LACK OF EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT

It started out to be a way to bring into prospective what is most important in life and relationships, but ended up being more disturbing as a whole about a younger generation of men.  The general question, is if you are far away from everything that you know in life what do you think you would miss the most?  Would it be a car, movie, game system, places to eat or someone that is in your family which would you miss the most?  The first person gave a simple answer; he said everything and not one thing in particular.  This was like saying that everything, including a human being that is thought of as a loved one, is equal and there is no real emotional attachment to anything over another.  After a while of thinking about it, I asked another young man in the family and got basically the same answer.

This reminded me of a recent incident, where my daughter asked her soon to be ex-husband whether he was at the house because of her and his sons or simply because he had no where else to be? His answer was because he did not have anywhere else to be.

Three young men of about the same age and all lacking an emotional attachment to those who they should have this attachment to. That the human beings were of no more importance then the objects they also enjoy spending time with.  A wife or a child is not more important to them than a good cup of coffee or an enjoyable game to play.  Simply something that they enjoy spending time doing or having around at the moment.  They boil down the only reason to be in any relationship as a convenience of the moment.   They aren’t saying their loved one would be missed, but rather that they could be replaced and are not a special selection among any other who would also perform the same functions as someone to talk to or be around.

The ability to have emotional attachment gives us the ability to see others as special or even fellow human beings. That goes beyond those outside of our family and in a sense our own value as human.  Lacking it is what enables everything from theft to mass murder like in the case of Hitler.  If this had been shown in only one individual it is a matter of concern but in three in the same generation and from different families is alarming and makes me wonder if it is a symptom of the generation?

Emotional attachment is a key benchmark of being a human being and one of the foundations of the very concept of humanity.

What to do, what to do, oh, what to do?



Since Barack Obama took office on January 20, 2009, he has received a barrage of criticism from the Right regarding his priorities. Some is well-intended and some is obviously just criticism for the sake of criticizing. I have often said that if Barack Obama cured cancer tomorrow, the Republicans would condemn him for not doing it today.

Some recent commentary from the Right has got me to thinking (yes, that is fairly rare on both counts) just what should have been Barack’s priorities coming into office and, on this date, what should his priorities be moving forward?

Obviously, when President Obama took office, he had a full plate of serious issues to handle – an economy in the tank, two wars, the Bush legacy of disaster, Gay Right’s issues, Wall Street corruption and not the least of all, filling a cabinet and appointing people to positions critical to his administration.

Of course, hindsight is 20/20, but all of us indulge in looking at the past. Looking at the future is a bit more difficult, but I have it on good authority that all Pop Bloggers are equipped with the ability to see into the future with uncanny accuracy.

So, my fellow low-life liberals and progressives, what should he have done and what should he do now?

(Feel free to toss in some of your patented humor for good measure!)

William Stephenson Clark

WHERE DO YOUR THOUGHTS AND PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS COME FROM.

What do you think and why?

Each and every individual takes in information and processes it with preset concepts and learned patterns. Some of it is the influences of those you love and or respect having heard them express their opinions on any given subject.  Those opinions become implanted in a child’s mind and become a set answer to some questions.

Often it is the same sex parent who is the one who set these preconceived answers to question or subjects.  Generally these issues, subjects and opinions are related to that genders impact on their lives.  Opinions of the opposite sex, the work place and what ever interactions that gender has with the world outside themselves. And that is often imposed on a child of their gender but the child is not isolated from the opinion and thought processes of the opposite sex parent.

Some opinions are isolated and the other view is also instill they may intertwine in places to make a opinion based on that intertwining.

The opinion of friends can be impacted upon the child and group thought or opinion may gain standing within the individual. All these early opinions and processes can be carried into adulthood and to the political thought processes.  This may have an effect in determining the party affiliation of the individual and their leaning on issues.  With the passage of time and the impact of a given issue these opinions and stances may change and drive the individual to change their opinion sometime to one that is geometrically opposite of their long held stances.

Life can be a factor in this, such as the pro-choicer having a child of their own and suddenly the issue is no longer a abstract subject to them. Likewise the Pro-lifer may have an incident that causes them to see the other side of the issue.  Such life happenstances often influence the opinion and stances of the individual.  The Pro-firearms having a family member killed in a sense-less street crime and the like.

But along with preset ideas and opinions, life has a way of forming the individuals opinion, perceptions and answers to issues and questions.  This all contributes to the political opinions and how a person reacts to the issues.

I will use a recent occurrence to give example to this, the mine explosion in West Virginia.  As I take note of the reactions to this occurrence, I notice the differences between people of different leanings.  From outrage at this was allowed to happen and more was not done to prevent it.  To the focus should be on the effect not just on the family but the unspoken effect on the general public as a whole.

And where partisan distrust and preconceived thought of the reactions come in.  It is a preconceived thought that the more Liberal will see this as a cause to force changes in the work environment. An incident as a poster child for attacking big business and an example of how the common worker is put upon and devalued by employers.  The counter preconceived thought is that the Conservative will defend and support the mine owner.  As if not for them then every worker would not have a income and their family would starve.  So that the Conservatives will not care about the deaths of the miners, it is simply the price to be paid.

We often come at the other side from our preconceived ideas and thoughts of the other side.  Thinking that it is not logic or reality that influences them it is their preconceived ideology that governs them.

Another example is thinking someone of a different race will act and react according to preconceived notions. Blacks will be lazy, Mexicans will be shiftless and Jews will cheat you in business.  Anything counter is dismissed and over looked rather then to rethink the preconceived notion.  Or taken as a exclusion to the general rule, an isolated happening so it is meaningless.

tstbgop

StoryCorps Illustrates the Mother/Son Bond

StoryCorps Illustrates the Mother/Son Bond

From this short video exchange between a mother and her son is a lesson for all of us, not just mothers, not just parents, but for all our interactions with other humans.  We really should spend the time to find the best in each person, or at least spend less time finding the least.

iggydonnelly

3/16/1954 — 5/2/2010

He was a dedicated father, son, brother, and friend.  He loved music and relaxed with his guitar.  He loved people, he fought for the common man, and he will be sorely missed.  When the Prairie Pops blog began it was both because Steven wanted a civil place to hold discussions and because there were rumors the local newspaper might be facing financial problems and shut down.  He made sure there was a place he could find his friends if that happened.  His friends were important to him.  And we all know we’re better people because he called us friends.

This is the description Steven wrote of himself when he began this blog in March of 2009 —

iggydonnelly borrowed his nickname from Ignatius Donnelly, a prairie populist who started the People’s Party in 1892.  The original Donnelly was a senator from Minnesota.  The people in the Populist party were against the rich and for the common man.  In 1892, Ignatius Donnelly said… “The fruits of the toil of millions are boldly stolen to build up colossal fortunes, unprecedented in the history of the world, while their possessors despise the republic and endanger liberty.”

The blogger donnelly has worked in various Kansas Community Mental Health Centers since February 1st, 1982.  The blogger has worked at his current place of employment since 1992.  Donnelly is a student and sometimes adjunct instructor of psychology.  The blogger donnelly is an advocate of progressive politics and free thought.  Donnelly has never raised any corn, but he has raised hell if there was no one around to watch, that is.  This author believes that same sex marriage is a civil rights issue and is a supporter of this cause.  In his spare time donnelly conducts psychological research that combine his interests in “positive psychology” and treatment planning for persons with severe and persistent mental illness.  He has one teenage son and one teenage daughter, who both with the aid of many heavy sighs, have learned to tolerate their father.

The Most Influential Person of the Decade???

The Washington Post has offered up this group of names for nomination of the most influential person of the decade.  Who among these nominees had the greatest influence on shaping the decade? – is the criteria… The WashPo  will announce their results today.  The Choices:

George W. Bush, Timothy Giethner, Lance Armstrong, Paris Hilton, Dick Cheney, Ben Bernanke, L. Page & S. Brin, Hillary Clinton, Osama bin Laden, Barack Obama, Steve Jobs, J.K. Rowling, Hu Jintao, Jon Stewart, Mark Zuckerman, or Al Gore.

Prairie Pops, who wins your vote and why?  Is anyone else embarrassed to confess they don’t recognize all of the names on the list?  Do you have someone else to nominate – tell us who and why?

Which side are you on: What labor day is all about.

Out Of Africa: Human DNA

Did anyone watch “The Human Family Tree” recently on the National Geographic channel? One of the most fascinating facts found out, after checking the DNA of 350,000 human beings from every corner of the planet, is we all come from the same area of Africa.

200,000 – 150,000 years ago: The genetic journey of everyone alive today began with one woman — “Scientific Eve” — who lived in Africa and passed along her DNA through special cell structures called mitochondria, which only women pass down to further generations. What that means is, we are all related: Black, White, Yellow, Brown . . . we’re all the same. Our DNA varies by 1/10 of 1%, and that small percentage is what gives us our individual identities.

The color of a humans skin comes not from DNA, but where our ancestors migrated to. European ancestors lived in cold climates, so skin pigmentation lightened over generations. Those living in warmer or hotter climates retained the darker characteristics. It makes it interesting, then, how much race (which actually doesn’t exist) plays the role it does in society.  I wonder how racists would actually feel if they knew they were hating their brothers and cousins?  My guess is they would not believe the evidence when presented to them. All one has to do is look to people like Linda Jenkins, Bill O’Reilly and their ilk to understand facts have little meaning to them.

So, readers, how do we change the minds of people bent on destroying race relations, when the evidence of DNA points to the non-existence of race? Is it even possible?

Read more: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/the-human-family-tree-3706/Overview66#tab-time-line#ixzz0PxF2vaeh

jammer5

What is my job as a citizen?

I’m struggling.

I want to toss some thoughts out because I’m not sure what a citizen’s role really is in the US anymore. I’m curious what people here think.

Until recently, I thought that my primary role in the running of our country was to communicate and understand what my elected officials were doing. Those who communicated effectively with me and who made decisions I either agreed with (or at least understood the logic behind) were to be rewarded with my vote. Those who were less effective in those tasks I’d vote to replace. That’s what I understood in my civics class back at Oxon Hill High School.

Maybe high school civics from the 70’s doesn’t really apply anymore.

A few years back, I resolved never to speak again on two things – faith and politics. It seemed to me that there was no longer the convention that folks could talk about these things, disagree, and move on as if they’d spoken about nothing of more consequence than the weather.

All the same, I slip up on that resolution sometimes.

What's the point? We're not changing each others minds

It has come to the point that when people discuss those topics, the goal is very often to bring the other person to the opposite side, or berate them as a fool, or worse.

Hemispheric Asymmetries and Political Positions

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a Harvard brain scientist writes of her stroke that she had when she was 37 years of age.  Her stroke resulted from a brain hemorrhage that damaged the left side of her brain.  She’s a neuroanatomist by training.  Prior to describing her stroke and recovery she provides a chapter on brain “hemispheric asymmetries”.

Just as a cautionary note, we all use both sides of our brains.  The right and left hemisheres should be thought of as complimentary halves of a whole and not as seperate brains.  They do have differing specializations, however.

The right side of the brain allows us to:  remember isolated moments with uncanny clarity; recognize faces; the present moment is the only time period that is recognized; there is no defined rules about the correct way of doing things; intuition and empathy are processed on the right side of the brain. From the book: “The present moment is a time when everything and everyone are connected together as one.  As a result, our right mind perceives each of us as equal members of the human family” (p. 30).

Our left hemisphere  is organized around language.  Language is understood and produced in the left hemisphere. The left side of our brain thrives on facts and details.  There is a constant flow of brain chatter that comes from the left mind.  The left side defines our sense of self.  Time is organized and sequential.  Academic skills are processed on the left side our brains.

After reading the book, and I highly recommend it, I had thoughts that perhaps conservatives have some degree of right hemispheric dysfunction.  Not having empathy, not seeing interinconnections amongst us all, etc. would be clues to this possiblity.

What do you bloggers think of this latter “insight”?  Is it delusion or possibility?

iggy donnelly

Broken People

Who do you think of when you read the words ‘broken people’?  Do your thoughts ever include yourself?  Do you feel empathy, sympathy, compassion, disgust, aversion?  I would like to discuss the unique variants of brokenness, and how we as people and society as a whole react.

Did you think of addicts, homeless people, maybe those with some definitions of mental instability as broken people?  I did.  And my emotional reactions were all across the spectrum, some I’m not at all proud of feeling!  I even went to the dictionary and looked up definitions for words like addict, empathy, sympathy, compassion…  I realized I don’t live in a dictionary and every definition fit someplace within my perceptions, but not others.  So I would like to know what you think, I would like to turn this issue over in my mind, take it out to examine it and see if I can grow in understanding.

Addict.  It’s one of the thoughts that came into my mind when I wondered about ‘broken people.’  Is this person addicted to alcohol, illegal drugs, prescription drugs, or maybe coffee?  Should it make a difference?  If I am approached on the street by a homeless woman asking if I can help, how do I react?  Do I automatically start putting restrictions on what help I might offer, or my ability to be compassionate?  Do I wonder if this homeless person is an addict, if giving money will help her continue her addiction?  And haven’t I already decided what the word ‘addict’ means to me!?  Yes, and it had nothing to do with coffee.  I feel differently depending on what choices another person has made, I react differently.  I want to learn how to not do that!

Maybe I need to examine how I define the word compassion.  After much thought I’ve decided compassion is accepting each person for who they are.  This is totally different than empathy which is responding to a person’s emotions and opinions with similar emotions and opinions.  It’s also totally different than sympathy which means feeling sorry or regretful for another’s suffering.

If I am acting out of compassion I won’t sit in judgment of this homeless woman, but will accept her for who she is. Whether she spends money I might give her on McDonald’s, drugs, or the medical bills that may be the reason she is homeless, doesn’t really matter.  Is it not her right as a human being to make her own choices?  For sure I won’t be accountable for her choices, but she will be.  I don’t get to decide what is a poor choice or what would be a better choice for her — not if I accept her for who she is, accept the fact that she has the right to her own choices, and agree to honor that right for everyone.

I think the person I want to be would be compassionate to all who suffer, and try to cultivate a loving attitude to everyone else—even those who don’t.  I am not the person I want to be!

How do I cultivate compassion for privileged people who remain oblivious to the consequences their self-centeredness visits upon others?  How on earth do I offer compassion to someone who regards him/herself as superior and who feels no discomfort on account of being oblivious?  I’m personally going to have the hardest time with those unable to recognize happenstance may be the only difference between them and anyone else, particularly someone less fortunate.

Aren’t we all “broken” to some degree or other (certainly, myself!) And I need to try harder to interact with others with compassion for their unique variant of brokenness.  I have found that many people’s “addiction” is to a state of denial that they are broken at all.  This addiction is no less vicious than alcoholism or drug addiction, and, like those addictions, is rarely willingly abandoned.

A Banned Clown: Makes Ya Feel Sorry For Him

The one blogger we banned, has less than positive opinions about us – imagine that!  This dude makes Nathan P. from the other place look like a master debater or a masturbator – well, maybe, they both share that honor.

He still links to us.  We’ve forgotten about him, the reverse direction, maybe not.

iggy donnelly

OK LETS GO OFF THE DEEP END AND BEYOND THE EVERYDAY!

Have you ever seen a ghost, maybe a monster? Something that you don’t talk about to others that you don’t trust? BUT you know you saw something that is not the everyday even though you have to question if indeed you did see it? Don’t be afraid, as you are not alone.  Most sightings of ghosts, UFOs and Bigfoot do not get reported and maybe not even mentioned to close friends.

Now have you ever wondered what a call for assistance would sound like after seeing a Bigfoot?  What would you say to a dispatcher after seeing a 7 foot tall, hair covered ape/man in the front yard?  You want their help but don’t want to sound like a crackpot, like someone they would dismiss and not send the police. The following is such a call from the Northwest.  Listen to the confusion and the attempt to dance around exactly what he was seeing and what it could be.  Here is what has come to be called the “911 call”.

BTW, yes, I have seen something strange.  It was back in the middle seventies, and no, I’m not saying it was Bigfoot.  I saw it in Kansas while hunting.  At the time I’d never  heard of Bigfoot and didn’t even tell my best friends, the ones who know more about me then my wife does. It took over a decade and only after I encountered someone else who had seen it did I ever say anything.

And would you like to know what I saw? Here is a link with pictures that somewhat resemble what I saw in the Big Ditch outside of Wichita. I say “somewhat,” as the hair was more form fitting and the body was better defined.  No, I am not crazy and wasn’t drunk at 6:30 on a Sunday morning. I was hunting rabbits and saw doves flying down to the water to drink. Not having any luck with the rabbits I went and sat in the tall weeds along the bank. When I heard water splashing down stream I leaned out and saw it.  Not a bear, not a dog, not a guy wearing a wetsuit or a naked black man bathing. Now I have established what it was not. I just can not establish what it was.

Enjoy and share, you will be in good company!

tosmarttobegop

THE MORNING AFTER PILL, in a different view.

I wrote some years ago about a pill being developed that reverses everything done within the last twenty four hours. The main character would take winos home and bed them, she killed an annoying delivery person right in front of her door. Then when the Police were about to arrest her she took the pill.

Now the question is to you, if you could take a pill and reverse everything that you would have done in the last twenty four hours. What would you do, how would you act and what decisions would you make?

tosmarttobegop

Cicadas: Latest Evidence for Climate Change

Since I know that many of you are missing the inane arguments from the other place, I thought I would do my civic duty and report on what the Cicadas are saying.  They, according to this scientist, are thinking that their underground homes are getting too hot and they are leaving them early.  This has been a consistent pattern and attributed by this scientist as more evidence of climate change.

More information here.

iggy donnelly