The mind is kind of like money. It cannot make you happy, but it can make life easier, and even make you more free. It can also turn you into a slave, greatly complicate life, and cause misery. It can cause people to be totally out of touch with themselves, others, and reality. Often, just as is the case with money, the mind is mishandled, and abused. It tends to form cooperations. Even more frequently, people easily become too comfortable, and as a result careless, in relation to their thinking, belief systems, values, and use of language and words.
'Progressive liberals' place great value on the mind, and their political beliefs are based on reason, rational thought, and a positive value system.
They often criticizes the masses of people for their unwillingness, and inability to think rationally, as well as for being too influenced by 'main stream media', fear, and emotion in general. They feel, that people should be motivated by reason, thought, education, and reality, in spite of the fact that rational thought, and reasonable behavior is almost as rare as gold, in reality.
The 'progressive liberal's' thoughts are almost always in reaction to everything they see is wrong with the world. They accuse the masses of not living in reality, yet they cannot accept, that the masses of people are a reality.
My point is, that the left wing's extreme, and all encompassing disapproval of the right wing, is identical to other relationships with similar underlying dynamics. A good example is Psychiatry's devaluation of anything relating to religious, or spiritual beliefs. There is a clear sense of superiority in Psychiatry's attitude towards something that is solely based on beliefs, and not grounded in reality. (and this also involves the masses)...when it is quite obvious to me, that the reason Psychiatry so greatly disapproves of religion is based on the fact, that they are so much alike. Psychiatry is practiced much like a religion, and based on little else but beliefs. And it probably will not be in my lifetime, when a great inventor will make history in his being the first to prove, that the soul is backed up by a science as real, clear, accurate and precise as any other science.
Perspective:
The words 'Freedom', and 'Liberty' have different meanings to different people, and under different circumstances, and in different situations. Not everyone thinks alike. I would say that Bush is clearly expressing his freedom, and taking liberties, that are not in violation with the definition of the words. To you, it may mean Democracy, or freedom from slavery. To others, freedom is slavery. (i.e. a person who eats himself to death, because nobody prevents him from eating) To yet another, it may mean he does everything he wants, as long as he can get away with it. Some people only feel truly free as slaves. Democracy is not free. There is no government more difficult to maintain than Democracy. Freedom and Responsibility go hand in hand. Not every person wants, or can handle the responsibility. Freedom requires strict boundaries. (This is an example.)
Killing is not evil. To make such judgement, the circumstances must be considered. The mind, and state of the person/people when they killed, and for what reason, and under the presenting circumstances.
Love and hate belong together. If you cannot feel hate, you also cannot feel love. Same with ecstasy and agony, fear and anger, rage and helplessness. They are pairs that belong together. And this also is true for peace and war.
War in itself is not evil. It's incredibly traumatic, and it changes people. You cannot use any prior or formal learning, or civil understanding to evaluate, judge, and generalize something as complex as war, and it's aftermath...perhaps for generations to come.
Todd Huffman recently wrote an article, Our Christian Nation Should Shop Instead For A National Conscience. I am wondering, if perhaps the reason we don't have a national conscience is, because we lack as a nation, a 'shared experience'. As horrible as a war is, it does not discriminate. It brings out the worst, and the best in people. And even, if not everyone is affected in exactly the same way, it is still a shared experience, in that nobody is left unaffected. More so, everyone is exposed to the aftermath of war. No person can walk through the ruins, and the destruction, and deny what happened. It is perhaps more so the aftermath of war, than the war itself, which brings people together. There is no winner, only loss. The rebuilding of the country is a shared experience, and in some way, people at that time all become equals...much, as is true with people when they die. The judgement goes away. People need each other. The sharing of the experience also makes the experience bearable. And, it can create a national conscience, even if there was none before, as well as a sense of shared responsibility.
Take Germany, as an example. They have a Democracy that makes ours look like a Dictatorship. Taxes are higher than they are here, but you get everything for it. Here you pay a little less, but you get relatively little, if anything for it. Rich people pay the most, of course. Healthcare is not only available to all, but health insurance is mandatory. (even if you only pay $1, because it's all you can afford) Rich people can purchase additional private insurance, and they can pay for additional comforts, and luxuries. Childcare is free. Universities are free. Every time a woman has a baby, she receives child support payments. This is true for both single, and wed mothers. An employer cannot just fire an employee whenever he feels like it. Public schools provide the highest level of education. There is no such thing as charity, because everyone is provided for.
My point is, that this responsible system was the result of the war, and the suffering, and the guilt, and the damage done. People learned, and matured from the experience, and the children of those who had lived through the war were also made, and held responsible. They were affected by the war, as if they had been there. (on a different, but real level) I grew up in Germany, and my mother had lived through the war. We were drilled in matters of politics. We were taught to discriminate against ourselves, and to hate our country. It was almost, as if we had to apologize for existing, and for being so spoiled. All the guilt was projected unto us. But, we are a generation of Germans, where nobody could possibly be more safe. The opening of the wall, and the East pouring in, was a huge challenge for West Germany, and an enormous economic sacrifice. Yet, it was the right thing to do, and Germany took total responsibility for their sins. The war, and it's inherent evil, turned us into socially responsible human beings.
'Every act of creation is first an act of destruction'...Pablo Picasso.
The author lives in Eugene, OR. Interests include 'Group Psychotherapy' and 'Psychodrama'. She is also an RN. One 'Favorite Quote': 'Insanity is the exception in individuals. In groups, parties, peoples and times it is the rule.' ......Friedrich Nietzsche
and since I moved to the US when I was 17, I am largely going on what I have been told by my own generation of Germans since I left. My family, including two sisters still live in Europe, and my twin sister lives in Berlin. She has shared with me along the way, as have many others, both strangers and those I knew as a kid and teenager. Until I was in my early thirties, I also went back to visit every summer, and I lived in Vienna for about a year in my early twenties.
I hated growing up in Germany; I hated it. So did most others, but since we had no comparison, this was often not realized until later in life, and when they, (it would be me, if i had continued to live there) changed things around.
We are the children of german parents who lived through the war, both as soldiers and civilians. Most of our parents were not Nazis, and the ones who were switched to another cause, or they shut up...some of them seriously regretted what they participated in, and they tried to make up for it even harder...by making good out of evil. (and not everyone who participated in evil was evil; they were afraid, and tried to stay alive) We are not the children of Jews whose parents lived through concentration camps. My personal take on those children is, that I cannot think of a more horrible, and dysfunctional upbringing. Almost all of those children are sick...psychologically sick...because their parents were just too sick and broken to be anything close to a parent in whose company a child can thrive. (i.e. they can never be sad, or angry, or depressed, or suffer...because no matter what, they cannot live up to the suffering of their parents.) Those parents, and even our parents, did not talk about the war. (as little as possible) they repressed, and suppressed the feelings, and many of them were exported onto us kids, and we imported them. (We did not know those feelings did not belong to us, of course...this is an unconscious process) We learned about all the horrors in school, and we were not wanted, or welcomed into the world. Many teachers were mean and abusive, especially to the children who were vulnerable)
But yes, almost always, when I talk to other Germans of my generation about my dread, and the memories, they assure me that germany has changed so much, and that i should go and experience this for myself. I was born in 1958, and when my generation grew up and had kids of their own, they put an end to this abusive treatment we had, especially the 'guilt thing', and that we don't deserve to exist until we went through a war ourselves, etc. The teachers have long been forbidden to ask any child and student about their personal life. (No more essays titled: My father)
In a way, all of our parents are a little sick...war changes people. (and I am not including concentration camp victims here, but average Germans) for example, my generation of Germans feel comfortable around all races, and religions, and we don't feel guilty around Jews either, because our conscience is so clean about them. We were never taught not to discriminate against anyone but ourselves, and so we do not suffer from the random prejudice which is so prevalent here. (and telling people it is evil to discriminate causes discrimination. The idea has to be learned, and it is not helpful to tell kids that they are bad when they feel bad feelings, when they are natural. they should be felt, and then you don't have to act on them instead..if they should be present. Plus, it creates an unnatural distance from those forbidden groups. Plus, just look at this website. Prejudice, and discrimination is
rampant...just, that we are not discriminating against black people...only rich people are evil) Last, 'we' are also a little disturbed psychologically, but a little is not always bad, and it leads to better things. but when it's too much, it's too much. Enough for now! (there's so much to talk about)
not edited!
by
Katrin R. (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 11 diaries, 525 comments)
on Wednesday, December 6, 2006 at 6:50:45 PM
that they are not happy in modern Germany. I posted my question though not to investigate the causes of that rampant unhappiness but to argue an 'American cause'. The uniqueness of this country is that the principle of ' pursuit of happiness' is considered an individsual virtue, rather than the virtue of belonging to some group. You truly can be what you are in your pursuit; you do not have (at least in principle) to rely on others, you can make it alone. It is, of course, a dream. But an American dream. It is thus very possible that here, no matter even if they here did not go through horrible national ordeals, the spirit of happiness will be the primary glue of the nation. In all fairness, we really do not want people to go through plague for the survivors to become immune, do we? Immigrants, of course, are sentinels. But although we can warn about vices, we have very little knowledge about hopes of the nation which took us and our vision is limited by our glasses, so to speak. Have a look at my article ( not to brag) ' Pride and Joy and me'. under Mark Sashine and there I tried to show the way to pursue happiness.
If I could use my approach relevant to Germany I would say that happiness is not in reading Gunther Grass, or feeling permanent guilt but in reading the great Heinrich Heine or the genius of geniuses Goethe and find out that Goethe in his 80s courted the 16 years' old girl and Heine, being exiled from Prussia wrote his most lyrical poem ' Germany, the Winter Fairy- Tale'. Those were happy people. They wanted us all to be happy. No matter what.
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Mark Sashine (46 articles, 19 quicklinks, 235 diaries, 3359 comments)
on Friday, December 8, 2006 at 7:35:41 AM
the same way as you about this. That's why both my father and I thrived when we came to this country. (some 65 years apart, that is) When I first came here, I fell in love. I thought people were kind of dumb, but there is something so endearing about people who are a little naive. And I never understood the meaning of a great neighbor either, and how important that is. My mother used to tell me that being judgmental was a sign of intelligence, and that I lacked that. My happiness as a teenager was transmitted primarily through Beethoven.
I would prefer to live there if I was really poor, perhaps.
I do think Germans are happier now than ever, but the pursuit of happiness is really not a primary goal.
The opening of the wall was in part difficult, because you cannot just set people free, and tell them they got freedom. They don't know how to function in a free country. They don't know the concept of competition, an/or
ambition. Plus, it was not just East Germany coming in but the East. Their soil was/is polluted, and worthless, to some extent. I think there are some cities, also in Russia, where more than half of the population has cancer due to radiation, and stuff. (you probably know more about this than I do) I cannot think very well at this moment. I will read your article, and then say more. So, be sure to check back tomorrow.
by
Katrin R. (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 11 diaries, 525 comments)
on Friday, December 8, 2006 at 12:02:15 PM
