Therapist

An acceptable therapist is who is professionally qualified, experienced, is well versed in processing information, is skilled and competent in listening, is not judgemental, has a keen sense of observation, and preferably has subjected himself/herself to professional analysis.

Avoid Mom and Pop therapists who are quick fixers. Quick half baked fixes to deep rooted conflicts of mind are no solution, and could worsen the condition.



A time to ponder...........

Fear

Fear seems to be anywhere and everywhere, and come in varied forms. Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of dying, fear of being, fear of being dependent, fear of being independent, fear of seeking help, fear of losing job, fear of being known, fear of losing power, fear of being subdued, fear of flying, fear of sleeping, fear of height, fear of falling in love, fear of falling out of love, fear of losing mind, and worst of all the fear of being free from fear.


Time to ponder....................

Elections and Self Evolution

Election results provide samples of psycho-social-political thinking and feelings of it's electoral at a given time and space. Elections provide an opportunity to study the portraits of it's competitive leaders. Portraits of leaders can be viewed and studied by observing their behaviors, and analysing the contents of statements made by political leaders regarding their social and political views, their efforts to invoke politically powerful tactics such as (race, gender, patriotism), their exaggeration of facts, and their sarcasms...........

Equally important, elections provide an opportunity for it's electoral to observe their own behaviors, and critically examine their thoughts and feelings about themselves, and their views about others. Elections invoke varied thoughts and feelings among individuals towards fellow electoral through varied psychosocial forms including affiliation and projections.

The election process in of itself could be an evolving process for self evolution as it provides varied cathartic moments as well.



Time to ponder...............

Fed's Power to Intervene in Financial Crisis?

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has proposed to give Fed's more.... the so called power to intervene in financial crisis. It is not a power. Let's make it clear Mr. Paulson, it is a responsibility given to Fed's under the disguise of "power" to insulate the financial marketeers' irrational risk taking at the cost of the public funds. In addition, it appears that Fed's will inherit responsibilities and liabilities which in turn will insulate the so called financial market. Also, the creation of the so called consumer protection unit is an interesting way to shift consumer liability from the financial corporate world to Fed's consumer protection unit. Behind fancy words such as consolidation, efficiency, consumer protection, reform..... lies the danger of creation of another financial corporate financial welfare system.



Time to ponder..........

Humanity and It's Deep Down Open Secret

The history of humanity on this planet is full of it's deep down open secret that it is a representation of a very destructive specie. Individually as well as collectively the specie has mutilated it's individual as well as collective self. In doing so, it has created varied world views and orders. Each world view once dissected would prove that behind facade of civilization and culture lies nothing but destructive ways of living in varied forms under the powerful dynamic practice of power and control. Is there any individual or collective group on this planet free from the troubling affects of vicious dynamic practice of power and control? Once we look, for example, deeper into any statehood, religious priesthood, and individual saint or sainthood....... what do we find?!............Not a very pretty picture? Of course, we have capacity to justify and rationalize just about any individual or collective acts including the acts of civilizations and cultures, and create an illusionary pretty picture.

We may take solace in our desire of kindness and spirituality, yet that too gets spindled, mutilated, and compromised under the realities of practice to seek power and establish control.



Time to ponder...............

Older Americans not living as long as those in other countries - Salt Lake Tribune

Older Americans not living as long as those in other countries - Salt Lake Tribune

Perception

Perceptions are muddled with socio-economic-political-cultural-religiosity dogmatic quagmire by our so called political leaders. The political distractions introduced by political leaders once dissected could reveal the true identity of political leaders. For examples, the issue of year marks invoked by President Bush to distract attention from serious expenditures and misuse of public funds such as the cost of Iraq war and no bid contract; Mr. McCain has invoked the so called moral principle to stay in Iraq than bring an immoral war to an end and restore the tarnished image of our great country; Mrs. Clinton's attempt to resurrect pastor Wright's remarks and judge Mr. Obama rather than come clean with her Fellowship affiliations. These political leaders have shown by their tactics their true identity.

Political leaders will continue to use tactics such as distraction should voters fail to see the rationale behind such tactics and stop reinforcing such behaviors by rewarding them with election victories.


Time to ponder................

Distrust and Simmering Anger..........

Mr. Krauthammer has exercised his freedom of press, and freedom of speech in his article "Obama's Elegantweasel Words" published in St. Petersburg Times 3/20/08 6:51 PM. It seems Mr. Krauthammer is not all that happy with Mr. Obama's speech. Mr. Krauthammer in his article expressed his views with anger towards Mr. Obama. He has every right to express his views and anger towards whatever his perceived or real disappointments may come from. Election debates and discussions some time produce a cathersis..............

Mr. Krauthammer's article did not provide any positive suggestion other than expose of his own distrust. Distrust has to be put in abeyance in order to engage in a purposeful dialogue to transcend from distrust. Mr. Obama has set a positive tone rather than a negative tone. Are we ready to move forward?


A time to ponder.........

Journalist and Journalism ..........

On C-Span (2/28/08), a group of Journalist including John Burn, New York Times London Bureau Chief, and Nick Davies, Author of "Flate Earth News:......... were discussing "Influence of Foreign media on Global Issues." The discussion centered around many challenges faced by journalists such as possible complicity of news media with Power and the State, failure of news media to critically examine the WMD claims rather media played into the hands of the Power and the State, the challenge from flourishing public relation industry, and the realities of the new market place which is constricting journalists working conditions and profession.

John Burn's defensive statements for the New York Times were interesting. Mr Burn was acting as if he were a public relations spokes person for the New York Times rather than a journalist. Mr. Burn, are you really a journalist or something else you rather not share? Interesting as it was to hear John Burn's explanations in defense of the New York Times, he failed to acknowledge that journalists had failed to critically report Iraq's position as they had readily accepted and reported the positions taken by the Western States. There is no way to predict what might have had happened had journalists had taken a balanced critical views towards the rationale for the war. It is clear though that the profession of journalism failed to follow it's basic professional objective balanced reporting standard. And it is becoming clear by the day that Journalists consciously or unconsciously rather being neutral and objective were at best victims of their ignorance, or at worse the victims of their bias.


A time to ponder..........

The Question of Moral Equivalence and Political Peace Makers

The question of moral equivalence in seeking political peace among varied differing groups needs to be avoided, or at best differed for a simple reason that the question of moral equivalence usually is divisive and and has potent potential to create distraction. At a very rudimentary and simple level, it is imperative to understand what is in a moral construct that differentiates a moral construct from another. And equally, it is important to understand why a group values its moral construct over the other.

So first and foremost it is important to know what makes morals moral, or otherwise...... what and how morals are constituted? How the structure of moral tenements are created and changed over the years and for what purpose ?. How moral concepts have developed and are embedded in economics, social, religion, and cultural fabrics of varied social, religious, and cultural groups? How much morals are, if they are, human specie specific?

Should there be a need to address the question of moral equivalence, it needs to be addressed with compassion and candor by a person who has analysed himself or herself, or has subjected himself or herself for analyses. In doing so the person reduces the probability of injecting his or her value projections into the discussion of moral equivalence.

Time to ponder............

Identifying wiith the Aggressor

Article titled "Phony black friends ditch Sen. Clinton by Bill Maxwell, Published in St. Petersburg Times, March 14, 2008.

In the above article, Mr. Maxwell concludes: "Win or lose, Hillary Clinton has earned the right to never trust the word of another black person."

Does this mean including you, Mr. Maxwell?

Mr. Maxwell, a black person, seems to be identifying himself with the aggressor. In addition, he has explicitly and by all implicit possible implications thereof, has insulted the intelligence of every black person including himself.


Time to ponder...............

America's Identity.

CNNPolitics.com news: Church: Obama ex-pastor is under unfair attack.

The article cites pastor Wright's statement which according to this article was made during a sermon in December in which the article states " Wright argued Clinton's road to the White House is easier than Obama's because of her skin color."

"Hillary was not a black boy raised in a single-parent home, Barack was. Barack knows what it means to be a black man living in a country and a culture that is controlled by rich white people. Hillary ain't never been called a 'nigger!' Hillary has never had her people defined as a non-person."

Roger Cohen in his Op-Ed titled "Obama's Brother in China" published in New York Times March 17, 2008 cites Obama's half-sister Auma who said to him:

"My daughter's father is British. My mom's brother is married to Russian. I have a brother in China engaged to a Chinese woman."

Finally, the world is becoming a village. Barack Obama is a perfect example of trans culture, trans religion, and trans racial product. Our nation may choose a trans person as nation's president to represent what truly America is made of, a nation of global immigrants.

What an exciting time to participate in political drama, observe political leaders verbal and non-verbal response, and read some of these leaders political statements reflecting of their unconscious archetypes.

Time to ponder..........

Truth....Hurts.......Catharsis may help

The following quote from pastor Jeremiah A. Wright cited in New York Times Op-Ed Generation Obama? Perhaps Not....... by William Kristol is significant in current political environment as well as in historical context........... However, the Op-Ed is not about the pastor.

According to Op-Ed's writer pastor Wright "proclaimed" that: "The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, not God bless America. God damn America, that's in the Bible for Killing innocent people.....God damn America for treating our citizen as less than human."

The above quote reflects pastor Wright's perception towards with whom he identifies, and towards with whom he has deep rooted unresolved grievances. Mr. Kristol did not address whether Mr. Wright's grievances have any significance or not, or whether our nation has transformed and transcended from it's racial discrimination, or what our great nation can do to resolve inherent social and psychological issues. Mr. Kristol's Op-Ed is, according to Mr. Kristol, about Mr. Obama's "deceit" and "conceit". Mr. Kristol has every conceivable right to choose to write whatever he chooses to write. For Mr. Kristol the urgency it is not what Mr. Wright has said but what Mr. Obama said or did not say.

According to Mr. Kristol "The more you learn about him, the more Obama seems to be a conventionally opportunistic politician, impressively smart and disciplined, who has put together a good political career and a terrific presidential campaign. But there's not much audacity of hope there. There's calculation of ambition, and the construction of artifice, mixed in with a dash of deceit- all covered over with the great conceit that this campaign, and this candidate, are different". Mr. Kristol further in his Op-Ed writes about Generation Obama?, and expresses his view that ".....there's something creepy about a campaign claiming them as "Generation Obama."
So what do we have here........ a pastor's speech about our nation's racial behavior, and a journalist's "deceit" and "conceit" allegations and his fear manifested by his use of word "creepy" in the above quote.

It seems to me that, in my humble opinion, both Mr. Wright and Mr. Kristol are projecting their anger and fear. Elections provide, again.... in my humble opinion, at best a time for reflection and an evolutionary time for catharsis.


Time to ponder..................

Image Analysis of Events During Election.........

The events of recent public speeches of Rod Parsley, the "spiritual adviser" of Senator McCain, and Jeremiah Wright, the "spiritual adviser" of Senator Obama are forms of bigotry.

One is a symbol of bigotry, and the other a symbol of counter bigotry. Both are rationalized justifications. Whether bigotry is slowly but surely losing its grip on evolving human specie that remains to be an open question........

In the mean time the events of race cards are becoming frequent occurrences in current political environment. The end results of a long race card game through self analysis or with the help of professional analysis could bring an opportunity to transform and transcend a nation from racists under currents permeating in the United States of America, or the events could divide the nation should the nation fails to come to terms with its racist sickness. The hope to hope is that once these events are analysed individually as well as collectively the United States of America will transform and transcend from its bigotry, and the nation will be stronger and united . The realism, under the circumstances, suggest that as long as the race card is being played in the political arena by political leaders the end result is not going to be positive. The dynamics under which the race card was inserted in of itself has been so negative from the early primaries that to hope for a better outcome in the short term is going to be no more than a hope for now......

Regardless, the events of these speeches, and the reactions or lack of or muted reactions in some cases are all in themselves provide an opportunity to assess the archetypes images that these events are invoking among the inhabitants of the United States of America in particular, and the inhabitants of this planet at large, in general.

Time to ponder............

United States, A Nation Without A Name.........

United States is not a name. It is a statement that there are states united to form a nation, not a name of a nation. America is a name of a continent comprising from north to south that includes many nations such as Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, Argentina, and many others with names. And then there are States in unison so to speak called as United States with names such as Florida, Texas, California, New York.......in between Canada and Mexico part of the American continent without a national name. So are the inhabitants of these United States to call themselves UnitedStatestatians like the inhabitants of Canada called themselves as Canadians?

Is this one more reason that the inhabitants of these States are struggling with their identity?

A "nation" without a name............


Time to ponder...............

Eliot Spitzer and Larry King Show

Well, Larry King show was having problem getting good shows. Eliot Spitzer has brought a new life to Larry King show. Political drama has no sex appeal. A life time of political experience drama played by Mrs. Clinton is full with wrinkles, and lost any sex appeal it might have had in Mrs Clinton's mind before it got to the airways. So Mr. King must be very grateful of Mr. Spitzer and his sex life that has provided some life to a sagging Larry King show. Tune in and enjoy pop psychology soap opera at Larry King show.


Time to ponder.........

Do Gooder, A Sickness to be Reckon.......

There are political leaders those who think that they have done so much good to eliminate prejudices in the past that they are surprised and demonstrating their disappointments over how their political statements are perceived by nation as prejudicial. Their disappointment should not be with nation's response but with themselves as the problem lies in their lack of understanding of their own behavior which is infected by do gooder nature.

Current political environment in the United States of America opens a window of opportunity to assess personal and collective prejudices permeating among its inhabitants. What level and degree of intended results prejudicial statements bring for the person or the groups using prejudicial statements will determine how far ahead or behind the nation is on prejudicial scale in comparison with its past prejudices.

This is also an excellent opportunity for the prejudicial statement makers to transform themselves from lingering prejudicial sickness. Should the prejudicial statement makers choose to do self analysis with themselves or preferably with professional help, they will do, in my humble opinion, a lot of good for themselves and for the nation they intend to lead.

Are the inhabitants of the United States of America ready to cure their prejudices?

A time to ponder........

NY Times Editorial 3/12/08: McCain Misfires at Grizzlies

Senator McCain is a politician skilled in ancient political tools. One of those tools is to create diversion and distractions from major issues. The waste in government spending is a known fact. The big waste in government is created by decisions taken by senators such as Mr. McCain. In order to hide and divert attention from big wastes such as Halliburton contracts and Iraq war costing trillions of dollars, Mr. McCain has chosen research on Grizzlies research costing perhaps less than a days cost of Iraq fiasco and the research has no ill side effect. In choosing the Grizzly diversion Mr. McCain has failed to address and take responsibility for the wasteful big ticket items caused by decisions made by him and his like-minded senators. In addition, he has demonstrated his research ignorance, as well. In addition, he has already admitted his ignorance on economic issues. In short, Mr. McCain's has proven by his decisions to be a big wasteful spender custodial of public funds, has no expertise in how to improve national economic condition, and wants to continue a wasteful Iraq policy for the next 50 to 100 years, and has exposed his research ignorance by choosing Grizzly research, and finally let us be clear that despite of all this he desires to be the leader of the free world. Well, Mr. McCain it's about time to do some straight talk with yourself. Believe me, in my humble opinion, it will do a lot of good to you, the nation, and the world.


Time to ponder......

Surfacing Archetypes in Political Statements

Current political debates, points, counter-points, and statements made by political leaders such as Ms. Clinton and Mr. Clinton are revealing their chronic social, racial, and cultural prejudices. The prejudices they have lived with and masked during their life through their rationalizations and various forms of psychological, social, political, and cultural work, so it seems.
For some examples, read blog briefs at http://commentaryplus.blogspot.com titled Defence or Bias; Archetypes Coming to Surface.

Recent statement of Ms. Geraldine Ferraro published in Los Angeles Times blog dated 3/11/08 states that "If Barack Obama was a White man, he would not be in this position...."
Well, it's about time Ms. Ferraro to consider alternate thinking, feeling, self analysis, and analysis, or and any other forms of psychological, social, and cultural therapy that may suit her for her mental well being. In doing so, since Ms. Ferraro is a political leader, she could , in my humble opinion, help in building not destroying our nation's mental health.

Time to ponder......

Tragedy of Isreal and Palestine

An article title Tragedy of Israel and Palestine by Mark Levine, Professor of History at UCI Irvine, published in Al Jazeera dated March 9, 2008 reflects human tragedy compounded by power struggle and ideological religious and political conflicts with no peace in sight. Professor Levine's well balanced historical critique is worth reading. May be one day we as a human specie will transform and evolve to appreciate our humanity minus self and collective destructive behavior, and the leaders of the world will seek and establish peace rather than continue to justify and rationalize the power and control of one over the other and engage in perpetual war......


Time to ponder....

Modern Journalistic Entrapment

BBC on line screen under video choice display of Other Top Stories includes: Exiles march on Tibet; Serbia set for early elections; Local polls held in Sri Lanka ........The problem is when you click to watch these video choices you are exposed to commercial videos and no news story videos. What a high journalistic standards BBC is displaying by entrapping viewers to watch commercial videos.


Time to ponder.......

Cost of Campaign

Donations are pouring into the campaign coffers of Obama, Clinton, and McCain. There are two types of donors: one with deep pocket, and the other with little or no pocket. The one with deep pocket will, as always, do just fine. It is the little or no pocket donor who come out with holes in their pocket. The one's with little or no pockets have made small but in large numbers total some donations greater than in any previous elections, that I know off. I put this "that I know off" as a qualifier. I think, I am entitle to such qualifiers since our leaders have taught us with their model, deeds, and practice in recent days. Any way, returning to the donors with little or no pocket...... These modern day donors with little or no pocket are donating with their ideal zeal. I am hoping, since hope is what I get in each election, that modern day donors will not be disappointed and will get enough the so called hope to sustain them through the disappointments which they will have to bear until the next election. During the last election we were preached to choose who talks hope and makes us think over who makes us frightened with fear or to that effect. This election the same leader is frightening us.


Time to Ponder.........

Defense or Bias....

Mrs. Clinton's response to a TV interviewer's question whether Mr. Obama is Muslim with a qualifier " not that I know of" is at best a political protective strategy reflected by Mrs. Clinton's other qualifier "had I known what I know now I would have not voted for the IRAQ war"....... or at worst is reflective of Mrs. Clinton's lingering bias with which she has lived in denial for a long time......



Time for self analysis, analysis, or some serious pondering!!!!!

Archetypes coming to surface

A core of a sentence "........Samantha Power-the Dublin-born Howard expert on human rights........" in an Op-Ed titled The Monster Mess by Maureen Dowd, published in NY Times, accentuated Ms. Power's birth place. Commentary on Commentary (C&C) presents some questions for it's readers to ponder about Ms. Dowd's pointing to Ms. Power's place of birth: Is there a connection between Ms. Power's utterance of word Monster used to characterize Ms. Clinton and Ms. Power's birth place? or Is there a connection between Ms. Dowd's pointing to Ms. Power's place of birth and Ms. Dowd's unconscious concerns of Ms. Power's birth place?

New York Times editorial: Talk, but No Peace

For how long......... the world has been talking about establishing peace and simultaneously building arms race of one kind or the other?. Of course, the answer to this rhetorical question is: in perpetuity. As long as efforts are not made to transform human self needs and insecurities into shared needs and securities, to say the least, talk for peace will continue to be nothing more than Talk, but no Peace.........

Do you think Bush and Condi are the peace messengers? Get real, and start writing editorial worthy of peace.

And the Good News Is.....by Gail Collins, published in NY Times 3/8/08

Gail Collins in her Op-ed published in NY Times reflects and rambles on current democratic primaries mixed with some historical events. Gail, Primaries are forms of political cathartic periods providing an excellent opportunity to assess varied surfacing archetypes (primeval images such as invoking of fairy tales, religion, and ideas). Your Op-ed has glimmers of surfacing archetypes as well. Keep on writing!!!

Commentary on Playing by Clinton Rules by David Brooks

David, I am a democrat who also appreciates republican writings. The question which comes to my thought is not whether Mr. Obama to follow Clinton rule or follow his own but whether the nation is ready for the new rules. And the answer depends.... where on the evolutionary scale the nation and it's inhabitants are, and the election results will determine whether Clinton, Bush, McCain's politics is of the past. The nation has seen the politics of the past, and some of its good, bad, and indifference results. Now the nation has an opportunity to see whether the nation is set in a mind set of the past and unable to change, or ready to break out and create a new world view. Election results will provide a snap shot of nation's current thinking , feeling, and its ability or inability to reinvent itself for the better.