Mental health specialists, what we called shrinks not so many years ago, speak of conditioned emotional responses. These conditioned responses occur individually, as well as in entire populations. I had read a short article about this. The theory is that you, or a population, can be conditioned to respond in a certain fashion. It is really quite a simple concept. Monkey see, monkey do essentially. Then these conditioned responses become the norm. Oh it does become a bit more complicated than that involving morals,values and such. Peer pressure as well as societal acceptance figures into the formula as well.
Now having read this article and then turning on the evening news I connected the two. The events in Ferguson Missouri, among others, lead me to believe in this conditioned emotional response. It would seem that we are being conditioned to respond in certain fashions. We are being conditioned to protest anything we perceive as unjust. From a police involved shooting, to something as mundane as a fashion choice. Are we conditioning our children to respond in this fashion ? Protest,strike and riot in the streets ! In personal relationships we confront,bully,degrade and divorce. Listening and attempting to understand is being conceived as weak. Action must be taken immediately, even if it is the wrong action.
The most insidious response being conditioned into our society today is the pressing for a secular society. The removal of religion from our lives and our government. I hear the cries of separation of church and state. It was written into the constitution, it is in the bill of rights and all that. All that is true but let us not forget a simple fact, we are,always have been a Judeo Christian society ! Our form of Government, a constitutional republic, unique in the world, is based upon Judeo Christian beliefs and principles. Remove that from society and government and what do you have ? You do not have America .Yet we are being conditioned to accept just that as normal. In fact we are being conditioned to believe that all the amoral behaviors supported by a secular society are acceptable,even desirable. We are being conditioned to be dependant, not independent.We are entitled. Entitled to what ? The only things guaranteed us are three things, Life,Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is those three that are being taken away in an apparent trade off for security. The security of government taking care of us. Conditioned response.
I am certainly no mental health specialist. I do feel comfortable in saying this, it is far easier to condition someone to respond in a certain fashion when it does not require restraint. That is to say, when you are allowed to just do what feels good. Conditioning people to respond otherwise, in a manner that requires empathy and compassion at a cost to self, is another concept altogether. That concept is embodied in the Judeo Christian tradition. It is that tradition that we need to condition our citizens to ! The acceptance of others is a part of that tradition. That does not entail abandoning that tradition.
Remember when most of us went to church on Sunday? Remember saying the Pledge of Allegiance ? Remember saying a prayer, even in public ? Were they conditioned responses ? The shrink would tell you so. I would add it ain't a bad thing. Conditioned responses do lead to conditioned behaviors,even belief ! Which would you rather have today ? No matter your religious affiliation, or lack of one, the historical facts can not be ignored. The basis of this nation, the best nation yet known on this earth, is the Judeo Christian beliefs. To abandon them for a secular version is to destroy America. Period, end of discussion. It is what I believe.
Now having read this article and then turning on the evening news I connected the two. The events in Ferguson Missouri, among others, lead me to believe in this conditioned emotional response. It would seem that we are being conditioned to respond in certain fashions. We are being conditioned to protest anything we perceive as unjust. From a police involved shooting, to something as mundane as a fashion choice. Are we conditioning our children to respond in this fashion ? Protest,strike and riot in the streets ! In personal relationships we confront,bully,degrade and divorce. Listening and attempting to understand is being conceived as weak. Action must be taken immediately, even if it is the wrong action.
The most insidious response being conditioned into our society today is the pressing for a secular society. The removal of religion from our lives and our government. I hear the cries of separation of church and state. It was written into the constitution, it is in the bill of rights and all that. All that is true but let us not forget a simple fact, we are,always have been a Judeo Christian society ! Our form of Government, a constitutional republic, unique in the world, is based upon Judeo Christian beliefs and principles. Remove that from society and government and what do you have ? You do not have America .Yet we are being conditioned to accept just that as normal. In fact we are being conditioned to believe that all the amoral behaviors supported by a secular society are acceptable,even desirable. We are being conditioned to be dependant, not independent.We are entitled. Entitled to what ? The only things guaranteed us are three things, Life,Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is those three that are being taken away in an apparent trade off for security. The security of government taking care of us. Conditioned response.
I am certainly no mental health specialist. I do feel comfortable in saying this, it is far easier to condition someone to respond in a certain fashion when it does not require restraint. That is to say, when you are allowed to just do what feels good. Conditioning people to respond otherwise, in a manner that requires empathy and compassion at a cost to self, is another concept altogether. That concept is embodied in the Judeo Christian tradition. It is that tradition that we need to condition our citizens to ! The acceptance of others is a part of that tradition. That does not entail abandoning that tradition.
Remember when most of us went to church on Sunday? Remember saying the Pledge of Allegiance ? Remember saying a prayer, even in public ? Were they conditioned responses ? The shrink would tell you so. I would add it ain't a bad thing. Conditioned responses do lead to conditioned behaviors,even belief ! Which would you rather have today ? No matter your religious affiliation, or lack of one, the historical facts can not be ignored. The basis of this nation, the best nation yet known on this earth, is the Judeo Christian beliefs. To abandon them for a secular version is to destroy America. Period, end of discussion. It is what I believe.
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