Admiring Neanderthals

 

 

I have been contemplating lately of what it would be like to be living as a hunter or gather or a Neanderthal. I’ve mentioned that to my friend Paul and he joked and gave a clever response. We both laughed. Have you ever wondered about living in those times?  An article in the December 6, 2020 edition of The New York Times sparked my interest. This brief disquisition pertains to our ancient cousins.

Neanderthals inhabited this earth roughly 350,000 years ago. Approximately 40,000 years ago they vanished when we Sapiens arrived on the scene. There are many anthropological theories as to the demise of our ancient cousins: 1. Did we kill them off or have a hand in their demise? 2. Did they assimilate into our population? 3. Were they on the brink of extinction? 4. Were climatic condition so unfavorable? 5. Were they inferior-their head size is equal to ours; they were physically fit and they had dexterous hands?

First, let’s take a look at some facts pertaining to our Sapiens accomplishments: 1.We are living in the worst pandemic facing our country 2. We have record unemployment and economic hardship statistics 3. Our elected congressional government has a sadistic way of providing monetary assistance 4. Our current president is threatening a non-peaceful transition of power 5. We are facing a massive foreign government cyber-attack from Russia 6. We have record opioid, suicide and alcohol-related deaths 7. We have polluted our oceans, rivers, and streams and ravished our earth, animal and marine inhabitants 8. Our Doomsday Clock moves closer to midnight 9. Climate change with its fires, hurricanes, melting glaciers etc. threaten all mankind 10. We have another month or so of a paranoid, narcissistic, sociopathic man as the leader of the most powerful country in the world 11. Some have presented incorrect and misleading information, just look at the pictures of Neanderthals, and you’ll know what I mean.

On the other hand, let’s take a look at what we know about our cousins. Yes, they were driven by aggressive and sexual drives. These drives were necessary and appropriate for their survival. They were hunters and gatherers. They lived in small groups called bands. With their physiological capacity and with their endurance and small numbers, they could, with mutual cooperation and expertise, track and run down their prey. I know that’s true because I ran while Linda road her horse in a limited distance [25 miles] Camp Far West endurance ride. We met at the last veterinarian check and finished together in front of a number of other participants.

Females, the matriarchs, for the most part were the respected, and very important central figures. They gathered seeds, roots, fruits, nuts, berries etc.; provided warmth, comfort, sexual gratification and procreation was extremely important for their survival. They were the givers, trained, educated and took care of the young as well. With the likely absence of possession, jealousy might’ve been minimal. We know the concept of sin didn’t exist and more than likely sex was mutual, consensual and known for its benefit for the entire band. The matriarchs were good models and played a dominant role in their culture. There was equality between the sexes, in spite of the fact that we sapiens picture them erroneously dragging women by the hair to a cave.

 It’s been estimated that our cousins spent roughly 25% of their time finding and procuring food which meant they had plenty of time for sex and other activities. Because they were food gatherers, the land provided a good vegetarian diet. Perhaps, their attitude was if we do not eat today, we will eat tomorrow. Fasting for a day is in fact one health strategy for sapiens.

Our cousins regarded and respected nature. They were humanistic and kindred in their beliefs. Nature, the berries, the animals, the fish etc. were for all and not just for the few or powerful. They were not selfish but generous, altruistic and would share their bounty with others. There was no private property, no one owned nature, the land or its resources. It was a collective with a socialistic or Kibbutz attitude and practice. They were not exploitive and did not enslave each other. They had no need for a ruler nor did they disagree about who was the best god. Further, because of their social structure, there was an absence of envy, and exploitation as well no psychological need for possession, power, prestige, greed to compensate for insecurity. If exhibited the individual might be excluded from the band.

 They were intelligent and their brains were roughly the same size as ours. They lived in all climates and cleverly made body coverings or “clothes” depending upon the necessity. They made workable tools and figured out by that by mixing tree resin and bee wax they could produce and make an adhesive additive to connect stone with wooden handles. They were artists and drew on caves. Their pictures and depictions of people, animals, and their hunts described their way of life.

There is a belief that our ancient cousins did not kill or murder one another per 300 findings of bone, DNA, gene and grave excavations. They were not concerned about skin color, political or religious beliefs. They had no conspiracy ideas.  No weapons have been found nor have excavations revealed death by warfare or massacre. Of course, more data is needed and hopefully forthcoming for more definitive facts.

 We know they were skilled hunters however there was no need for a dominance-submissive culture. They respected the surplus in nature and even the killing of wild life for food. They killed to survive and not for displaying trophies.  There was no apparent economic stimulus or advantage for a full scale war based on the following: 1.The had a delicate balance of the birth to death ratio 2. The bands were poor as far as material goods and had little of value 3. Conquering slaves would present a problem and require providing more food 4. Psychologically they were generous, cooperative and believed in reciprocity and exhibited more “feminine” dominated attributes. 5. Likely they did not have a revenge motive either 6. There was an absence of male dominated chiefs, priests, medicine man, kings, emperors, dictators, or president hierarchies. The matriarchs were supreme 7. Self-centeredness, narcissism, physical aggression and lying behavior was not tolerated by the band.

Within the last 9,000 to 40,000 years of sapiens, we had an urban revolution with the following: 1. We have developed agriculture for wheat and barley, herding and taming husbandry 2. We possess dirt, technology, sand, water, space etc. so we can defend against 3. We have socio class systems of the privileged and the laborers, unequal division of labor and wealth, and disequilibrium between people-ruler-worker 4. We have boundaries, cities, town’s countries etc.  5. We innovated war, created kings or God’s representatives to be sadistic and cruel to defend and possess all types of things like flags, capitalism, religion, dirt etc. 6. We do not welcome intruders or immigrants 7.  We found ways to abuse and exploit man economically 8. We have economic and political wars in order to secure women, slaves, raw materials, and land in order to maintain a ruling dynasty or class 9.We are the land of the rich and poor 10. Democracy is permitted primarily for white skinned sapiens 11. We have unlimited racism 12. We have developed patriarchal rule in order to control others less desirable 13. With patriarchal power we have built things and have controlled the masses by fear, and irrational authority 14. We have built things in order to sadistically destroy, demolish and wipe out and murder all forms of life on this planet including more recently Dresden and Hiroshima.

Destructiveness  and murder is likely not innate in man but resulted as a consequence of civilization creation ;  private property; development of weaponry; man exploiting  man; idolizing rulers like Alexander, Genghis Khan, Caesar, Hitler etc. In other words, with patriarch domination we are failing. Sapiens have about 2%-3% of Neanderthals DNA. We need more of their genes, or with technology create a more sophisticated and smarter human with a very different character structure. Perhaps, more dominant feminine characteristics are the answer as well as the creation of a more civil civilization. Sapiens intelligence seems adequate but not man’s emotional intelligence with sadistic destruction; hate; greed; exploitation and selfishness. Emotionally, male sapiens get into trouble because of underlying anxiety and insecurities within evolution while creating a toxic and destructive society.

With that being said, there is a small glimmer of hope as anthropologists Ruth Benedict, Margaret Mead and others studied primitive societies. I would reframe primitive and call them civil. In studying the Zuni Pueblo Indians, the Mountain Arapesh, the Polar Eskimo and other societies, they found aggression but not significant amounts of murder and destructiveness toward their own kind.  

PS

Gail, a lover from the past, purchased a large poster of Raquel Welch from her One Million BC movie.  I hung it at the top of our stairs so I could see it every time I entered my apartment. I am still smiling.

Amorality and Freud

 

 

There are three major elements In Freud’s psychoanalytic theory that explain the workings of what takes place between man’s ears. A limited overview follows: let’s start with the Id. It’s the biological component of everything that is inherited and present at birth. It’s the instincts or drives.  The id operates according to the principle of reducing tension. Thus, when tension or anxiety is raised or experienced, as the result of external stimulation or internally produced sensations, there’s a discharge or a reduction. The id’s goal is to reduce tension in order to bring back pleasure or comfort. This is Freud’s “pleasure principle.” The pleasure principle’s aim is simply to obtain pleasure and avoid pain.

 Freud’s second operational component is called the Ego. It’s psychological. It deals with the world of reality. This system obeys the “reality principle” and performs its role through cognitive- the intellectual functions of perception, sensation, intuition, thinking, and memory. This system is called the executive function of personality because it influences decisions, actions, or behavior. This component of personality selects features in the environment in which it will respond, and decides the manner in which the instincts or drives will be satisfied. A secondary objective of this system is to maintain the life of the individual and to see that reproduction occurs, which is necessary for the survival of the species.  For example, with the instinct of hunger, a person experiences tension. The individual forms an image or wish fulfillment {it’s the id or things in the mind}, then thinks were he may find food and then proceeds to look in that place. This ego functioning is called reality testing in its dealing with the external world.  When food is not found, this results in frustration and could lead to aggression.  This reminds me of the story of Les Miserables.  Jean Valjean stole a loaf of bread to feed his family. He served his time and then committed another violation. In the story, he became prosperous but was hunted down for decades by a ruthless policeman named Javert.  Valjean was on the run but worried about Javert’s pursuit. At the end, Valjean, to relieve the guilt in his conscience, gave himself up to Javert.

This leads to Freud’s third system or component of the personality. The Superego is the last to develop and becomes the conscience. For a more detailed account, consult Freud’s “Civilization and its Discontents, “published by W. W. Norton and Company Incorporated. This essay focuses on Trump’s conscience per Freud.

The superego is the incorporation of the traditional values and ideals present in society. The child incorporates these moral or amoral values and ideals initially from his parents (Fred Trump) by commands, reinforcements, and actions as well as from other significant models, peers etc. during his lifetime. The superego becomes the moral censorship for determining what is good, bad, right, wrong, evil etc. The superego has no confusion nor ambivalence. It knows what is permitted and what is not permitted. The functioning superego operates on receiving love and/or approval from the authority figure. Punishment, is fear of losing love and/or disapproval from that authority figure. As a result, morality or amorality is determined by the rewards and punishments handed out by the parents.  Initially, the child’s morality or amorality is similar to the parents. Later on, with development and various experiences with peer group, TV, radio, social media, movies, novels and videogame experiences etc., the child evolves and develops his own standards of morality or amorality based on a firm or fragile superego. 

However, with amoral parents, inconsistent reinforcement applications the individual’s foundation for a healthy superego and conscience development is compromised. Having a weak and compromised foundation at the start of development, severely hampers the internal superego mechanism regulating and assessing right versus wrong. Being structurally weak, that conscience becomes more easily influenced and susceptible with a tendency  toward amoral identification models; acting out peer group; hate and racist TV, radio, social media rhetoric; violent movies, novels; and various conspiracy beliefs. Political and religious discrepancies and prejudices also influence amoral thinking and behavior. Impulses and thinking, with limited or without internal superego controls render and contribute to weak character. It’s apparent that character motivations of greed, power, control and other masks of insecurity can dominate a weak or limited superego. When this happens, there is a loss of control and diminished guilt. It’s as if moral behavior is run over, demolished and non-effective. With the loss of guilt for regulation, we have nothing or no mechanism to stop amoral tendency behavior.

Throughout life, individuals have numerous conflicts and interactions. Will the individual find love from the authority figure or will his drive for pleasure be thwarted? The instinctual drives or desires are typically bad and amoral. However, if the individual can inhibit his id based drives, the result is frustration and a propensity for aggression which is directed inward toward self or outward toward another. A sense of guilt now exists by either thinking or acting on a “drive”. In other words, impulses of evil, perception of evil, and guilt exist in the unconscious part of the workings in the mind.

Guilt can be conscious or unconscious, and is essentially found in one’s conscience. This superego /conscience censorship is necessary for the survival of our civilization. It is a morally social component, in the mind, because it can inhibit impulses of those of a sexual or aggressive nature.  These impulses are usually punished by society. Just remember the 10 Commandments and “Thou shall not kill and Thou shall not commit adultery.” One’s superego -conscience, when working properly, persuades the ego to substitute moralistic goals for nonrealistic ones. In essence, the superego attempts to block gratification from the drives of the id.

With neuroses, guilt is unconscious and results in a need for punishment. These individuals are not aware of their need for punishment. A sense of guilt is experienced as uneasiness, tension or anxiety. With dissatisfaction, tension or anxiety, these neurotic individuals often seek other motivations like pursuing power, control, prestige or possessions in attempting to diminish discomfort while searching for pleasure. Punishment can occur at different times and in many different forms.

 Certain individuals have weak controls or non-functioning amoral conscience and get away with murder. Hitler, Saddam, Qaddafi and Bin Laden come to mind. Yet, in the end, they all received their long-overdue punishment.

Employing Freud’s model of conscience, let’s take a look at the narcissistic, amoral and angry Donald.   Donald’s punishments have usually been embarrassment, shame and a dollar payment for inflicted damages on others. Way back when, both Donald and his father were found guilty by the US government for their housing discrimination policy against blacks. Donald has gone bankrupt six times and has run his casinos into the ground. He no longer can borrow money from US banks.  He has been involved in many lawsuits and settled with dollar amounts. Donald wanted to be an NFL owner but was boycotted by the league. He bought a USFL team in response. Donald and the USFL engaged in a lawsuit against the NFL for antitrust statutes. They won the lawsuit and were awarded three dollars, by the court for damages. He won the battle but lost the war.  Donald’s university and foundation were both phony and penalized. Currently, his tax returns are being audited. The District of New York is also investigating him for fraud. Furthermore, his obesity, based on poor food choice, is another example of aggression turned inward or self-punishment. His lack of nutritious health puts him at risk.

 Donald’s amoral behavior has been exhibited within the last four years. He appears to be out of control and without moral limits. He’s been protected and enabled by William Barr “sitting Pres. can’t be indicted;” and the Republican Senate which did not convict him on his impeachment. Numerous members of his staff have resigned and written books about his incompetency.

For the past few months, he has been promoting lies of voter fraud regarding the November 3rd election. He and his sycophants have gone seditiously and without evidence to court over 50 times in an attempt to overturn the election by disenfranchising black voters.  Republican Atty. Gen.’s in 18 states with the support  of over 100 Republicans in Congress have submitted false claims, this time to the Supreme Court. It’s apparent, in this case, that political motivation along with insecurity supersedes and dominates a clinging to the power of political office. With that being said, appropriate democratic values and moral behavior take a backseat. It’s as if one’s conscience is impaired or stuck at a level characterized in adolescence. The amoral character of Donald and these Republican representatives is discouraging. Keeping their elected positions is based on anxiety of being powerless and therefore dominates their behavior.

Donald lies, cheats, and attempts to subvert the mass voting in our Republic in order for him to keep his unchecked power. He owes millions of dollars to unnamed sources. With that being said, his character is important. Will his unconscious need for punishment result in him being defeated? Will a jury find him guilty after leaving office?  Time will tell. The cliché “what goes around comes around” comes to mind. His fate will come, it’s only a matter of time.

Returning to High School

 

The cliché “it’s all downhill after high school” is not only catchy but has important meaning. Individuals often return to the imagination of high school as if these memories were imprinted on their psyche. Statistics have revealed that one third of all adult males in the United States and one quarter of all adult women would choose to stay permanently between the ages of 15 and 19. This disquisition focuses on the why we return to our high school years.

Does reverting back to high school years happen because of the boosted testosterone levels and wet dreams; driving that first car; getting to first base; dating, dancing, joining the popular peer group etc.? What about the myth of Eternal Return? This myth suggests there is a utopia as in paradise or heaven. Further, as time shortens, reality fades in older age. That imaginative return is alluring. Is it a glimpse of pleasure, happiness and youth in another place in another time that appeals?

This Eternal Return is based on a premise that time is cyclical. In other words, what happens now has happened before and will happen again at some basic level if not exactly in the same detail. On the other hand, life, in the world, moves forward in secular time. Often we do not see that the new is the old come around again, and to understand the new we must return to the old. Scholars of the myth contrast two kinds of time. The first is secular, sacred, rational, mystical, forward moving, and timeless which is like the body. The second aspect of time moves in circles like the psyche, soul or character. It’s a movement of self-concentrated awareness of intellectualization, of living its life reaching to all things so that nothing shall be outside of it and nothing anywhere but within its scope. This was the description of the myth according to the Greek philosopher Plotinus.

Turning from philosophy, I have another opinion as to why we return to memories and imagination from our high school years. Theoretically, we pass through life in developmental stages. These developmental stages are critical periods for human growth. Successful resolution and working through that critical time or stage, suggests that one has a much better opportunity to successfully work through the next stage and so forth. By the same token, difficulty or impairment at any stage negatively affects the next succeeding stage or period. The high school years encompasses developmentally one such critical period in human development.

 For example, according to Jean Piaget, there are four stages of intellectual growth. He called the first stage Sensorimotor and the fourth stage as Formal Operations .Formal Operations begin in adolescence and then on to adulthood. In his thinking, Piaget believed that in Formal Operations, the individual was now able to think more sophisticated with abstraction, theoretical concepts, with such skills as logical thought, deductive reasoning and systematic planning. In other words, the adolescent is intellectually capable of: 1. Increased ability to consider hypothetical possibilities 2. Guided by self-awareness of one’s physical and psychological changes 3. More introspective and analytical. Just discuss some topic and debate a teenager around any issue especially pertaining to rules, restrictions and regulations and you’ll know what I mean.

As far as moral development, Lawrence Kohlberg believed there were three stages of moral development. The first stage in Kohlberg’s thinking was Preconventional and the third stage was Post Conventional. Adolescents, in the Post Conventional stage have the capacity to: 1. Begin to think about, challenge and question the social and political beliefs of their parents 2. Begin to think about and question beliefs and ideas from other significant ideological groups 3. Began to become more oriented toward inner concerns and become less other directed, but still without clear rational and universal principles 4. They begin looking for a more widely societal consensus.  According to Kohlberg, many adolescents do not proceed beyond this stage but a limited number go on to achieve a higher level of moral reasoning. For example: 1. They tend to be guided by abstract ethical principles appealing to logical comprehensiveness, universality and consistency 2. Their motivation for conformity is based on their consistent, internalized moral standards 3. They become clearer with their principled thinking 4. These few adolescents are then able to incorporate consistent internalized moral standards. Empirically, Kohlberg incorporated upon Piaget’s cognitive theory of intellectual functioning.

Physically, during adolescence, levels of hGH, DHEA, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are rapidly increasing. Physical strength, skill and motor control proceeds with rapid development. Did you look at the physique and watch Lebron James, Kobe Bryant or Kevin Garnet play high school basketball? Sure, later development occurred. But their ability, at that age, was phenomenal. Just observe the skill level of all the freshman college football players. Today’s young athletes are impressive.

Psychologically, with the development of character, the individual is also forming his identity which is a necessary component. Erik H Erikson postulated 8 stages of psychological ego development. In stage 5, the development of Ego Identity, the individual puts together or assimilates his relationship to academic and intellectual skills, rapid body growth, and genital maturity along with the ability to relate to others in different ways. With ego identity, if successful, one has the ability to integrate the various identifications with the development of his physical endowments along with his many or limited opportunities offered in the availability of social roles, future life work and goals. In this stage, people are remarkably clannish, cruel and they tend to exclude others of darker skin color, cultural backgrounds, how they dress as well as other minor differences.  In other words, they can be very prejudiced and clannish within this stage. They form cliques, have enemies and pledge fidelity to certain groups and ideologies. It’s important to be in the “in” group versus the “out” group.  If you happened to be in the wrong group, you were out of luck and insecure. Successful resolution in this stage gives that adolescent a better opportunity to develop, at the next stage, a sense of intimacy for future relationships. If unsuccessful, narcissism, being alone and failed relationships follow. Moreover, with a weak ego, unfortunately leads that teenager to look for deviant, amoral, antisocial groups for identification and alienation from mainstream society.

During the high school years, we have a much different animal psychologically, emotionality and physicality. Yes, we had so many unique and significant emotional experiences. As a result of our imagination of our sexual experiences and the importance of peer affiliative memories, we have accumulated being scared, pleasure, happy, sad, disappointed, joy, excited etc. These sexual and emotional experiences happened during a significant or critical time of our life. Who could forget them? Why would anyone not want to remember them?  Maybe so, if an individual had difficulty learning, was bullied and was excluded and rejected it might be a different story. With that being said, the return might be to Utopia, Hell or some place in between.

The powerful experiences pertaining to friendships, achievements, sex, rejection, safety, disappointments, highs, lows, ups, downs, pimples, wearing Levi’s etc. played a significant part in the ongoing continuity of our character. Our psychological needs had to be met then as well as now, for our well-being.

Yes, time proceeds in a straight line as evidenced by changes in body. Yes, psychological history tends to repeat itself. With the dynamic of repetition compulsion, we repeat situations which is also a function of character. Yes, there can be an unhealthy regression to the past with fixation. In that case, there’s a chink or deficit in the armor of character. It’s about character and the ability to incorporate the past, the present and the future. Sound character leads to a fulfilling life that encompasses all our previous imaginative stories especially those from adolescence. Of course, we have other imaginative tales from other critical periods during our lifetime. However, the critical period of adolescence with cognitive, moral, physical and ego identity challenges are most powerfully based.  Its importance lies from the point of view of character development. The frequent imaginative return is proof of that fact.

PS

I continue to maintain contact with my high school buddy Wayne and visit him when I returned to the Detroit area. Incidentally, prior to Covid-19, Wayne meets regularly with our high school buddies.

Aging Revisited

 

 

The following is a continuation from last week’s essay utilizing James Hillman’s terrific insights on character and aging.  A few facts as follows: we know about mortality tables as well as strategies to increase lifespan. More specifically, we know about  various  aging theories; the effect of hormones; miracle minerals; the antioxidants; benefits of exercise; numerous   diets; and anti-stress tips for antiaging. However, psychological characteristics that accompany aging are less well known. This disquisition focuses on four psychological conditions associated with aging. As I am aging, I’ll personalize this disquisition.

It is known that memory is one of the functions in the limbic system and that for most people the left hippocampus is involved in verbal or language oriented memories and the right hippocampus is involved in nonverbal memories.  Specifically, let’s take a look at short-term memory loss which seems to be fairly common as in searching for a word or remembering a name compared with long-term memory. One way to think about the difference between long and short-term memory is that we don’t want to fill up the storage of our significant long-term memory with irrelevant short-term items such as where did I leave my keys?

We certainly want to be able to retrieve, with imagination, our meaningful stories and facts from our past. According to research, the higher intellectual areas of the cerebral cortex have a significantly lower degree of cell disappearance…. It may even be that the neurons increase their activity… Recent research suggests that certain cortical neurons seem actually to become more abundant after maturity…..the dendrites of many neurons continue to grow in healthy old people … Neuroscientist think they actually have discovered the source of  wisdom which we like to  think we can accumulate with advancing age.

I attended Wayne Elementary School; Jackson Junior High; Denby High School and Wayne State University in Detroit. These schools are located in Wayne County, Michigan which recently was in the news regarding an attempt to overthrow the Democratic voting process. Give thanks to the name Wayne because of Mad Anthony Wayne born in 1745. He was an American soldier- statesman during the beginning of the American Revolution. Unfortunately, Maj. Gen. Wayne died of medical complications during the return trip to Pennsylvania from a military post in Detroit in 1796.

I can tell you, with my imagination, that the following cannot be challenged since it’s my story based on my memory. The kindergarten teachers were Miss Goebel and Miss Rose at my elementary school; Miss Bell was my fourth grade homeroom teacher, Ms. Goodman my fifth grade homeroom teacher and Mrs. Jaques my sixth grade homeroom teacher. I attended homeroom in the morning and learned the 3Rs. After lunch I attended special classes in auditorium,  art, Miss Mallard for music, Mr. Bachman for science and In PE, I ran a 7.7 second 50 yard dash. I probably beat everyone except my competitor Tom Smith. Tom lived on Beaconsfield. At Jackson Junior High, I had to walk to the bus stop for school transportation. Tom, Bob Adams and I were unbeatable in three on three basketball. Attending Denby, Tom and I parted ways only to meet up on the football field as teammates. Smith was a team captain in our senior year and then went on to play for Dan Devine at the University of Missouri. Tom successfully became a school principal but unfortunately was killed in an automobile accident. Years later at a high school reunion I met and fell in love with Judy Knopp. She told me that she and Tom were boyfriend and girlfriend in high school. How’s that for coincidences?

Prior to the start of the football season, in my senior year, I would go to the high school and play football with alumni and current team players. On one kickoff return, I blocked and knocked down Mitch Newman. Mitch congratulated me on that tremendous block. The season started and the first game was against Southeastern. The game occurred on the Jewish holy day of Rosh Hashanah. Our team huddled prior to the kickoff and team Capt. Mitch Newman stated to everyone “let’s win this game for Frank as it’s his holiday.”  That moment was special for me. Mitch later went on to play for Duffy Daugherty at Michigan State.

After the season and graduation, I attended The University of Detroit on a football scholarship. On the first day of practice, I met recruit Dennis Cole, who played for Southeastern high school. Incidentally, we won that game- Denby 40 Southeastern 7. Dennis became a friend and after leaving The University of Detroit, went out to Hollywood and was a costar with Howard Duff in a detective TV series. Subsequently, Dennis married Jacqueline Smith of Charlie’s Angels fame. Dennis was an extremely handsome man.

Another characteristic of the aging process is a heightened irritability. That can be expressed with intolerance, not wanting to put up with inconvenience, refusing to be rushed and rattled. One could fly off the handle with little provocation. Often, frustration plays a part. Frustration could be the result of one’s perception of physical changes and challenges; economic disruptions; political shenanigans; interpersonal disappointments etc. We all know that living in the 21^st century with the current  pandemic and economic fallout is very frustrating, in part because of the disregard for scientific messaging regarding health and prevention. Aside from the political nonsense regarding not wearing a mask, I can become irritable while watching a so-called “news” broadcast. Sometimes the answer to the questions are elementary and obvious to all especially the person that asked the question. Sometimes, the question cannot be answered because it’s vague, hypothetical and based on some future occurrence. If one talks in measured probabilities that would be more accurate. Asking someone or a supposed expert to make a prediction seems meaningless to me.

Waking at night is another condition in aging. The frequent emptying the bladder, results in disruption of sleep. Research finds that a sleep deficit or sleep deprivation results in significant brain changes. Unfortunately, areas of the brain responsible for judgment, impulse control, tension and visual association all become dysfunctional. Chronic sleep deficits are also associated with increased irritability and associated with significant health risks including higher levels of diabetes, impaired immune response, decreased growth in children, increased obesity and higher levels of depression.

At one time, early Christian monks who lived in desert caves tried to banish sleep altogether. They believed that pagan powers were thought to approach pious souls through dreams. In other words, devout persons who were intent upon building a strong character had to be less eager to sleep and had to watch or be awake at night. So character depended on fending off all the fantasies and voices that threatened to lead one away from the Christian path.  If awake, they could discriminate among the various spirits. How’s that for bunk?

Sleep and dreaming however can be beneficial. With dreams, you come to know what you cannot know during the day. Freud called this characteristic repression in that it allows sleep to be protected. Dreams mostly let us sleep peacefully by masking our worries and terrors. Dreams are present in the guise of images we generally don’t understand. It allows us to sleep without waking.  Research in Denmark and Japan found that emptying the bladder was more common for older men because they were no longer retaining salt and water during the night. They excreted more sodium at night and thus voiding more frequently.  The report concluded that some people with nocturia have disordered circadian rhythms and there’s not much you can do to regulate your body’s clock.

We have about a great number of sleep disorder diagnosis and there are numerous sleep disorder clinics. One time, 10% of the population reported a significant nightmare, a thrashing, a whimpering at least once a month. We take numerous sleeping pills, wear incontinent pads, dim the lights, turn down the temperature and eliminate alcohol so that we can rise in the morning without having to tangle with a leaky bladder.

Our dreams represent some residue of the previous day or day’s activities with the addition of fatalistic anxieties, recriminations and vengeful afterthoughts from our history. Perhaps these images belong and should remain in the dark or the impersonal side of the world. Perhaps, they should become available only through the ordeal of nighttime awakenings.

We could began a surface understanding of that hellish reality of the underworld from our unconscious. Our dreams often tell another and deeper story of the dark side of our character. It may not be a rosy picture of who we are as evidenced by nightmares or night terrors. Some choose to explore the dark side or shadow of their character. The majority, however, do not dare to enter the dark side of their character in order to pretend they are normal.

Erotic’s or “Eh, mister! Your fly is open, mister” by James Joyce is another characteristic in the aging life process stage. It is known that lust becomes more extravagant. It certainly is a condition in the psyche that fosters creative art, prophecy and exaggerated emotional instability. While the physical powers diminish, imagination cuts loose and runs wild.  On one hand there can be impotence, misogyny and depressive isolation. On the other, lewd fantasies of a dirty old man rises. The power of imagination is extremely important per Socrates and Plato. They believed that “lustful thoughts and images swell the organs.” However, today physiology tells a different story. It reports that only the ovaries in women and the sexual capacity of men decline faster than perhaps anything else in the body. Female lubrication, and male erection can occur .However, with a problem, performance anxiety increases, followed by increased performance failure which then increases performance anxiety etc.

I am pleased that with imagination, touching and foreplay, I have, in my opinion, a well charged and well-functioning libido. Linda, my loving partner and I are in synchronicity. We have what Freud calls “genital love.” Loving and respecting each other during the rest of the day ads to that fulfillment.

At age 88, Dr. Atkins stated “Thanks to erotic imagination… Here is victory over decay... William Butler Yeats in a letter to a friend and former lover at age 87 wrote “I shall be a sinful man to the end, and think upon my death bed of all the nights I wasted in my youth.” Walt Whitman near his end in 1891 wrote letters and notes that paralleled his increased bodily decay. As a patron saint of the naked body, masturbation and sexual love between men, Whitman made that clear distinction between behavior and imagination. During his decline he had numerous physical ailments such as tubercular abscesses, tuberculosis ravaged lungs, intestines, liver and kidney issues, large prostate, and an enormous bladder stone.  He said at old age, erotic fantasy is more than a symptom, more than a compensation. It becomes a private necessity and consequently a societal benefit.

Sexual life is primarily imaginative life; it starts there, feeds there and persists there long after the abrupt and sometimes absurd actualities of events.  Gender does not determine imagination. For example French actress Jeanne Moreau chose roles and directed films that allowed her to grow old gracefully. She stated “you speak of sexuality, most people expect physical sex but sexuality starts in the mind with imagination.” Bernice Wood at 105 stated that after age 85 she liked to play the courtesan and, flirting with outrageous coquettishness. She loved to cultivate the myth of her wickedness and rampant sexuality. “Isak   Denison and Georgia O’Keeffe each accompanied and were attended by much younger men, themselves artists who spurred their imagination and old age. Isak Denison “evenings were spent drinking wine, quoting poetry to each other, playing Schubert… making imaginary voyages and taking imaginary lovers.”

William James wrote about fantastic and the necessary character of human wants. .James said these “wants and even when their gratifications seems farthest off, the uneasiness, they occasion is still the best guide of his life and leave him to issues entirely beyond his present powers of reckoning. Prune down his extravagance, sober him and you undo him.”

 Further, fear and shame can occur during this time as well. The fear of arousal according to historian David Friedberg, lies at the root of censorship, iconoclasm, and the resistance to imagination.  Why should I be so conflicted about the extravagance of imagination? After all they are merely images. Why should I be ashamed? Do not forget that sex, in earlier years, can be more serious as in a conquest. Later on, sex can become more playful, humorous, less serious and less demanding. It can become more of a fulfilling partnership that complements the union.

The presence of beauty and a young body is an inspiration for the old was analyzed by Plato.  Perhaps Dionysus was correct. He didn’t discriminate between gender and age in his display of wine, ecstasy and fertility. However, he had a temper and could be brutal. With pleasure can come negative consequences? No one can blame imagination, its decisions that can lead to self-defeating behavior. Take advantage of imagination with long term memory and eroticism; acknowledge sleep and dream consequences and embrace irritability during this one time adventure.