A Bo Schembechler Story Part 6

Coach Bo Schembechler told the discouraged Reggie McKenzie from Highland Park, Michigan, things like “I should kick your ass off the team and son of a bitch, you can do better.” Reggie was having difficulty cutting it because of the onslaught of verbal abuse from Bo. He was embarrassed. He just knew Schembechler didn’t like him. He started questioning his own football abilities. He was confused, unable to think clearly. He considered quitting the team. He talked to his mother and sister JoAnn about leaving the program. It was his big sister JoAnn that shot back, in no uncertain terms, “McKenzie men don’t quit.” An Invaluable insight occurred for Reggie. For some reason, the team were short of tail backs for their spring practice. As such, Preston Henry had to serve as tailback on every play for both the first and second team offenses during that fateful practice. Reggie remembered Henry being as tough as they come. He was not only street tough, but he was football tough, and mentally tough as well. Most of all, the players identified with Henry and felt very sorry for him. It was a grueling day for Henry, who ran upwards of 130 plays in that scrimmage. At the end of practice, coach Schembechler had everyone line up on the sideline to run wind sprints- even the workhouse Preston Henry. Preston Henry said “I’m not going to let him beat me.” With that, Reggie incorporated that attitude into his thinking as well.

In Our Society Part 2

Economically our capitalistic system has resulted in increased production and consumption compared to yesterday. We have seen the rise of large corporations and other oligarchies that set the standard for wages and slave labor, except for the CEO and other officers. In this system, man becomes a cog in the technological process. The workers are no longer at the center. He or she produces very little of the entire product. The implications of this are great. There are increased monetary differences, material poverty and inequality between the top 1% and the rest- 99%. The worker’s work or job becomes more and more repetitious. As a result of this unsatisfactory arrangement within the economic system, we see more examples of work disability, workmen’s comp, boredom, mind wandering, fantasy, illness and alienation. We experience more and more meaningless work as result of automation, and the technological revolution. In addition to alienation, anger, resentment and powerlessness, we see more and more escape mechanisms in play. Modern man is very skilled of the use of repression in order to escape reality, as he turns to fantasy. As a result, we see a tremendous rise in video games, record attendance figures at sporting events, great TV ratings for various programs, blockbuster movies, Internet use, and record number of books published and read. Escape is easy but we cannot escape boredom. The economists in the New York Times, September 4, 2016 state that over history, the poor have really gained more than the rich. They say the masses are eating better, they have better products and services, have increased wages, and have received many nonwage benefits. They make a point, but not the answer to being disadvantaged. Studies, the New York Times, August 28, 2016 suggest that educationally poor and disadvantaged are closing the gap with the privileged on a measure of school readiness. This is according to studies, since the late 90s. Statistically, this improvement appears to persist at least until the fourth grade. At the moment, this is good, and maybe it’ll become a trend. However, it doesn’t solve the educational gaps of inequality. We know that going to college, becoming one’s own boss, finding meaningful employment does not generally happen to those with a limited high school education. However, the above trends, paint a panel of many who are not doing so well, to put it mildly. Many individuals are left behind without much personal control over the lives and are easily alienated. Psychologically, individuals with these problems tend to look for solutions outside themselves. It’s not what you can do for yourself, but what others can do for you. Historically, at various times, individuals look for leaders, celebrities and idols to diminish the unconscious fear and anxiety that drive them. Unfortunately, various leaders that present themselves are filled with human flaws, such as greed, drive to exploit, narcissism, with the need for material gain, power and enhancement of personal prestige. These authoritarian, bigoted, and myopic have time in timeout been great disappointments and have simply made matters worse. A political solution does not solve economic inequities, impaired social relations, educational gaps, psychogenic illness such as high blood pressure, ulcers, insomnia, nervous tension, fatigue, and obesity nor flawed psychological character development. Modern man still searches for happiness, well-being, and a sense of meaning. Politics is not the answer for the human condition, but it can contribute to the problem of existence.

In Our Society Part 1

In our society, we find our current affairs troubling. For example, politically, we are divided and have very minor input into that process as well. Voting every couple of years for known named or little known individuals does not enable us to have much control, influence or confidence in the process. Does our vote really count considering that we don’t create the individuals on the ballot? An individual having an R or D beside their name tends to influence our vote. Other than that, we know very little about the politician’s character, moral development, political philosophy or stands on many issues, nor who that individual is beholden to. And now with the various big-money and corporations contributing heavily creates more distance, separation and lack of hands-on involvement between them and us in the political process. Further, political figures and others have used derogatory language in an attempt to invalidate the presidential office; create an impression of voting irregularities; cast doubt on freedom of the press; and to disrespect the government. Stretching the truth, lying and other falsifications have become the norm. Truth no longer seems to matter. A question posed to one political participant in the media quickly invokes a non-response to the question, but a reply about their opponent’s flaws. That dynamic goes on and on. Socially, the trend of racism continues. Prejudice is expressed both explicitly and implicitly. Sometimes racism and or stereotypes are denied despite a dictionary definition of racism. The individual accused of racism and or bigotry distorts reality and gives excuses or explanations that he or she is not always racist, so therefore is not racist at all. Interpersonal relations and intimacy in relationships are changing for the worse. There is more social media vitriol and nastiness expressed rampantly by known and anonymous individuals. Social media is about the anonymous .The divorce rate continues to climb along with the decrease in marital unions. Murder, suicide, belonging to Cults, hate groups, terrorist groups and martyrdom also seems to be on the rise. Organized religion, and the commandment” love thy neighbor” seems to be negated by many, even though they likely deny the harsh reality of brotherhood. Regarding mental health, the disorders on the rise range from depression to suicide; anxiety; narcissism; personality disorders; ADHD and PTSD to name a few. Even with more available psychotherapy, an increase in psychotropic medication, the mental health in this country is not getting better. Also suffering, is the superego or moral development. Lying seems to be more prevalent with less guilt. Nor is physical health flourishing or prospering. We have obesity on the rise, diabetes, cancer, cardiology, respiratory and other health problems that affect longevity despite, as were told, the best health system of the world.

A Bo Schembechler Story Part 5

Jim Brandstatter was from East Lansing, Michigan. It wasn’t until his junior year, that Jim realized he was actually making a significant contribution. Up to that point, he worked very hard but still had doubts about his ability. The Wolverines were playing the University of Arizona and Michigan’s starting tackle Jack Harpring was injured so, Jim took the field. The game was close, and the outcome still in doubt. In the huddle, a screen pass was called. For Jim, this meant that he had to perform and pretend to block the defensive man in front of him. Quickly, he then had to get out in front of running back Billy Taylor, the pass target. The Wildcat cornerback came up to make the play, to tackle Taylor, but Jim was in a good position and knocked that Wildcat player to the side and out-of-the-way. Taylor scored, the crowd roared and Michigan won the game. Then, Jim confessed that he realized, perhaps for the first time, that he could get the job done with the game on the line. He could play at this level. And the coaches had confidence and trust in him. He could make a significant contribution, and he belonged on this team. This play certainly built his confidence. He now knew that he can do this. As a freshman from Aurora, Ohio, Tom Curtis, doubted his ability to play quarterback at this level. The other quarterbacks on the practice field were Healy, Vidmer, and Dennis Brown among others. This 18-year-old wondered, am I good enough? Then, the three recruited quarterbacks started throwing the ball around. Tom began to evaluate them. In comparison, his self-appraisal changed from, am I good enough to I can throw, just as well as them. As a sophomore, playing on the defensive side of the ball, the night before the first season game, Curtis’ position coach told him that he was going to be the starting left safety. At first, the insecure, Tom was bothered by the good news/bad news that he was starting at left safety. Without having practiced that position, how could he be successful? He believed that he needed practice learning the nuances of a specific position in order to play well. He didn’t dare confess or tell his position coach, but kept his insecurity to himself. Despite not practicing at left safety, Tom intercepted a pass in his first outing. That performance earned him a starting position at left safety for the following game.

A Bo Schembechler Story Part 4

Back to Bo Schembechler. Bo’s first love was playing baseball. Being a left-handed pitcher, Bo was summoned to the mound in an important state semifinal baseball game as a senior in high school. The opposing team in the last and final inning had the bases-loaded with none out in a scoreless game. Would Bo put out the fire? The battle was between him and the batter at the plate. The better won by looping a single past the first baseman and down the right-field line in fair territory. All three of the runners Bo inherited, scored, making the score 3-0 dashing Bo’s chance to be the hero. He was the goat. Bo also played high school football and that turned out to be some ways, a significant failure also. In this particular important hard-fought game, Bo’s team lost, 7-0. After the game, Bo was found in the locker room, crying. He later said that football is an emotional game and that crying is okay regarding winning and losing. However, it’s not okay to cry if one is injured. Bo wanted to play football for Notre Dame. His disappointment surfaced when he was not recruited by the fighting Irish. Mike Keller was a big fish in a little pond, in Grand Rapids, Michigan and then he became a little fish in a big pond. It wasn’t until recruiting letters came in that his thinking changed to “maybe I can play football “even though he thought that basketball was his best sport. He committed to the University of Michigan, in large part, because he perceived himself as a student first and a football player second. He knew Michigan had a good academic reputation, and believed he would receive a solid education. That degree would place him in a good position for the rest of his life. He would be close to home, might even attend law school, and become an attorney. And on top of that, there was also a possibility of going to the Rose Bowl as a student or player.

Politics 2016

It’s obvious that each new presidential election lasts longer and becomes more expensive to run. This means, in part, greater importance as each party attempts to sell their product to the consumer. It used to be the job of Madison Avenue, but now with television in and in the forefront, it’s becomes the sophistication and expertise of Hollywood talents to sell and to persuade. Don’t forget the important role of radio, newspapers, and now social media in our democratic political process. The GOP more dominant on the local level has brilliantly chosen a television personality as its leader. Name recognition, the personification of wealth, power, and strength fit here. This candidate as compared to his opponent has spent little so far. His name and things that he has said have dominated the news cycle at every level. Not only that, the media gives us so-called experts that explain his policies, what he thinks, what he believes and his motivations. It’s only their paid and prejudiced opinion and nothing more .The candidates don’t even have to show up because the media easily finds people to talk about them in both positive and negative ways. So let’s take the voter. The percentage of eligible voters that vote in a local or national election is disappointing but understandable. Locally, we may get a glossy mailer that provides little information about the candidate. We can no longer tell by the endorsement whether the person supposedly leans left or leans right. However, sometimes the party or some other insignificant word influences our vote. Does this person represent our opinion, our values, our beliefs and/or wishes? Who knows! By the time we get to vote for the governor, more information is provided about the candidate. But once again, does the person we are voting for really represent us on a personal level? In our democracy, this representative is supposed to represent us, but in reality, are we really rational and knowledgeable about the politics and policies of the day? In voting for the president, we’re likely more in the dark and uneducated about global economics, foreign-policy, immigration, domestic policy, etc. even though we get bits and pieces about each. Policies that may turn out good for California, may turn out bad for Mississippi and so forth. In essence, it’s easy to understand why a voter is alienated and may not turn out to vote because does that vote really matter? For sure, it matters to someone or to some Party. For those that do vote, it seems that they don’t always vote for their best interests. Generally, voters don’t expend massive amounts of energy in the analysis of subjects and issues with their limited expertise or knowledge. The issues may be too complicated to begin with, and the voter lacking the volition to put in the necessary energy. Then we have a psychological dynamic, called cognitive dissonance. Essentially, we tend to be more receptive to the things we believe and less receptive to things we don’t. We likely don’t spend an equal amount of time listening, viewing or reading opposing sides of the issues. Even if we did, television, radio etc. cannot provide all the in-depth answers to the issues. Even if we watched the debates, how much depth can there be in a minute or two response to a question? In essence, our vote becomes less rational and not always based on fact. In part because the candidates do not always objectively present the facts. Not only that, we are alienated in the political process. And some might say, it doesn’t matter whom gets elected. You can’t believe that because corporations and wealthy donors give readily. Their contributions are not based on altruistic ideas, but instead on self-serving economic realities. Yes, Bernie Sanders, people gave an average of $27 for his nomination. Some might argue that he came close, but not close enough. Money greatly matters today. Even though we have a unique and unlimited capacity for thinking and having contradictory thoughts and ideas, without even making minimal attempts to become aware of the contradictions; can anyone vote smart?

Some of Trump' s Supporters

One of the presidential candidates expresses sadistic and hateful rhetoric and ideas towards others; appears clueless and has contradictory ideas regarding many fundamental issues; has a history of exploiting others; has multiple wives; fails to release his tax returns; spends all hours of the night on social media; employs clichés, slogans and generalities; has tremendously high unfavorable ratings; and has mental health criteria associated with a narcissistic personality disorder. Regardless of these notions, there is a group of white high school educated males that support him. How can this be? The notion of work has had a long history and an extremely important component of the Protestant ethic. Work is a virtue and laziness is not. Productivity, saving, and providing for one’s family has been a religious cornerstone. Centuries ago, the artisan was admired because of his productivity, creativity and the way he spent his working hours. Physical labor was valued. With the rise of capitalism, the notion of work changed. For some, long hours of physical labor was enslavement. In fact, the South required the use of slaves for their agrarian economy. With the development of services, professions, banking, technological advances, etc. In an expanding and global market, using one’s brain instead of one’s back became more valuable. In other words, education, education, education became one extremely important vehicle for market success. Generally, more education resulted in potentially greater employment and possibly in a work environment that was not only creative but resulted in meaningfulness and self-satisfaction pursuits. On a side note, although monetary rewards was desired that did not always lead to happiness. On the other hand, expending physical energy, long hours, or slave labor to put food on the table does not necessarily lead to a sense of success and/or personal satisfaction. Often, drugs, alcohol, boredom and/or alienation became the ending result, along with a dysfunctional sense of hopelessness. Another resulting factor for this group is laziness, passivity, and an unconscious hostility toward self and toward others. If one has limited education, one is likely to be left far behind in our capitalistic economic system. It’s fairly easy to externalize, rationalize and project blame onto others for misfortune .This is our democratic election process.

A Bo Schembechler Story Part 3

Winter-spring conditioning drills, substantiated his craziness and that added to his unlikable, negative, disgusting, disrespectful, authoritarian persona. Reggie McKenzie remembered the slap and stomp drill. This unusual drill took place in a boxing ring with two players pitted against each other. The object of the drill was to stomp on your opponent’s feet, while slapping him at the same time. A big burly defensive end named Cecil Pryor was in the ring with one of his teammates. Pryor, might’ve been hit in the face because normally a jokester, he not only got angry but with such great force hit his opponent with his left hand knocking him clearly out of the boxing ring with crashing sound. Immediately, coach Schembechler, jumped into that ring, facing Cecil ,in a moment of silence, said aggressively to Cecil Pryor,” if you want to fight someone, fight me.” Smart Cecil chose not to fight the coach. Reggie said he knew right then and there that Bo was tough, he was in charge, and he was the boss. Frank Gusich remembered the toughest conditioning program of his life that spring. He said that each of the four workout stations had a different physical activity, and was hosted by the various position coaches. He admitted that he was quickly mentally and physically spent and exhausted after that first Slap and Stomp station. Then he had to run to the Yost Fieldhouse for running drills. He ran anywhere from 40 yards to 100 yards; to a quarter-mile to a mile in that station. The third station consisted of agility training. In the fourth station, there was a drill that was similar to universal weight machine. He said it was all exhausting, brutal and physical work. He remembered running from the intramural building to the Yost Fieldhouse, sweating in his workout gear. He couldn’t understand how being sweaty, smelly and running in the snow was good for him. Those experiences were etched in his brain and he realized much later that maybe that’s what Schembechler intended all along.

He Bo Schembechler Story Part 2

Bo initially learned his football from Sid Gilman and Woody Hayes two of the best football minds at the time. He was awarded the prestigious head-coaching job at the winningest football college of all time. Historically, the University of Michigan began defeating their opponents in 1879. This illustrious institution of higher learning even had an All-American center that became the 38 th. President of the United States. It took a genius first year, All-American, athletic director Don Canham, all of 15 minutes to hire Bo a diamond in the rough. At Bo’s initial team meeting with players, recruited by previous head coach Bump Elliott, he said to them In so many words “you players have the reputation of being spoiled country clubbers. I heard that you’re supposed to be good athletes but I also heard that you’re a bunch of pussies. Smart enough, but not tough enough. I’m going to show you what tough is and it will be my way or the highway. You have the greatest college stadium in the world and believe me when I get through with you, every team is going to know they played Michigan. And no one and I mean no one will ever outhit, out work or outplay a Michigan team that I coach.” Two players Thom Darden and Billy Taylor remembered meeting Bo, when they were recruited by him while he was the head coach at Miami of Ohio. Another, quarterback Jim Betts declined a recruiting invitation because of rumors of his nasty reputation. When Darden and Taylor met with Bo, Bo had them put on their workout clothes and perform running and agility drills for him. Darden expected better or special treatment like getting a steak to eat. After their workout, Darden said, let’s get the hell out of here, the guy’s nuts. Yes, Bo already had the negative reputation and his first team presentation, reinforced the notion of the change that was taking place. The perception was that he was not going to be a permissive, unconditional loving father figure. He was there with a single-minded purpose- to dominate, to win.

A Bo Schembechler Story Part 1

It started on April 1, 1929 in Barberton, Ohio, on the first day, when Glenn Edward Bo Schembechler Jr. arrived during the Great Depression. On the second day, he learned about competition, rivalry, fighting, not giving up when having to out- fox his two older sisters over the one family bicycle. He also learned about unfulfilled dreams, of not pitching in game seven of the World Series and not playing football for Notre Dame. On day three, he learned from such notables as Sid Gilman and Woody Hayes about the art of warfare as it pertains to football. On day four, he inherited the reins to a tradition of football excellence with a group of racially mixed, insecure athletes who initially despised, resented and hated him. On day five, November 22, 1969, with his group of young athletes, they defeated archrival Ohio State, the Goliaths of college football at the time. On day six, these racially mixed athletes achieved All-American, professional football status; admired and loved him in the process. On day seven, with Bo Schembechler’s imprint, laid the stepping stones to all Pro, Hall of Fame , head football coaching , athletic director leadership and community championship careers which continues to resonate today as result of his leadership role and influence .His commitment, integrity and loyalty to the University of Michigan was surpassed by none.. This is a story about Bo and his many warriors, which resulted in them becoming champions and him becoming a legend. Bo’s father was a blue-collar worker and his stay at home, Episcopalian mom Betty was a dynamo, a force who clearly spoke her mind. She took her children to watch the Cleveland Indians play baseball. She took Bo to the family doctor as a result of his football injury. She was a major significant force in his life.

A Real Terrorist Part 2

When an individual sets out to murder another and then expects to be killed in the process {murder- suicide}, this suggests there is something pathologically wrong In the necrophilia character and emotional state of that individual regardless of culture, religious ideology, political party, sex, age, race, or economic philosophy. The individual is likely depressed with a variety of symptoms such as but not limited to increased physical activity; being more talkative; having racing thoughts; inflated self-esteem; decreased need for sleep; distractibility; excessive involvement in activities with a high potential for painful consequences. The depressed individual further feels inadequate, hopeless, and not able to look to the future, with delusions, hallucinations, and suicidal ideation. Of course one does not have to have all of the above in order to be depressed. However, associate a depressed necrophilia character structure individual with a like-minded gang of killer’s and that equals trouble. It’s difficult to do a firsthand psychiatric diagnosis of a deceased individual. One can go back and look at emails, Google searches, talk to so-called friends and family for clues as to the mental state of these individuals. None of these necrophilia characters were in treatment prior to their hideous acts. It’s clear that they despised growth, productivity, love of others or even had creative and artistic values. Some, hatefully abandoned their family or their child or children to be reared by others. Yes, they had momentary significance thanks to the media, but were unable to witness it for themselves. Let’s call these individuals correctly as being mentally pathologically sick. They are not heroes, liberators or freedom fighters. Apparently, many of them looked at porn, took drugs and treated others inhumanely. The media spends too much time talking about them in nonsense ways. Characterize them as they are-sick and swiftly move on and research the stories of the victims for a more worthwhile endeavor.

A Real Terrorist Part 1

In the past few years there has been much in the media about Isis, black lives matter, racism, terror, etc. We’ve heard about the terrorist tragedies in England, France, Belgium, Turkey, and so forth. And in our country we’ve had terrible homicides in Massachusetts, California and Florida. On top of that, we’ve had more recently, the killings of police officers in Texas and Louisiana. Not to be forgotten, were other homicides In Connecticut, Colorado, South Carolina, Missouri, Florida, and California, of white and black citizens. The media spends an enormous amount of time with their so-called experts primarily talking about religious ideology as the cause for a terrorist attack by these individuals in question. They also talk about a racism ideology as an explanation for the killing of blacks. The media even touched on xenophobia for the Orlando shootings. These explanations are certainly simplified and appear to gloss over true dynamics for explanations and/or motivations. It’s as if radical Muslim ideology is the only bad religion in today’s world. We don’t hear about radical Christians, Buddhists, Jews, or others under the guise of religion committing these terrible atrocities. Could it be that only Mohammed and the Koran are the messengers of hate? It’s not simply about religion as anyone can oversimplify, rationalize, deny and shout out reasons for their behavior. The media has once again overlooked the deadly causes. In my opinion, we’ve been served pablum that’s called breaking news by the media. Terrorism is simply not just about religion or religious ideology. Let’s talk about an individual or individuals that exhibit murdering others, and then are killed or blown to bits in the process or murder-suicide. In addition to having an deadly ideology [thinking-reasoning], man also perceives, senses, feels and acts or exhibits behavior. In Freud’s model, he postulated two biological drives libido and a “death instinct.” Others have hypothesized basic needs in man such as food, water and sex and acquired needs, such as the need for aggression and abasement. One could argue, whether or not these needs- drives are biologically innate or acquired. One cannot argue that these components are not part of man’s nature. One cannot argue that man has feelings or affect and that they are not powerful motivators for driving behavior.

Blaming the Victim

Did you ever wonder why some people tend to blame the victim [In a victim- perpetrator conflict] while others blame the perpetrator? If not, think about it for a moment. Two psychologists also wondered why some feel less sympathy for the victim, using a woman raped at a party as an example. Their findings have been recently published In the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. While controlling dependent variables for political affiliation, gender or nature of the crime, the researchers discovered that there was a more powerful predictor of attributing blame-a particular set of moral values. For instance, in regards to moral values, some people privilege, favor, or are more influenced in their perception and thinking - loyalty, obedience and purity, while others seem to privilege or favor care and fairness in their perception and thinking. The researchers labeled for those favoring loyalty, obedience, purity and tending to be more politically conservative, “binding values.” Individuals with binding values tend to blame the victim. In contrast, those individuals favoring caring and fairness are less likely to blame the victim and they are called “individualizing values.” Researchers Niemi and Liane, in a subsequent study, set out to determine if the subjects of the studies perceptions regarding victims and perpetrators could be changed. 994 subjects overall were employed. The researchers had their subjects rate both the victim and the perpetrator measuring the responsibility for the outcome of the crime and how much a different response by the victim and perpetrator in their actions could have changed outcomes in cases of rape and robbery. Binding value subjects more strongly attributed blame and responsibility to victims. They also perceived behavior of the victim as significantly influencing the outcome. However, those subjects with individualizing values, perceived it differently and for them the reverse was true-the more the perpetrator was at fault. Niemi and Liane simply changed the position of the perpetrator or victim as a variable in their research to determine if one’s perception were influenced. If the sentence read, in a sexual assault description, “Dan forced Lisa”, the binding value subjects reduced blaming of the victim, the victim’s responsibility, along with the victim’s actions. In essence, more blame was placed on the perpetrator and less fault with the victim. The researchers concluded that victim blaming appears to be a function of one’s core moral values. They also suggested that subtle changes in language might influence perception and thinking. Assigning blame comes to mind with the recent killings of blacks and police. Moral [binding or individualizing] values might explain the actions of many, as far as attributing blame and responsibility. Research employing racism and prejudice as an independent variable might shed more light on the dynamics as far as the ability to empathize with a black that’s killed or a policeman that’s murdered. Certainly listening to the so-called experts in the media does not shed any light or insight into the problem. The media tends to perpetuate mythology and is likely more concerned with their ratings. Journalism takes a second seat to entertainment and sensationalism. So, let’s turn to science to understand more about victims and perpetrators.

Thinking Differently

A June 19, 2016 article in the New York Times had to do with how to experience life to the fullest. This neuroscientist postulated that we all fail to experience life more fully, because our minds are generally too occupied and filled with various thoughts. More than likely our random and obsessional thoughts tend to interfere so at times we really don’t hear while even when listening or interacting with another. He tested his hunch with two research studies. One study, for example, measured saying or giving free associations under two test conditions to determine if taxing one’s mental capacity resulted in significant differences. One group of subjects had to keep in mind a string of seven digits while the other participants had to remember just two digits while giving their free associations. He found that under the high mental load condition’s [7 digits], these subjects gave less original and creative responses. However, under the 2 digit condition, these participants gave more varied and less typical responses. In the second experiment, the researchers found that longer response times with a high mental load were correlated with less diverse responses. He concluded that a cluttered mind required more time to generate even conventional thought. This researcher added that he believed the mind’s natural tendency is to explore and favor novelty. He called this” exploration”- when we are curious to learn. And other times, he stated we use” exploitation”- when we rely on things we already know and basically lean on our expectations in predicting. That neuroscientist cleared his mind by spending a week in silence at a Vipassana meditation retreat. He stated that he was able to really taste a tomato; didn’t mind physical discomforts as much; and gazed on a single flower for 45 minutes. My technique for mind clearing is vastly different. I go for a trail run to think better. With a shorter trail run, about 10 miles or so, I am able to think more clearly while being surrounded by nature without man-made distractions or voices. I often can come up with ways to figure out a problem area; or even begin outlining what I am going to post. It seems, that I am primarily focusing on the trail, as opposed to having random thoughts. As result, my thinking and thoughts are more organized. However, on longer trail runs, my focus turns to the here and now. Often, I experience either- tiredness, heavy breathing or some other physical discomfort. I then continue to focus in the here and now and that seems to assist me during those runs. Of course, I may think about how many miles I have completed, how many miles to go or even about some reward at the end of my trail run experience. I believe that clearing my mind is part of the story of being able to live life more fully. The other part seems to relate to enjoying being out in nature, pushing myself while working up a sweat. It’s true that I’m not running faster and it is also true that I’m not training to become faster. But what I am doing is running a personal best each day.

Character Counts

Let’s postulate that in our nature, we all have to confront the dilemma of our existence and deal with our aloneness and isolation within the Milky Way galaxy. In essence, we are simply a speck of dust in comparison to the big picture. So how can we deal with this dilemma in our abstraction and alienation society? For one, it’s important to be liked and popular. One has said that he destroyed 16 others during the presidential primaries, and he is the last one standing. One has said, look at my poll numbers aren’t they great. He continues to say that he’s met so many great people along the way. And, replied more recently, how I can be behind in the current polls when there are thousands of people coming to my rallies -I don’t understand. [I want to be liked and thought I was]. In fact, many more people arrive at these rallies than can be seated [more tickets are distributed than there are seats]. He stated that he can’t understand those poll numbers because of his high popularity. Another character aspect is about acquisition, consumption and being marketable. There becomes a need to acquire and consume whether it be things or abstractions. The expression “he who has the biggest toys wins or he who has the most toys” fits here [a clever marketing ploy.] Acquiring comes in many forms, including buildings, casinos, airplanes, models or even selling one’s name to be put on a building. Unfortunately, consumption alone does not fill the void in his ego. It certainly does not result in his happiness. For example, Bill Gates, according to recent statistics, is the wealthiest man in the world. I would wager that he is not the happiest person in the world. The act of acquiring or consuming leads to a superficial status within our society, but does not lead to a meaningful human existence. One can never fully satisfy the void through consumption alone. Some might call it greed. Acquiring, consuming can never be an end in itself as it’s like repeatedly filling a hole with sand or water that has with no bottom. Simply put, one never has enough. A more meaningful human experience is about production, producing or artistic creation. Even prehistoric man in his quest for survival found and expressed man’s nature with his cave drawings of concrete objects within his existence. We admire individuals in our past history come to mind like Plato, Socrates, Epictetus, Kepler, Galileo, Michelangelo, Tolstoy, Shakespeare, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Picasso, Espinosa, Beethoven, Bach, Rousseau, Sartre, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Darwin, Smith, Jefferson, Hamilton, Roosevelt, Currie, Salk, Marx, Edison, Freud, Fromm, Pavlov, Einstein, Oppenheimer, Pollock, Hemingway, Dreiser, Fitzgerald, Miller, Jobs, and Gates to name just a few for what they produced or created and not for what they consumed or acquired. It’s extremely important for this selfless one to be marketable. He has to become a saleable commodity. He has to use his negotiating skills get the best deal for his selfless self regardless of the consequences. It doesn’t matter if known or unknown others are taken advantage of, paid less or lost their savings or wealth in the process. It’s simply about winning at all costs and the heck with the other. It’s not about fair play, integrity or human respect. It’s about being on top and the ends justify the means. For this individual, there’s a need to exchange. Adam Smith believed that the need to exchange is a basic need in human nature in that it’s common for all men. However, this need to exchange does not always serve any real or practical purpose. It’s about exchange and selling one’s personality on the market in order to receive the best value in the exchange. For this individual, the striving to exchange his social position in order to attain the “better” deal and also to be the boss in order to control those around him with “you’re fired.” Of course, exchanging wives, buildings, casinos, campaign managers, and delegates does not result in fulfilling the dilemma of human existence. Being liked, acquiring, consuming, being marketable and exchanging are character characteristics of this presidential candidate that result in need, drive or behavior. These various behaviors may temporarily diminish his feelings of anxiety and feelings of inferiority. However, these behaviors can’t fulfill or solve the human condition of aloneness, or isolation. This individual has superficial relationships at best -just ask his ex-wives for starters. More than likely, this individual is not fully aware of self and will continue like a speeding train going downhill without breaks, smashing and destroying things in the process. Heaven help us if he gets elected.

Love or Hate Part 2

It’s us versus them. We’re good, and they are bad. We are right and they are wrong, dangerous and despicable. Because they are unequal, let’s do anything we can to keep us separate and above them. Let’s keep them beneath us. Maybe we need to build a fence to keep them out, restrict them from coming into our country and even profile those “others” that are already here. Remember they are inhuman, dangerous, our immortality is at stake and we can’t trust them. . Sometimes nationalism gets confused with patriotism. Religious prophets have based their teachings on rational insight and humanism. They said many things like to honor another and do to them what you’d like them to do to you. There’s even talk about loving the enemy etc.. Instead of following these religious teachings, we are currently hearing buying a gun, protecting ourselves and family. Do not forget it’s guaranteed as a Second Amendment right. This propaganda and profit motive in our capitalistic system is exploiting irrational fears and distorting reality. Remember, in capitalism, the profit motive is supreme. Also, do not forget the abstraction “Make America Great Again” is about making you rich. Making money is about the abstraction, of that $10 billion man. This is another central theme expressed by that abstraction in today’s presidential election process. Seems to me, that the mental health of our country will probably not change in my lifetime. There was a glimpse of hope during the primaries, when one candidate talked about changing the cost of college education, more universal healthcare, taking the big money out of politics and putting more regulation on Wall Street. I’m all supportive of that “radical” kind of movement. With a more level playing field, perhaps more people would like each other. There is certainly enough fear, anger and hate and any significant reduction would be beneficial for all. Perhaps, if we can change the valence and motivation for profit, exploitation of the worker and the powerless component; develop a sense of teamwork among us on this one planet; develop a sense of trust; diminish class differences and alienation; sexual orientation; and develop a sense of production and brotherhood, then we might be off to a good start in changing the mental health ills in our country. It all starts with proper parenting and imparting these values. Of course that means the character of the parents require change. If not, then man’s nature, will continue to influence negatively our culture.

Love or Hate?

Some might argue that there is something wrong with our mental health in our contemporary society. Could it be that it’s really about the nature of man or could the dynamics of the socioeconomic and political society be the issue, or some combination of the two be the blame? Let’s look at a few facts. The United States has the highest gun ownership rate in the world, along with the highest per capita rate of fire arm related murders of all the developed countries [88.8 guns per 100 people, or 270 million civilian guns]. According to the World Health Organization, the US ranks 14th in teenage suicide and 20 out of 27 in ranked nations in that category [10.2 per 100,000 people]. Further, the abuse of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs overall total more than 700 billion annually in costs related to crime [Tobacco, 295 billion, alcohol 224 billion and illicit drugs 193 billion]. As far as discretionary spending, [1.1 1 trillion} was spent in the fiscal year 2015 or about 55% of the budget going to our military. On the other hand, only 69.9 8 billion or 6.28% was spent on education. And, a whopping 82% of students graduated from high school during the 2013-2014 year. Certainly, our values seem clear. We are the military giants and police force of the world. It seems, in my lifetime, that we have always been at war or told we were threatened by the possibility of it. One positive value, previously, was the fact that we were the first country to provide free universal education from K to 12. We did damn well under that condition. And now, some are discussing free college education. That does not sound radical or socialistic to me- just smart. Some might argue like Rousseau, Darwin and Hobbs previously that man’s nature-competitiveness aggression antagonism toward others, restriction of sexual impulses or instincts by society are explanations for our countries mental health ills. Certainly, primitive man fits some of that description. Others might argue that some individuals, as society has evolved, have not developed significant reasoning capacity along with an ability to love and ability to relate to others in humane ways because of a regression into an artificial rootedness in state or race. Currently, we have a fairly significant progressive movement [nationalism] based on blood and soil as an individual orientation. This means that things like blood, religion, political party, race, social class, country, sexual orientation or home team relate to identity and result in separateness between people. This separateness becomes associated with hate, stereotyping and prejudice. This development significantly interferes with the development and capacity for brotherhood, love, and good interpersonal relationships among peoples. To be continued

Donald Trump's Words

The past 9 months or so of the Republican presidential race have been like a James Bond or John Wayne feature film. Donald Trump emerged as the protagonist. He came on the scene in order to make America great, because of its economic and trade shortcomings; immigration threats; and all the bad guy terrorists. However, don’t forget Hillary Clinton and the Democrats as they are antagonists too. The Donald has said many things while most are contradictory. His contradictions don’t in any way affect his popularity with his supporters. This does not mean that words don’t matter. He talked about building a wall and having” them” pay for it. This appeals to his power or control, as well as prejudice of keeping undesirables away from us and in their own place. He talked about unfair trade deals and creating more jobs. This appeals to his power and smartness, as well as to economic insecurity, job loss, etc. He talked about building the best military possible and defeating Isis. This appeals to his power, control, ability, individual insignificance, fear and powerlessness. Trump’s words over and over again convey that he’s strong, smart, economically successful, and he can do things that others can’t like a James Bond or John Wayne. However, in his film, Trump provides us with many contradictions. The “experts”, those giving another opinion about his “polices” are discounted. It might be a New York Times article regarding his treatment of women. In that example, it’s the media that was unfair and has it all wrong. If it’s Republican Party, it’s the rigged and unfair system. Trump doesn’t take any responsibility, and simply blames the opposition or the enemy. Since he is a protagonist and the others are antagonists in the eyes of his supporters- he wins. Trump when confronted with his previous statements called them false and untrue. Someone is lying and his followers, pick out the words or statements that they want thus discounting truth or reality. They make his lies true. Because of the power of the media-TV, twitter, etc. falsehoods become true in the minds of followers. Trump can do nothing wrong as the end justify the means, just like in a James Bond or John Wayne movie. In November, we will know if there’s going to be a sequel.

Are There Aging Secrets? Part 2

On NPR, the oldest woman in the United States was interviewed. She lived in New York and a few years ago, said that she ate” bacon every morning for breakfast.” However, bacon was not eaten for breakfast every day of her life. Nor do we know how much bacon she consumed every morning. She did say that family was her secret. That idea fits with Howard’s findings: “stay socially connected.” I would conclude that if anyone is asked about their secret regarding anything, their answer is just subjective or their opinion . In the May 8th edition of The New York Times, the writer wrote about learning something new and getting better at something .That’s his secret. This man in his 50s, took up tennis and improved his life [tennis also].He is now in his 60s. In my book “It Has Nothing to Do with Age,” I identified seven male and female individuals [some were friends] that were at least 65 years of age and still competed in extraordinary sports. I told their personal story and the internal dynamics behind their success. Unfortunately, two of the men passed away at age 85-Dr. Jim Steere, and Jack Sholl. My book does not guarantee how much length, you can add to your life, but it does give suggestions as to how to have a healthy lifespan. Even though I eat” healthy”, run and walk about 50 trail miles per week, run competitive 50 K’s, this does not guarantee immortality. However, my health span is excellent and I expect to run with my Border collie while Linda rides her equine as well as run with my friend Tony and his Border collie, until I can’t. There are no secrets to aging as plenty of information is available nor is there a Fountain of Youth. Make your decisions and rationalize your behavior if you must. Remember, there are no do overs. You will eventually have to deal with the consequences of your decisions. PS Yesterday, Tony and I competed in a 10 mile trail run competition for juvenile diabetes research. When I crossed the finish line, the announcer introduced me as a legend and I was presented my first-place finish in my age group. Just a fact.Ed Budde, a friend, played in the NFL for 14 years, told me” Keep moving.”

Are There Aging Secrets?

There are many ideas regarding successful aging. One researcher hypothesized that aging is related to having a unique gene configuration. According to him, certain people who have this configuration live longer than others who do not. Perhaps, the question as to why there is significant gene and age variability within a family has been addressed. Is it simply that one sibling has been blessed while another not? Other ideas have been proposed by Drs. Robert Goldman and Ronald Klatz. They build on the idea that exercise is good and have studies associating the benefits of exercise and health. One can look to other studies and follow their recommendations. One study suggested that walking was superior to extreme exercise. Of course, all variables have not been accounted for in any study regarding exercise since the word has different interpretations. And of course were using statistical computations to prove a point. However, these statistics do not measure cause-and-effect. Goldman and Klatz also identified various supplements [vitamins and minerals] that are associated with health even though there’s no government regulation regarding this industry. There have been lawsuits that have determined that what supplements that are in the bottle are not the same as the ingredients posted on the bottle. Goldman and Klatz addressed the benefits of certain foods. Once again, we know that all foods are not the same statistically regarding our health. Organic-based foods are popular, even though these foods are treated with government approved chemicals. Even though one reads the label on our food, unless you are a chemist, you might not be perfectly sure what you’re putting in your mouth. These authors also evaluated various hormones [DHEA, hGH etc.] and their relationship to disease. It’s not uncommon for certain men to take additional testosterone supplements as they age. They want more muscle and endurance. Dr. Michael Howard studied the lifestyle characteristics of the “oldest” people in the world. A few of the 16 healthy lifestyle habits that he uncovered included: low blood sugar, low blood pressure, low weight, eating the vegetarian Mediterranean diet, vitamins, exercising regularly, challenge your mind, etc. To Be Continued