destroyed In most major dementias .And,selected neurotransmitters involved  and affected in dementia include  acetylcholine, dopamine, serotonin and glutamate.

Memory loss is a major component found in dementia.Memory includes the past, present, and especially the future. We can broadly define memory as a time when a past experience has an effect on current or future behavior.  In fact, there is really no single thing called memory and when memory fails, we are left addressed in the sea of uncertainty and confusion with a sense of disconnectedness with ourselves and our world . In a sense we are our memories.

Briefly, there is 1.  Sensory Memory: perceiving which acts as buffers for stimuli perceived through the senses.  2.  Short-term  Memory: temporary storage and manipulation of information for language,comprehension,learning and reasoning.  Most people with dementia have long-term memory conversion,consolidation and retrieval deficits.3.

Within Long-- term memory: there is Declarative Memory for facts and events such as remembering dates ,historical facts ,telephone numbers and names of people that you know.   4.There is also Episodic Declarative Memory, which is for personally experienced events such as what you ate for dinner last night, what happened to you 25 years ago. 5.There is also Semantic Declarative Memory, which is not tied to one particular time, like your name, the kind of car you drive, words of the language, phone numbers, and arithmetic operations And 6. Procedural Memory  which is the retention of the ability to engage in motor activities such as making coffee, driving a car, tying shoestrings and playing a sport-sometimes called muscle memory.

Brains reach maximum size in our teens .About age 25   brain volume in healthy people begins to decline .And, continually over the years , there’s a loss of neurons and  neuron connections .Further,there’s  also reduced blood flow to the brain but the brain is able to learn and make connections throughout adult life, especially for people who exercise regularly and engage in mental workouts.

With brain autopsies, a recent study found that heavier people have smaller brains  with  most  of the atrophy in areas involved in cognitive functions such as memory, attention, planning and decision-making.  Obesity is also associated with vascular damage in the brain related to high blood pressure and elevated LDL cholesterol, which impedes oxygen and nutrients to neurons .

A few  examples related to the structure and wiring taking place in the shrinking brains with dementia include the following . The insides of the brain may shrink to one third  at the time of death. It’s not the skull size ,but the structure, chemistry and wiring connections that change. This means  there's less fuel burning ,less visual processing, less decision-making, less logic and less ability to understand another point of view .

Also, other changes take place. For instance, those who were generally explosive and high strung become more emotional,and more impulsive with their outbursts.  Individuals that  were low conflict oriented  become  more  withdrawn and  shy away from  potential conflict. And those that were fearful before become excessively more timid and fearful.These individuals also have  more difficulty surviving as their sleep cycles and eating behavior change. They sleep less and crave glucose .

Learning and memory is severely affected and so they have difficulty learning new information, storing information  and expressing that material . In fact,  with their limited  reasoning ability , their brain creates fiction and misinformation and lies to themselves. They make up new and false information 

On a positive note, their hearing remains fairly intact .When they ask the same question it's because they did not originally comprehend what was said. It is not hearing loss but language comprehension.  They have difficulty in loud environments such as restaurants, family gatherings and so forth because they have difficulty comprehending what was said  along with being able to remember and respond.  Rhythmic music,and chitchatting seems to be preserved.

Their sense of identity, self-esteem and being becomes greatly diminished.  Once upon a time they were smart, creative, productive, confident, independent while being fully  engaged in life’s offerings.  Goals were achieved, challenges met and obstacles diminished.  Then, as time progressed, they became less capable, less independent ,  their ability is  greatly diminished in so many areas and they became fearful and dependent.  It's like a retrogression, a radical transformation  from being a fully functioning  adult  to becoming more childlike. They even think of themselves as stupid. It's so sad to witness this awful change taking place with this  dreadful disease. 

ReferenceUnderstanding Dementia .Institute For Natural Resources .

Parenting 2

 Turning to technology, we have the negative effects of smart phones; parents' dissatisfaction in their decision-making regarding facilitating smart phones  to their children and creating rules or policies  to combat the issue.Smart phones have "replaced" parents, family, and the socialization of friends and human lovers.  These phones are terrific ,just ask Gen Z’s with their receptive character orientation.  

 AI technology  not only affects socialization , it also affects cognitive development. There has been a dumbing down effect for many, in this country, that's related ,in part, to this technology.  Individuals don't have to take responsibility for their actions as they get their advice and information from AI.

The article, "Thanks to AI, Student  Cheating With AI Is Harder to Detect" dated June 21, 2026 was about plagiarism and cognitive deficits.For instance,  videos all over social media are telling students: to go ahead and let  AI do your homework--with the latest technology  you won't get caught.  These sites show students how to use tools as humanizers  that rewrite AI produced text to make it sound less robotic, formulaic and trite.  Another tool autotypers  drip words and sentences in the documents and even fabricate typos, deletions and revisions. 

 Colleges and K-12 schools are attempting to keep up with  AI detection. But, these apps allow students to generate writing from scratch, humanize text , scan, and replace phrases that could set off AI detectors.  About two thirds of American students are using AI regularly for schoolwork.  According to recent surveys,  it's been said that AI is short-circuiting student learning .Several studies have shown that people who were relying  on AI can experience cognitive offloading, a process in which they've failed to build new skills and/ or their existing skills degrade.

Psychologically speaking, inappropriate and excessive smart phone usage by children and adolescents has been associated with  mental health  and relationship problems,suicide, bullying behaviors and so forth.  According to 1006 members of a Gen Z survey, many young people felt trapped by Tik Tok  and Snap Chat   and nearly all the participants expressed regret about having access to many of the most popular social media platforms. Passive victims without fortitude?

 A national survey of 1013 parents  with children under 18  ,found that many parents gave their children, smart phones and social media access too early; many wished that social media had never been invented and hoped for  new social norms, policies and restrictions .It was also reported that 55% said that the children began  smart phone use  by the age of 12 and 61% said the same about Instagram  and by the age of 13  for Snap Chat. Those decisions were made by? 

A third of the parents  reported social media access  was given too early to their young  children and 22%.agreed regarding  smart phones  as well.  1% of parents said they were ok with  these technologies. A number of rationalizations were employed by the parents,for their inappropriate decisions such as  social pressure and their children would be better prepared for the future  by use of  technology.

Parents are  important when it comes to child development. With that being said, relationships with parents remain, for most children, the most compelling factor in determining the kind of person they become , the kinds of problems they will likely  face and resolve during their lifetime.  In the recent past, there was  pertinent research funding for assessing  parenting styles and  other variables for further understanding its effects  and relationship to child development.  

Today,the harmful effects of  parenting are apparent  with the Gen Z population .Unfortunately there has not been current in-depth or longitudinal research  to evaluate  the association with parenting ,social media and  AI at this time.

Capitalism can only survive with unlimited and excessive consumption. Children are able to manipulate their parents and the parents' response has been to express their “love” by reinforcing the consumption of things and devices. Of course there's  pressure  for everyone to fit in and have what  everyone else has.  Therefore it is not surprising that the knowledgeable technological industry takes advantage  of parental weakness with all its terrific devices.  Apple is just one of the companies making exorbitant profits with  consumers that are becoming more dependent upon . 

One significant factor in early childhood development is  narcissism which begins when the child is psychologically able to first identify with the parent and then learns to separate  from the parent .  With proficient parenting, healthy children have developed secondary narcissism,.With secondary narcissism, the child becomes able to make favorable attachments  or unions to others outside of oneself, if not successful, an unhealthy or toxic degree of narcissism interferes  with developing appropriate object relations . These narcissistic individuals  have difficulty in  looking to others for gratification. It's as if others are perceived as dangerous and to be avoided.

In other words, individuals that tend to have a significant degree of unhealthy narcissism, are extremely comfortable with these devices.  It's no wonder that so many are involved with excessive time spent with these devices.  Not only that, parents allowed their young children access to these devices . And, these electronic devices have interfered and in some cases have prolonged , contributed  and interfered with  developing healthy narcissism which is being able to have human relations with care, empathy, commitment and moral maturity.

Also,it's important to acknowledge the importance  and relationship of the ego's need for affiliation, union and friendship  and the consequences of separation anxiety , loneliness, isolation  and insecurity.  In other words, there's a strong ego need for union and the technological industries are well aware of this need  and have sophisticated advertising strategies in promoting its products. For instance , GenX  individuals have significant, but not surprising , difficulty in meeting the ego need of affiliation with the inorganic . These inorganic devices are not about emotional warmth, understanding , care or love.The devices are responsive to  questions. They do not engage, reach out nor provide significant  human necessities needed.

An article titled "Life Is Better With Siblings" provided input about the importance of  siblings associated  with positive mental health . For instance, older children have the responsibility and opportunities for caring, for understanding and for providing opportunities for teaching the young.  Older siblings can cook, do  laundry and clean and In some ways " replace "the parents.  Significant emotional experiences  with an older sibling are remembered and affect the emotional attachment of their relationship.  Realistically, no, inorganic device can duplicate, let alone replace the learning of empathy.

Technology has produced objects that have  an animistic "life" quality .  These objects are visual, auditory,concrete  and are able to verbally respond based on AI conformity.  The device is  “spiritual” and has a life of its own .In other words,for  many, these devices are  extensions of self. They have  to be attached and  in their possession . Do not leave home without it, and  they are especially stressed when there's some interference in the workings of these devices.

Furthermore, in addition to all sorts of psychological problems for the Gen Z population associated with these devices , also include the epidemic of loneliness.  Once again, it’s the importance of the  fulfillment  of ego's need of affiliation, which is to be able to enjoy, cooperate , reciprocate with another; as well as pleasing ,winning affection and remaining loyal as well.  With loneliness, there's failure to connect with the other despite the fact of the anxiety of being alone.  Of course ,those that are lonely because of the anxiety have additional psychological issues attributed to their inability to meet that important ego need.  In other words, technological devices have contributed to loneliness as people become more comfortable with their devices as opposed to  establishing significant relationships with others.  Unfortunately, people in the culture become associated with excessive conformity. It's no wonder that  we have an excessive amount of hate ,greed and lack of empathy when  toxic narcissism prevails within our inorganic technological society.

Reference

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

PS

Thom  Darden and I have been invited by the University of Michigan Alumni to host a webinar regarding Bo's Warriors.  The event is scheduled for August 16, a Sunday, at 1 PM Pacific coast time.  To register for the event .  

https://umalumni.my.site.com/s/lt-event?id=a1QUS00000C3rAX2AZ

Parenting 1

 

Freud emphasized child rearing experiences in his biological model of personality formation.  Neo-Freudians such as Adler, Horney Fromm, others and more recently Erikson  placed additional emphasis on the influence of society, economics ,religion and politics  on the developing personality. Since  the Middle Ages,  the Renaissance and the Reformation,the  family, social , political ,religious ,technological, and economic forces affecting man's development have changed  significantly . This brief disquisition associates the impact of today's society and technology affecting child rearing on  the development of the Gen X personality. An article titled "There Is a Way to Bring Back Childhood “in the June 22, 2025 edition of The New York Times was pertinent.

Early on, the religious ideas of Luther and Calvin pointed to a powerful authoritarian God who had unrestricted power over man. And man was taught to accept his powerlessness and evilness. But,  he could atone for his sins only by his submission to God. The  idea of God has altered but not the authoritarian -slave-dynamic economically and politically.

A compulsion to work ,passion for thrift and a sense of duty were ,early on, significant character traits  necessary and important tendencies for production  and profit in the rapidly developing capitalistic economy. With that being said, at one time multiple children were  reared  traditionally by both a mother and father and mother was a stay at home mom.The children learned and incorporated their beliefs and responsibilities to God, to each other and to others  as in the Golden Rule..

It’s clear that economically and psychologically, capitalism is predicated on  profitable consumption; meeting of  physiological needs ;perpetuating  the demand and desire for things, items,and objects ;searching for and pursuing  happiness,  “the American Dream;”power ,possession and status.  Briefly, it's  supply ,demand , profit and consumption.

Back in the day, I was reared by mom and dad and lived with my two sibs.  Dad worked outside the home and mom remained at home and ran the household.  Economically , dad provided for  our family on his  salary.  Mom,Bev,  Ron and I had breakfast together-dad had left for work; we  kids had lunch at school and the entire family ate dinner together .  That was  also the norm for  my  neighbors - Klaus,Noseda,Morrison,Russo, Forsyth, Pringle and Peppler families. I was cognizant about religion, economics, socialization, education and preparing for a career.  Plus,my grandparents resided nearby and all my aunts, uncles and cousins  on mom's side lived in Detroit as well .

Later, child rearing changed  because of parents chasing the economic propaganda of "Keeping up with the Jones ;" the rate of divorce  increased; moms entered the work force  and  children were saddled with multiple caretakers.  These  changes had a disastrous effect on the child's emotional,intellectual , moral and behavioral development . Other influences occurred like diminished church attendance ,  scandals; political ineptness and division ; numerous military involvements  and  a war on drugs as well.  Additionally, homeland freedoms diminished;  income discrepancy flourished ; homelessness; poverty ,  debt and  young adults  not being able to leave home increased ; school achievement declined  while college became unaffordable and technology became the new "god."

To make matters worse, remote work also contributed to isolation and a deterioration in mental health as individuals felt lless connected.Further, Plato warned us about wealth disparity and in the Republic stated that “ significant wealth disparity is not a state at all  but rather  two states, the  one of poor, the other of rich men , and they are living on the same spot and always conspiring against one another.”

Within the changes previously mentioned, a receptive character orientation tendency was developing and also being reinforced by  capitalism and its technology. This receptive  character orientation requires support from the outside-parents, friends, consensus, authorities, God and authoritarians.  Because the person believes that the only way to get what he wants, be it material, affection, love, knowledge, pleasure, etc. is to receive it from that outside source.  In other words, in this orientation , the problem of love is almost exclusively that of "being loved" and not that of loving.  

These people tend to be indiscriminate in their choice of the love objects and they "fall for anybody or anything that gives them love or what looks like love.”If intelligent, they make the best listeners since  their orientation is one of receiving.  It is the characteristic of these individuals and their first thought is to find somebody else or something else to give them that needed information or input rather than to make even the smallest effort to find the answer on their own. And,they are proficient at rationalizing their behavior.

Their critical thinking has been replaced and their reliance on memory has been greatly reduced.  Intellectually they are most susceptible , follow consensus and rely on someone or something else for decision making .

By themselves, these people feel helpless and alone.  However, they are also optimistic, friendly, loving when things go well, but easily become anxious and distraught with any rebuff or equivocation on the part of authorities because  they depend on the strength of their masters for their security and well-being even if the masters are selfish , exploitative , sadistic, don’t care and cruel.

These individuals also find consolation in eating, drinking, smoking  and the dream of being fed as a sign of being loved-issues with obesity come to mind.  This group is easily exploited by misleading advertising with its fast food bargains.  In other words, the power of the  food , nutrition and health industries are easily able to exploit their consumers.  Further, there’s a plethora of get rich  schemes;  well-being and happiness books  advertised and an excess   of  electronic apps and gadgets available for these vulnerable characters. We even have a gadget that allows us to remain seated while changing TV channels .

To be continued.