As a species we seem to confuse information with knowledge and intelligence with education. Could this be the cause of so much emotional stress and damage?

There seem to be those of us who don’t even know what we don’t know, lets call us passive “don’t get its”. We muddle along with a grumble and a groan as life and society dishes out the sort of emotional stress described by Australian of the Year winner 2003, Professor Fiona Stanley, where she describes our “toxic society”.

“Nearly 20 percent of Australian teenagers now have mental health problems. Nearly a quarter of all families now rely on welfare. Suicides among 15-19 year old males have quadrupled since the 1970s. Obesity has increased in teenagers from around 10 percent in 1985 to nearly 25 percent today. A quarter of all children aged four and five are now overweight for their height. The number of people aged 12 to 18 who are homeless on any given night has increased dramatically to 26,000 last year. Documented increases are evidenced in substance abuse, child abuse, binge drinking, teenage pregnancy, eating disorders, juvenile crime, juvenile diabetes, low-birth weight babies, Neuro developmental complications, asthma, serious behavioral problems and autism. Twelve year old children are having mental health problems, depression, anxiety, hyperactivity, schizophrenia, right through to violent behavior towards teachers”.

Or we could be active “don’t get its”. We actually do know we “don’t get it” and that makes us mad as hell. We resolve this by obsessively collecting information and similar opinion to make us feel better. All it does of course is make us madder as we realize we will never “get it”. Either way, it makes “actives” belligerent or aggressive leading to more emotional stress and damage.

Those who “do get it” seem to be more relaxed, less stressed and enjoy more comfort with self. They need very little information, no confirming opinion from others and seem capable of “synthesizing” the reality of our toxic society without the attendant problems described by Fiona Stanley.

Dear Spindoc

welcome to the world without God. (as you described it)

Jesus summed up the situation for how humanity 'should' live and it's this.

1/ Love God with all your heart.
2/ Love your neighbour as yourself.

Simple isn't it? Vertical relationship right...= Horizontal will follow.

Psalm 1... a 'guidance' for life :)

1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.

4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction

Even using Psalm 1 as our guide.. it can be a struggle in the real world.

Look at a different Psalm reflecting an experience of struggle.

Psalm 73

1 Surely God is good to Israel,
to those who are pure in heart.

2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; <= this bit.
I had nearly lost my foothold.
3 For I envied the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4 They have no struggles;
their bodies are healthy and strong.[a]
5 They are free from common human burdens;
they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
they clothe themselves with violence.
7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity[b];
their evil imaginations have no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;
with arrogance they threaten oppression.
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them
and drink up waters in abundance.
11 They say, “How would God know?
Does the Most High know anything?”

spindoc
Well observed spindoc. What makes some individuals able to synthesize all that and find contentment and others less able to do so. Young people are more at risk because they have not the experience to synthesize what is around them and sort out the guff rom the real. It comes with time, some it comes to sooner.

While the focus remains on individualism and consumerism and while we allow purely economic outcomes to define the wellness of societies we lose the emphasis on the social ones. The positive thing is that a 'back to earth' type movement is already happening and people are seeing through the facades and seeking to improve their lives by turning their back on materialism or refusing to be adversely affected by the noise and the spin. As we get older we get better at doing that.

Phrases like "money doesn't make you happy" are well coined but in the rush sometimes it does not hit home until one has been through the wringer and come to a personal choice (something we still own) to get off the treadmill if that rocks your boat.

The answer to contentment (however that is defined) is within ourselves, even if we cannot change what we don't like around us, we can refuse to play or do it on our own terms. Finding a lifestyle, or state of being, that makes one content/happy is not always easy.

The other day I asked a little kid what he wanted to be when he grew up, and paused to think, why am I asking a five year old what he wants to be when he grows up, when I don't even know what I want to be and he should just be a kid enjoying all those kid things. Had to kick myself for parrotting that nonsense.

Thanks AGiR, I am sure that religion has played its part in providing guidance for our species. However, when you say, “Welcome to a world without God (as you describe it)”.

I have to wonder if this is correct. I mean firstly, I wasn’t actually trying to describe a world without God, i.e. not laying blame; I was trying to describe a human phenomena.

You may be right that our woes are because we are Godless however, we do have a world where the majority of people have indeed embraced Gods or a God, and to be fair we have some 34,000 registered religions, so being “Godless” doesn’t seem to fit as a solution. We are actually very religious as a species. Have I misunderstood your point?

Pelican, you describe many of the “things” that clearly don’t make us happy, mostly stemming from consumerism, money, materialism and, if I understand you correctly, poor life choices. So more to my inquiry, if those things that we believe will make us happy, don’t make us happy, where is the problem?

Is it because we “buy into it” due to ignorance, lack of intelligence, too lazy to check the information or is it because we are “sold” something that others convince us will solve our problems? Are we just plain vulnerable?

Could it be both? If so why are we, as a species, so vulnerable to being sold a “pup”?

I like your theme but I seem to have observed something I can’t explain, yet the lack of explanation causes me even more angst.

spindoc/quote..<<..I seem to have observed..something>>
is this specific..or generally speaking?

some-thing..<<I can’t explain,..yet the lack of explanation..causes me even more angst.>>not everything needs a reason...not everything can be reasoned...but anything can be explained

so lets read back to your first post...[quote]..<,..we seem to confuse..information..with knowledge>>.ok im seing the picture/here

ok lets rebut the presumptions..<<..Nearly 20 percent of..teenagers/have mental health problems.>>

you must not forget..that certain obsessive types[phycoligist/phycryitrysts...love to get funding..thus beat -up..statistics..

[recall add...is a miss-diagnosis]..
besides..who judges..what is normal...or aberant.,..

its a fine line..between genus and insanity]
[and lets face it those educated phycs...are near nutts themselves]

sounds like your confusing statistics..with fact
or classification..with adgenda

look the stats..play games..called spin
like 2 out of every 100 dope-smokers get phycosis

BUT..what they DONT reveal..is 4/100..NON SMOKERS..get phycosis

[so if they ONLY* quoted..the first number..
HALF THE OTHER NUMBER]..then they made their SPIN*
thats the game

confusing..<<intelligence..>>knowing facts..<<with education.>>ability to par*rot..back propaganda..!
then yes<<..this be/the cause..of so much emotional stress..and damage..!>

<<There seem to-be..those of us
who don’t even know..what we don’t know,>>>and dont need to know
EXCEPT when the media needs to generate fear..for their NEXT adgenda item

<<lets call us passive..“don’t get its”.>>
let not..think we are the problem...as has allready BEEN TOLD
its as simple as loving neighbour...*!

<<We muddle along..with a grumble..and a groan>>.
destracted..BY TODAYS..*SPIN POINT/ADGENDA

<<as life..and society>>>or rather the media-spin/cycle..<<dishes out the sort of emotional stress>>>that puts us into the fight...or flight...FEAR mode...where flight..*is impossable...and fight gets you sent to a phycia_tryst..or their private prisons..and JUST_US..courts.

i been homeless...its nothing
suicide...we are eternal spirits having..a life-sentanence

how about all the kids suicided in ww1..ww2...korea...nam..iraq..afganastan
who died..*so we can be tricked..by the lying-media?

YES...YOUR right
some...just dont get..the games..[boys-ploys]...our leaders/play