There has been daily news coverage pertaining to our form of government. Has our country gone from a "democracy" or “republic “to a monarchy to an authoritarian rule with its oligarchs? It's true that historically man has been ruled by an assortment of kings,queens, premiers, military rulers, emperors, dictators ( with a tendency for dependency and submission) and only recently by various forms of democracy or republic .( with a tendency for Individuation, autonomy and freedom). This disposition addresses the characteristics of adolescents and young adults as it pertains to tendencies for dependency or freedom.
In 1958, I graduated from Denby high school. My friends Mitch Newman, Larry Hudas ,Ed Budde , Ed Hood. Jim Haslip ,Jim McDonald, George Haslip , George Bletsos , Rudy Nurmi ,Ron Transiick , Wayne Dyer , still alive and good friend Wayne Fiske , Dave Debusshere, Dennis Cole ,Katie Yeager, Jan Nelson,Earlene Rentz, Judy Knopp, Lorna Goodwin, Bonnie Batieger, Linda Carter, Virginia Huntoon ,Judy Middleton graduated from high school, married and had children.. One good friend ,in particular ,was Dave Novak. Dave graduated from Denby and began working at General Motors. He married Darlene and they bought their first house in Warren, Michigan. They had two daughters and moved to the waterfront home on St. Clair Shores. After Dave retired, they moved to Florida. Some of my friends graduated from college and others did not ,but all married and had children.
Today ,there are many economic and social threats to our well-being. For instance, Income inequality for the richest Americans in the top 1% has skyrocketed since 1980 by over 800%. Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg, of the Us’s three richest men are referred to as oligarchs . These billionaires are worth nearly 1 trillion combined and were joined at Trump’s inauguration by the chief executive officers of Open AI and Tik Tok .
In 2023 , the US experienced 28 separate weather and climate disasters costing billions . The cost of the Los Angeles wildfires could be at least $250 billion and could reach $30 billion for insurers. Insurance companies have no trouble when it comes to raising rates for Insurers but don't like paying for damages so they either drop coverage and/ or leave the state .
Social media's ability to manipulate , control seems second to none. This emphasis on anonymous mass communication with its propaganda, extremism and hate excels with outcomes of division, conformity, loss of reason and rationality, leaving its mark on the insignificance and loss of individuality on so many.
Psychologically, a most necessary development for humans occurs especially in adolescence. Concepts used to describe this conflict include the " will," "individuation," "identity" and quest for” freedom” are in a battle with dependency. In adolescence ,there’s an active relationship between individuals with and to themselves. Some adolescents assert themselves, even in a negative way, against their parents ,in order to define themselves. It's a battle of wills. It's an attempt as separation from parents' control ,rules ,ideas, restrictions and moral teachings
The move away from dependency is fearful as not all individuals can successfully separate.and reduce their fear by becoming more independent. Others can use fear as a constructive force rather than a guilty crippling force in their separation from both mother and father. If the individual can't effectively and emotionally separate but remains too dependent that affects his superego development. He remains with a primitive moral conscience with the ability to identify with primarily unsavory authoritarian types. It also diminishes ,and affects their quest for independence, freedom ,within conscience.. Being primitively restricted, freedom is diminished as the adolescent is unable to say no to parents . no to representatives of external forces, and no to external authority. This results with compliance and obedience regardless of moral and/or ethical qualities of dictatorial types . Further, with a limited development of reason, objectivity they become more irrational .Some parents are more able to support their teen’s independence better than others that hold on tight.
With tendencies for independence, identity and freedom results in a force to become more human by developing a humanistic morality and ethics. Also ,the development of Intellectual and emotional capacity leads to less egocentrism, more empathy, a belonging with affiliation , mutuality, being able to love , being able to produce productively,and work contributing to society. In essence, with emotional separation ,individuals now have the ability to make a choice. The choice is either uniting within a world with qualities of humanism or authoritarianism.
The results of this past 2024 presidential election were associated with rejections of the Constitution ,democracy and the rule of law. Over 89 million registered voters failed to vote, thereby passive aggressively supporting the election of the convicted felon, authoritarian and would be king.. Further, a statistical breakdown of voting and non- voting adolescents and young adults provided support for their dependence , submission, loss of freedom and for government control by the rich and powerful Titans of industry and technology..
An article in the December 29, 2024 edition of The New York Times titled 10 Charts That Explain 2024 reported that Trump's change in the voting share from 2020- 2024 had a +7 % increase with the 18 to 29-year-old Americans and a + 6 point increase with no college degree .Of the 89 million registered voters that did not vote.,there were approximately 58 % of the18 to 29-year-olds. However,of those 18 to 29-year-olds that did vote ,52 to 54% of them voted for Harris with the majority being females..
According to the AP Vote Cast Survey the economy , jobs and abortion were the most important issues. For those stating the economy and jobs, 40% were likely to vote for Trump. In essence:why vote for a man whose neurotic goal is not the economy of the poor, but the pursuit of economic , political power, status and control with means and his primary goal to protect his interests.
A few socio-economic and mental health statistics from the American Psychological Association. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Cigna's 2020 Loneliness Survey, National Center for Health Statistics ,Center for Disease Control and Prevention follows: 1. Marriage rates from 2017 to 2018 dropped to 6.99% per 1,000 population .It’s the lowest for periods between 1900 and 2018. 2. Since 2007 ,young men living with their parents at home increased from 14.2% to 18.6%,This is the highest level since the Census Bureau started counting in 1960. 3. From 2021 to 2022 , the high school graduation rate was 87% 4. College enrollment between the ages of 18 to 24 has declined by 1.2 million since 2011. 5. Males 18 to 24 make up 42% of young college students in 4 year colleges. Of those men in college, 43% are likely to graduate 6. In 2022 , 57% of male high school graduates have enrolled in college.
Statistics regarding mental and physical health: 1. Obesity in men ages 20 to 39, are 40.3%. Obesity increased significantly among men between 2017 -2018. 2 Firearms are the leading cause of death for ages 1-17 and in 2022 there were 2526 ;2240 motor vehicle deaths and 1444 cancer deaths. 3. This rate for firearms doubled between 2013- 2022 for teenagers 1-17 4. In 2019 You Gov surveyed 1000 adults and found that 29% of millennial's stated they always feel lonely and 27% had no close friends. 5. Men felt lonely more often than women- 23% for men compared to 20% females 6.. 10,000 adults were surveyed. and young adults had higher rates of loneliness than older adults. 70% of young adults reported that they sometimes feel alone, shy and that no one really understands them. 7.. More adolescents and young adults in 2010 compared to the 2020 experienced psychological distress, major depression, suicide thoughts or attempted suicide . Suicide rates ,ages 20-24 increased and homicide rates increased from 2014-2021 . Gun suicide incresed 40% between 2013-2021. 8. In a study of 200,000 adolescent ages 12 to 17 reported symptoms consistent with depression within the last 12 months . This was a 52% increase from 2005 in 2017 and 63% of young adults aged 18 to 25 . Also, there was a 71% increase in young adults experiencing serious psychological distress from 2008 -2017 . Suicide thoughts and suicide related outcomes increased 47% from 2008 -2017. These statistics paint a grim picture for the present and future.
We've had a history of emperors, kings, queens and rulers exploiting man for their own neurotic desire for profit and control. We had revolutions and an "Age of Enlightenment". About 250 years ago. our " experiment" started . Then within this past century, we fought against the evils of political rule and mass destruction.. Hobbes believed that man's lust for power results in hostility because of self interest and the wish for power to secure his economic and social interests. Freud thought that man's nature leads him in sadomasochistic ways and is headed for destruction. John Dewey in Freedom and Culture stated “I use the term fascism or authoritarianism to denote a dictatorial system of the type of the German or Italian one. ........ I shall call it Nazi-ism, which is given a victory to external authority, discipline ,uniformity and dependence upon. ...... The battlefield is also accordingly here - within ourselves and our institutions."
IDo we have a submission characteristic because we are eager to surrender based on childhood dependance ? Are we indifferent to freedom because of the vast power and impact of economic and social conditions ? Are we indifferent to freedom because of our insecurity , irrationality with an absence of control , insignificance ,and helplessness ? Do we receive satisfaction and pleasure in submission because of our identifications, conditioning and by being part of group consensus ? Can we cope with the existential crisis of separation ,being alone, being an insignificant speck,insecure, anxious ,surrounded by absurdity and contradictions, faced with mortality without submitting to a commanding , demanding authoritarian parental substitute for dependency ,security, safety ,being part ( belonging) to the crowd ,subservient ,loyal ,compliant and obeying all the rules, commands and expectations ?
PS
Sunday was mom's 116th birthday.. Symbolically ,today's experience put me in touch with existential anxiety as I started out for a trail run ,which was once called the Cawthorne trail , and made my way down to the recycling center, the 16th mile marker, of nature's most beautiful green fully forested Western States trail on BLM land . I was alone, separate and a small item compared to the vastness of my unlimitless surroundings . After a while , I encountered two unfamiliar females running towards me. Much later, I crossed paths with Diane L.and her dog.as my thoughts were briefly interrupted .On this familiar trail, I rode Raider and Gypsy with Linda; ran with Bill J. Chris T. Linda R. and especially with my border collie Sherry and with Tony and his border collie Dale plus numerous others , Tony's having a medical consultation regarding his MRI leg issues on Monday. He ran too fast when he was younger . Thank you again mom for being my mom .
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