A Day in May

On a bright and sunny May Day, Linda and I headed for the trail. She was riding her Mustang Patch and I was on foot with our Border Collie, Sherry. We took a familiar trail that we actually had done a day or two earlier and one of her favorites. It was a beautiful clear day and not too cold. After some 4 miles or so, we headed down an extremely steep hill. Sherry and I were in front, followed by Linda and Patch. All of a sudden I heard Linda cry out, and quickly turned around. To my horror, I saw a bucking and rearing Patch with all fours off the ground and Linda leaning forward. Gravity took over as she hurled to the ground. She screamed in pain. I asked her to move all her extremities and she did. However, Linda had trouble breathing and couldn’t catch her breath. With her cell phone. I called 911. They said they knew our location and would arrive shortly. In the meantime, Patch took off with his reins hanging down. I attended to Linda and thought about retrieving Patch sometime later. After what seemed like a long time, I heard the familiar sound of a siren, going past, and our location. I did not want to leave her while she was in pain, but I traversed the hill going to the road. When I got to the top of that hill, I began yelling, attempting to signal the driver. At first I was whistling in the wind, but then I saw the truck heading toward me. It was one truck with two paramedics. Two other trucks with paramedics followed. Linda was evaluated and was in excruciating pain during the process. They determined that they could drive her to the trauma center at Sutter Health in Roseville. Lo and behold, I looked down the trail and saw a neighbor leading Patch behind. He said he was taking our equine to his barn and I could retrieve him when able. That was super as I didn’t have to retrieve Linda’s runaway horse. Six paramedics then carried Linda on a stretcher up that steep grade and then placed her in one of the trucks of the paramedics. Sherry and I rode home in another truck as Patch walked to the neighbor’s barn. Once home, I took care and fed Sherry and our Wired Hair Terrier and then left for the hospital. The next time I saw Linda. She was in a bed in the Trauma/Neuro ICU with her nurse standing by. Eventually, I received her diagnosis. She fractured five ribs, her clavicle, punctured her lung and had a fractured hip. Luckily, at this point, she didn’t require surgery. She had a tube to drain fluid from her lungs, was given medication along with physical and, occupational therapy. After eight painful hospital days, she was discharged. Linda, at this juncture, has decided to quit her trail activities. She’s heartbroken and struggling with that decision. It’s too difficult to predict the future, let alone the next day. Time will tell, as she has months of recovery time ahead. I quit competing in Ride and Tie events in 2009 as a result of my horse related injury. I know how difficult these decisions are, and hopefully Linda will stay firm with her thinking. PS Patch’s trail behavior performance was baffling as he had never bucked and reared before with Linda on his back.

It's Character Part 3

More than likely, non-college degree males from the Rust Belt states didn’t require a college degree after high school graduation for employment in the 1960s. For this working-class group, white-collar employment and working with one’s hands in blue-collar skilled positions were plentiful. There were a plethora of job opportunities, lack of female and foreign competition, and limited technology without contending robots. Their education was adequate for the times. Then came the changing job market, monopolistic capital, stagnant wages, worldwide competition, closing of factories, etc. Do not forget debt, divorce, drug, and alcohol abuse as other 20 and 21st century socioeconomic factors. Then came 2015 with its presidential primaries. One candidate was rude, spoke in platitudes and presented an authortarian masculine character image using strong ,spiteful and aggressive words {implying strength} like “make America great [prior ,there were liberal immigration laws and Protestant America was a white majority]; coupled with television promotion as in WWF wrestling “I will be the best by far in fighting terror.” He talked about his achievement, and his special social status” “I’m a billionaire, I am the best builder, just look at what I have built. ” He spoke about his terrific, dominant and skillful negotiating skills “We are going to build a wall [keep out the undesirables] and Mexico’s going to pay for it.” Further, words and tweets implying strength, aggressiveness, assertiveness and power regarding restricting media disdain, etc. with comments like “lock her up,” “you’re fired ““ NAFTA is the worst economic deal in US history,” “Mitt Romney doesn’t have a clue,” “ Charles Krauthammer, one of the worst, most boring political pundits on television … totally overrated clown” were repeated. Then there were examples of hegemonic masculinity expression with inappropriate sexual contact and verbal flippant trash talk on a taped TV segment interview. Thus, we had this image of a Machismo, a disregarding sexual intimacy character “big as life” on a huge platform with electronic media giving so much attention. Along with this candidate’s masculine, authoritarian character configuration image, the older non degree white voters were bitter, with feelings of insignificance, resentfulness and powerlessness. They likely experienced loss, shame, guilt, had low self-esteem, with worry, depression, fear about the changing demographic future of our country and a weakened sense of masculinity. Then came the candidate’s projection of strength, dominance and control. The timing was perfect as the voters also had feelings of resignation and distrust in the traditional political system. This was capped by a spirit of obedience to and hatred against racial minorities. This craving for a submissive identification process resulted in their looking for a male, authoritarian leader in which their imagination, inadequacies and uncertainties would be magically addressed. And of course, a masculinity model supersedes any female leader. Patriarchy remains King and is supreme .Just ask him. Sources: Erik H Erickson“Childhood and Society ;” James Hillman, “The Force of Character And the Lasting Life;” Vince Giulliano “Reputation of Aging In ancient And Current Mythology;” Dr. Ronald Klatz and Dr. Robert Goldman “Stopping the Clock.”

It's Character, Part 2

Old Proverbs also speak to ideas regarding aging. For example, “all people can dye their hair, but can’t change their backs;” “age is poverty;”” age is sickness from which everyone must die;” and “if the devil can’t come himself, he sends an old woman.” Another Greek myth had Tithonus being granted immortality by the God’s. He was, however, not given youth. Unfortunately for him, that was his curse as he remained in grief forever. Psychosocially, masculinity, in boys, is valued from a young age. In our culture, playing soldiers, shooting guns, engaging in sports, and participating in aggressive video games is applauded. Major traits associated with masculinity include power, disregarding fear, having courage, independence, and exhibiting assertiveness. Other significant characteristics of masculinity include avoidance of femininity characteristics, restricted emotion, and sex, removed from intimacy are also valued. Psychologically, Eric Erikson hypothesized, that in the final stage of the lifecycle, the individual’s or egos task has to deal with all of lives various triumphs and disappointments. The Individual has to and find meaning and be able to develop integrity and dignity within one’s own life, despite all the various past and current physical and economic threats to that individual. If not successful, then the psychological disability of despair and disgust rear its head and play a significant part in the remaining years. It becomes apparent that it is much too late for a do over, regardless of all the rethinking, manipulating or worrying one can do. James Hillman argued, in part, employing ideas and stories from mythology that although mental and physical vitality may decline in the lifespan, the force of character development does not. In other words, irritability and grumpy old men, are not just a function of aging, but are of character. Character traits during longevity, whether good or bad, such as helpless, useless, or sadistic cruelty become even more pronounced as the individual can become more tyrannical. These individuals more than likely exhibited impulsive, argumentative, controlling, irritable, frustrated and unhappy behaviors for many years prior. The quarreling and anxiety about the future continues as their character development becomes more clear and more dominant To Be Continued

It's Character

We have learned that the most recent presidential election was decided by roughly 80,000 votes in three rust belt states; and by a 67 to 28 percentage vote over all by white males 65 years of age and older. Most might argue that age or gender were the more important factors. However, let’s argue that character or personality of the voting individual to be the more significant. Yes, there are many physical and chemical-hormonal changes that take place during lifespan. Briefly, Human growth hormone production, DHEA production, and testosterone production for instance, all peak near 20 years of age, and then steadily decline by the time one reaches 60 years of age. These necessary hormones help and expand bone structure; promote growth; create muscles; build thicker skin; fight bacterial and viral infection; assist against arteriosclerosis, coronary heart disease, diabetes, and stress reduction; promote libido, aggressiveness and sexual desire; stimulate sperm production and nourish all tissues of the male urinary reproductive system. Yes, these hormonal changes are detrimental and play a major part in one’s health during the process of aging. Not to be left out, the Greeks, although not the first people, thought, wrote, and employed mythology about the idea of age and aging. In fact, the Greeks personified the figure of old age with a God called Geras. He was seen at the entrance to the underworld, which was associated with grief, anxiety and disease. In the underworld, we further find fear, hunger, death, agony, along with the clinging to false dreams. And the mythological struggle was depicted on a Greek vase between Hercules, the slayer of monsters, and his meeting with Geras drawn as a tiny, shriveled up old man, bent over and supporting himself upon a staff. The Classic mythological confrontation was between youthful physical prowesses against the harsh reality of the failing body during the process of aging. To Be Continued