PSYCHOLOGICAL CHALLENGES ARE MORE INTERESTING THAN YOU THINK
[Note by JW – this is Dr. Joel at the top of his game. Read, absorb, and consider sending it to anyone you know whom you think could benefit from it.]
When we approach any problem, how we approach it begins with an idea, a belief, a story about what that problem is, and what needs to be done about it.
How we approach our psychological challenges also begins with an idea, a premise, a story.
Currently, the widely accepted premise is that psychological problems – depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), addictions et al – are abnormal phenomena.
They don’t belong here. They were brought to us by some unfortunate circumstances – an unhappy childhood, a personal weakness, a society that’s sick. They’re polluting the system, like a harmful bacteria or virus, and we want all trace of them eliminated immediately.
But what if that premise is wrong?
I’ve been working with people as a teacher, a marriage and family therapist, and a life coach for well over 40 years now. I started with that premise of problems as aberrations – the “disease model” of psychology. I don’t buy it anymore.
Let’s explore a different premise and see where it takes us. The exploration starts with asking certain questions:
RUSSIAN PROPAGANDA FUELS NUCLEAR BLACKMAIL RHETORIC
Vladimir Strangelove Putin
Vladimir Strangelove Putin
Over the past months, the increasing threat to resort to nuclear weapons has been observed not only in Russian propaganda but also in fairly reputable analytical platforms close to the Kremlin. Kremlin “experts” do not conceal that such threats are only intended to break the West psychologically, as they themselves are not prepared for full-scale nuclear war.
Russian nuclear blackmail is seemingly affecting Western politicians. Independent media reports that in President-elect Donald Trump’s entourage, it is considered essential to freeze the front line as it stands and postpone Ukraine’s accession to NATO in exchange for the continuation of arms supplies to the country (Istories.media, November 7).
Western concessions to Russia, however, are unlikely to reduce the risk of nuclear escalation. Russian radicals lobbying for the use of nuclear weapons live in a distorted reality and are simply incapable of understanding these concessions.
For example, experts on the website “Military Review,” which is closely associated with the Russian Defense Ministry, publish conspiracy theories about how a mysterious “World Government” controls the United States, of which Trump is just one of its adherents (Topwar.ru, November 5).
THE GREEK GODS OF SICILY
The Ancient Greeks began settling in the Mediterranean’s largest island around 750 BC. They called it Sikelia, after the Sikani and Sicel tribes that lived there. They flourished, building numerous cities, all with temples to their Olympian gods. The city of Akragas – now called Agrigento on the south coast – grew to a population of 200,000 by the 500s. It was here that the Greeks built the most outstanding examples of monumental Greek architecture that still exist today.
Along a ridge outside the city, they erected temples to Zeus, Hera, Heracles (Hercules) and many others. The one you see here the Romans called the Temple of Concordia (harmony), for by the time they showed up in the 200s, the Greek name was lost. In the foreground lies a remnant of a bronze statue to one of the Greek gods – perhaps Apollo. The glory that was Greece has been gone with winds of millennia. It can be a very emotional experience to be here. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #248 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
HOW TRUMP WILL KEEP THE DEMS ON DEFENSE IN TRANSITION AND BEYOND
“Once they’re on the run, keep ’em running” is an old cavalry motto — and a strategy Donald Trump seems to have taken to heart.
Democrats are scared and fighting among themselves.
The publishers of newspapers like The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times that used to be hard-left propaganda outlets are now talking about the importance of hearing from both sides.
MSNBC and CNN viewership is in freefall; one or the other may wind up being purchased for small change by Elon Musk.
Universities are adopting political neutrality.
This is nice, but will it last?
The answer is: Only so long as the pressure is on. So how do Republicans keep the Dems and the Left on the run? Here’s how.
THE COMING ERA OF MAGA DOMINANCE
Only Donald Trump could have pulled off the kind of victory we witnessed just over one week ago. The victory achieved by, and for, the man himself is already the greatest political comeback in American history.
But it is entirely possible that his win now could set up an equally unprecedented comeback, but not for any one particular individual. If the Republican Party plays its cards right this time, it could build off of the massive coalition that President Trump has built for himself and ride this wave of momentum to a new era of dominance in American politics.
The Old Map and the New Map
Just as importantly as 2016, the 2024 election perfectly displays the best path forward for the new Republican Party when it comes to establishing and maintaining an electoral majority every four years.
Here’s a detailed analysis of how that works.
THE WORLD’S MOST UNUSUAL GRAVES
East of Borneo in Indonesia is a large starfish-shaped Island called Sulawesi, where in the south-central mountains the Toraja people have created one of the most exotic cultures on earth. They bury their dead in caves carved out of vertical cliffs, with balconies at the entrances lined with clothed wooden effigies called a Tau Tau as guardians for the departed.
The Toraja live in villages composed of family long houses with enormous peaked roofs of wood and thatch, decorated with exquisite painted art and scores of buffalo horns. While Indonesia is predominantly Moslem, the Toraja are a blend of Christian-animist. They are a gentle, peaceful people, marvelously welcoming and friendly. It is a priceless privilege to spend time with them, as I was able to during the summer of 2016. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #49 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)
PETE HEGSETH WILL DE-WOKE THE PENTAGON AND RESTORE THE MILITARY’S MISSION
Powerful forces are out to derail Pete Hegseth’s bid to become secretary of defense and carry out President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to reform the Pentagon.
The Army veteran and former Fox News host has been hammered by a stream of inflammatory accusations in recent days, from past allegations of sexual assault to absurd and baseless claims that his faith-based tattoos reveal him as a white supremacist.
Hegseth, of course, has never faced criminal charges, has never been connected to any white supremacy groups or activities and has never deviated from his loyalty to country — so these preposterous attacks merely reveal the desperation of those seeking to subvert his confirmation.
Why? Because, after a groundless 10-year war in Iraq and a 20-year stalemate in Afghanistan, the US military is embroiled in a culture war — another war it seems to be losing. It’s a good thing they’ll lose it to Pete Hegseth.
LET’S MAKE CO2 GREAT AGAIN
As the love affair with so-called green energy cools and “net zero” commitments to eliminate “carbon emissions” wane, we see glimmers of acknowledgment for the benefits of carbon dioxide.
That’s right: More people are beginning to understand that the gas—widely demonized as a pollutant endangering Earth with excessive heat—is a life-giving substance needed in greater amounts.
U.S. voters know that President-elect Donald Trump has declared the Green New Deal a “scam” and promises to return common sense to environmental regulations and energy development. His return to office rests partly on that pledge.
Educating the public on the benefits of carbon dioxide is the mission of the CO2 Coalition, which I lead. We sponsor speakers and publish scientifically based materials for adults and children.
“Fossil Fuels Are the Greenest Energy Sources” by Dr. Indur Goklany is an example of our work. Did you know that up to 50% of the globe has experienced an increase in vegetation and that 70% of the greening is attributed to plant fertilization by carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels?
LIVING WITH HEADHUNTERS
Yes, that’s me at 16 (in 1960!) with Tangamashi, a Shuar Jivaro chief who adopted me into his clan. The Jivaros are the only people on earth who make a shrunken head of their enemies killed in battle – called a “tsantsa.”
They inhabit the Amazon rain forests of the Ecuador-Peru border; living with them was the first adventure I had by myself alone. Tangamashi accepted me, taught me how he made a tsantsa from an enemy’s head skin, took me blowgunning monkeys with curare-tipped darts, and introduced me into the Jivaro spirit world with a tea they called “natema” from the Banisteriopsis vine – a very colorful experience. How cool can you get for a 16 year-old kid?
It set me on a path of an adventurous life from which I have never wavered – and there’s no slowing down now. Another great adventure always awaits. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #25, photo ©Jack Wheeler)
ARE THE HEADHUNTERS RIGHT?
©Jack Wheeler
[This Monday's Archive was originally published on November 11, 2005. Nineteen years ago, our country along with much of the world was going so bananas it seemed that reality was being turned on its head. And as it was up until this month. So here is an interesting analysis of how people throughout history have flipped reality upside down. I think you’ll find it fascinating, and especially since in the past two weeks America has now turned itself right side up, embracing normal common sense once again. What a relief. Enjoy!]
TTP, November 11, 2005
A multitude of events this past week provides convincing evidence that the world in general, including vast numbers of Americans, and the majority of voters in California, is going certifiably insane.That 53% of California voters made it illegal to require a pregnant teenage girl to tell her parents about her having an abortion is way beyond moral depravity. We’re into organisms perilously close to no longer being normally human.
Then again, what sort of human bond can you feel towards rioting barbarians in France, savages who behead Christian girls in Indonesia, or suicide bombers in Iraq, Jordan, and Israel?
I could multiply further examples of insanity – such as Harry Reid and his Democrats who hate George Bush more than Moslem terrorists – but instead let’s talk about a case that just appeared before the Supreme Court, Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita Beneficiente Uniao Do Vegetal, and the connection between religion and hallucinogenic drugs.
Doesn’t that sound like more fun? So get set, for this is going to be a mind-blow.