Raising Children – Page 6 – Inside The Mind of a Psychiatrist

Ancient civilizations used inanimate objects, animals, and multiple gods to pledge their allegiance and find solace in life’s travails. Obviously there were many! No microwaves. No Netflix. No Facebook. No coronary stents. No Middle East crisis. No Trump lookalikes. Well, for 2/3 of the ancients that was probably seen as a blessing.

Then a miracle happened. Over 5000 years ago there was a “scientific” breakthrough and Judaism “discovered” that there was only one true god. Hallelujah! Plus,they really lucked out. They were the chosen people and got all the rights and options to worship this one true god. Hosanna on the highest!

Well, mankind has had over 5000 years to find proof of god’s existence, but what they came up with is the discovery of a lot of other “gods “or deities to worship – Mohammed, Jesus, Buddha etc. Obviously, discovering the microwave and mounds of data on the Big Bang theory did nothing to detract from mankind’s need for a God.

I’m sure you see where this is going.

When Trump really got on a roll and started pushing his snake oil, millions of people decided that there was a chance he really could cure the world. The US needed jobs and protection from the thousands of Mexicans who mow our grass and he promised CHANGE. He called everyone and anyone names, flaunted his sexual exploits, and guaranteed the world that his orange hair was real.

He was elected president of the USA! Since he was now god, we’d all be saved. He had the answers to everything. He proclaimed that no matter what he did, even stab someone in broad daylight, that his base would still love him. “I’m the greatest. I won the popular vote. Anything I don’t like is fake news. I didn’t have sex with Stormy and didn’t tell my lawyer to pay her $130000. Why he did it I have no idea. I’m inviting Putin to meet me here. We have a wonderful relationship. He is almost as wonderful as I am.”

So why do so many people LOVE him? Even with Facebook and microwaves in every home, life is still scary. Maybe Trump really does care about us? Right? He loves us! We’re the chosen people. He came down from the mountain (Trump Tower) with the Trump Commandments, I AM THE BEST, I LOVE ME, KISS MY RING AND I’LL BLESS YOU WITH RICHES, ME ME ME, THE POPE IS NOT AS SMART AS ME, I CAN GROPE ANYONE I WANT, I CAN LIE AND IT’S THE TRUTH, I DON’T NEED ADVISORS, IF YOU DON’T PRAISE ME I WILL DESTROY YOU, I KNOW EVERYTHING!

So here we are. Anyone who wants to worship The Trump Idol is in luck. He wants and needs to be worshipped and the dangerous world around us produces the insecurity that leads millions to want and need to worship this orange-haired Wizard of Oz. Please keep in mind that as you’re enjoying your day in the church of Trump, our environment, ethics, children attacked by assault rifles, and the world stage are on the verge of possible catastrophe. Plus, and this is a big one, would you want your child to behave like The Trump idol? If I were one of his professors at the Univ. of Penna I’d be horrified. He brags about his wonderful education! Oy Vey, as they said in ancient times.

If you enjoyed reading, Inside the Mind of a Psychiatrist, you might also enjoy Dr. Smukler’s novels, Chasing Backwards, a psychological murder mystery, Skin Dance, a mystery, and The Man with a Microphone in his Ear. All are available as paperbacks and eBooks.

Everyone has a theory on how to be successful — work hard, save money, make careful decisions, listen to your parents, don’t listen to your parents, be true to yourself, get a college degree, follow your heart, don’t be risk adverse and on and on. A good argument can be made for every single idea.

BUT… after reading about Penn State’s president, Eric Barron Ph.D., with credentials in geology, oceanography and supercomputing, I was moved and enthused by his approach to life.

First, it might be helpful to know that before taking the job at State College, Dr. Barron spent two years at the University of Texas building the Jackson School of Geosciences, another two years as director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and four years as the president of Florida State University.

Everywhere he worked, he approached the task like the scientist he is, with countless hours individually interviewing key people and then facilitating these people to get together to continue the discussion. Only after all the data was in did Dr. Barron make his OWN decision.

On first thought, this doesn’t sound like such a big deal, but just another logical approach.

On second thought, it really is a big deal. It’s what good leaders and parents and psychiatrists do. Listen. Understand the issues. Validate other points of view. Work together to find a solution. It’s all about evaluating data, both conscious data and unconscious data.

Whatever the goal, if you evaluate what is needed, what a company wants and needs, what your spouse wants and needs, what your child is struggling to say, you will surely be more successful than doing everything in your power to prove how smart YOU are and how much YOU know. MOST people don’t like know-it-alls. Most people love it when they are heard and respected, even if they are proven wrong.

Dr. Barron is a gem and Penn State is fortunate to have such a man leading the university. Also, and the main point of this post, is that we have the opportunity to learn from Dr. Barron and from people like him who are willing to learn from others and use what science and practical experience have to offer. Not knowing something can always be corrected. In fact, knowing you are weak in a particular area is a good thing! Now you know what to focus on…

Art Smukler is the award-winning writer of Chasing Backwards, a psychological murder mystery, Skin Dance, a mystery, and The Man with a Microphone in his Ear. All are available as paperbacks and eBooks.