Previously ,intellectuals , explained man’s negative condition,For instance,Marx, believed man was alienated as a result of capitalism; Tolstoy ,from a spiritual and moral point of view, stressed man's moral and spiritual impoverishment; Rousseau , blamed a terrible society without freedom, liberty and reason and Freud believed that civilization was repressing man's instinctual drives, resulting in neurosis.This essay provides a perception of the state of our Republic from a brief economic, political, social and psychological points of view. Is man an instrument for the wealthy; are we a government of the people ; how absurd is our society; and what is the degree of our mental and physical health ?
From an economic perspective, approximately 11.6% or 37.9 million individuals are living in poverty in this country, of which approximately 30% of them are children. Poverty is defined as when an individual lacks financial resources and the essentials for a basic standard of living. In California ,the hourly minimum wage is $16.65 and in Mississippi it is $7.25. And, approximately 24% of California’s population live in poverty .Further, about 42.4 million ,nationwide , received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits
On the other hand,a few statistics pertaining to the economic inequality in our Republic: The 400 richest people in the US are worth $6.6 trillion. Their wealth has increased by a trillion over the past year thanks to the surging stock markets and the AI mania.
The top five most wealthy include Elon Musk, Larry Ellison, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Larry Page. In the NBA , Stephan Curry’s 2025-26 salary was just under $60 million.followed by Joel Embiid earning about 55 million along with Nikola Jokic . In the NFL ,DAk Prescott’s 2024 annual salary was 65 million followed by both Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence at 55 million . Baseball's highest paid player in 2023 was Juan Soto at 126.9 million, Shohei Ohtani earned 102 million and Blake Snell 65.6 million. A Taylor Swift concert ticket ranges from $657-$819.These figures are madding compared to $7.25 an hour wage.
From a political point of view, an authoritarian was elected president and the right-wing GOP majority has provided him with enormous power and control. The GOP Senate,House of Representatives and Cabinet faithfully follow his wishes. His tariffs and "big beautiful bill " proved unpopular for the masses. Additionally, the president sent military and ice agents to blue American cities rounding up "illegal" immigrants employing aggressive tactics. Many of these individuals without due process have been denied rights under the U.S. Constitution and have been sent to undesirable places all over the world. His use of social media has allowed him to spread the propaganda and conspiracy of misinformation as his wealth has increased dramatically . We the people are currently divided - either those that support this would be king , those that oppose him or those fed up with politics and do not vote. .
Universities, law firms ,press, entertainers and "enemies" of the president have been harassed, subject to legal proceedings and their free speech has been under attack. The president has waged a "drug" war, attacking boats driven by various individuals and killing many in the process. The lower courts have deemed many of the president's actions as violations of the constitution but , in some, the Supreme Court has ruled differently. The President has also pardoned convicted undesirables and he continues his attempt to interfere with voting..His longest government shut down just ended .Most of his executive orders are associated with pain and suffering .
From a historical point of view, the old and new Testaments provided messages of freedom, morality , and a belief in the supreme being. Jesus and his prophets clearly pointed to the hazards and evils of greed and wealth. They also promoted the solidarity of humanism with “loving thy enemy.” Today ,with mega churches, the message appears to be about monetary and political power. There's also a disregard and division within the church regarding whether or not they should be political or not . Unity,morality and humanism in our Republic is more important than taking away a woman's freedom to have an abortion..
From a religious , spiritual and moral point of view , supporting a deranged pathological liar and convicted felon is absurd and inconsistent with being a christian. This twice impeached man attempted to overthrow the 2000 presidential election;’ Currently , he’s working to do the same for the 2026 elections .His flip flopping on the Epstein files is politically expedient,ingenious, legally, and morally corrupt .Factually, he once said, something to the effect that just his thinking about files makes them unclassified.
Physically, 50 to 60% of Americans have a chronic disease of asthma, diabetes, or cardiovascular . Chronic is defined as persistent and long-lasting. Despite the fact that health spending ,on a per capita basis as a percentage of gross domestic product, the US spends more than two times the average compared to comparable countries. Yet, the GOP’ continues to eliminate The Affordable Act.
US life expectancy has grown, but at a lower rate than other countries; we have the highest rates of infant mortality, low birth weight, high rate of motor vehicle crashes ,and non transportation injuries .Lung disease is associated with a higher risk of death and older US adults report a higher prevalence of arthritis that limits their daily activities. We have the second highest prevalence of HIV infection and highest incidence of AIDS ;and we lose more years of life to alcohol , drugs and even when deaths from drunk driving are excluded .The number surpasses homicides and car crashes.
Psychologically, too many are alienated, unproductive, fail to control irrational passions of hate, greed, exploitativeness, possessiveness, and with their narcissism, enhance their personal prestige and are not concerned with the social welfare and solidarity of men. The primary physiological ego needs, according to Maslow, of hunger and thirst along with safety, belonging, love and esteem greatly affect mental health . And when unsatisfied., these needs can dominate the individual as in the case of a man who’s starving. A realistic fear of starvation makes hunger dominate conduct. Stealing, lying and violating the law are just some examples of men driven to fill their physiological need for self and family. The ego need of safety, can also dominate behavior and with the association of anxiety individuals act aggressively toward fellow humans. Security is important and can be easily identified when encountering insecure, anxious and stressed individuals. A common reaction to insecurity as a defense is aggressiveness. Without the ego's physiological and safety needs being met ,the belonging and love needs become difficult to satisfy ..
It's not at all surprising that with the assistance of algorithms and AI our social media has been contaminated by expressions of hate, anger and calls for violence. We have a history of school shootings, political attacks, suicide, anti-Semitic and anti Israel incidents which are troubling and depict a sick society..Further our capitalistic and technological culture is heavily associated with furthering man’s robotic insignificance and interfring in meeting the ego need of affiliation with alienation
A healthy man was described by Freud as being able to love and work. More specifically, a healthy individual is one who is productive and contributes to a betterment of society's members , is able to relate to his fellow man, not subjecting himself to an irrational authority and utilizes thinking, reason, and rationality. Further, that individual has to be able to minimize , understand and not allow ego defenses of denial and rationality to interfere with reality. Psychologically, the potency of economics, politics,religion, and society all interact and are like a mosaic in that they contribute to man’s sense of well being or his hell.
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