They say that history never repeats itself, but it rhymes.\u00a0 Voltaire said, \u201cHistory never repeats itself.\u00a0 Man always does.\u201d\u00a0 We, as humans, share a list of basic needs as well as a list of more intangible needs.\u00a0 We have our physiological needs for survival which include air, water, food, shelter, clothing, sleep, and a certain amount of healthcare.\u00a0 We also desire to feel safe and secure with protection from physical harm, a stable and secure living environment, ability to financially afford our basic needs, and protection from threats of violence.\u00a0 After those needs are met, most people (maybe not all) need family, love, intimacy and a sense of community.<\/p>\n
Those are not the items that I want to touch on in this book, but we are encountering issues with the more intangible and more difficult to describe human needs that I believe should be discussed in society.<\/p>\n
If you have spent enough time watching animals you will observe that the majority of their time is spent obtaining the basic needs of food, water, and safety.\u00a0 They have DNA coding that makes the desire to pro-create incredibly strong to preserve their species.\u00a0 Some animals enjoy playing and exploring, but mostly the higher level of deep thought is missing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Humans have a deeper need for intellectual stimulation.\u00a0 We want to learn, solve problems, grow our capabilities, think about issues that do not directly affect us, and generally engage in activities that stimulate our minds.\u00a0 I do not believe there are many people who would choose (if their basic needs were met) to be on a factory line doing the same mindless job over and over and over again.\u00a0 The only relief is when the day is over and he\/she can pursue anything else that might excite and engage his\/her brain and emotional satisfaction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We celebrate the automation of mundane tasks in an industrialized economy as progress and relief for workers.\u00a0 Politically we wrestle with the fact that jobs have gone away and people are left idle.\u00a0 We celebrate that this is also progress, but we ignore the English proverb that \u201cIdle hands are the devil\u2019s workshop\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 The origin of the proverb is arguable, but the implication is that when people have nothing productive or meaningful to do, they are likely going to engage in mischief, trouble, or immoral activities.\u00a0 I do not think we need to jump to that conclusion, but there is a lot of middle ground between productive activities and immoral activities.\u00a0 In modern day society, we fill our \u201cfree\u201d time with mindless entertainment via hours of skimming entertainment on Youtube shorts, Reddit, Instagram, streaming television etc.\u00a0 Your choice of digital distraction is nearly limitless.\u00a0 When that time is up, we feel emptiness, depression, and anxiety that we numb with antidepressants, alcohol and other drugs.<\/p>\n
We want to have a strong self-esteem by feeling valued, respected and recognized by others.\u00a0 This desire can be very different from one person to the other.\u00a0 One person might want to be popular or famous.\u00a0 A second might be looking for progression in a career with rising titles, authority, and compensation. A third could be looking to leave a legacy by creating a large endowment or by curing a disease that has been a blight on human society.\u00a0 We should all be happy to have good health, family, friends and strong relationships \u2013 but most have a nagging feeling that there should be a bit more.<\/p>\n
We are connected today on a continuous basis.\u00a0\u00a0 We see others and are seen by others on a continuous basis.\u00a0 This continuous connection creates stress and anxiety from work because others expect you to read and respond within hours if not minutes.\u00a0 This continuous connection creates stress and anxiety from social media and entertainment because it constantly bombards you with a comparison between yourself and family versus those who tout to be elites or influencers.\u00a0 This continuous connection never allows you to sit under a tree, observe nature, relax and maybe have a few slow thoughts about what is important to you in your life.<\/p>\n
We cannot unplug.\u00a0 Many Americans have tried meditation to address feeling anxious or worried (29.2%), frequent stress (21.6%), depression (17.8%), or back pain (12%).[1]<\/a>\u00a0 Meditation can work, but it is temporary relief to a larger problem and something that is very difficult for the modern American to incorporate into his\/her daily schedule.<\/p>\n If conditions are better for the average American today than they were in 1970, why has the age-adjusted suicide rate per 100,000 in the United States increased from 10.5 in 1970 to 14 in 2019?\u00a0 Why has the drug overdose death rate per 100,000 increased from 1.1 in 1970 to 21.6 in 2019?\u00a0 In the late 1980\u2019s the percentage of adults aged 18 and older who took antidepressant medications increased from around 3% to approximately 13% in the mid 2010\u2019s.\u00a0 Homeless rates have not been accurately measured historically, but the number of individuals experiencing homelessness increased from 230,000 in 2007 to around 552,000 in 2018.<\/p>\n These are all symptoms of a larger societal issue.\u00a0 We try to address the symptoms in ineffectual ways, but we do not try to diagnose what the causes are.\u00a0 It is time for us to analyze and diagnose the disease instead of applying more bandaids or baling wire.\u00a0 We all want and deserve that.<\/p>\n