MORE ON SELECTIVE MUTISM

Hello Again:

I got in email contact with Dr. Cunningham a couple of years ago but he told me not to bother him.   I think there were at least two main reasons why he did this.  First of all, I suspect that he is a very busy Doctor and had no time to waste with the likes of me with no credentials.

Secondly, I think he determined that even though he helped these children with their selective mutism, a certain percentage of them went on to have other problems with their behavior.

I know it is not fashionable to blame this on any person and it is usually blamed on genetic damage of one kind or another.   In reality, it is in all probability caused by the avoidance behavior that is being practised by the parents of these children.

While the elective mutism can be cured relatively easy, other more complex achievements blur the lines of fault and allow others who are not in tune with the insidious nature of distorted fear, to blame it on genetic factors and prescribe some kind of mind altering drug.  

There is a very good chance that these kind of ideas have reduced considerably the level of confidence that Dr. Charles Cunningham once had about his ability to help these children.  I can restore his confindence if only I could be given the chance to do so.

STEVEN SPIELBERG'S --- LINCOLN

Hello Everyone:

I just finished looking at Steven Spielberg's Lincoln.   One of the scenes near the end of the movie is resonating with me at this moment.
No one is asking for help from me.  That is due in part to the fear of being the first one to do so.   But it is also the fact that I am not an accredited Doctor of Psychiatry or Psychotherapy.
Since the human race came into existence, we have been trying to understand more completely how the human mind functions.   Because I had the privilege of coming into contact with many brilliant authors, [some not so brilliant], I have discovered a deeper level of understanding about how the human mind functions.

Even if no one else seems to be aware of the fundamental truth that I am trying to put forward, I know that it is just that --- THE TRUTH.   I have not been clothed in the awesome power of the American Presidency as Linclon described it, but I will no longer remain silent in my quest to reduce the level of stress and fear that is causing so much harm and violence in the world today.

I am asking you to step forward and let me help you.  Not just for my own sake, not just for your sake, --- but rather for the sake of the whole human race at large.  

If indeed this statement seems like I have gone off of the deep end then I challenge you to prove it.
I have gone far too long with this knowledge and failed to make use of it.  IT STOPS RIGHT HERE!!!  Do you have the courage to reach out and let me help you?         

SELECTIVE MUTISM

 

Hello Everyone:

I copied the following story from the Anxiety & Depression Association of America site.

 My Silent Child

“The only difference between Brian and most other children is that while he is at school, he is mute. ”

by Sharon L. Longo

My 5-year old boy has a cherub's face with a hint of mischief in his beautiful green eyes. Brian dances to silly music and entertains us with his antics. He tells his brother to leave him alone and he teases his sister while she does her homework. The only difference between Brian and most other children is that while he is at school, he is mute..


He will not raise his hand to answer a question or to ask to use the bathroom. When the children count off in gym class, Brian holds up his fingers, leaving a momentary sound lapse until the child after him calls out the next number. He is not mentally handicapped or autistic. He is not deaf or speech-impaired. Brian suffers from selective mutism.

This is a debilitating childhood anxiety disorder in which a child who can speak in the comfort of home is unable to do so in school, church, or other social settings.

Children with this disorder usually speak to their parents and immediate family members, but often not to other relatives. My sister has never heard him speak directly to her. When Brian was in preschool, we assumed he would outgrow his extreme shyness. That’s what everyone told us, including his pediatrician.

When Brian's kindergarten teacher first greeted him, he froze in his tracks and couldn't make eye contact. She asked him to find his cubby with his name on it, and because he could read his name, I thought he'd point to it. Instead he stood like a statue, unable to move. I hoped his reaction was not an indication of how the year would progress.

Later on, though, my husband and I visited Brian’s classroom to see his work. Next to Brian's name was a blank space where shapes and colors should have been. Although he had learned shapes or colors at age 2, he couldn’t tell them to his teacher. Where pictures of apples on a tree denoted the other children's favorite kinds of apple, Brian’s apple was not hanging because he couldn't tell the teacher what he liked. I wanted to cry! We headed home, wondering how we could try to make things better for our son.

The next month, the school nurse provided us with information about selective mutism. We realized then that Brian’s silence might actually have a name. I discovered that children with the disorder have been misdiagnosed as autistic, mentally handicapped, or defiant. 

Now any form of eye contact that Brian makes, any smile he gives, any sound that comes from his throat outside of our home is a wonderful breakthrough, and we’ve had some. I'm happy with those baby steps, but I long for the day when Brian will be silent only in the library or a movie theater, and when he lets the rest of the world see the bright and happy personality he reserves for us. Maybe then he'll share his story and help other silent children.

_____________________________

From Myself

I thought that this problem was solved many years ago.  Dr. Charles Cunningham of the McMaster University here in Hamilton, Ontario said that every child that he encountered with this problem eventually became able to speak fluently in social settings.

He determined that the parents, in their desire to protect the child from strangers, actually made the child overly anxious or fearful of such people.  Dr. Cunningham's job was to bring such fears back to a normal setting which he achieved with great results. 

I suggest that anyone who is reading these words, and has a child with this kind of problem should get in touch with Dr. Cunningham immediately.  I am sure that you will be more than satisfied with the help that he can give to both of the parents and to the child who is suffering from this dilemma.         

TRAVELING THROUGH THE JUNGLE OF SELF-PUBLISHING

Hello Everybody:

In an effort to get my Human Mind blog published [my # 1 Post], I contacted Friesen Press,   Nothing was offered in the way of giving me advice about how to self-publish without costing me an arm and a leg.

I also got in touch with Millcity Press who did not say where they were located.  I was left wondering if they were operating out of a "shoe."  They offer an instant chat service so I found out that  they are located in Minneapolis.   

A woman named Michelle offered me a link that showed many people not being overly pleased with Friesen Press.  Actually they were disgusted with Friesen and wanted to know how to sue them for neglect among other things.  

At first Millcity stated that they offered the best rates to prospective authors but when I stated that Friesens quotes were better, Michelle then said that although Friesen was higher, Millcity was nevertheless relatively similar.

And further, when I type in freisenpress.com I get a message saying that the site might be for sale.   Although I would like to be able to make a decision and get on with the publication of my book, the situation as put forward by either of these self-publishing enterprises leaves something to be desired.   I am still undecided as to what I will do in the future about publishing my book.    

APOLOGIZING TO FRIESEN PRESS

Hello to anyone who may be lurking about in the weeds.   This post represents my apology to Friesen Press.  First off I mispelled the name and typed in freisenpress.   When I did that I was told that the site was for sale.   I suppose one could say that this is a passive scam.

The scammers are telling the truth but they are trying to take advantage of someone like me who types in the wrong address.   They are then hoping that you will offer some kind of payment to obtain the website which is actually worth nothing.

My contact at Friesen Press whose name is Brett, did not try to hide the fact that a certain amount of people are not satisfied with the service they get from Friesen Press.  As he said, you cannot keep everybody happy all of the time.

On another site, which I will not name at this particular moment, [but I will if I am asked to do so], most of the people wrote me off as someone who is suffering from delusions of grandeur, so I am well aware of the problem that Brett referred to.

While I intimated that Brett had not actually read the book, he freely admitted that he had not read the two stories that I asked about but he had read other stories and proved it by his astute comments about them.

There is a very good chance that I will go ahead and have my book put out as an e - book to begin with and hope that its acceptance is sufficient to determine that I should go ahead and print it up in a physical book also.

If this sounds like a marketing post for Friesen Press than that is exactly what it is.   Hats off to Brett, who is my contact at Friesen Press, for one of his emails in which his candor and  honesty really hit the nail on the head for me.    

AS THE LATE JOAN RIVERS USED TO SAY ---" LETS TALK"!!

Hello One and All:

Since I am 77 years old, I decided that all of my posts in the future will make use of the largest type available.  I hope that you will concur with my decision in this area.

I am having a lot of problems trying to generate some comments on google+ and I am arrogant enough to think that some of my posts are controversial enough to illicit some kind of a response whether it be positive or negative.

I think that a psychological truism is at play here.  No one wants to be the first to do something.  At least most people fit into this category.  I have resisted the idea of having a friend whose last name is not Adams, send in a comment, but thus far I have not taken advantage of this option and I want to keep it that way.

While I am less than efficient at this computer technology, I do think that I have done what is necessary to allow people to make comments about my various posts thus far. 

There is also the idea that, --- who am I to think that I can help others when I don't really have any credentials to back such a belief up?  Actually I have been reading about this subject for the last 40 years or so and some brilliant authors have shared their wisdom with me and I would like to do the same for you.

As I explained in another post, at least you will not be saddled with the negative implications that you asked for psychological help from a Psychiatrist or Psychotherapist for stress related problems if you ask for help from me. 

And still further, and this might be the most important reason of all to contact me, I will not send you a bill for $ 200 dollars for one hour of my time.  In fact any advice I have to offer is free but that does not mean that it will have no value.

In fact in all probability it will have far more value than that which you would receive from a registered Psychologist.   In some cases their main focus is to keep you coming back for more advice which helps them to meet their inflated monetary needs.   

So lets hear from you about anything that is bothering you, or worries, or anxieties, or stress, or out and out fears, that are causing problems for you.

I CAN HELP YOU!!        

ONLY THE SHADOW KNOWS

Bonjour mon ami:
 
When I try to access my google+ posts, I first have to look at a couple of girls striking evocative sexual positions or poses.   One girl is using her breasts like a spinning top to attract attention.

Which reminds me of this old expression:  "Many a young man has become involved with a woman with large breasts only to find out that she has a small brain."

Of course breast size is important but so is the extent to which one has developed ones brain.  In regards to breasts, I usually tell a woman that anything more than that which will fit into a man's  hand is too much.  Of course I also point out that I do have rather large hands.

Before I got married, I used to go out with a woman who had a weird deformity.   One of her breasts was bigger than the other two.   This silly joke was recently ruined by some woman down in the United States who had a third breast implanted between her natural two.

She was a rather attractive lady and she said that she was fed up with all the smart aleck jibes that men said to her.   She decided to get a third breast just to shut some of those guys up.  

I sent her an email letter telling her that I would like to meet her.  I said that I had gone to a plastic surgeon and got a third hand added to my repertoire.

I have since learned that the lady with the third breast is only photo-shopped, that is, she didn't actually have the plastic surgery done but she photo- shopped it to stop all the men from bothering her on the internet.   

So how much of the above nonsense is actually part of my experiences in the past, --- and how much owes its inclusion to my fertile imagination.  To those of you who are old enough to remember the radio programs from long ago, the following words will ring a bell. --- "Only the shadow knows!"   

    

FAST AND FURIOUS

Hello One and All:

In one of the Toronto newspapers today there is a story about a young college girl who was forced to perform oral sex by her "lover."   What seems strange about this story is that the young woman continued to see this young man for a month or so after this incident before they finally broke up.   She is now experiencing a great deal of stress about not only sexual behaviors, but about life in general.

To a certain extent one could say that she is suffering from a level of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.   I know that this expression is normally used for combat soldiers but there is a similarity involved in both of these situations.

For the girl who was molested, there is a high level of uncertainty infiltrating her current and future behavior.   For most of her life she heard about the dreamy levels of passion that occurs when one enters into a sexual relationship.  

In her situation, rather than happiness and pleasure she got coercion and the threat of being manually choked if she did not commit to her "lovers" demands.  No wonder she is suffering from uncertainty.

Going back with this young man for another month or so seems to be kind of weird but lets take a deeper look.   First of all the girl is scared for her safety around this guy, so that should mean that she would refuse to ever see him again but it could also mean that he would become even more violent and she does not want to infuriated him further.   

Also at play here could be her desire to experience sexual activity, especially if she has been a virgin up until this moment.  This situation might be best explained by using a favorite expression from the movie called, --- "Cool hand Luke." --- "What we have here is a failure to communicate."   

As we enter the adolescent years, we are motivated to engage in sexual activity by the hormones that are being poured into our bloodstream.   The young man has decided erroneously that the only way that he will be able to satisfy these demands is by using force.

He doesn't want to become a father but he does want to experience the incredible pleasure that awaits him if he engages in sexual activity.  In all probability the young girl doesn't want to gamble on becoming pregnant either but neither of them discuss these ideas that are hidden inside their minds because they would take away from the intended spontaneous nature of sexual activity.

It is as if both of them can say later that we were carried away when in reality it is exactly what they wanted to happen.   The girl, expected the young man to have a condom in his possession but wasn't going to ask such a question because that would make her look like she wanted it to happen on purpose rather than accidentally or by being carried away in the moment.

Who knows what the boy was thinking.  Maybe he really didn't like the girl or wanted the forbidden excitement of oral sex?   Maybe he didn't have a condom on him?   Maybe he realized that he was so excited that he wouldn't even be able to last more than a few seconds inside of the girls birth canal and he didn't want to be made fun of for his premature ejaculation performance?

Maybe a humorous time-out here would be appropriate.  "Our courtship was fast  and furious.  I was fast and she was --- furious!!!    
The bottom line in this situation is that the young man is lucky that he didn't wind up in jail and/or on a sex predator list.  What do you think would be better; talking it out sensibly or winding up in jail???        

'SEXUALITY

If you look at the google+ site [choose communities]for the human mind,  stephenadams1737.blogspot.com  [sorry but I don't know how to set up a link], you will find a number of scantily clad women all hoping that you will contact them.   Perhaps because I am 77 years old, that kind of come-on doesn't affect me like it used to.

For those who are not looking for some sexual excitement while they look at a site like this, the various posts that I have entered may prove to have some intellectual integrity even if the ladies in question lack some of the same.

They certainly are not lacking in any of the physical requirements for sexual activity.   But something tells me that the partner that they are looking for is not one who responds to them on a site like this.  Of course I could be wrong and I suppose it is that belief that has more than one male making comments of one kind or another to them.  

It is definitely your choice, either you want to be titillated with physical attributes or you want to be titillated with new knowledge.  In this regard, I make the following statement which is in my book called --- The Human Mind and it involves the desire on my part to see the following statue placed in front of a library close to where I am living at this time.  

The statue would be of a young man and woman in excellent physical shape.   They would be standing on a pedestal but instead of lifting bar bells, they would have a stack of books in each hand.   The inscription on the bottom of the pedestal would read as follows:

"Join me in the mental exercise of the human mind whose physical structure is restricted but whose creative dimensions remain unknown."   --- myself        









 

CITIZENS OF LONDON

If I ever write a second edition of the Human Mind book, I intend to add the following stories to it.   In the past I have been criticized for telling a bunch of unrelated stories or anecdotes that do nothing to prove that my theories about how the human mind functions are valid.   

The following story seems to be one of the best ones to validate my conclusions about fear affecting the human mind to a far deeper extent than we are currently aware of.

I suppose I could facetiously blame the author of the book [Citizens of London] for failing to publish the book until after I put my book together.   Of course that would fall into the following category:

"To err is human.   To blame it on someone else is even more human."   Of course in this case, no one is actually to blame.

[The following ideas have been added on Nov. 27, 2014.  A few days ago, I actually added the Citizens of London story to my Human Mind book.  So much for my nonsense written directly above these words inside the parenthesis.] 

________________________________  

 CITIZENS OF LONDON

On page 268 of the book entitled, --- Citizens of London, authored by Lynne Olson, which concerns the stress and fears that could not be avoided during the Second World War, the following apocryphal words appear: --- “In the 5 months before D. Day, over 2600 bombers (and 980 fighters) were [shot] down and more than 10 thousand crewmen were killed.”    

“The morale of the bomber crews, already in the depths, plummeted even further.  The number of mental breakdowns skyrocketed as did cases of alcohol and drug abuse.”

Writing facetiously; I suppose all of the pilots who had mental breakdowns had latent genetic flaws which curiously decided to manifest themselves simultaneously among these particular individuals, at this particular tim; --- as if the fear of imminent death was somehow inconsequential.   Please, --- give me a break!!!

And still further from page 268 above, comes the following exchange between an inebriated young pilot and a Colonel in a drinking establishment somewhere in London.  After the Colonel ordered the pilot to leave because of his raucous and objectionable behavior.  “Colonel”, said the young pilot, “yesterday I was flying over the city of Berlin.”  “Where the Hell were you???

The alcohol and the drugs were used to shut off the thoughts that could not be stopped by these young flyers who were facing almost certain death every time they climbed into their airplanes.      

MARKETING MANAGER

A few weeks ago I made up a commercial for Lotto 649 up here in Canada and I actually got to see the Manager of Marketing about using my commercial, but he threw me out of his office.  

My advertisement simply tried to tell the truth.  It read:  "We need 30 million losers.   Please volunteer to be one of them."  

HUMAN SEXUALITY

HUMAN SEXUALITY

She’s trying to diet and I’m dying to try it.

To write a book about the human mind and the topic of psychology and not talk about sexuality would be the same as having an elephant in ones living room and not talking about it.  If you believe in a Creator, as I do, then it becomes obvious that all living forms were created in such a way, that they would almost always have the potential to reproduce. 

Since our continued existence as a species, is the potential that our Creator has given to us, as well as other creatures also, it becomes patently obvious that the process of procreation would be given paramount importance inside the mind of all forms of life, including the human race also.

Many years ago, I spent a short time as a volunteer at a mental hospital.  On the mistaken assumption that I was one of them, the patients were not guarded with their conversations, as they were when a member of the staff was within earshot.  Under these terms of reference, it was a revelation to me to realize that the weekly social dance and the potential to find a partner at these dances, was the main topic of conversation.

I was about 36 years old at the time and I became interested in a beautiful young girl about 18 years old.  Her facial appearance and demeanor was such that it did not appear that she belonged in that hospital.  Obviously something had precipitated her inclusion into that setting.

I believed that I could help her to extricate herself from her predicament.  Unfortunately a young female Chinese worker incorrectly decided that I was paying too much attention to this patient and she misconstrued my motives.   She gave me a number of looks that, according to the favorite expression, --- were sufficient enough to kill me. 

I presume that this young lady talked to her superior because the very next day I was informed that I was to stay away from that particular patient from then on.  I often wondered whether she was able to extricate herself from the hospital and lead a relatively normal life; or did some misguided Doctor assign her a position of genetic inferiority and condemn her to a lifetime of psychiatric intervention? 

 

The point being, that the sexual interaction between two individuals is so powerful that confusion about ones motives and the potential for deceit and even criminality is always possible.  Of course when it brings the right people together, it can be the most beautiful part of life itself.

One of the most difficult situations that one might have to face in life is to have the moral fortitude to resist the overt sexual advances of a sexually skilled potential partner.  Obviously these situations are fraught with danger.  For a psychiatrist to help a patient in all other areas of life but fail to help a person with a sexual problem is to render his or her service next to useless.

As previously stated, Dr. Joseph Glenmullen wrote a book which was at first called, --- “The Pornographer’s Grief”, which has subsequently been renamed as ---  “Sexual Mysteries.”  I suppose the reason for this change will remain a mystery also. 

Every one of the stories in his book is chalk full of important lessons to be learned about sexual conduct and misconduct.  I have already discussed in another part of this book, the story about Carl and Lee.  Their story is found under the heading of, “Ancient Rites.”

 

In the chapter entitled, “The Woman Who Wanted To Seduce Her Father”, we get a picture of a psychiatrist, (Dr. Joseph Glenmullen),whose sexual boundary lines between patient and Doctor were clearly and unequivocally established.  Would that such knowledge, restraint and an unshakeable desire to help, rather than hinder a patient’s recovery, were so strongly ensconced in all such therapists.

On page 127 and 128, the topic of bulimia and its sexual overtones are discussed.  The following words appear:  “For someone with an eating disorder, food is no longer an inanimate object.  Feeding is not merely a physiological function.  Instead, it is heavily invested with conflictual psychological meaning.  Interestingly, one only sees this kind of distortion of eating behavior in luxury societies where food is in abundance.”  

“Only in such circumstances do people overeat and vomit, even starve themselves to death, out of psychological anger and hunger.  One does not see eating disorders in underdeveloped countries where food in short supply is still yoked to biological necessity and not available to assume such distorted and symbolic meaning.”

The above, simple, straight forward knowledge means that any bio-psychiatrist who tries to say that bulimia is a sign of genetic damage or chemical imbalance inside the human brain, that is not conducive to behavioral change and repair, is unequivocally and demonstrably wrong.  

Obviously it is a selected response on the part of the sufferer to a multitude of psychological and physical problems that are all negotiable in the hands of a competent Psychiatrist, Psychotherapist or Cognitive Behavioral Therapist. 

It can also be alleviated by a family member, or group of family members, or friends who have a collective knowledge about psychology sufficient for the task and present it to the aggrieved sufferer in a caring and loving atmosphere of empathy. 

The last paragraph on Page 215 of this book contains a haunting reminder of how easily the human race can assign untold suffering to those who are the most vulnerable: --- “In the past few decades, the field of psychiatry has done a turn around on the issue of physical and sexual abuse in families.  In Freud’s day, abuse was regarded as too great a violation of social standards to be credible.  Freud believed  that patients imagined sexual relationships with parents or other adults as an extension of their strong feelings towards them.”  

This conclusion speak more about Sigmund Freud’s fear of economic failure as well as other fears that came into play here also. The well-to-do father’s of these children were paying the bill for their young daughters or sons psychiatric assistance provided by Sigmund Freud.

If these father’s are actually guilty of incest, it is rather obvious that they would find various and sundry reasons why their daughter or son should stop seeing Sigmund.  They would obviously be motivated to assign negative implications to Freud’s ideas.

All of which would conveniently fit inside Freud’s fear of economic failure but of even more importance to Freud, they would cast aspersions on his competence as  the most respected Psychiatrist of his day.  Whether Freud worked his way through the above thoughts or not remains quess work at this late date.

It is known that such deviant sexual behavior as mentioned above, was considered to be too illogical to be considered as possible.  Especially in such upstanding members of society at that particular time. The obvious question to be answered is simply this.  How deeply inside the human mind are some fears actually hidden??

Did the Freudian belief that the potential incest that his young patients were describing actually represent the strong emotional attachment that these children feel for their fathers, or indeed, do they represent the violation of the obtuse sexual code of conduct invoked at that time and which I  referred to above?   

Would such a misguided belief be sufficient to leave Freud thinking that his imaginary definition of this situation was authentic?  One of the mistakes that Freud made was to attach his own kind of fears to the fears that his clients would express to him, rather than act directly on those fears themselves.

Fortunately today, more illuminating circumstances prevail and the criminal behavior that such children are reporting is more actively confronted and corrected today rather than being shunted aside as if they are illusory and not worth further analysis.  Sadly, even today such behavior is too easily covered up because of the explosive measures that such disclosure would bring about. 

On page [sorry but I don't have the actual page number at this time and place] of the book called Fear [learning to cope], comes the following words.  “Fortunately, in recent years, strident patient advocates emerged within the profession to challenge such notions.  Nowadays, abuse is recognized all too often as being true.  A burgeoning literature and support network provides survivors with sanctuary for breaking the taboo and being heard and affirmed.” 

Just like in all other facets of human life, the psychiatric profession must learn by trial and error.  Not to have seen beyond the apparent chaos of psychological understanding, to the clearer understanding of psychological factors that the theory of conglomerated and distorted fear has to offer, is an example of such trials and errors that must now be swept aside.  

And finally, on page 221, we find the slide into criminal activity from failure to control ones sexual desires.  We then become aware of the all-encompassing emotional turmoil that such action can cause for the victim and in other destructive ways, --- for the perpetrator also.

Chapter 11 entitled, “Sexual Fears” in Albert G. Forgione’s book called, “Fear (Learning to cope)”, also delves into the devastating effects that sexual fears can have on a person’s life.  These are not confined to criminal activity but also embrace fears of any nature that prevent the average person from experiencing the pleasure and happiness that a mature sexual lifestyle can bring to each and every one of us. 

In an earlier chapter, I stated that Dr. A.G. Forgione came within an Ace of putting forward the main ideas that I am putting forward in this book.  Here is the relevant quote from page 137: --- “Fears that permeate many different aspects of an individual’s behavior may become deeply entrenched and protected through elaborate rationalizations and an almost impenetrable maze of defense mechanisms.  Such far-ranging fears, essentially affect the entire personality.”   

Dr. Forgione concludes the above comment by saying that:  [This topic] “is beyond the scope of this chapter.”  I consider the opposite to be true.  The theories about psychological matters at that time and even right now, fail to grasp the significance of the above bolded quotation.

I surmise that the so-called brilliant psychiatrists that Dr. Forgione knew, convinced him that even though his ideas appeared to have some merit, --- after all; he was only studying dental psychology, whereas the entire field of psychology was far more complex then what Dr. Forgione was capable of understanding.  Once again, as I said before, the opposite is true.

The last chapter in his book deals with the fear of flying.  For various reasons, one of which would obviously be the need to earn a living, Dr. A. G. Forgione accepted a position at the Logan International Airport in Boston teaching people how to overcome their fear of flying.  It is somewhat ironic to note that the terrorist attack on 9/11 originated from Logan International Airport.     

The question that I would like to ask Dr Forgione is simply this:  Does he realize how close he came to shedding new light on the manner in which the human mind functions?   Without any doubt whatsoever, this author remains one of my most cherished heroes.  In spite of the fact, that as Winston Churchill once said:  “Some men stumble over the truth, pick themselves up and walk away as if nothing had happened.” 

I INTEND TO MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!!!    

Unfortunately, Dr. Forgione’s book was written in 1978, so you might have some difficulty finding a copy of it.  I was able to buy a copy of it for my personal library and if possible, I recommend that you get a copy of it also.   I also found a copy at the York University library which is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

It is altogether too easy to fixate oneself on the degradation of the human condition and fail to realize that decency, honesty, bravery and heroism is at all times surrounding us.  Much of these positive attributes of the majority of human beings becomes lost in a sea of corruption and violence perpetrated by one human being against another.

The police officers and social workers in particular are subjected to such levels of negativity as to leave them feeling morose about mankind's future.  But it is important to realize that the level of civilization that we have achieved, albeit not as complete as we would like it to be, would nevertheless be impossible unless the majority of people were decent, law abiding citizens.

The words of the following three people should never be forgotten when one is contemplating the human condition:

       

1.  Margaret E. Sangster   (paraphrased)

         

“Love makes the world go around.  It makes every enterprise worthwhile here on earth.   It is co-equal with life, outlasts death and reaches onward into infinity.”    

2.  Pearl S. Buck

“Nothing in life is as good as the marriage of true minds between a man and a woman.  Actually that is wrong.  It is life itself.”

3.  Charles Templeton

“I believe that the greatest motivating force in life is love.  Caring for someone else, we will be motivated to seek the best for that person and we will be ennobled in so doing.”         

And finally from the Christian Bible comes the ultimate message.

LOVE SURPASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING.