The paradox of (a)normality

Senator Mark Kelly's response to threats and intimidation attempts by the Trump administration on "The Rachel Maddow Show".

 

Sursa : Juhani Nurmi, LinkedIn

Changing the foundations of our world

"I hate this era. Everything is fake, everything is falsified. There is no respect anymore, there is no word given anymore. Only money matters. We hear about crimes all day long. I know I will leave this world without regrets"                                                        Alain Delon

 

Ouroboros
 Ancient symbol for the beginning
and end of time  

In just 33 years, the world we live in has entered new directions that have called into question the meaning of all previous evolution.

Beyond the astonishing scientific and technological advances, there remains the blurring of boundaries and categories, the upheaval or inversion of values, the attempts to redefine human morality, the chaos and confusion of social, cultural and human evolution that stands under the sign of Ouroboros.
Previous centuries of evolution, culture and civilization are annihilated by the devastating fury of nihilism and deconstructivism that signals the accelerating spiral of decivilization, dehumanization and violence at the level of the global community. 

A simple review of some reference points in this infernal spiral signals a fracture with the previous evolution, in fact another line of the universe in which the world and man evolve on separate planes. 

As the ancient Greeks said, the problem is not things, but people's opinions about things in a world in motion where everything is redefined and questioned: 

2022 - Permacrisis

'Permacrisis' is a dictionary's word of the year in 'truly awful' 2022

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/11/01/permacrisis-2022-word-year-collins-dictionary/

2022 - Russian invasion of Ukraine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine

2021  - Volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity first-hand

"The global landscape is experiencing the impact of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity first-hand (sn) .

Each of us experiences adversity in some form or another that makes us feel out of control. Neuroplasticity offers us strong solutions to take charge of our thinking regardless of the circumstances in which we may find ourselves."

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ neuroplasticity-rewire-your- thinking-in-times-of- uncertainty-tickets- 209796696567

2020  -  A Letter on Justice and Open Debate

https://harpers.org/a-letter-on-justice-and-open-debate/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Letter_on_Justice_and_Open_Debate#:~:text=%22A%20Letter%20on%20Justice%20and,%22illiberalism%22%20spreading%20across%20society

"The ideological turmoil in the United States, accompanying or accompanied by protests calling for the elimination of racism and social justice, sometimes dramatized by looting of stores or statues - among the latter, iconic figures of Western civilization: Christopher Columbus, the Fathers of the American Constitution, Winston Churchill - continues to a point the older "culture wars". Today, however, value competitions seem to concern not only variants of American democracy, but the very foundations of American society.
Between the policy of language codes, through which a few decades ago universities and media outlets prohibited the use of offensive, obscene*) words (such as “fucking bitch”), or racist ones (“fat–ass nigger”), and the measures of recent times (referential: the forced departure of Ian Buruma from the leadership of The New York Review of Books and, more recently, of editor James Bennet from The New York Times, following the acceptance for publication of some “alternative common-sense” articles), the difference is one of degree, but also of nature. Given the risk of describing, interpreting, and assessing from afar what is happening in a world as complex as America, the prudent approach is to give priority to the “judgment at home.” I propose to the readers of contributors.ro the Romanian version of a letter “about justice and open debate” published on July 7, 2020, in Harper's Magazine and signed by 155 intellectual personalities.The following text, a signal of alarm and appeal, comes from the very intellectual core of democratic and humanistic America."

https://www.contributors.ro/platim-deja-pretul-apelul-unor-importanti-intelectuali-americani/

2016 - INCERTO ( Nassim Nicholas Taleb) 

Taleb- Genelogy of INCERTO

https://www.fooledbyrandomness.com/

2013- The First Five Foundations of Morality 

         ( Jonathan Haidt ) 

The First Five Foundations of Morality
https://www.amazon.com/Righteous-Mind-Divided-Politics-Religion/dp/0307455777

Haidt’s Moral Foundations Theory did not include the sixth foundation, Liberty/oppression, until he discovered it later :

https://www.shortform.com/blog/haidts-moral-foundations-theory/

https://web.archive.org/web/20220420185937/https://www.shortform.com/blog/haidts-moral-foundations-theory/

1989  The inflexion point 

 - Fall of Communism. 

Health status (normality) / Stressful events

1986 - Health indicators

INDICATORS OF THE STATE OF HEALTH ...  (extract from Becker & Minsel, 1986, Psychologie der seelischen Gesundheit, vol2)

---

HEALTH STATUS Signs	DISEASE STATE Signs
Satisfaction with the current situation	Accusations regarding the current situation
Perseverance	Diminished perseverance
Intact ability to play one's role and perform one's tasks, increased productivity	Impairment of ability to play one's role and perform one's duties; impairment of work capacity
Increased interest in surroundings, engagement in "projects", capacity for love, generativity	Reduced interest in surroundings; reduced capacity for love
Certainty regarding internal control. Autonomy.	Living with diminished control. Helplessness.
Increased self-esteem; self-confidence	Diminished self-esteem; increased self-criticism; lack of self-confidence

1967 - Stress scale 

Stress scale

Thomas S H. Holmes, Richard H. Rahe, 1967

Life event	Life Change Units
Death of partner	100
Divorce	73
Separation	65
Incarceration/detention	63
Death of a family member	63
Personal or self-inflicted trauma	53
Marriage	50
Dismissal	47
Marital reconciliation	45
RETIREMENT	45
Changes in the health status of a family member	44
Task	40
Sexual dysfunctions	39
A new member in the family	39
Changes at work	39
Changes in financial status	38
Changes in the frequency of disputes	35
Major mortgage	32
Prescription of mortgage or loan	30
Changes in job responsibilities	29
Child leaving home	29
Problems with in-laws	29
Remarkable personal progress	28
Wife starts a job or quits the job	26
Starting or finishing school	26
Changes in living conditions	25
Changing personal habits - revision	24
Problems with the boss	23
Changes in working hours or conditions	20
Changes of residence	20
Changing school	20
Changes in leisure time	19
Changes in church activities	19
Changes in social activities	18
Minor mortgage or loan	17
Changes in sleep habits	16
Changes in the number of family reunions	15
Changes in eating habits	15
Holidays	13
Christmas	12
Minor violations of the law	11

__________________________________________________________________

Score over 300 : At risk of disease

Score between 150-299 : The risk of disease is moderate (reduced by 30% compared to the risk above).

Score below 150 : Has a slight risk of disease

https://psihiatriebucuresti.ro/stresul-si-starea-de-sanatate/ 

1929 - Six degree of separation (  Frigyes Karinthy )

Essentially, what was stressful half a century ago remains valid today, but it is insufficient to process all the tensions, demands and challenges that people are subjected to today. The Western world of the 1960s does not compare to the Western world of the 2000s and even more so to the world of post-communist countries. The "menu" has become considerably richer and can no longer be found on this scale.

The great danger to the international community that emerged after the monstrous invasion of Ukraine is the destruction of order and the resetting of international laws, respectively the values ​​of humanity and the foundations of human morality validated at the Nuremberg Trials of 1945. What by unanimous political and legal definition was prohibited after 1945 (invasion, genocide, war crimes, torture, rape, robbery, etc.) is now being relativized and slowly passed under the sign of criminal immunity and impunity.

If in the past it was stressful for someone to change their residence, have their wife take a job, or have Christmas come, what can we say about the score they can get now a cancer diagnosis, drug addiction, pandemic, cyberspace offensive, disinformation, fake news, conspiracy theory, bankruptcy, unemployment, emigration, etc. can now have on the stress scale. Not to mention war, genocide, bombings, attacks, war crimes, executions, torture, war trauma, crime, corruption, rape, human trafficking, pedophilia, incest, underage mothers, sex change, bullying, etc.

The world is still where it was, but it has dramatically changed its settings and is moving forward. The problem is that man and humanity have been left behind because it is very difficult to keep up with the changes they have caused, and the big question is whether progress on one level does not actually mean regression on another level.

Notes

*) In this chapter, the Romanian Academy set the tone through its researchers ( https://web.archive.org/web/20071125053630/https://www.banknews.ro/stire/13976_noul_dictionar_al_limbii_romane_va_cuprinde_si_cuvintele_obscene.html ), and the Romanian media, not to mention film and theater, are innovative avant la lettre compared to the American ones if they have not long surpassed them:


Euphemisms and paralogisms for "Swan Lake" from the slums of Romanian culture
https://sergiusimion.blogspot.com/2021/03/euphemisme-si-paralogisme-pentru-lacul.html
https://sergiusimion.blogspot.com/2017/02/degradarea-limbajului-public-si.html

   First publication 

duminică, 20 noiembrie 2022

Volodymyr Zelensky. Alone among enemies or the tragedy of European and Western civilization and the free world

The dice have been cast. The fate of Ukraine, of European and Western civilization, and of the free world is being played out in Ukraine, where a war is not just between two countries, but between two fundamentally opposed systems that determine the fate of countries and their inhabitants, countries that must choose between authoritarianism or freedom, respectively between respecting the international order or its demolition. Volodymyr Zelensky is the representative of a courageous country that fights for freedom and respecting the international order, and for this reason he is in conflict not only with Russia, but with all countries that lean towards authoritarianism. Paradoxically, Ukraine is supported by most countries in the world, but not by major international institutions such as the UN, dominated by great powers that do not look favorably on the implementation and respect for the international order and laws that they claim to support.
The photo below will remain in history because it is eloquent for the enormous pressure endured by a single man fighting for his country:

 

A man. An ideal for European and Western culture and civilization until the fall of communism

 

1. As a man, never be in lack of money
2. As a man, never beg to be loved
3. As a man, never cry in public
4. As a man, never let your pride control you
5. As a man, never let failure define you
6. As a man, never fear taking responsibility
7. As a man, never compromise your values
8. As a man, never depend on others to solve your problems
9. As a man, never be afraid to express your emotions privately
10. As a man, never stay in a toxic relationship
11. As a man, never avoid hard work for comfort
12. As a man, never let others dictate your destiny
13. As a man, never stop learning and growing
14. As a man, never give up on your dreams
15. As a man, never neglect your health
16. As a man, never settle for mediocrity
17. As a man, never let fear prevent you from taking risks
18. As a man, never sacrifice integrity for success
19. As a man, never make excuses for your actions
20. As a man, never let negative influences steer your path
21. As a man, never fear change; embrace it
22. As a man, never hold grudges; forgive and move on
23. As a man, never depend on others for your happiness
24. As a man, never ignore your responsibilities
25. As a man, never run away from your problems
26. As a man, never allow anyone to take your peace
27. As a man, never neglect your family and loved ones
28. As a man, never let setbacks stop you from moving forward
29. As a man, never live in regret
30. As a man, never underestimate your potential
Remember, as a man, your character, choices, and actions shape your future. It's important to never settle for less than your worth and to continuously strive for growth and improvement. Life will always present challenges, but overcoming them is what defines your strength. Keep pushing forward, always stay true to yourself, and never forget that your journey is in your hands.

Source : LinkedIn