Archive for August, 2009
Quantum Psychology
Insight into Social Change
Without Moral Confrontation, Neither Them nor Us are Going Anywhere
Our failing social institutions attest to the fact that “business as usual” is no longer good enough. We have failing schools, ecological collapse, a huge national debt, a deep recession and two wars we are charging on our Chinese credit card – and that’s just for starters. The fundamental problem is that our technology has created an environment on the planet that has never before existed, creating new problems that require new solutions. Philosophers and scientists have long recognized that change is the only constant in the universe and we have elected a president who campaigned on the promised of change. And yet, resistance to change is formidable – why is that?
Change means doing something different from before and that requires letting go of the past.
Martin Amis, in his book about Joseph Stalin, said: “Before humanity can move forward, all crimes against itself must be given their day in the sun, their victims mourned, and proper conclusions drawn.” News commentators, historians and philosophers bring the dark side of our society into the light of our mainstream culture; moral confrontation is how we draw proper conclusions and stimulate social progress.
When Indians morally confronted the British Raj, India achieved independence. After WWII, when Jews morally confronted the Holocaust, the former victims became Israeli warriors. In the sixties, when African Americans morally confronted the modern version of slavery, Jim Crow, they made great strides in civil rights and began to transcend their victim status. Feminists morally confronted their inferior status and made significant progress toward social equality for women. Morally confronting the fact that millions of Americans can’t pay for health care gives us insight into what direction health care reform should take.
Modern communication technology is accelerating social change by quickly bringing information associated with the dark side of our society into the mainstream culture, including, most recently, the dark side of Christianity. For example, the word “inquisition” is no longer limited to the infamous Spanish Inquisition, but has become part of the modern lexicon, referring to any harsh investigation. When a reporter for the Boston Globe printed an expose of sexual abuse perpetrated by Catholic priests, almost immediately, victims around the world came forward, empowered themselves and prompted changes in Church policies. Jews morally confronted the inaction of the Vatican during the Nazi years and decreased the institutional anti-Semitism that has characterized Christianity for centuries. In recent years, the Vatican acknowledged some responsibility for its part in the subjugation of women and pardoned the scientist, Galileo, for saying that the earth revolved around the sun. That people are still so reluctant to morally confront not religious beliefs, but the behavior those beliefs engender, like opposition to birth control, indicates that much work remains to be done.
Albert Einstein said: “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” Albert Schweitzer said: “Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things, man will not himself find peace.” Jean Boyd says: “Moral confrontation is the key.” What do you say?
Quantum Psychology
The Last Rite of Passage: Old Age
“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”
- Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor, AD 121-180
Here is a reality check into what it means to be old in America, and it doesn’t look good. According to the US Census Bureau, more of us are living longer. Our present life expectancy is 76 – 80, and by 2030, people 65 and older will make up 20% of the US population (71 million). When you reach 65, you will have an 80% chance of acquiring at least one chronic condition (most probably arthritis), and a 50% chance of having two. In addition to short term memory loss, there is the dreaded Alzheimer’s, which affects 10% of us over 65 and 47% of us over 85. When you get old, you can expect unrelenting deterioration of your physical health, mental faculties and quality of life – and soaring medical expenses.
So, is there anything good about getting old? Based on my recent experience at age 73, my response is a resounding, “Yes!”
By 72 I fit the aging profile (arthritis, two hip replacements) and shared my displeasure with my friend, William, then 87. “I’m younger than you,” I grumbled, “but now I have your symptoms: short term memory loss, can’t concentrate and I’m depressed and preoccupied with death. All I do is read novels, watch Netflix movies and eat ice cream. Remember, when your mother was on her death bed and told you: ‘Sonny, life is ‘bullshit?’ Well, she got that right. Do you think maybe we have Alzheimer’s?”
Now a year later, I discovered that rather than Alzheimer’s, I had been experiencing a normal life passage, one of several that occur throughout our adult lives. The first passage is adolescence, when, at about age 13, we begin to leave childhood behind. The second passage, which occurs around age 35, is the infamous midlife crisis, when we leave youth behind. The third passage occurs around age 50, when we confront the imminence of old age. When we actually reach old age, at around age 70, the challenge is to leave everything behind and confront death.
