A Religion

 This essay has to do with Trump’s  supporters as evidenced by a recent No Kings protest, a Hegseth comment and TV news. On Saturday, Linda ,Pat, Diane and I joined a large group in Auburn for the No Kings protest.  I was told that a few people going  by  in cars gave them the middle finger and also  heard about a few people being shot with BBs from a passing automobile.  Hegseth , during a press conference, prayed to God or something for the Iranians to be killed.  And, late night comedians are scheduled to be on a "vacation" because of their  anti Trump comments.

In Genesis-Chapter 1 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kind in the cattle according to their kind .... and God saw that it was good.  And God created man in His image of God He created him male and female.  He created them    And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea.........  Note that God created man in His image and they were to be fruitful and multiply and subdue all the other creatures that he created. Unfortunately, there wasn't any mention about killing or treating other humans inhumanely nor about wiping out and extinguishing  any of His creatures.

Is claiming to be a Christian a symptom of unresolved conflicts ; simply a convenient, manipulative slogan of inclusiveness or some other combination of  motives ?  We currently have an authoritarian government.and with this “Christian’ leader ;is his government associated with loving your neighbor ,promoting justice, reducing human suffering,  speaking the truth of happiness and contentment in an image of God? 

Hegseth's comments pertain to rallying around the “totem” flag, patriotism , nationalism ,power, and hate with  killing the  'evil’ Iranians all in the name of God. In what manner does  Hegseth resemble God ?  To what type of God was Hegseth praying ? Praying for God that he will assist you in killing another is simply evil, crazy and irrational.Pope Leo XIV rejects the idea that God justifies war.The authoritarian orientation of Hegseth claiming to be a Christian  is  doubletalk as he only speaks in God’s name. Love thy neighbor  and love thy enemy as thyself are just words for  Hegseth and  are indicative of religious hypocrisy 

This Hegseth character has  had multiple marriages, countless affairs, an alcoholic who stupidly gave away past military operations to a reporter. He’s a  faithful” Christian’ that worships himself and the pursuit of power, lies and destruction with  an authoritarian moral and ethical foundation. So, who is good- who is evil? And, Hegseth is good and those that oppose him are evil and should  submit .Hegseth is an authoritarian Christian .His professing prayers does not make him religious.

Christians go to church and hopefully  the  sermons are about love and charity.  And when political, hopefully they did not support the withdrawal of food and medicine - aid to foreign countries, nor  was there  support for all the various   raids and killings ignoring legal warrants by Ice.  How did the sermons address the injustice of the tariffs  AI, White House graft, the Save Act ,threats to the Constitution, attacks on the Free Press, Rule of law, the Epstein files and the Iranian war?  Were the sermons  humanistic or authoritarian in attitude ?

Freud, briefly the origins of religion, is essentially a repetition of early childhood emotional and behavioral experiences with authoritarian parenting orientation .Primitive man found himself helpless ,powerless , at the mercy and fearful in his encounters with the daily hazardous external forces of nature, as well as his own  instinctual drives.  At that  time ,primitive man did not have  the availability of scientific knowledge and thus was unable to use his  reason and rationality to deal effectively with all  these outer and inner forces. 

For all practical purposes, primitive man utilized  a magical illusional thinking  by  reverting back to the time  when he was that fearful , powerless and insecure as a  child. In essence, he remembered the safeguarding  and security he experienced with the  father , mother or leader of his tribe . That young child perceived those figures to be extremely  smart, with wisdom, omnipotent , strong and powerful  He learned that he could win  love,protection, defending and  a sense of belonging by obeying their commands. However, the  child remembered he would encounter anger,displeasure  or even being dismissed when he transgressed and/ or ignored their directions. These emotional  and behavioral dynamics represent authoritarianism - leader providing love and protection only with submission but rejection, loss of love and expulsion when disobeying .

Thus, the belief in authoritarian  religion is an illusion, magical thinking ,being part of a like minded  group  based on man's worship,obedience and loyalty only .But  for not believing, it was punishment and  eternal damnation. Illusion and magical thinking also interferes with critical thinking which impedes the power of reason , rationality and ethics  with a belief in an all present omnipotent God .With a lessening belief in  God and Him being dead leads to a destruction ,an attack on moral ethics, principles,values and behavior. And, it provides a blocking of anxiety awareness with its obsessive rituals, practices,prayers and traditions. For one example, listen to the  Tradition lyrics  from “Fiddler on the Roof.” 

And, when 22%, on one poll,  give the opinion that they are very happy with Trump’s  policies, this suggests  cognitive dissonance, rationalization, denial, authoritarian conscience  with their worship, support and devotion .With identification,he became their  orientation,  system of thought , action , conscience and “religion.”  A “god ,” who is their savior  and will  protect them . He is their safety net. They remain faithfully revering  subjects no matter what he says or does, as they are totally dependent, loyal and submissive to  him. When he says fake news  they agree and reinforce his distortion of reality. His reality is their reality. If  they rebel , he withdraws his love , attacks and punishes  those non-believing traitorous  infidels.

In essence , these Trump's followers have projected that he is associated with  love, wisdom and justice . And,in doing so,they are depriving themselves of these qualities.  They have become  small, completely powerless without strength as  their  thinking “ powers “have been projected onto Trump.

This mechanism of projection is also associated with  an interpersonal  masochistic submissive character structure . In that, one person is awed by another, and attributes his own powers and aspirations to the other person.  This projection  mechanism makes people endow Trump with many  human  qualities of super wisdom , justice and fairness ..Also, this dynamic results in  alienation, loss of faith in self and less empathy and an inability to love self and others different than themselves.

Are these Trump followers as happy as the characters are in all those television commercials?  They cling to the happiness  belief that we are the greatest country in the world and that Trump is making America great again .  Yes, that messaging is being drummed into them endlessly.  Just listen to Fox News , a Trump  tweet or interview . These followers are not longing for the truth, justice and love as their life is not based upon a solid foundation . Essentially, they  are ignoring the shadows of uneasiness, anxiety and confusion, which is constantly there by claiming to be a  good Trump Christian .

The authoritarian  religion of Trump and his followers  is not their answer to an active faith  and instead  it’s an escape from the intolerable doubt . They have made their decision not out of devotion but in search for protection,security,power belonging and consensus .

 

Demonstration, opposition and resistance are the foundations found in the  Judeo-Christian morality .Initially  it was Adam and Eve's disobedience, followed by Moses and then Jesus. And in our Republic, patriotic Americans such as Paine , Henry, Jefferson, Franklin, Thoreau, Emerson and Lincoln presented courage,faith ,reason, resolve and moral clarity with their thinking,emotions and  disobedient actions. Those middle finger pointing and BB shooting characters are characterized by their   ignorance, moral  authoritarian orientation and exasperated by their insecurity and hate. The peaceful protest of  peaceful  males and females of  Grandparent age  are admired as true patriotic Americans and terrific models .The aged knows and can provide super examples of truth, reason and care regarding our republic.

Reference Fromm,Erich. Psychoanalysis & Religion.

Civilization 2

 

Sigmund Freud, categorized three major categories that  affect the development of personality . Last week I focused on Nature- one of those categories..  This week the  focus is on the body, another  of his categories. I am  the subject.

Not only was I born fearful, timid, insecure,powerless, dependent and timid, but I also had a childhood asthma diagnosis.  One earlier memory relates to my parents taking me to a treatment center in Biloxi, Mississippi. There, I recall having my body pricked all over to determine its reactions. That was unpleasant and scary  to put it mildly.  Another time I remember being at home in the fall with burning leaves  on Evanston Ave. in Detroit and my mother keeping me inside because of the poor air quality .And, I do have early  memories related to wheezing .

Alfred Adler's theory of personality deviates from Freud in that according to Adler, we are motivated primarily by  social urges . And ,this social interest is inborn and relates to specific types of relationships with people in social situations which develop and are determined by the nature of the society in which one is reared. My  address and zip code was 14949 Evanston Detroit ,Michigan 48224 which has served me well  Simply ,Adler’s major concepts related to the idea  that  within the social urge ,there is a striving for superiority with future goal seeking behavior .Thus, man is conscious of his goal seeking to compensate for his physical and/or psychological handicaps or inferiorities in that he thinks,intends, ambitions, plans trains, rests,and eats healthy  with other supporting figures . 

 Furthermore, man is motivated by expectations of the future and his striving ideals are  incorporated in that behavior. Man's style of life is based on early childhood experiences that are largely determined by specific impurities , fancied  or real.  Socially ,man makes his own personality , the constructs from  heredity and experience. His real self gives meaning to his life by creating the goals, expectations and means to achieve that goal .And ,that the final goal of man was to be aggressive,  powerful  and superior. 

.However, superiority strivings  for  primarily self preservation, personal interest to compensate for feelings of inferiority and inadequacy are neurotic. For Adler, superiority means a  drive  for completion  in which the goals are social in character.  In essence, a feeling of inferiority gives a sense of incompleteness and it becomes a great driving force for superiority, perfection, excellence  and social interest.. According to the Adler, " Social interest is a true and inevitable compensation for all the natural weaknesses of human beings."

 Another  of Adler’s thinking is related to the idea that  organ inferiority results in an overcompensation  to compensate. This means,because of feeling inferior  as a result of a developmental abnormality, the individual attempts to compensate for the weakness by practice , building  strength with intensive repetitive  training.  In other words, if there's a feeling of inferiority related to the body, one has a tendency to compensate for that weakness and feelings of inferiority by consciously seeking appropriate and healthy  actions and strategies.  And, Adler also believed that life’s goal was perfection or completion , not pleasure  . 

With the above being said, my early interest and compensation was related to sports with the exception of swimming- the breathing was the excuse.  As a young boy.  I loved baseball, football and hockey  and listening on the radio to Van Patrick. I also collected the players  cards with statistics from gum purchases.  At Wayne elementary, I read books by John R Tunis with his sport themes-heroes overcoming odds and  becoming excellent.  I also competed in gym class at Wayne elementary with my friend and rival Tom Smith.  Tom became a member of Dan Devine’s Missouri Tigers and played in a number of Orange Bowls .

Being outside playing baseball and football were priorities.  I frequently went to neighbors homes and recollected playing in the street or competing at that vacant nearby lot on Harper ave.. At Jackson Junior high  our three on three  basketball team of Tom Smith, Bob Adams and  t dominated the gym class in both  the seventh and eighth grades.  I also remember having my younger brother  Ron attempt to tackle me , in the backyard when  I was carrying the football. He was younger and he had no chance.

During high school years, I attacked my dad's York barbells in our basement.  I got stronger and had  brother Ron and his friend Dave lift the  heavy weight barbell so I could do bench presses.  I also played high school and college  football. I continued lifting weights with others and used extremely heavy weights requiring strong friends to be spotters when I did bench presses.

Childhood ,latency and adolescence were characterized by my compensation for that early asthma experience.I focused on being stronger, dominant and excellent  Further, I witnessed dad  dealing with his childhood diabetes diagnosis. Mom and I visited him many times while he was in the hospital receiving treatment.  In fact, he was at the University of Michigan  Medical Center and he became friendly with Terry Sawchuk, the Red Wings goalie.  I'm either 15 or 16 and  dad  had me perform a strength feat , for Terry, by lifting a chair by its one leg with one hand, straight and parallel to the floor.

Living in the Bay Area in the 70s, I recall the running phase with the likes of Jim Fixx.  I liked running around Lake Merritt in Oakland along with high schooler Stephen Hackel .  Years later, in 1997, I entered an endurance ride and met Tony and Jeff who were competing in the Mustang Classic  Ride &Tie.  My running resumed and became serious as I wanted to compete in the sport which includes two humans and a horse.  So far, my body has not failed me.

The next season,I recollect that when connecting my horse trailer to my truck and I hurt my lower back.  Foolishly, I did  setups afterwards and then had to crawl upstairs to my bed. The next day  I  called Ken ,one of my renters, a physical therapist, and he assisted so I was able to get out of bed and head for work.Ken provided treatment every day,prior to my going to my office.  During that week ,I stood while conducting psychotherapy with my clients. Sitting was awful and painful .

During that week,I ran in the morning as I was preparing for the championship Ride & Tie at Donner Summit in 1998 .  Steve was my partner and on Friday he came to my house, loaded my horse into the trailer and drove while I was the passenger.  Every hour or so we had to stop on the side of the road as I had to get out and stretch my aching back.  I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to compete on Saturday.  I didn't want to be found lying in the dirt on the trail.  That morning I mounted my horse and told Steve let's do it.  Running was good for me and I essentially kept myself erect while riding. We finished and then went to the award ceremony as I had to stand .Success!

For a number of years. I did not sustain any equine injuries and only minor injuries from running.  I had a massage from the Monster of Massage-Veloyce, physical therapy from Jim and chiropractic treatment  from ultra runner Matt. Veloyce suggested buying a hot tub and we talked about ibuprofen, Advil and other remedies.  Another friend, Jerome, introduced me to a blender and Georgia gave me a birthday book which became one of my Bibles "Stopping The Clock.”  In fact,  I became one of four individuals to have completed three 100 mile one day events-Tevis, Western States and the Swanton Pacific Ride & Tie.  Incidentally, I was the only one in my 60s to do so.

Then in 2009, riding with Linda , I broke some bones in my neck when I was thrown by my horse Gypsy.  That essentially ended equine competition.  The surgeon told me that I could become like Christopher Reeve  if I had another horse accident.  As a result, I focused on running and running.  I was running  50 milers and 50 K's until age 79 , and then Covid arrived. In my 80th year I ran the Jed Smith  1/2 marathon and enjoyed it.- my last competitive run . 

 With Covid,Tony moving and Linda’s  severe horse injury, competition ended . Currently, every other day  Linda drives the golf cart with Teddy  ,I run in front with music playing  and the other days we are back at the gym.  I am lifting free weights and doing the machines. By the way, I have already maxed out (most weight) on 3 of those  machines. 

Last week I had cataract surgery in one eye.  The ophthalmologist told me I can't lift anything over 25 pounds, but I can still walk as many miles as I want but not to endure strain.  This two week recovery time has been the longest I've had in approximately the last 30 years.  Initially, I felt anxious and thought about how much  it might set me back as a result.  In other words, my exercise pursuit now has nothing to do with my original asthmatic condition  nor competitive excellence.  I enjoy exercising even though it doesn't serve to meet those earlier basic needs. And this current pursuit is called functional autonomy as a motivational aspect of my behavior. 

 I know there will be a day when things change.  However,my orientation and devotion are caring, health , strength ,physicality and enriching the executive functions in my cortex. My lifestyle has been unique , creative ,congruent  and remains in concert with who I am.

Reference

Adler. A . Individual Psychology.

Civilization

 

The pursuit of pleasure is found in the U.S. Constitution.  However, a recent survey by the World Happiness Report found that the United States did not make the top 20 happiest nations in the world.  In other words, find your happiness elsewhere  This essay pertains to the why and how reality is falsified .

The existentialists identified the dualism crisis affecting mankind.  Simply put, man is a creation with a mind, imagination, self-consciousness and body.  But,with the body, there is finitude ,a decaying body.  In other words, it’s important for man to become aware and not to deny our biological  reality .

A newborn  is dependent, frail, insecure, inadequate, inferior and totally dependent on the parent or parents for comfort, safety and survival.  With experience, that newborn in various degrees either moves toward the parent or parents in a "loving" manner; moves against the parent or parents rebelliously and hatefully; or moves toward that parent symbiotically. In any event, fear, anxiety, frustration, love-hate become part of the reality .

Other  fear, anxiety ,distress ,hazards   affecting that newborn relate to the rules, regulations, barriers, conflicts, contradictions  within his society which includes socioeconomic's, religion, political philosophy, zip code, and the color of his skin.  Secondly, the anxiety associated with the biological reality of his body, in which there is evolution decay,frailty. And death .  Every part of his body is affected-brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and so forth.  The third fear and anxiety factor relates to nature with its hurricanes, blizzards, tornadoes, and tsunamis, earthquakes and fires.  In other words, being human is not only difficult, but has been called by Maslow "The Jonah syndrome That."  He called the syndrome "innovation of the full intensity of life."  We are just not strong enough to endure more;..... it's too much or I can't stand it.  Or I could die..... Delirious happiness cannot be born for long.  Our organisms are just too weak for any large doses of greatness…Therefore , the experience of survival  can be challenging to say the least.,

A few examples of my reality experience follows.  On one hand, my interaction with nature has been wonderful, exciting, pleasurable  with joy, bliss  and  satisfying . I've run  and ridden on many magnificent and wonderful trails in California, Washington and Oregon.; I visited islands in the Caribbean and sailed to Alaska; drove to the four corners in the Southwest and skied in Killington, Vermont.  I've dived in Hawaii and Mexico ; kayaked in California.  I've traveled and seen the wonders in Canada, England, France, Spain, Netherlands, Denmark and Germany with family, friends and lovers.  I've also been to the majority of our states…

On the other hand, a few other experiences  of  the reality of fear and anxiety follows. In the late afternoon in October in 1989 I was  providing psychotherapy in my office ,when all of a sudden the room started shaking, resulting from the 6.9 magnitude earthquake.  I was like that small child scared, terrified, insecure with that  powerful occurrence  taking place.  My concern was about safety, security and survival.  I later witnessed the damage on television.and eventually saw some of that  damage in San Francisco ,Oakland and Santa Cruz.  And earthquake insurance supposed to?  Earthquake insurance does not address fear, powerlessness, and terror.

A few years later we were living on a 25+ acre ranch in the Bay Area.  Our ranch home had a creek running parallel to my home and separating the acreage.  Tom, the original owner, built the bridge with three large culverts for the crossing.  At that time there was a drought and there were plenty of weeds in the creek bed.  Tom told me that if there was a storm, I should divert the trees and branches so they could pass through the culvert safely and not create a dam.  That sounded simple enough.  Then the following occurred in January in the 1990s.  It seemed to rain for that entire month and the creek became raging as I heard rocks and boulders being pushed past.  Unfortunately, I could not divert anything because of the river force as the trees, branches and rocks created a dam.  In essence, the raging water went around the blocked culverts and created a gap between the long driveway and my residence.  Initially a plank walkway was built for us to be able to reach the house and then a temporary bridge strong enough for  our motorcycle crossings.

The power and force of the January storm was awesome, powerful and destructive.  We even had the Red Cross visiting to see if we were okay.  Once again the feelings of anxiety, fear being powerless not in control and helplessness was again experienced.

After running the Western states.  I continued working out on the Wendell Robie trail.  Near home about  1 ½ miles from home ,  I encountered a lioness and her two cubs.  I stopped dead in my tracks, slowly backed up, turned around and went in the other direction.  I found a club and looked repeatedly over my shoulder as I backtracked.  I am no match for a lioness protecting her cubs.  I was terrified and eventually reached the safety of my home.  Another time Linda was riding with a friend on the Brown Bear trail when they encountered an angry bear and cubs.  Likely Linda and her friend and their horses were able to retreat from that menacing bear.

A couple years ago Linda and I were spending a few days vacationing in Carmel.  On our trip home, Paul called to tell us about the fire and that we should stay away because of the danger.  I continued driving in the direction of home  and near Roseville we witnessed the smoke.  We continued and did arrive home making plans to evacuate.  Fortunately, we did not receive a call to evacuate ..

Years ago our home insurance was canceled and we now have insurance administered by the state.  Each year I clear the weeds in and around my 11+ acre residence.  Our homeowners association has received grants to cut the surrounding fuel.  I know from experience that my weed eating might help.  But ,I also know that fire and winds create havoc and destruction.  During the summer and fall, Linda and I have moved from our upstairs master bedroom to the downstairs bedroom with bags packed.  Not only that when there's fire danger.  I check the air quality to determine if it's okay to go outside and run.  I am fearful  of the prospect of fire. I remain and acknowledge that residing in California can be terrific or terrifying.

It's clear that all Homo sapiens experience trouble, worry, anxiety, distress in various degrees throughout a lifetime.  Which means that human existence can be described according to Pascal ‘s reflection.  "Not to be mad would amount to another form of madness."  This means that we deny the truth of our condition and pretend not to be mad.  One explanation  of our condition relates to the existential idea that we are irrational, and therefore we are not logical nor reasonable.

Freud explained the cost of pretending not to be mad within his psychoanalytic theory.  He made it clear about the role that anxiety plays in development beginning with the birth trauma and then identified different types of anxiety which are anticipated by our thinking  from a real  or non real threat from the environment . Now, the  ego must defend itself against the outbreak of unpleasant ,uncontrollable anxiety  in which the ego  either flees or attempts some kind of effective motor action to remove the danger. 

 As a result, we have mechanisms of defense  like repression which is the weapon to exclude the danger from consciousness.  So this dangerous thought or idea is forced out of consciousness.  As a result of the signal of anxiety, the mechanisms of defense operate consciously and characteristically to deny, distort or falsify the ego’s perception of events, either internal or external or both.In essence, the mechanisms of defense interfere with  the perception of both reality and rationality.In other words, the defense mechanisms makes it possible to live in the overwhelming miracle, incomprehensive world  which is full of beauty, majesty and terror.

The defense mechanisms make it possible  for us to  be blind to our smallness, insignificance, physical and moral inadequacy, guilt, evil intentions, death wishes  resulting from our instincts,anxiety,  frustrations, barriers and conflicts. Essentially it's the anxiety that results in the face of life's dangers and  in the great necessities of fate against which there is no remedy stated Freud. 

Because of the significance of fear and anxiety, Homo sapiens easily pursue fiction, non-truth , illusion and propaganda in their thinking and beliefs for their well-being. However , the negative consequences related to political "news" is a perfect example of the distortion of reality.  The president and followers have presented a major amount of “fake news“ pertaining to Epstein.  Iran, tariffs, economy, healthcare, ice, global warming, etc. Another point of view comes  from the satire of Stewart, Colbert ,Fallon ,Maher  and Meyers. And your reality is ? 

In essence, humankind is extremely vulnerable and unable avoid the primitive emotions of anxiety, distress,love,hate  and threats.Subsequently ,man automatically and consciously  pursues many cognitive and behavioral diversions accompanied with a number of motivational tendencies, resulting in the consequences of malignancy, toxicity ,neuroses and self-defeat .Therefore,social history has been repeated with extinctions and revolutions .Also, another occurrence is the  composite of contrast of  rational-irrational, truth-lies, reality-fiction along with significant polarities between the powerful-powerlessness, wealthy-poor, healthy-unhealthy,authentic- unauthentic, educated-un educated, and intelligent-ignorant continues. Further, we can expect more of the same either before or during AI and/or the cooling of the sun.

Reference

Becker,Ernest. The Denial of Death.

Narcissism

 

Of  Sigmund Freud’s many contributions , narcissism was considered ,by him, to be one of his most important findings.  His concept,for example, pertains to love,hate, fear, jealousy, sadism, as well as the understanding of the willingness of the suppressed to show their willingness to their rulers.  Another significant concept  of Freud relates to the trauma of birth and the terror surrounding it. Freud called this event the prototype for all anxiety.  In other words, individuals are subjected and experience anxiety,sometimes of their own making ,throughout their lives based on being born helpless .This disquisition,utilizes these concepts  pertaining to  Trump.

 Freud postulated a primary state of narcissism in which psychic energy was directed inward. With development, that primary state of narcissism became secondary narcissism. In this secondary state became the  capacity for objective reasoning and object love . Psychic energy was now primarily directed  inward  For some,  narcissism becomes pathological and malignant in that it affects the individual's ability to relate to others appropriately.

One of Freud’s primary drives was  the death instinct and sadomasochistic behaviors. Jung added and described man's evil side and believed that it was man’s attempt to compensate for feelings of inferiority, self-hate, guilt and  that  hostility was projected onto others . In other words ,war is called on to  destroy evil . However, war  becomes paradoxical because this actually brings more evil into the world.. And,with war, a scapegoat is needed to blame for starting the war..

With the above,are a few titles of  articles found  in the March 1, 2026 edition of The New York Times pertaining to evil.  U.  S.  Strikes Iran;  Trump Calls for the Overthrow of the Government.; Attack with Aid from Israel, Risks a Broader Conflict.and   Trump's War of Choice, With a Key Question: Why Now ?

The above articles are associated with Trump's narcissism.  He has to constantly  matter  and be the omnipotent hero.. This  “matter” ,on display, absorbs his being and his assertiveness.  His narcissism keeps him in the forefront as being a central  major  figure. It's about him and he's unable to put any reins on his selfish impulses which unconditionally feeds his fragile self-worth.

Trump was a spoiled child.  He was unconditionally  pampered . His wishes ,wants, demands and obnoxious behavior were reinforced when he cried, complained,threatened,  employed guilt , temper tantrums.with poor control of his impulses. He learned to be offensive when anxious and frustrated .And this facilitated magical thinking . He believed his thoughts resulted in that event or situation to turn out because of him being  powerful and omnipotent  Magical thinking also occurs in  dreams ,phantasies and wishing .With the occurrence of magical thinking also follows the expectation that one is to be taken care of and his word becomes the law 

With magical thinking one can view himself in grandiose ways .One can be a fantastic football hero, an emperor, king, and even a  god like president with  fame, fortune and status. Trump’s magical thinking has led  him  to a grossly  inflated sense of self. At times when anxious,,Trump regresses and  becomes that emotionally spoiled child with too much immense power..

Donald was easily able to march into war because neither he nor any family member were not in any way going to be injured or negatively affected. As a young adult, he had 5 deferments. He also called John McCain a coward..Furthermore,  he is incapable of  feeling empathy for our military soldiers injured or dead.. In fact, he recently said regarding the death of a US military man  "It's a very small price to pay." He also projected his cowardice when he said "Show Some Guts” while referring to those oil tanker captains not going through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump acts like a spoiled child in that he's not ashamed at all about what he needs ,wants, even though it brings pain to others .His childlike behavior is also expressed in sibling rivalry  competition with others. Spoiled  children do not become generous socially mature adults .Competitively, he has to be first, to have more and to stand out.  He has to be the one and the  only one . He has to be the favorite one.  He has to be first, and never second, which pertains to his cheating while playing golf , his obsession over Obama’s crowd size and  with the 2020 election results.  He's just unable to allow himself to be second best.  He's the first president to blatantly ignore the Constitution , rule of law, free and fair elections ,discriminate against the free press and  the first to acquire  capital through fraudulent means while in the White House. Also, he considers himself to be the best and greatest president ever and can destroy any opposition.

In his first term as president ,not all of his Cabinet selections were totally submissive as his frequent firings indicated. This time around ,his cabinet members are loyal because they are there to  boost his feelings of worth with their unconditional support and remove the cognitive dissonance regarding his thinking..

Further, he must desperately justify himself.  He must stand out.  He must be the hero, he must be the one that counts. It’s his desire for status. This is evidenced by his renaming the Kennedy Center ,building the biggest ballroom in the White House ,winning the Nobel Peace Prize and having his name placed everywhere. His narcissism is a threat to decency, morality, rule of law and  Democracy.

In conclusion, this anxious and evil narcissist is driven based on insecurity and related to feelings of inferiority and inadequacy   As a result, his hostility to the  pursuit for power, prestige, and possession expresses itself. with tendencies to dominate, humiliate, and to deprive others.  And, his use of  repression as a defense,  interferes with the knowledge that he despises himself, feels weak,  inferior, worthless, evil and shameful.

Reference

Becker,Ernest. The Denial of Death.

Mattering

 

An article titled "The Human Condition"  found in the February 22 ,2026 edition of tTe New York Times is the subject matter of this essay.  A philosophy professor wrote a book titled The Mattering Instinct   How Our Deepest Longing Drives Us and Divides Us She suggests that this” m  attering instinct ‘is the most peculiar , the most human thing about us and that our actions flow from a byproduct of our brains which in turn are constantly preoccupied with devising ways to resist entropy or chaos.

This professor is not the first to philosophize about determinants of conduct.  For example, Socrates suggested that man is guided by the belief that knowledge and virtue are identical .And the right knowing that leads itself to right acting .Knowledge is good and the highest  goal of human life is happiness to be achieved through the activity that is unique to man. And, another  Greek ,Aristippus of Cyrene ,believed that pleasure is the only thing worth striving for. Along with the avoidance of pain.

Turning to psychology with  the importance of the unconscious as a motivating factor, we can more fully understand man’s drives and ego needs  motivations.  In essence, mattering,sex ,knowledge ,pleasure ,pain , affiliation,achievement,dominance are but not limited to other  motivational  aspects within an individual's character orientation.  With that being said, "mattering" can be applied within a narcissistic personality structure and  the blending of character orientations. For example, Willie Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman provides the concept of mattering within both marketing and hoarding character orientations.

Willie was a salesman who traveled ,by automobile,from place to place in the selling capacity. This was his life. As this  occupation was his identity which gave him meaning , mattering and self esteem  relevance. His  job  provided a sense of self esteem incorporating his ability to support  his  wife and two sons, 

Willie was portrayed as being  social, practical, economical, careful, reserved, cautious and loyal.  As time progressed his charm and personality changed as he became less productive as his sales declined.  In fact, his value, importance, relevance and worth declined.  Even though he spent  many loyal years with this company, he was out of a job.

In our capitalistic society. It's the economics of the market that affects man in his development ,self esteem ,worth and  being.  Initially for Willie, the  market was a meeting place , an exchange where he sold and they purchased .It was supply and demand, but that  demand changed.  Willie was once a commodity , it was his experience of self  in which he possessed an exchange value and that exchange value was his identity, his being

Material or financial  success was the personal acceptance by those that needed his wares.  It was his prerequisite for success.  Then over time, Willie could no longer sell himself ,his personality.  He was no longer sellable.  His”personality was no longer in demand . The psychological reality was  that if successful at selling, he was valuable, but if not, he was worthless . In essence, this striving, this relentlessness for success turned into a setback for him, and became a threat to his self-esteem, resulting in feelings of helplessness ,insecurity, and inferiority, which resulted in destroying his dignity and pride.

Within the hoarding orientation is a form of miserliness referring to money , material things, as well as to feelings and thoughts.  Love is essentially possession  and Willie had difficulty loving his wife and boys.This orientation is also characterized by sentimentality . It was about Willie and his elder son's football  past. The past was special, his boy was a star, a hero  that he attempted to hold on too. He indulged in  the memories of those bygone feelings and experiences.

 Tragically, Willie had no expectations, no future goals.  He was approaching the final phase of life with a sense of despair . He was ending life as a total failure. His son Biff was not a hero but also not fulfilled. a failure too . 

Miller portrayed Willie as a man whose self  esteem needs ,his sense of self taking a beating and for a man who is now without a future, without principles, values, anxious, unimaginative, and at loss with no options.  In essence, mattering can be best understood within the narcissism of self  esteem needs ,and the  character orientation of marketing and hoarding.Furthermore, Willie was stuck  without  future hope and severely depressed without integrity and virtue..

Albert Maslow hypothesized a hierarchy of needs, starting with the physiological needs.  Within Maslow's hierarchy were the esteem needs.  These needs represent “the need for a stable, firmly based, usually high evaluation of oneself ,for self-respect or self-esteem and  for the esteem of others."  Within this category was also the” desire for strength, for achievement ,for  adequacy,for mastery and competence, and second, “the desire for reputation or prestige, status, dominance, recognition, attention, importance or appreciation."  The end result is a gratification of these needs brings "feelings of self-confidence, worth ,strength, capability and adequacy." Willie’s self esteem was shattered.

Within narcissism, mattering can be seen within the self esteem need. Mattering is demonstrated  within   one's tension system ,goals, expectations, barriers, thinking, feelings, fear of failure and achievement.  For instance,the origin of mattering motivation occurs within a state of tension. This  tension relates to pursuing an interpersonal, achievement or some other related need.  In pursuing the mastery, pleasure or success of  reaching that mattering  goal one is faced with  internal and external  barriers,restrictions or interferences.  And when it’s more difficult to attain ,it means  there are more barriers and challenges to overcome .

 Goal seeking behavior  also relates to expectations of  success based upon previous experiences of  success or failure. A fear of failure  also has tremendous emotional impact .Furthermore, during the pursuit of goals various ego needs can be met.  For example, when I ran the Western States 100 mile endurance run, my affiliative needs were met. as I trained with others,,had a support system  and engaged with pacers etc. Being an age division winner met my ego needs for both dominance and achievement as well.  Additionally, during that run my ego need for deference was met as  I admired Scott Jurek the first place winner and third place finisher Mark Richtman  With all that being said, “mattering’ was  incorporated within my narcissism and just one aspect of my  or my self esteem and other  ego needs being met along the way..

In conclusion, mattering is an aspect of narcissism, and expressed through self esteem and other  ego needs resulting in various  behaviors.  As far as being a social animal, the existentialists stressed the  significant importance of being authentic.  Freud added that the mentally healthy are able to love and work creatively, artistically, and productivity.  I would add feeling and exhibiting mutuality with concern .empathy and giving

PS.

A diametrically opposed view to "mattering" can be found in the lyrics of the rock band Kansas. “ I close my eyes  Only for a moment and the moment is gone  .  All my dreams    pass before my eyes. ,a curiosity     Dust in the wind    .  All they are is just dust in the wind ……The wind

Reference

Fromm,Erich.Man  For Himself.

Maslow,A.H. Motivation and Personality

Billionaire Exploitation

 

AI is here and its dangers are being exposed by a former technology investor who advises companies and individuals on human A.I.relationships.  The article was found in the February 15, 2026 edition of the New York Times entitled "Well, AI Companions Turn Every Man Into an Island?"My take  addresses the ease in which A.I. exploits human emotional weaknesses .  .

Briefly, the article exposed the belief that  machines  mimic emotional intelligence and  that 72% of American teens have turned to AI for companionship for therapists, coaches and lovers .In other words, humans are being replaced by machines .

With that being said, A.I.companionship is seen as a huge financial gold mine with products that offer” emotional “ intelligence for the easily manipulated consumer . Humans state they're getting empathetic support while becoming addicted, dependent and hooked . The machines keep them engaged with positive reinforcement responses , mask their anxiety and more personal questions resulting in more profit. So much for empathy . These zillionnaires know how to make users  dependent. In fact Mark Zuckerberg said that A.I.can help people who want more friends feel less alone.That’s not the definition for mental health.

Some A.I.platforms create” intimacy,” including erotic content for paid subscribers. Can A.I. provide reasonable safeguards and still make exorbitant profits?  Chat bots have been blamed for acting as fawning echo chambers, guiding  adults down, delusional rabbit holes, assisting struggling teens with suicide and stoking users paranoia  .AI companions are also breaking up marriages  and/or fall in love with bots.

Individuals in product development have become  worried that people would choose the “bot” before seeking out a real person.. Some  engineers rationalize moral and ethical concerns by stating that their direction is based on work investment and in technology . In other words they are afraid to slow down development because that would allow the  competitor to win.What a capitalistic shame.

Many developers are distancing themselves from social and moral responsibility for insisting that these devices are a personal choice  "It would be very arrogant to say companions are bad" Some stated that it  was not their place to judge other attachments even with the erosion of human relationships .Yes for rationalization and no for ethics and morality.

Historically speaking, the prophets believed in one God, whose makeup was centered on truth and justice with a focus  on man's conduct.  The prophets also  made it clear to distinguish between God and idols created by man.  They stressed that God is alive, a living God, while idols are dead.  "Eyes they have, but they see not, they have ears but they do not hear."  

They were against the idea of man making an idol and worshiping that idol, which became superior to him. Man directed his power,energy,control and creation in the making. It left himself poor, and the idol rich and powerful. In fact, the more powerful the idol, the poorer the idolater becomes..

Submitting to the idol interferes and destroys man's inner soul by making himself the idol’s slave or dependent . A loss of the inner self results in loss of freedom,of self and preoccupation produced by that  creation. In fact, Marx, and Hegel called this alienation . Today,  possessions, coveting power, pursuing  consuming goods, seeking honor , fame  and AI are today’s  idols 

Kierkegaard ,Nitschke ,Jaspers ,Heidegger, Camus and others  warned us us that science and technology cannot solve man's existence because the success of science leads to the belief that it could discover the perfect order in nature and the progress would not solve man's problems since man,in part, is irrational and  easily manipulated .It’s the feeling good of technology that’s undermining human connections. And, it is another illustration of man harming himself emotionally and biologically.

 Parenting is a Herculean task and reminds me of the Sisyphus myth. How can any mother  and the caretakers within this complex, contradictory, stressful society consistently and appropriately provide all the necessary emotional supplies in order for her child to develop a healthy personality ?  

That dependent, insecure, fragile , meek ,vulnerable newborn psychologically requires to be fed, held, warmed, moved about, comforted, being lovingly watched over for an inordinate amount of time  as it can not gratify itself. That infant is totally dependent and continually requires aid and assistance from his mother or caretaker .Can that  infant learn to secure the help of his mother and caretakers when in pain, hunger, or other factors that distress him.?

Erickson hypothesized  dialectically about whether  the infant  develops a sense of trust versus a sense of mistrust.during this very important  oral phase. It’ s the quality of mutuality. Essentially what happens during this psychosocial phase leads to expectations that begin with mother , caretakers and  generalize to others in the outside world as well .If negative, it results in a residue of emotional immaturity..Does the baby in this oral phase experience  the warmth of the breast, a synthetic nipple   or the emptiness of a propped bottle? And, does the experience  result in positive degrees of satisfaction and gratification with the outside world  and does it alleviate a sense of discomfort that generalizes away from human contact ? In other words, the emotional  nature of human mutuality is the key to mental health or illness .

Again, it should be noted that early experiences of eliciting care and being cared for determine an individual's emotional development and interpersonal functioning .The outcomes of the interactive effects of all the influences constitutional and experiential impinge on that child.  For example, a parent's inherent warmth is paramount to the caring action.  The warmth is the essential quality of the parents actions, rather than what the parent feels. Also important is that the parents must reward and model the child's desire to become socialized to interact with others. This can not be understated.

 The parents' use of  punishment is perceived by the child as an angry parent and a person to avoid and fear because one wants to avoid expectations of unpleasant consequences. Also of  importance as a child grows older is for him to seek attachments from tactual ,visual, auditory, and oral contacts that can generalize and determine whether or not the dependencies are met. For instance ,how are words ,commands and demands  received ?  Further, when growing older , how did the parents respond to the child's immature emotional tendency for attachment  and  how did they attempt to alter that behavior?  How should  the child seek affection, intimacy,attention  and love from his mother or caretakers  ? Remember, the “correct “response  is based totally on the parents or caretakers point of view.  In other words, parenting can and does highly influence the child's learning of the socialization process and the degree to whether or not it wants to be emotionally  with people or to avoid them ..

These  “ addicted “individuals who have a sense of mistrusting humans in this first  oral stage of development  also have developed a receptive character orientation with this easy comforting, good feeling technology with iron clad expectations of success and trust. It is the primary way to get what they want, whether it is affection, intimacy, knowledge, or pleasures. And it’s from an inorganic source.  To receive is an act of receiving not of giving or being affectionate , being loving or being knowledgeable..They take ,they do not give.  These individuals are also indiscriminate in their choice of an object and are easily seduced because they "fall for" anything that gives them  or  what looks like affection and intimacy .

These individuals  if they have a question or problem , first look to something else to give them that needed information rather than make the  effort on their own.  Thus,these handy devices are more  convenient and easy  than a human. And they are always looking for that "magic helper" which is that electronic device.

As a result,they easily become dependent on the device for any kind of support. The producers of these devices feed on their emotional vulnerability.  They are crippled emotionally and that device is easily preferred over people.  People can be erratic, contradictory, non nonsupportive, aggressive, and so forth.  While this device is consistent ,quick,available  with much needed responses, and in some ways "ideal" for these orally dependent and receptive individuals.

In conclusion, the prophets,Marx,Hegel, the Existentialists,the movies and others  predicted mankind's future . We were warned ! At present, we have alienated individuals characterized by their oral passive ,  emotionally flawed interpersonal personality dynamics with receptive character orientation tendencies..Their personality character orientation development was primarily  based on the identification, modeling , imitation and interpersonal interactions  of their  parents, especially but not exclusively, the mothers and caretakers.. And, with a  capitalistic monarchy, consumer culture,dominated by  good feelings technology with its powerful  intelligent leaders,have  brilliantly devised products that easily addresses and  profitably exploits human  ego needs ,weakness ,vulnerabilities , inadequacies.and pleasure centers in the brain .

Reference

Fromm,Erich . Man For Himself.

Maier, Henry W. Three Theories Of Child Development.

Yesterday

 

Recently I heard and thought about the Beatles song "Yesterday."  Then I saw the movie "Splendor in the Grass."  And currently I'm thinking about the poem "To an Athlete Dying Young" along with Viktor Frankel's “Man's Search for Meaning “These  works of art were written by Paul McCartney, A.E. Housman  and William Wordsworth  and all express  aspects of  human suffering

A few verses in McCartney's song "Yesterday."  Verse 1 Yesterday  All my troubles seemed so far away  Now it looks as though they're here to stay  .  Oh, I believe in yesterday  Verse 2  Suddenly  I'm not half the man I used to be  .  There's a shadow hanging over me. Oh, yesterday suddenly came .  Bridge  Why did she have to go?  I don't know, she wouldn't say   .  I said something wrong  Now I long for yesterday

These lyrics suggest that this person experienced and believed that he had a real romantic and solid connection with a female.  Yet, the fact that she left and wouldn't say why does not suggest a meaningful love relationship.  Mature love without meaningful communication suggests that perhaps their” love” was based on infatuation .So much for illusions. His suffering was likely based on his unmet dependency needs  and loss. Separation and loss is difficult and associated with suffering..lonliness, anxiety and/or depression..

In the Splendor in the Grass movie ,the main characters were Natalie Wood (Wilma) and Warren Beatty (Bud).  These two high school aged individuals were depicted romantically.  Wilma was told by her mother to be a good girl  by not “ going all the way” because that would ruin her for life.  Wilma was conflicted and when Bud broke off the relationship.,she became depressed and made a suicide gesture.  She was hospitalized and met a physician-patient.  He left to start a practice in Cincinnati and upon her release they planned to marry.  Before leaving for Cincinnati, she visited Bud.

Bud , the high school football hero also wanted to have sex but  was told by his wealthy  father to have sex with another girl ;go to Yale and then come back and marry Wilma .The depressed football hero wanted to marry Wilma and become  a farmer now ,not later . However he also obeyed his parents and attended  college,where he flunked out. He met a girl there, brought her back home ,and started a family on the farm during the depression. By the way, Bud’s father jumped out of a window in New York as he lost all of his wealth.

The movie portrays the teenage  past as being a very special time with the active libidos of adolescence searching for their  identities. Developmentally, they were not emotionally ready to proceed to Erikson’s next psychosocial stage -Intimacy vs. isolation . In essence, these two teenagers were infatuated with each other as opposed to experiencing a mature love. We find Bud's current situation overshadowed by the hard times during the depression and Wilma’ on the path of finding a mature  love. Both experienced joy,  emotional highs, strong sexual urges ,friendship ,fun, competition and suffering during the troubling time of their  adolescent years .

Before leaving for Cincinnati.  Wilma visited a married Bud , a farmer, and with a young son and a pregnant wife .  This was Bud's reality.  Wilma, on the other hand, was off to meet her future husband.  Thus, both Wilma and Bud’s identities were suspect  . Their “love” was not mature as they easily and quickly found replacements . We do not know much about Wima nor the young farmer’s ability to be a father and provider . And,  in their history both experienced a crush, an attachment , loss and misery .

This culture places too much emphasis on youth and beauty.  The  cliché, "it's all downhill after high school"  is foolish, illogical and not at all correct.  After high school, brain size ,intelligence and physique  increased ;played college football; taught junior high English and became a junior high counselor; was an assistant professor at a community college and university; was a licensed and practicing independent psychologist; became one of four individuals to complete the 100 mile Tevis Cup, Western States 100  age division  winner and  winner of the100 mile Ride and Tie; published two books; wrote 14 years of weekly essays; met a preponderance of good character, male and female friends; maintained long-term high school friendships and began a union with Linda are just some of the wonderful experiences experienced. There was also misery with loss of parents, family members, friends and friendships.

 

In Housman's poem, there was a young athlete that received all types of glory from the town.  He was a hero, they cheered, they carried him home on their shoulders and yet he died early.  So one's early years can be  described as outstanding ,exciting and achievement at a high level. However, is glory and fame short lived ?

OJ comes to mind.  This all-American All-Pro was at the top of his game until he became seriously injured and could not perform.  The superstar then went into the movies, made commercials and married an extremely beautiful woman.  Yet this troubled soul was insecure, and succumbed to his jealousy and more than likely murdered his wife and her friend.  And things went downhill from there.  He was never again that all-American boy. With his downfall , his glory ended and misery had to do with him and only him.

More recently Alysa Liu the 20-year-old female from Oakland won the figure skating gold medal in the Olympics.  At the moment she is just one of seven other American women ever to win that Olympic gold.  She's attractive, vivacious, and an outstanding skater who had earlier retired.  But then reentered the competition. She stated her retirement was about wanting to be a teenager and do things that teenagers experience and that can only be done by stepping away from the misery of being controlled and being a prisoner to the sport.  Her misery was cut short as she reentered training shortly thereafter , competed and won. Her story is continuing.

Just think of all the  fame, popularity , glory and wealth of Elvis ,Michael ,Whitney,Jim Morrison and other entertainers.  On the surface they seemed to be on top of the world and so happy when performing. Yet ,their misery was "hidden" from the public .And their decision to revert to drugs was self-destructive for each. Thus, suicide ended the misery for each.For them, fame,poularity ,glory and wealth did not address or compensate for  their emotional weaknesses. 

Dr. Frankel, a psychiatrist, discovered and modified Logotherapy, which was his version of modern existential analysis, while in a Nazi concentration camp.  His work therapeutically was with many in the dire and miserable conditions they faced . Many of these individuals  had illustrious ,prodigious  and outstanding professional  careers prior. Now, they were  prisoners, many of which had difficulty coping with all their  misery, pain, loss  and misfortune .

Briefly. Dr. Frankel worked with “patients” applying  Logotherapy . His treatment helped the survivors find meaning ,values and take responsibility moment to moment with the misery they were experiencing . And, it did not  necessarily help to focus on past glory or achievements.  The present and the future were keys for their survival. The men without a future goal found it difficult to survive and man had  to focus on being meaningful and purposeful while not giving up.  The past can be associated with decay, death and illness or many positives and yet man has to look inside for his inner strength in the present while looking towards the future. 

And as Nitschke said, "He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how."And, when running Western StatesI had to continuously  remind myself to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Essentially, it's important for man not to remain in the state of homeostasis.  For survival, man needs to create tension systems, which encompasses striving to facilitate  goal achievement.  In doing so, one uses his mind to assess the project, plan, contemplate barriers and think about strategies and expectations for success.  In other words, one's mind is used productively and creatively which is called thinking realistically  which is necessary and important for man’ s wellbeing .

Generally speaking,  youth biologically and  developmentally speaking  does not remain constant.  That does not mean psychologically that feelings,desires,passion ,libido and goals, no longer exist.  By the same token, being human means experiencing at times distress ,discomforts,unhappiness and hardship as misery and suffering are basic conditions of existence..  For instance, in my first book, "It Has Nothing to Do with Age," I interviewed seven extraordinary human beings who were 65 years of age or older and were still competing in extraordinary sports.  Every one of those male and females experienced achievement, optimism, glory, and the wonders of life as well as dealing with their own feelings of hardship, anxiety, grief  sadness.and misery  Further, the same could be said of the nine University of Michigan football players in my second book, "Bo' s Warriors."Human beings can not escape ,at times, the human condition of feelings of misery .

Developmentally, life does not  begin nor end during the stage of adolescence.  This is only one of the stages that we experience joy,lust, friendship, belonging, and achievement. Today, while working out at  Ironworks, a young man, a personal trainer ,asked me about my age.  After I told him my age, he said that when he would be thinking about whether or not to go to the gym for a workout, he would think of me and get his ass off the couch.