Nihilism

 Our  republics institutions,along with  moral, ethical  and religious values are at threat from  nihilism . The Judeo-Christian 10 Commandments, Constitution and amendments , the democratic voting procedure  , criminal justice system  and public education  are under attack . This disquisition addresses the threat  of  a nihilism  rebellion.  

How many have lost every trace of individuality,  love, critical thought and not be aware of it ?  So it seems , based on the current maga leader with his following.  Trump  has become the religion of power.  His narcissism is expressed in his seeking of power , prestige , possession and privilege according to his own rules. His moral conscience is one of his weak spots as his "intellect" is compromised .  He lives in a world of mistrust  . Within his neurotic system , he has to have complete control and domination in every aspect of his life.  He destroys,  doesn't create and within his life space, his ethical system is perpetuated with a drive and desire for crime . Moreover , his rebellion  leads to the subjection not only  of  his loyalists but others as well .

Trump’ has constructed a set of objectives with force and hatred  . His enjoyment appears to be with  domination,destruction,  possession  and  power over others. However, the behavior has to be repeated and repeated which can never be fulfilled .  He doesn't live in a world of love and compromise.  His adoration of self is above everything.  He doesn’t judge his irrationality and his beliefs are not about truth, justice and  reason.

Within Trump's irrational and criminal  mind,  he refuses to recognize any law other  than his own.  Does Trump's neurotic need for domination bring him happiness ? He desires to be the ruler of the world like Caesar. His  rebellion  leads to the justification of his crimes

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A few examples of Trump’s nihilistic attitude and behavior  include the following  : 1. He said he could kill in New York and not be held accountable.  Henry VIII  comes to mind..  What are his moral principles  and /or commandments  ?  2.  He handpicked Atty. Gen. 's to facilitate his rule and ethical breaking behavior and therefore  was able to mislead the public regarding the Mueller report. 3.  He was impeached twice . Initially by attempting to hold up arms shipment to Ukraine for political dirt on Biden, and then for the insurrection on January 6, 2020.  4. He  has not paid a "fair" amount of taxes.  He either inflated or deflated his assets to his advantage.  He’s been found guilty and the amount of damages is being litigated.  5.  Trump  propagated fake news , lies about journalists in an attempt to dismantle and sabotage freedom of the press  6.  Trump's university  and foundation had been found fraudulent 7.  Trump falsified Govid -10 information  and trashed  the reputation of the CDC 8.  Trump lied about the 2020 presidential election and attempted to overthrow the republic .  He  disregarded the Constitution and facilitated fabrications in his attempt to retain power.  The RICO indictments  in Georgia; the fake elector scheme and the January 6 attack on the capital are a few illustrations. of his  criminal and morally bankrupt sense of morality .Nihilism is  a rejection of religious , moral ,ethical ,political , educational  and rule of law principles , 

Are we a Christian nation ?  Have Trump and his loyalists followed Christ's teachings?  With that being said, the “hanging ”  of Mike Pence on January 6 was based on what justification , religious principle  or commandment ?  Did Pence commit some crime ?  Following the Constitution, per his role, seemed reasonable . For loyalists intending to kill him for something that Trump said is not only immoral  and criminal but  crazy , irrational  and nihilistic.   

Trump told his armed militia and others to go to the Capital and fight like hell.  Fight is defined as taking part in a violent struggle involving the exchange of physical blows or the use of weapons.  Going to the Capital to fight would serve what purpose?  That act would be illegal, irrational , morally defunct , sinful  and based on a lie about the election being stolen. What was accomplished by attacking Capital police and  trashing lawmakers offices with urine , feces, etc.  ?  That motivational behavior was associated with an  acting out  ,emotional  dysfunction  character flaw of the participants.  It had nothing to do with a stolen election lie.  Their 10 commandments are ?

An authoritarian despot wannabe requires loyalists which results in a symbiotic  relationship between the authoritarian father figure ruler and his followers.  The time is hazardous for many in our Republic who seek for a Messianic protector .The following 6 points are illustrations of  existential anxiety and uncertainty facing many . 1.  We have the greatest concentration of wealth in the hands of  a few. Thanks to capitalism.  This suggests financial existential anxiety despite the fact that Pres. Biden’s administration has created more jobs, higher wages and lower unemployment  rates of any living president.  One example, one successful employer stated that although Trump has many negative qualities, he supports him.  He favors Trump's economic policies..He didn’t say  he was narcissistic ,  seeks greed and exploitation  .He did say that, he cares about people and is  helping so many .He does pay  them a few dollars  more than minimum wage.  He also employs many part timers .Prior, during the Affordable Care Act , he worried about having to pay health insurance for his employees. His greed and exploitation for his profit are paramount.  Apparently everything else is subordinate .Other factors may be contradictory ,and not that important . His underlying motives and drive are ? 

2.  Climate change results in existential anxiety regarding the abundance of natural disasters such as fire, hurricanes,earthquakes, tropical storms etc. affecting our safety, health and well-being.  Every living thing is negatively affected as greed prevails.  And who exited our country from the Paris Climate Change Agreement ?  

3. Covid-19 has resulted in over a million deaths with over 99 million cases reported.  And what Pres. lied about the Covid -19  threat and placed blame on everyone else but himself ? According to the Woodward interview, Trump didn't perceive or understand that this disease was the most significant threat during his presidency.  Aside from the number of deaths and stress on our health care system, another significant occurrence resulted with the negative impact on children's learning.  An article in the New York Times, November 19, 2023, titled "The Starting Evidence of Learning Loss Is In “ provides another example.. 

 4.  Many in the GOP are reinforcing the rebellion and overthrow of this Republic.  The following October 29,2023  New York Times articles titled a.  A Right-Wing Fever Dream Comes to Life.  b.  Trump's Extremists Are Now In The House.  c.  The Rise of Reactionary Futurism . These articles  pertain to the authoritarian threat to our Republic.and are not describing a democratic republic  by his followers.

. 5.  The occurrence of an exponential rise in hate crimes is contrary to  Our Pledge of Allegiance to the flag , the song America the Beautiful  and Judaic - Christian philosophy. Are we a melting pot ?   Hate crimes are defined as a motivational bias when a perpetrator targets a victim for their perceived membership in groups related to ethnicity, disability, language, nationality, physical appearance, political views  affiliation, age, religion, sex, gender identity and/or sexual orientation.  These incidents may involve physical assault or homicide damage to property, bullying , harassment, verbal abuse. It includes insults, graffiti, hate mail etc. Recently,  73% of Jewish college students report anti-Semitism on campus this school year per ADL survey . An article titled The Plots Against America found in the November 19, 2023 edition of the New York Times illustrates the existence of a  toxic history of hate in our republic. 

 6.  Book banning, criminalizing abortion ,critical race theory, parental rights, whether or not a transgender should be able to participate in sports or admission to a bathroom are just some of the restrictions of authoritarian nondemocratic policies based on hate. . Restriction, control , based on fear and hate thrive with insecurity,  The GOP's Culture War Shtick Is Wearing Thin With Voters found in November 12, 2023 of The New York Times pertains.  Is there a hidden set of Trump's 10 Commandments?

We cannot deny the peril that is facing our  Republic.  We are not an experiment per definition.  An experiment is a scientific procedure to test a hypothesis or demonstrate a known fact.  We have a Constitution and amendments followed based on evolving democratic and humanistic ideas.    We have a Supreme Court that has evolved , however ,  at  present has regressed.  We have an educational system that assisted many at an earlier time, but now, with its  extreme financial burden, have placed many in slavery debt.  We have more weapons and of course more killings imaginable.  We have a dysfunctional political system, although  Santos was expelled.  We have too many lawmakers that even though they deceive, lie, and cheat, they are reelected because of how voting districts are gerrymandered.  We have an authoritarian ex-president with 91 indictments and his prosecutors , judges and staff are threatened. They are threatened for what moral, ethical or religious principle ?   We have difficulty attracting and keeping public school teachers because of  the pressure related to  GPA ; ,diminished value for learning , for the profession and  hateful pressure from unreasonable parents.  We have profit mongering insurance monopoles controlling and discriminating against our health and housing welfare . Further , was Jefferson's pursuit of happiness  fiction ? Our insecurities and the pursuit of power are the realities of today and threaten the  republic .. Can the Republic be saved ?  Is the rule of law significant  ?  Religious, moral and ethical values must be established.  Our educational system is in trouble ..  We must no longer deny the realities and face the threat of nihilism. 

I'm a Detroit Jew

 Jews ,have dominated the news.  This disquisition addresses what it is to be Jewish ,starting with a quote from Proverbs 22:6  "Train up a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old, he will not depart from it."  This proverb sets the stage, the ground floor, for being Jewish. I learned that over 6000 years ago, in Genesis, a covenant was established between  Jews and God. I  also learned about Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses,  the Exodus ,the 10 Commandments, 12 tribes , Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Bris, Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah . Succos, Passover  yarmulke  and titses . These  few illustrations  are part of my story.

Jews  have flourished and inhabited different territories  of the earth.  Jewish traditions, beliefs, achievements and ambitions have been well documented along with other stories about persecutions, pograms, conversions and the holocaust .  Hebrew, Yiddish, Ashkenazic, and Sephardic translations are exhibits and describe differences in interpretations regarding  our customs, traditions and rituals.

Another difference related to being Jewih relates to prayer and observance  within Judaism.  For example, there are the Hasidic Jews.  They are the "most" religious in terms of their involvement with the Talmud, prayer,  and the imminence of God in the universe; with joy and happiness within prayer.  The Rebbe is the administrative head of the community and is the supreme figure of authority. There is  much more but that is beyond the scope of this essay.

A second religious movement, within Judaism, are the Conservative Jews ..  This movement employs historical critical research rather than traditional methods regarding matters of practice. This movement considers its approaches authentic and  the most appropriate continuation interpreted with flexibility  and allows greater pluralism in practice. This is the third-largest religionist grouping  worldwide and once again, depth is beyond  the scope .

A third religious movement Is Reform Judaism also known as liberal or progressive Judaism.  This denomination emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism with the superiority of its ethical aspects ,with  ceremonial ones and  a belief in a continuous search for truth and knowledge. It is closely intertwined with human reason and not limited to the origins of Mount Sinai.  It is characterized by  personal observance regarding Jewish law and with  autonomous , openness to external influences and progressive values and again an in depth analysis is  beyond the scope of this essay..

Another category of Jews, can be described as being apart from these three movements and not believing in things that have a supernatural basis, religious rule, and / or some of the biblical tales as facts . This group may or may not engage in religious behaviors ,not being  active members of a religious community although there are significant degrees and variations within. In essence, however, Jews can be identified by their attitude towards family, their community, a respect for life, a caring for social action, public service , a commitment to the law, medicine,  a passion for science, the arts with utmost, respect for objectivity, truth and learning. Being Jewish has not interfered with becoming part ,in making contributions, sacrifices to the culture  and/ or society in which we reside. .One does not have to attend a synagogue to be Jewish.

A few Jews from the past and current  include: 1.Jesus 2 .Moses 3 .Karl Marx 4.  Leon Trotsky 5. Baruch, Spinoza,  6 Albert Einstein 7.  Anna Frank 8.  Marc Chagall  9.  Sigmund Freud 10.  J. Robert Oppenheimer 11. Henry Kissinger 12.Madeleine Albright 13.  Samuel Gompers 14.  Emma Lazarus 15 Norm Chomsky 16.  Levi Strauss  17, Jerry Seinfeld, 18 Steven Spielberg 19 Stanley Kubrick 20 Calvin Klein 21 Paul Newman 22 Elizabeth Taylor 23 Woody Allen 26, Mark Spitz, 27 Isaac Stern 28 Itzhak Perlman 29 Leonard Bernstein 30 Irving Berlin 31 George Gershwin  32 Kurt Lewin 33 Ralph Lauren 34 Bob Dylan 35, Barbra Streisand 36 Charlie Chaplin 37, Groucho Marx 38 Billy Joel 39 Alan Greenspan 40 Michael Bloomberg 41.Warren Hellman  42   Hyam Solomon  43. Dianne Feinstein 44 Philip Roth 45 Arthur Miller 46 Neil Simon 47 Carole King 48 Simon and Garfinkel 49 Dustin Hoffman 50 Harrison Ford ..61. Golda Meir 52 David Ben Gurion 53 Theodor Herzl 54 Chaim Weizmann 55. Alfred Adler  56 Albert Maslow ‘57 Erich Fromm 58 Louis  D. Brandeis 59 Ruth Bader Ginsburg 60. Kirk and Michael Douglas 61. Carl and Rob Reiner 62 Al Jolson 63. Jack Benny 64. George Burns 65. Dinah Shore 66. Milton Berle 67.Lenny Bruce 68. Sarah Silverman 69.Chelsea Handler 70. Jackson  Pollock 71 Mark Zuckerberg 72 Bert Bacharach 73 Tony and Jamie Lee Curtis 74 Eddie and Carrie Fisher  75 Jon Stewart 76 Billy Crystal.

77 Adam Sandler 78 Jackie Mason 79 Larry David 80  Sachse Baron: Cohen 81 Lenny Bruce 82 Mel Brooks 83 Peter Sellers:84 Jamie Raskin 85 Lily Tomlin 86 Steve Martin 87 Robin Williams 88 Lawrence Bacow  89 Christina Paxon 90 Martha Pollock 91 Amy Gutmann 92 Christopher Eisgruber 93 Peter Salovey 94 Linoy Ashram 95. Meyer Lansky 96. Barney Ross. 97. Mickey Cohen 98. Max Baer  99. Bugsy Siegel 100. Sue Bird .101 Dara Torres  102 Max Fisher 103 George Soros 104 Larry Ellison 105 Sergiey Brin 106 Larry Page 107, Steven Ballmer 108 Michael Dell 109, John Paulson, 109.  Bernie Sanders 110 Yitzhak Rabin 111 Shimon Peres 112 Menachem Begin 113 Ariel Sharon 114 Moishe Dayan 115 Benjamin  Netanyahu 116 Natalie Portman 115 Bar Refaeli 117 Gal Gadot.

Turning to sports, leads me to the Oakland-Las Vegas Raiders and Al Davis.  Davis hired the first black head coach and his son Mark has a black female president,   a black head coach and  a black general manager .  When asked why, he said, I hire the  best.  Al Davis was primarily responsible for the merger between the AFC and the NFC.  They're now called the NFL.  Sid Luckman, Benny Friedman, Ron Mix ,Crazylegs Hirsch,  Sid Gilman ,Marv Levy ,Jerry Levine, Steven M. Ross,  Steve Tisch ,Arthur Blank ,Julian Edelman ,Jay Frieder, Robert Kraft  are  a few football greats .

The co-owner of the Golden State Warriors. is Joe Lacob.  Prior to the NBA, there was the Basketball Association of America, the  forerunners.  The first game in 1946 was between the New York Knicks and the Toronto Huskies.  The first points scored in that game was by Oscar Benjamin Schetcman.  Later, Abe Saperstein, founder of the Harlem Globetrotters, introduced the three-pointer into the game of hoops.  A few notables from the basketball world include Red Auerbach, Nancy Lieberman ,Larry Brown, Nate Holman , Red Holzman and Amar’e Stoudemire.  Currently, Dan Gilbert ,Mark Cuban are owners and the current commissioner is Adam Silver.  Adam replaced my Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity brother David Stern.

As far as baseball is concerned, Sandy Koufax ,Hank Greenberg, Ken Holtzman, Gabe Kappler, Alex  Bregman and Bob Melvin are relevant.  Incidentally, Bob and Jim Harbaugh are buddies and Jim visited the A’s  during one spring training to learn more about conditioning .

Other significant figures but not limited include  Roman Polanski , Wolfgang Langhoff, Helen Berman, Irene Lieblich ,Bruno Bettelheim, Edith Balas, Hannah Arendt ,Otto Frank, Primo Levi, Daniel Kahneman, Leo Ettinger, Simon Wiesenthal, Bill Graham, Hedy Epstein, Anna Heilman, Margot Friedlander, Jack Mandelbaum, Paul Spiegel, Gershom Liebman, Max Friediger, Dov Freiberg , Viktor Frankl and  others that suffered from the Holocaust

 A reference to Jewish filmmaking giants include William Fox, Harry and Jack Warner, Carl Laemmle, Louis B.  Mayer, Adolph Zucker, Harry Cohn , Max Steiner, Billy Wilder, Hedy Lamarr  . Jews that have been awarded in all six of the Nobel Foundation's awards include: 1.  Chemistry has 36 or 19% of the total  2. Economics has 38 or 41% of total  3.  Literature  has 16 or 13% of total 4  Peace has 9 or 8% of total  5 Physics has 56 or 25% of the total 6 Physiology or medicine has 59, or 26% of total.  A few include  : Imre  Keresz, Rita Levi Montalcini, Arthur Kornberg, Arthur Ashkin  Niels Bohr , Roger Penrose ,Saul Bellow ,Louise Gluck, Paul Samuelson, Milton Friedman, Joseph Stiglitz, Daniel Kahneman, Paul Klugman, Ben Bernanke,  Claudia Goldin, Shimon Peres ,Joseph Rotblat. Boris  Pasternak initially accepted the award, but under intense pressure from the Soviet authorities declined it. Pulitzer Prize for fiction include but not limited to Edna Ferber.  Herman Wouk ,Bernard Malmud , Norman Mailer , Allison Lurie , Geraldine Brooks  and Joshua Cohen

Words that  immediately come to mind about being Jewish include smart, creative, artistic, achieving and resilient.   I am Jewish and spent the first 33 and three-quarter years of my life in Detroit. I was reared  on the eastside of Detroit and my parents made it clear about our family  being Jewish. I attended Wayne elementary school, Jackson junior high and Denby high school.  The Lieberman siblings didn't attend public school on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.  Even though  Denby had scheduled its first football  game of the season  on Yom Kippur in 1957,  I did not go to school but I played in the game.  Mitch , one of our captains, in the pregame at the center of the field, told my teammates, “Let's win this game for Frank and his Jewish holiday. “ Denby 41 and Southeastern   7. I had a bar mitzvah and attended individual  Hebrew lessons with Rabbi Fisher even though I had to take three buses one way for my instruction .  I graduated from Temple Beth El 's  religious Sunday school and taught Jewish history  and culture at Temple Israel and tutored as well.  I attended the University of Detroit and have degrees from Wayne State University and the University of Michigan.  I taught in the Detroit and Oak Park public school system and was a counselor in Bloomfield Hills.  I also taught at Oakland community college as an assistant professor and was a graduate instructor at Wayne State University..

I attended  both the Detroit Tigers , Detroit Lions games and was a fan  of the Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Pistons .  Incidentally, I met Dave Dsbusschere, a Piston coach when we both attended and played for the University  of Detroit.  I married a Jewish girl, divorced and then headed out to California for the next 50 years . I am a Detroit Jew, which is my identity.  My Detroit experiences as an educator,  psychologist and athlete  also  comprise  my identity and established a grounding and  a basis for my experiences in California and true to the above quoted Proverb.

Despite  residing in California.  I maintained my relationship with my Detroit family, even  though mom eventually moved to Maryland to be close to brother Ron and his family.  I visited mom  and she reciprocated wherever she lived until she passed just prior to reaching the age of 93.  Linda and I went to numerous events with my first cousins, their children and children's children that included birthdays and multiple family reunions coordinated by cousin Shelly and sister Bev . Linda, cousins , Bev  and I also attended University of Michigan football games and tailgating  prior to Covid . Book signings with former teammate Ed Budde and  his friend Conrad Dobler  occurred along with numerous book signings with  Darden,  Keller, Brandstetter, Moeller, Seyferth, Betts from the second book . I attended Denby high school's 30th,.40th and 50th class reunions and have maintained friendship with high school buddy Wayne Fisk.  Further, Dave Halpin and I attended a classic University of Michigan and Ohio State game on one cold Saturday in November. 

PS

This Saturday is the big game.  Coaches have been fired when they have been on the losing end between the Wolverines and the Buckeyes.  The winner of this game goes on to play in the Big Ten championship the following week against Iowa and then play in the national college championship playoffs.  Go Blue !

Terrorists

 Reading the Old Testament, enemies between Hebrew  and Arabs began with the Exodus when the Hebrew slaves fled from the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses. Then, much later,  battles between Christian  infidels and Arabs occurred during the Holy  Crusades. After that, the Ottoman Empire ended when the Arabs' enemy , the infidels, the United States and  others defeated them . About 100 years ago , the Balfour Declaration divided up the Middle East territories between the  Shiites and Sunni , the main religious groups of the Arabs. Then, in 1948, Israel became a nation by defeating their enemy the Arabs.Currently, Arab terror groups , in their pursuit for power , with  necrophilia  declared Israel the  infidel enemy and called for them to be pushed into the sea. Subsequently, the United States and its interests also became the enemy. Therefore , the Jews, Christians and the United States are the infidels. Recently, violent acts of terror  groups ,  irrespective of religion  and politics are called PLO, Isis ,Hezbollah, Hamas etc. The names change, but their  goals of hate,murder,revenge ,values and objectives are  similar .

For a rebellion, the following is required.  A minority ,based on the dynamic of their ego needs , seeks power , prestige and status in order to control its followers.  The pursuit of power becomes associated  and requires the ability to exhibit force, murder and destruction by any means, irrespective of consequences.  This passion is emotionally based, and exhibits itself in  a nihilistic philosophy.  The humanistic  and moral teachings by religious prophets;  the rule of law; the democratic form of government becomes irrelevant and negated.  There is an absence of objectivity, reason and rational judgment.  Instead, there’s a preponderance of necrophilia  hatred , absence of reality with a distortion of cognitive  rationality. It’s not about reason but acting out a neurotic pathology.The power structure is not guilty of any crime because they  have established the rules and rationalized the “morality” of their crimes. In fact it’s permissible and better to engage in criminal acts . Furthermore, this handful of men degrade values and attempt to impose their values on all others.  They are not about liberation or  justice but exhibit contempt  with action without  healthy faith.   In order for them to be successful, it requires an enemy(revenge) and  non-human infidels to hate and kill. Their  “religion “ is essentially power, control and death. 

The loyal followers  often experience emotions.of despair, doom and gloom within their reality .  Feelings of despair , result with a preponderance of  humiliation and hatred of self and others.  They are on a path of self-destruction along with destruction of others , their enemies.  They do not trust  and  find scapegoats to blame  for their non fair , non productive life .  In order to compensate for the misery  or narcissistic injury and low self esteem,,they identify with others who also have a negative view of life ,  low levels of optimism  growth and  loving concern for others.Their identification figures are based on hate, criminality with a forced compliance ..

The "leader" gives  an explicit or implicit command or recommendation,and all the Lieut’s  obey . They propose directly or indirectly  the command  from the leader to the others, the soldiers , in  slave-like fashion .  These others obey the explicit or implicit command and they are unable to delegate  to anyone else.  In other words, the idea of  obedience or the fact that I followed orders is loyalty and obedience and becomes the code of honor.  Honor lies in obedience and becomes confused with rationality , the crimes that they are committing.  There is no international law present for these terrorists .  Slaves obey, and that  behavior exhibits his loyalty, which is more important than anything else.  It doesn't matter who becomes killed, murdered, beheaded  or abducted .They are the enemy,and I am following my orders like a dutiful soldier .

It's relatively simple for the “leader” to perpetuate hate, murder and revenge by words and/ or actions. Th”leader’, does not lead an attack but makes a plan to attack the infidel enemy even though the infidel enemy has a superior military.  Suicide Rambo type missions are planned against the infidels. In essence, as a result, the infidels experience death , humiliation and destruction. The infidels retaliate to avenge the wrong committed against them.  With their military superiority, they attack and severely damage the attacking group and population  inflicting much hardship, loss, death and destruction regardless of who's in the way.  The Arabs conveniently become  the victims , the martyr’s , the heroes and play their parts with  war crime propaganda perfectly.  These hateful necrophilia  leaders predict this process and expect a more severe retaliation which meets their goal of revenge , which is significant and justifies or rationalizes the plan to continue to further sacrifice their own . They are cognizant that the excessive killing of their own will only reinforce the hatred of the infidels and gain sympathy for their cause. In essence, they use non militants as  human shields in order to safeguard and to protect their crazies. This tactic has  been played throughout man’s history. .Victimization , scapegoating , avenge and blame are  familiar tools for generating hate. 

Perpetuating hate ,keeps the leaders empowered and makes them relevant.  The violent acts of terror  groups have to have an enemy or it ceases from being .All enemies must be eliminated . As long as there are  enemies , terror will be employed and there will be enemies as long as this dynamic exists.  All this occurs  under the  pretext ,with irrationality,  of doing this for the people and/ or the myth for the two state solution

The two state solution does not eliminate nor diminish the power of  hate and  death to Israel  for the terrorist group and the other crazies . With an uneducated population; low level skills; absence of natural resources; excessive poverty; victim mentality; non-technical  expertise; manual labor  oriented  with excessive hate and victimization,  what kind of, political, economic and  humanitarian opportunities realistically  exist ?  

Hitler's Nazis exterminated over 6 million Jews ; over 6 million Europeans that were deported or killed; 10 million war victims with discrimination, imprisonment and /or death for homosexuals, Russians, political enemies etc.  In the process, Hitler sacrificed his military according to Speer 's deposition , at the Nuremberg trials that  Hitler could have  earlier  ended the war.  Within this dynamic, Hitler sacrificed  his military and is credited with the notion that because Germany lost the war, its people deserved to die. What a hateful and irrational belief..  This insane, irrational being had no difficulty in destroying Germany.  His avenging  the World War I defeat was a rationalization and masked his underlying hate and  his severe mental sickness.   He sacrificed Germany and committed suicide to avoid humiliation and to be held accountable..He’s still a hero. for those that identify with hate , death and destruction. An irrational line from Shakespeare, "love all, trust a few, do wrong to none."

In summation, Homo sapiens have exhibited hate, murder, retribution,terrorism, irrationality ,absence of ethics , objectivity,  morality and inhumane treatment to their own kind.  And we, Homo sapiens, have higher brain functioning than  anything else on the planet . However we have  infantile or primitive emotional development , deteriorated super ego functioning,  ego  needs, and a behavioral irrationality  that becomes ,too often, compulsively repeated.

References

Camus, Albert.  The Rebel.

The New York Times .  October 29, 2023.  Hamas Sites Concealed by Hospital , Israel Says.

PS

An example of propaganda used by the crazies is that  Al Shifa "the hospital" is in harm's way and children are dying because of the Israeli military.  Everyone knows that the hospital is not run nor controlled by the doctors . This building houses the crazies ; it’s a command and control center and stores their weapons of murder  in the basement and in  310 miles of tunnels concealed underneath and adjacent to the building.  The definition of a hospital.  "An institution providing medical and surgical treatment and nursing care for sick or injured people."  Note, the definition does not include the operational functioning of a military establishment.  Therefore, calling that building a hospital is a misnomer, wrong and not appropriate.  Call a spade a spade. It's a militant operation that allows medical services.

Marin

 Last week after my morning elliptical workout, Linda and I headed for Marin .  Linda, on the way, called Tony and Deb . They were vacationing  in Yosemite  at the Wawona , Tony  ran fast and caught the flu. A couple of hours later, we had  lunch, fish tacos, at Salsa Mexican Grill.  On our walk back to the car, we stopped at a French Bakery and shared a freshly baked croissant.  Then, we headed for our mountain retreat.  We unpacked and later that Halloween evening ,traveled to Gravity  Tavern for dinner .  We shared a delightful and delicious codfish dinner.  The waiter wore a Lone Ranger type mask and we joked about trick-or-treating. 

The next morning we headed for that breathtaking ride to Stinson Beach.  We arrived and parked our Detroit classic car.  Leaving the car, we held hands and strolled toward the Pacific and watched the riders of the surf .  On the way back, we encountered a group sitting at a picnic table.  One gentleman remarked that we looked like a perfect picture, walking and holding hands after leaving our prestigious ride.  He said I looked like Phil Lesh.  We laughed and I told him I didn't need a new liver.  Phil just received one from an individual in Florida.  We bantered about music , livers , and Phil.  We enjoyed our chat and then headed for Sausalito.

We were meeting Beverlee Bentley  in Sausalito at the Spinnaker for lunch.  Beverlee can be found in Chapter  XV111 titled the Ultimate Caretaker in It Has Nothing To Do With Age.  The setting of the Spinnaker was in the Bay with a 360° view of San Francisco , Angel Island, Alcatraz, Bay Bridge, Tiburon, etc. etc. .  It took a long time for us to order, as we chatted about past and current happenings.  Dennis ,our waiter , gave us plenty of time and eventually we ordered.  Linda and I shared a mixed grill . We talked for hours . Beverlee, age 85, no longer collects medals  in  water races , but still competes with the rowing machine on land.  She’s originally from Toronto, Ontario and has been in the Bay Area since her early 20s.

Number years ago, Tony and I entered a run at Stinson Beach and stayed at Beverlee's home in Marin.  At that time, Beverlee and Bill were vacationing in Maui but didn't mind that we stayed with her son.  As it turned out, our Stinson Beach run was canceled.  Tony and I then headed out and did our own mountain run. 

 

After an extended and delightful visit with Beverlee, Linda and I headed toward McInnis Park Golf Club.  There, we hit golf balls and enjoyed watching the young kids hit off the tee and work their magic on the putting green.  After our practice, we headed back to our mountain retreat.  Later that evening we headed out for dinner at the Vin Antico Restaurant and Bar in San Rafael.  We shared a tasty beef and pasta dish in that quaint setting.  

After dinner we headed back and watched The Warriors and Kings basketball game.  It was a close game throughout with many lead changes.  The Warriors were down by one point with 7.1 seconds to go in the game.  Coach Kerr called a timeout.  The Warriors had the ball and Draymond passed the ball to Klay.  Klay went up for a shot and scored with .2 seconds remaining in the game.  Exciting  to say the least.

The next morning we headed back to Cool.  On the way, we shared a vegan burrito and a mocha.   Linda called my sister Bev and we talked about her recent visit with our brother Ron and family.  Apparently, he's slowing down but is working from home.  He is a physician and still involved in drug trials.  We also talked about visiting our cousin Shelly in LA next month  for another great and enjoyable getaway.  Already thinking about next month's trip.  According to Dylan, "There's a wall between you and what you want  and you got to leap it."

Irrationality

 One  Friday evening, Linda and I joined Dave, Paul and Tony for a late  dinner.  Joyce and Debbie were ill so they did not attend.  That evening, Tony brought up an article that he had previously sent me on Free Will.  I responded to that email by saying that I agreed with the scientist that Free Will did not exist and added man is irrational  both in thought and action .    Rational is defined as based on or in accordance with reason or logic. Dave asked me if I knew about Elliott Aronson ?  I told him I did and Dave asked me if I had read  his read "Mistakes were made ( but not by me ).  Why do we justify foolish beliefs,  Bad decisions and hurtful acts ?” I told him I hadn't . Tony inserted that while working for Xerox, he was stumped while attempting  to fix one of the machines.  He had replaced the circuit board a few times and got the same result .  He asked a friend for assistance. The friend plugged the cord into the wall. Problem fixed. This disquisition pertains to man's irrationality.

Reality  has been hazardous for centurie . In the Old Testament, we learned about Genesis, Exodus, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Methuselah, Noah , Jonah, Sodom and Gomorrah,  Moses, Samson and Delilah etc. These are terrific stories  written and translated prior to knowledge  and understanding about astronomy, planets,  solar system,  Milky Way Galaxy, Stephen Hawking's blackhole theory, Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, Robert Oppenheimer, astrophysics, matter, etc.. Archaic beliefs began  prior to employing the scientific method with  a hypothesis, null hypothesis, advanced mathematical measurements  etc.  To  believe about the creation of  some significant ,powerful, omnipotent  supernatural  occurrence as fact  is irrational. It’s not based on knowledge nor logic but on other psychological factors.  However, eliminating animal and human sacrifice and reducing the number of God's to one might represent progress ? On the other hand, the attacks  on science only perpetuates and is consonant with a  belief in irrationality and is a concrete example of  the use of cognitive dissonance, denial and projection..

1789 was the “beginning”of the French Revolution.  At that time, Louis XVI had  assumed the monarchy in 1774 at the youthful age of 19 .  Family  history and “divine” approval facilitated his power, prestige and status.  However, he was inept and resentment for this despotic monarchy followed . There was rebellion and revolution .  In other words, the rise of man and the  removal or death of God occurred.. 

In 1762 , Rousseau wrote about Social Contract theory based , in part, on the brilliance of Greek Stoic philosophy and  Roman  Canon  law.  The moral and political philosophy of a Social Contract  was the battle cry and suggested that man was supreme,virtuous , righteous , good ,  and humanistic toward fellow man with liberty, justice and freedom .  Man did not have to submit,or surrender freedoms to an authority.  Man made good decisions and when the majority rules , it serves man  best. Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and others also addressed this Enlightenment idea.  However,  the beheadings of Louis XVI, Robespierre and others do not equate rationality but irrationality as well  the Devils Island imprisonment  of Capt. Alfred Dryfus . Do not forget about Frederickh Nitschke’s  famous  quote "God is dead. "

The French revolution,beheadings and  the Social Contract has resulted with  the following: 1.  A just morality and a replacing God with man has produced  immoral lies , hate, power and corruption .  Using the guillotine did not represent a high degree of man's morality toward fellow man.  In fact,  the  current Russian - Ukraine war; the Israeli -Gaza war; the criminal indictment of  Trump,a previous president, income inequality, etc.  are a few examples that do not suggest the  importance  of  man’s morality but his tendency for hate, power, irrationality and lies.  2.  We have a  Republic and not a democracy.  We saw the power of one senator holding up military nominations for promotions.  We saw a minority in the US House of Representatives interfering with electing a speaker.  We saw the use of the filibuster and the inability to pass legislation without a simple majority in the Senate .  Democracy does not exist but  instead the pursuit of power by a minority. With  the pathological pursuit of power , we find an absence of morality and an increase in irrationality .  3.  We see the power of the unknown; our enormous defense budget; the building of obsolete World War II type aircraft carriers that occurs and  are not based on democracy but on the power of a few.  One could say that pursuit of power exists for a few and the rest of us have very little  input ; are simply slaves and subservient to that process.  Do our representatives represent us, or do they represent powerful interest groups  ?  Minority  power, tax cuts for the wealthy are irrational for the majority.

Sigmund Freud 's Psychoanalytic model identified  defense mechanisms which signifies  the how  and why individuals create illusions, mythology,  in  distorting reality.  Subsequently, Freud's daughter Anna brilliantly in her book "The Ego  And the Mechanisms Of Defense “ described , in depth , the importance of the ego , super ego , anxiety and the mechanisms  of defense..  

Briefly, all defense mechanisms have two characteristics in common.  1.  They deny, falsify or distort reality and  2, They operate  unconsciously so that the person is not aware of what is taking place.  A  few defense mechanisms include the following.  1. Repression: is when  a son who has repressed his hostile feelings towards his father may express these hostile feelings against other symbols of authority.  In other words, the adult carries around a lot of childish fears, he  never gets the chance to discover that they have no basis in reality. 2. Projection occurs  if anxiety can be attributed to the external world rather than to the individual's own primitive impulses or to threats of his conscience, and is likely to achieve greater relief from his anxious condition . Projection is when one simply says “he hates me” instead of “I hate him,” or “he is persecuting me” instead of “my conscience is bothering me. “ Projection can reduce anxiety by substituting a lesser danger for greater one , enabling the projecting person to express his impulses under the guise of defending himself against his enemies. 3. Denial  is used to resolve emotional conflicts and allay  anxiety by disavowing thoughts, feelings, wishes, needs or external reality factors that are consciously intolerable.

Employing a Field Theory model of tension and tension reduction in addressing irrationality , Leon iFestinger’s research with cognitive dissonance provided additional data regarding  man’s irrationality in thinking and behavior . Briefly,  a tension state is motivational . A successful reduction of dissonance or tension is rewarding  in the sense that it reduces tension .Cognitive dissonance are  unpleasant  cognitive elements, pieces of information , bits of knowledge that may be related to oneself ,to others or to the social environment.  The  cognitive dissonance goal is to reduce tension. For example ,if one likes Joe Biden, information that is at odds with Joe Biden would  be dissonant . In order to reduce the dissonance , one ignores, avoids the negative information or  seeks positive information that’s consonant  regarding  Joe Biden which coincides and maximizes  one’s personal beliefs .

Elliott Aronson,  in one  of his  cognitive dissonance experiments, demonstrated that people who undergo an embarrassing initiation, and in order to gain admission to that group, develop more favorable evaluations of the group than people who are admitted after a milder or easier initiation.  In his "Theories of Cognitive Consistency, ” Aronson stated  dissonance theory does not rest upon the assumption that man is a rational animal.  Rather, it suggests that man is a rationalizing animal. He attempts to appear rational to others and to himself.

Irrational is defined as lacking reason or understanding.  With that definition , how reasonable is it to be engaging in obese eating behaviors; not receiving a Covid- 19 vaccination; not regularly exercising; not taking medication as prescribed; making suicide attempts; affiliating with a hate group; having a multitude of weapons; intending to vote for a multiple indicted politician; believing in conspiracy ideas, relying  on social media for information ?  How reasonable is it for  a government to be a republic, and not democratic;  a tax code favoring the wealthy; discrediting climate change,  favoring income inequality,  discrediting negatives of capitalism, believing  the US is  number one in longevity ,health , education and happiness ? How reasonable is it to have fentanyl, made entirely in a laboratory , result in more overdose deaths than  automobile deaths,  greater than the number of Americans killed in wars in Vietnam , Iraq and Afghanistan combined as well as gun violence did at their peers ; have a few financial institutions controlling the economy at the expense of the people; and high school graduation rates rising along with increases in absenteeism, have a higher percentage of GPAs in high school, even though national exams or test scores are not increasing, and teachers reporting that they can no longer hold students  accountable regardless of grade level ? 

Man has difficulty dealing with the many conflicts , contradictions  and threatening circumstances within his life space which makes reality dangerous to one’s health.  The powerful ravages of nature; aging issues , challenges  and mortality and the society in which he finds himself , since the past history of Homo sapiens is fraught by the irrationality of craziness which flows into the present.  A few examples that illustrate and define man's irrationality: 1.  Novels such as Theodore Dreiser's Sister  Carrie, John Dos Passos's USA Trilogy, John Grisham  and Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird.  2.  Movies such as James Bond, Mission Impossible, Spartacus, and Helen of Troy from Homer's Iliad.  3.  Songs such as Marvin Gaye's What’s Going  On , John Fogerty's Fortunate Son, and John Lennon's Imagine 4. TV with the superficiality and contradictory messaging from "experts”  and nonsensical commercials  5.  The opinions of the M.A.G A ,election denier House Speaker  politician Johnson.  For an in-depth analysis of rationality and irrationality, Dave recommends Elliot Aronson's read.

According to Eckhart Tole, the primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it. My formula is as follows. Irrationality is multifaceted,  it results when “ happiness”  is  dissonant with one’s perception of their own reality . And it becomes expressed in the pursuit of fiction, illusion, mythology, fantasy, alcohol, drugs, unions, separations, love, hate  etc. while  chasing  the fragileness of happiness . Per The Rolling Stones , I Can’t’ Get No Satisfaction.

Reference

October 8, 2023, the New York Times.

 The state of Israel was established in 1948.  And for the last 75 years, People living in Gaza have had a PLO and Hamas terrorist regime with their nihilistic philosophy , rejection  of morals and life , within  a necrophilia character structure encompassed by social narcissism or group dynamics . Their governing goal is to remain in power. They  have accomplished their political  goal, not by providing social and economic services, but by propagating hate with their necrophilia attitude and ideology of not recognizing the state of Israel and threatening to push the Israelis into the sea - by killing their enemy. They use humanitarian aid and assistance  and major funding from Iran for military weapons  and terrorist training. . This policy has perpetuated a triangular victimization (victim  rescue, persecution ) dynamic, which becomes expressed with the ego need for aggression which is to fight, to attack, to injure or kill another and the ego abasement need which is to submit to external force , to accept injury, blame, criticism, punishment ,to blame, to belittle, to seek and enjoy pain, punishment, illness and misfortune  They initially attack a superior military force which is subsequently followed by their  severe and crushing loss of human life, misery, injury and death. Then, they seek to be rescued, saved, extricated, delivered, emancipated by others so they can , at a later time, persecute, attack with hostility ,seek to torture and kill all over again.  This terrorist government is associated with teaching hate, death and destruction toward Israelis in the schools; within a population  in which 50 %  of the people are under the age of 19 , with an unemployment rate of 40% and a poverty rate of 60%. This is my commentary . 

According to Albert Maslow, man has a hierarchy of needs, beginning with the physiological needs of hunger , thirst, etc. followed by the safety needs with security that occurs in a well ordered, regulated society not seen by wars, diseases , natural catastrophes and so forth. In Erik H. In Erikson's psychosocial theory of development , he postulated  the first ego developmental crisis becomes developing a sense of trust versus sense of mistrust.  Both Maslow and Erickson agree that without optimal interpersonal and external experiences, there are dire consequences that affect  the development of character. Anxiety , fear occurs and other emotional and cognitive factors influence the development of self-esteem , abilities, achievement , productivity, love, identity,  and interpersonal relationships. Further, suspiciousness, paranoia, being susceptible to fake information following false idols, loss of autonomy, inability to be objective  and so forth also occur with mistrust and become precursors for developing a necrophilia character personality .

Is the Hamas governmental regime facilitating , gratifying  physiological and  safety needs  resulting in developing trust, providing security, health, well being and  education  for the population ?  It's obvious that a necrophilia orientation psychologically and nihilism philosophically are currently present. 

All character development orientations are relative with a variation in intensity and degree and are a mixture with other orientations . What  is the dominant behavioral tendency ?  With that being said, pathological necrophilia tendencies are the quintessence of true evil.  Necrophilia represents a syndrome of decay associated with vicious destruction.  The necrophilia character is related to Freud's anal sadistic psychosexual stage and his death instinct.  Slogans like not recognizing the existence of Israel and  sending them to their death are  necrophilia  examples. 

With this syndrome, they are attracted to what is dead ,corpses, decay,  killing, and showing off captives. It's okay to watch the destruction, humiliation , capturing and killing of  the helpless. They dwell in the past and have sentimental feelings for previous attacks of killing Israelis . They are emotionally cold ,distant and death seems to excite and satisfy them.

Having a willingness , the power to transform a living human being into a corpse, suggests the love of force and their greatest achievement is to destroy lives. It becomes their way of life of power , control and force over the powerless as with babies,  children  elderly,  and handicapped,.

Other necrophilia tendencies are  being attracted to darkness , night as in caves and especially tunnels.  They are afraid of the uncertainty and unpredictability of life and death is the only certainty . Of course there are differences, and this orientation varies from person to person  of wishing to kill, worshiping force , attraction to death and sadism . Yet it's a fundamental orientation that suggests the morbidity of what man is capable of as they hide behind their masks. 

Another significant variable characterizing these people living in Gaza is group  or social narcissism. Social narcissism occurs because of man's wanting to survive.  And one way to do that is to become part of a group. The group could be educated, Sunni, Gaza refugee, Hamas,  martyr , family  etc. Membership to a group has to do with  interdependence.  That interdependence, frequent interactions, with the group is based on the following: 1.  Common interests among members ie. killing, revenge, power , death and dying etc.  2.  Does  the group resolve conflict issues i.e. freedom, independence , monetary etc. ?  3.  How ego rewarding or emotionally satisfying  is it to be part of the group ?  4. Are individual goals dependent upon group solidarity  for success?  5. The ability to identify with the group? 6.  Does group membership reduce or increase anxiety ?

Further, the cohesiveness of  the group  relates to the following: 1.  Are members motivated , exhibiting behavior and contributing  to the group's welfare ?  2. Is the behavioral activity directed toward advancing and meeting the objectives and goals of the group?  With that being said, if, within your family, you are young, unemployed, and poor, what is the likelihood of associating with Hamas ?  Does  your family, because of your association with Hamas, reject you and throw you out of the house  ?

With a religious “belief” in God and the righteousness of their cause becomes a cathexis attachment to their group.  In order to do this one has to serve the group, make sacrifices for the group as in the case of fanaticism ,injury and even death . Individuals who hate, and love death and destruction are  malignant narcissists.  What are the group goals ?  Is it achievement, productivity, life, or is it to push the Israelis into the sea and wipe away their existence ? 

Has the authoritarian political power structure been able to adequately provide for the majority of its members or has a large portion of them been dissatisfied and joined an underground ?  Yet paradoxically and rationally, though they are economically, and culturally poor, belonging to this Hamas group provides a sense of satisfaction . It becomes their identity . I'm  somebody,  I’m a hero ,I have meaning in my life .

With the identification , association , affiliation and mingling with group members, the group becomes morally right and Israel the enemy.  Fanatical religious beliefs justify and rationalize that God is okay with killing.  This becomes a racial, religious , nationalistic,  narcissism, pathology of the group.  With this pathology ,group narcissism is like individual narcissism as it lacks objectivity  and rationality of judgment.  Racism, prejudice, hatred, falsehoods, fabrications, becomes rapant and If the narcissism of the group is wounded or  becomes frustrated by defeats, the reaction is rage as with individual narcissism. 

Moreover, if the followers are afraid rather than aware of the fears, they wind up admiring these terrorists .  They become blinded by the sense and enormous quality of this malignant disease and see these terrorists as martyrs or freedom fighters. With difficulty in perceiving reality, they have not been able to form an underground .If they are repelled  by all the inhumanity,, capturing of  Israeli civilians , would they  go along with all the death and destruction ? Death and destruction is  as if everything is mechanical as with all living persons or things.  There is a distortion of feelings and thoughts.  They have memories rather than experiences and have difficulty seeing that those  who are willing to kill ,become  martyr’s or heroes and die for what they call justice are simply stupid and morally flawed.

Hiding behind followers and abductees as shields,  targeting school aged children is consonant with the desire and love of death  and destruction.  Not being able to identify or have empathy  with others is a significant part of their disease.  Their  way of life, goals ,ideals, identity  are related to prejudice, hate , death and destruction.  They are not trustworthy and any “agreement “ can be expected to be violated because they are unable to trust .  The character orientation of necrophilia and malignant group narcissism has been  reinforced over and over again for 75 years as in a circle without an ending.

A two state solution  with continued Iran  terrorist funding, with distressful young , unemployed and poor contingency does not mitigate  nor eradicate necrophilia or malignant social narcissism, it just reinforces  more of the same insane rebellion. Individuals living in Gaza become the enemy just like when the South, during the Civil War, attempted to separate from the union.  The Confederate South became the enemy for the Union army.  The Union army simply destroyed the entire city of Atlanta.  Nazi Germany attacked US shipping vessels, and they became the enemy.  We  retaliated ,bombed and destroyed Berlin and other German cities, regardless of who lived there.  Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the enemy.  We responded and obliterated Nagasaki and Hiroshima, regardless of the population.  It was war with a nation, their military and its people.. After destroying those  enemies, they are now our allies.

Is  God on the side of Hamas?  If so, then killing, murder , and abduction  is legitimate.  Therefore, Hamas doesn't have to be moral, nor does God. As a result, all forms of morality are denied.  And the PLO and Hamas rebellion demands unity of the whole of Gaza. How many of the population were actually born in Palestine over 75 years ago ?  Their tyranny has become a crime against humanity..  Evil must be declared wrong and the people must be recognized as guilty.  The rebellion has gotten out of hand with the annihilation of others  and will end with  their destruction of self. Their rebellion  equates with  only irrationality and immorality.

References

Cartwright , Dorwin and Zander, Alvin.  Group Dynamics.

Fromm, Erich.  The Heart of Man  iIs  genius for good and evil.

Murray, H.  A.  Basic Concepts for a Psychology of Personality.

Carmel

 Last Tuesday, after my run, Linda and I left for Carmel.  We talked to Paul and he warned us about the traffic.  However, we had no difficulty  on our  journey.  We called Tony and wished him a happy birthday as he reached the youthful 72 years of age.  We also called Gwen around the Dublin area. and made plans to visit her and Bill on our  way back.  Tony and I, years ago, stayed with them before one of our  ultra runs, in the East Bay, likely Fremont or at Lake Chabot.

We passed  Mount  Hamilton, the home of  Dan Barger’s  Mustang Classic, where I met Tony and Jeff and was introduced to Ride and Tie.  After leaving San Jose, we passed Coyote. About 40 years ago, I met Veryl , a Saskatchewan born cowboy , bought my first horse named Nowata,  was introduced to border collies, went on many trail rides and participated in my first round up. Also, In this area was my first Ride and Tie-at Quicksilver.  During those competitions.  I met a number of individuals and formed meaningful relationships with Jerome, Linda, my Western states partner, and Jonathan.  For additional  information consult, It Has Nothing to Do With Age.

Entering the Seaside area, I recalled riding on the beach with my border collie and lab.  Wonderful memories.  We then reached Carmel, unpacked and met our host Philip.  He had a number of suggestions and we told him we were headed for Nepenthe at Big Sur.  He agreed that it was a wise choice.  Reaching that fabulous location, with my Michigan cap,  I met Isah, a fellow Michigan grad , and we talked about the current football season.  Even though the Wolverines are ranked number two in the nation, he was concerned about the upcoming game with Penn State at their  Happy Valley location.  We both agreed that that game would tell us more about the season and the hope for a national championship. We had a spectacular shared salmon dinner and the drive  both ways, along Highway 1 was spectacular, breathtaking and beautiful.

The next morning we shared  breakfast in the warm sun at the Stationary  restaurant in Carmel.  We window shopped and then headed for the sea at the foot of Ocean blvd.  We found a place to park close to the beach, and took off our socks and shoes .  We met a young man who liked my Corvette . We engaged in conversation .Mark was a nurse and we talked about the hazards and difficulties with our current health insurance system.  We conversed about the abuses and the obstacles that overweight , unhealthy people are facing.  Linda and I then headed toward the Pacific and listened to the pounding waves, blue skies looking for dolphins.  We found some rocks and headed toward them for a place to sit down.  We were joined by two individuals, one a Michigan grad. Once again my Michigan cap  sparked an encounter. That of course led to Michigan football in the Big House.  She intends to take her partner to the Big House and he is ready to go.  We also talked about the 49ers and the Raiders.  We had a delightful interaction with them and enjoyed this spectacular setting.

Then we headed for Pebble Beach and the golf links.  We started at Spyglass and then found our way to the Hay for  a practice round of putting.  Linda was spectacular in her ability to sink those puts. Linda was introduced to a new putter by Mike who told her that this new putter is about 30 years old and designed for more accuracy.  Linda was impressed and wanted to talk to Sean at the Ridge for more information.  After leaving the Seventeen Mile Dr., we headed back to our abode and got ready for dinner.

For dinner, we decided on seafood and found a terrific place in town.   We didn't have reservations but were seated anyway. At the Flying Fish , we shared a wonderful artichoke appetizer and Yin Yang Salmon dinner delightfully arranged on two separate plates.  We thoroughly enjoyed that dinner and intend to visit again.  We did more window shopping after dinner and returned to our nighttime  location.

The next day we headed for our meeting with Gwen and Bill in Dublin.  She served a delicious brunch and we sat outside reminiscing about old times.  We initially met them when they bought a second home In Cool years ago. Gwen became a riding partner for Linda and they went on many trail rides.  We had  numerous dinners together , met family and enjoyed their company.  Bill's parents were missionaries in China and unfortunately this year has been difficult for both Gwen, with her back surgeries, and their daughter who has a bipolar diagnosis and has difficulty staying on her meds.  We met her two-year-old daughter Charity who was playing the guitar.  Bill and I discussed mental health and he thought we needed more therapists and suggested that educational and training requirements might be shortened in order to attract more therapists.  I disagreed and told him that it was important for a therapist to have a broad educational, cultural, and educational background.  I agreed that mental health problems are rising and difficult to treat.  I also told him that this country with all its problems has many crazies and helping people adjust also ,at times, seems insane . 

After leaving our friends, we headed for Ghirardelli  chocolate near Stockton.  Tony and I, after many ultra runs  in the Bay Area, would also have our reward at this location.  Linda and I shared a hot fudge sundae sitting outside enjoying the taste.  Linda bought other chocolates and we headed home after that reward.  We picked up Teddy and made  our way home.

During our stay in Carmel, a quote  by Anne Morrow Lindbergh  from her " Gift from the Sea."  We Americans, with our terrific emphasis on youth, action and material success, certainly tend to belittle the afternoon of life and even pretend it never comes. “ The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence, said Einstein.

A Violent Republic

 

Peacemonger was the title of an article in the September 2, 2023 edition of The New York Times.  The  question is, if wars are the least rational  of human projects , why have there been so many of them all over the world in every era ?  The article traced wars beginning from the Roman Republic to Putin’s involvement in the Ukraine,  the Imperial China, Mongol conquest, feudal Japan ,carnage of European Christian clashes, pre-Columbian , Latin America, the two world wars, colonial incursions, communist conflicts and wars in the Middle East.  Why war is the focus of this essay .  .

According to the writer, wars began with the establishment of fixed agrarian settlements.  Briefly, the following variables for war : 1. Conflict between agriculturalists and pastoralists  2. The view that in the chaotic world, leaders make rational decisions to protect their interests and domestic politics  but often fail to deal with their miscalculations.  3.  Modern civilization is more violent , makes killing is easier, more organized, more legitimate and more efficient  4.  Wars vary widely depending upon differing ecologies, class, ethnicity,  domestic politics, ideologies, emotions with leaders competencies and desires.  5.  Greed status-honor- glory and  enjoyment of domination.  That's a lot of variables for war  .

Do the above 5 variables provide insight and explain the war against Native Americans ?   Native Americans occupied the continental United States, including Alaska prior to the migration of Europeans . The Native Americans established, created their own culture , mores and society and lived off the land and the waters. Then , Europeans and colonists invaded these shores.  These people  sadistically exploited, murdered and took possession  of all the land as if  entitled.  They apparently didn't ask for permission or barter for the use and occupancy of land and taking resources like the killing of game and fish. The colonists were given permission for this invasion by King George , the leaders of the 13 colonies and religious  leaders. Advanced weaponry, supplies , assistance from the Native Americans and  technical skills facilitated their take over .

Furthermore, a few  patriotic songs about God and  war include but are not limited to: 1.  Over There, Star-Spangled Banner, Oh Say Can You See, God bless America, America; 2.  For kids include F Is for Flag, America The Beautiful, Lil'  Navy Sailor .For adults include The Great Patriot's, Don't Tread on Me, The Last of the Mohicans ,Patriot Games 3.  Patriotic movies with John Wayne include The Searchers, The Green Berets, Wagon Train Rio Grande.  The Alamo, The Comancheros, Cheyenne Autumn, etc. Patriotism ,war heroes, and killing  the”enemy” are deeply rooted and play a significant element in our identity and our culture.

As the government developed,  factors such as Jefferson supporting the push westward  , the  exploration by Lewis and Clark; the Louisiana purchase, and with religious Manifest Destiny ideology ,  the occupiers pushed westward for economic opportunities.despite the  inordinate risks, hazards and dangers facing them. With cognitive dissonance, they focused on glory, acquisition, adventure , the benefits of success , and downplayed  Christian morality ,the hardship and other difficulties of reality . They affiliated and became members of  various groups as in wagon trains, in part , because these groups validated their own beliefs and aspirations.  In essence, dependence becomes a major source of attraction for group enterprise.  Also, their personal aspirations were met  and congruent with  the aspirations of the group. With group consensus., they engaged in riskier behaviors than they would have if left to their own accord . And their individual goals were met by group goals. As a consequence, political, religious, military superiority and ideology began to occupy all the land. In the process,  Native Americans were either converted, killed or put on reservations.  Treaties were broken and with the  financial and military power,  possession of land and waterways along with the status of the young republic was  becoming fulfilled.

The advantage and benefits of obtaining land  which means dominance and control over the natives was evident with a favorable outcome because of  superior military and industrial advantages.  The consequences for their acts of murder ,domination  , economics and exploration outweigh  their  human losses .Power, possession and status was extraordinary.  The probability of being successful in war was high , based on the military power and  resources along with the prospect of being rewarded . Military generals  were heroes and  there was admiration for Gen. Custer because he killed many.  Generals were rewarded and even became presidents along with Indian fighters like Kit Carson for  their ability to kill.  After all, they were killing savages, heathens and non-believers .

The motivation for participating in the war of 1812 and World War II are different, as we were attacked first.  So an eye for an eye and revenge are permissible.  World War II was necessary for economic, military, political and moral reasons.  What about the Spanish-American War, Korean War, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan ?  Dwight Eisenhower had it right.  Ike described the  influence of the Military Industrial Complex. 

With war, there is a coordination of political, economic, military, and moral rightness.  The enemy is described in unflattering terms as savages, gooks,  slanted eyes etc .  The winners in war seem to benefit with more wealth , increases in military rank and political opportunities.  George Bush after invading Iraq was easily reelected for a second term.

There was no rationality for going to war with Iraq.  We armed Saddam and he assisted in beating up on Iran.  But, he committed the cardinal sin of interfering with oil  supply and rocketing Israel.  The consequences for our actions in Iraq have been creating more enemies, terrorists and empowering Iran. Since World War II, our motivation for entering war has been the Military Industrial Complex with neurotic pursuit of power, possession and prestige .  Follow the money. Ask who's going to benefit; who's expendable  but do not consider nor address consequences.  Our participation in World War II, aside from being attacked by Japan and Germany, was necessary.

In essence, the question of why war is as follows: 1.  Man has ego needs and with excessive neurotic tendencies seeks'' Dominance”. To control one's human environment .To influence or direct the behavior of others by suggestion, seduction, persuasion or command. To dissuade, restrain or prohibit.” Aggression “ To overcome opposition forcefully. To fight . To avenge . To attack, injure or kill another. To oppose forcefully or punish another.  2. To acquire. To hoard .To have control over all. To  “Possess “3.  “Achievement .” To accomplish something difficult. To master,  To manipulate, organize , physical objects, human beings or ideas . To overcome obstacles and attain a high standard 4. For “Status,” reputation, stature , standing   5. “Abasement . “ To submit passively to external force.  To accept injury, blame, criticism, punishment.  To surrender.  To become resigned to fate.  To admit inferiority, error, wrongdoing or defeat.  To confess and atone.  To blame, belittle,. To mutilate the self.  To seek and enjoy pain ,punishment, illness and misfortune.6.  Man  has  weaknesses  , is irrational, along with malignant egoism, egotism or narcissism.  7..  Morality diminishes with an imbalance of the  ego needs 8..  With the Collective Unconscious, man's memory and behavioral history repeats   9.  Within the above, and included are the institutions of politics, economics ,with the military industrial complex  10.  Leaders and advisors make war decisions about others going into battle 11. Man , being a social animal, makes wars inevitable.

References

Cartwright, Dorwin and Zander, Alvin.  Group Dynamics.

Murray, Henry . Explorations in Personality.