Mission: Healing September 6, 2011

PGY 39, Day # 68

More on Stupid: Moron, Stupid!

Some might ask, "What brought on this ranting about stupid?", or "Why now?" Well, I am not sure, but it seems to me that my Katrina Flashbacks, brought on by Irene ... seeing that Irene is about 6 years behind Katrina. And, my experience with Katrina was summarized as "an exercise in stupidity." So, clearly, I have been thinking about this for quite some time, and I have written some about it, but kept those writings to myself. Perhaps they needed time to mature ... time to be nurtured and grown, and I needed time to get comfortable with the idea of giving birth to such thoughts. In any case, now, because of the modern wonders of technology, we have reached the stage where my thoughts can be typed and published for world distribution ... in a matter of seconds. That is amazing! That is smart! That is the opposite of stupid ... which brings me back to more on stupid.

What is the Worst Kind of Stupid?

Clearly there is a Hierarchy of Stupid Human Behavior. I would rank Stupid Behavior on the simple basis of how many people are hurt by the consequences of the stupid thoughts and actions of a particular individual.

So, for example, stupid decisions by individuals, organizations, NOLA, LA and federal leaders before Katrina (during the days, weeks and years before) resulted in bad things for many people, as well as injury and deaths for some. Clearly ... some of the issues were beyond the control of those in power on the day the storm hit, but that's no excuse for bad thinking and behavior as the storm approached, eh?

Another example might be Hitler ... he is a good (?, well, he was not good, but he is the perfect example of, perhaps the pinnacle of the stupid triangle) one to use as an example, because he mesmerized the German people and many around the world with his nonsensical wishful thinking, then duped these people into carrying out his evil mission for fear of retaliation of one sort or another. I am sorry to say, that Hitler was only able to carry out his mission, to the extent that he caused so much pain, suffering and death around the world, because early in his regime he bought the Medical Profession in Germany. (Read "The Nazi Doctors" by Robert Jay Lifton for insight into how Hitler duped the Doctors.) I dare say that, had "Nazi Doctors" resisted ... had they not fallen in line with Hitler, they could have brought him to a halt before he got his machine going. "It is what it is", to quote Machiavelli, and as history tells us the story unfolded, Hitler, for whatever reason(s) was able to carry out his STUPID (pure selfishness? psychopath?) mission ... to an extent. It has been done by Hitler and the world still lives with his fallout. So, I do put him at the top of the stupid list ... at the pinnacle of the stupid triangle ... Hitler, a man who wanted to dominate the world at any cost.

As you look around at today's world leaders, how would you rank them? Hmmmm ...

And, in your daily life, looking at yourself, and others around you, where do we ... where does each of us fit in the stupidity ranking? Tough thoughts ... look in the mirror first ...

Move Away From Stupidity: Do The Right Thing

Enough on Stupidity, at least for now, because there is no longer any need to wallow in it. We now have instant access to the world with words and deeds. Each and all of us (at least most) have the ability ... the capacity to think clearly and to express ourselves in a positive, creative and (not stupid) productive way. Not yet, but soon, virtually all humans will have the freedom to speak to the world directly ... and in seconds. Now, those of us who do have freedom can spread good words and deeds that resonate with humans everywhere.

Yes, the common ground is there ... for us to love and be loved in return, to care and be cared for, and to keep the world on the positive track of freedom, mutual respect and dignity. Our instincts are (animal) survival instincts (selfish), but we have the capacity to be much better than that. It can be done, and now, we have easy access to large numbers of people throughout the free world, so building a critical mass of people who want to do the right things should be relatively easy. We no longer have any excuses, we have freedom to speak and act properly in our own space and in the world community within seconds.

The energy required to move away from our instinctive (selfish, stupid) behavior is significant, but the rewards are great. First ... self control comes first and then a willingness to help others. Once these things are done ... helping those around you ... one at a time ... family, then community, state, nation and world. Yes, now that the world is much smaller ... we now have the tools to break out of mundane survival routines and to live and love and grow each other. Let's do it together! Let's DO THE RIGHT THING! LIFE IS LOVE(TM)

Thank about it, and let me know what you think.

I will start posting bits and pieces of "The Stress Management Workbook: An action plan for taking control of your life and health" on this blog, if I can figure out how to do it. Some might find it useful. Even though we originally had it published 30 years ago, it is still quite relevant. After all, the fundamentals never change.

Have a nice day.

Dr. Mike