Viral Vicissitudes

Defining Moments, Just Prior to...Immediately Following... "Moments Before..." For better or worse, when it comes to "defining moments" it's a common psychological experience to reflect on what led up to it -- the chain of events, emotions, and/or cognitions that brought you/us to "this moment in time". Sometimes prompted by questions from another (e.g., "What were you thinking ?!), or perhaps through a group exercise (reflecting on where you were, what you were doing when the first man landed on the moon, when Kennedy was shot, 9/11, etc.) Frequently accompanied by a casual or stronger commentary, for better or worse ("this is what we've all been waiting for!" "this is what I was dreading"). Sometimes a simple reverie, others instructive, as in formal therapy, in trying to put pieces of a puzzle together as to whether why  a "defining moment" was so defining, or what the impact was going forward...as in... "...

Hark, Heralds, Heroes...taking notice of Definers.  Credit, no Credit Due, Sweet and Sour: Terms we are all familiar with, such as a type of course you may have selected in college, as well as what you may experience in the course of your financial planning, current status, when you are attempting to get a financial institution to extend your resources, perhaps in preparation for a large purchase, which may itself be a defining moment in your financial life. But what I am bringing for your consideration here, today are the individuals or groups that either receive (or not)  credit for various types of "defining moments", those that range from "stupendous", marked, acknowledged by us, the general public via "kudos", "bravo!", etc., to the ones I also covered here yesterday, under the category of "torrents, abhorrence", this time marked by public displays of disapproval, which in turn run the gamut, from really "rotten tomatoes"...

Unrefined Moments: Torrents, Abhorrence "We interrupt this program..." This post, actually. As I had indicated a different progression. This, prompted by some "remarkable!" events in the last 36 hours...news cycle... Cringe, Binge worthy: As in "Extra-Ordinary!" "Un-Forgettable!" "Most memorable...Night at the Oscars!" "Hooray for Hollywood!" Followed by "A night we would not want to repeat...forgettable...regrettable...abhorrent" If you didn't see it for yourself "Live" you would think it contrived, photoshopped after it was otherwise 'stopped', taken off "Live feed". Lucky or not, for the rest of the world, before it was completely deleted, it had gone viral, with glimpses of those in the "Live audience" seen watching screens...Scream!" The rest of us left "Live Streaming" Almost made us and some of the world forget an adlib, extemporaneous comments made by o...

Defining Moments, Part 2 - Overcome: Emotional Tsunamis "Didn't sea this coming!" The moments, which usually result in a chain reaction, of some of the strongest of emotions, starting with an individual and then a contagion, both those we find more genial and, of course, those we find ourselves 'fighting off'. We've all been there and will likely experience this psychological phenomenon again, no matter how much you prep, try to wall off feelings, ward off negative emotions, keep the fears, jeers, tears at bay. A tsunami. You'd think  by now, given all my experience, I'd be more prepared, able to fend these off..."I'm so overwhelmed, caught by surprise, off guard, ill-prepared..." Holding, Reaching Back: After either a brief, momentary attempt to ward off a particular emotional reaction due to circumstance, necessity ("holding it together while under pressure"), or a more prolonged endurance event (e.g., caring for a loved one o...

De(Fining) Moments: Part 1: Yours, Mine, In Time.  Momentous, Fore and Aft: We all have, had them. They come in many forms, of course...from "stupendous!" to portentous. Some we can prep for ahead of time; those that come upon us without any warning, foreshadowing, historical precedents ("history in the making, unprecedented"), so many the past few years and then in the last month, resulting in blurred vision, rear view. We have been witness to many, and have been party to others ("surprise!"). Some are more incidental, whereas others quite formalized, even accompanied by fanfare, pageantry, pomp-and-circumstance ("we are now commencing..."), a well publicized (either before of in archive form) performance, speech aired publicly ("public speaking, something to be avoided at all cost"). Can be experienced in-the-moment as highly favorable, forgettable, or even "unfathomable!" Some are directly experienced, highly personal, wher...

"Hit 'em where it hurts...right in the (empty) breadbasket!" (Bread)basket cases: - 1) a major grain, wheat...cereal producing region; 2) stomach region; 3) a vessel, container (waiting for bread) Ins and Outs of it: "It" here being whatever you, me, an entire nation depends on. Whatever a country imports In, exports Out. Trade agreements. Historically, in our country and around these parts of our globe, the "import-export" balance ebbs and flows. We usually don't take notice, unless we are a trader in commodities, agricultural products. Parts of the world more susceptible to drought, famine...wars, those who are almost entirely dependent on either the import or export of such commodities have always been more vigilant, apprehensive about what could end up emptying their warehouses, silos, storage bins...breadbaskets. Over the last few decades, the topic of "food insecurity" has made its way into the attention of the world press and thus,...

Getting to the Root of It All. Down and Dirty: As in, after scratching the surface, then digging in the dirt, down to whatever depths you need to go to finally, get to the source...the source of the problem, of course. The true cause(s). In medical and psychological terms, in our attempts to best understand the underlying cause to a condition or disease process, we refer to this as "levels of diagnosis", with the "etiological" (sometimes also called the "cause and effect") level representing the deepest level, which allows for the most effective intervention, and also make an "educated" prognostic statement (such as what to expect, given a particular strain of virus). In the medical field and psychology, we call investigating into the true causes, "discovery" (a term familiar to lawyers as well) among other terms, all which refer to the accumulation of evidence through digging, testing in various ways. Depending on the situation, this c...

(un)Earthed: Spoiled Soil (?) (un)Earthly, early Headlines:  "Ukraine war threatens to cause global food crisis...Ukrainian farmers are about to miss critical planting and harvesting seasons..." As a significant portion of the world is focused on rearranging who and where they will get their natural gas and oil from, just as many are concerned with food security, let alone soaring prices of all the foregoing. Meanwhile, just this morning, as I was contemplating the full text of this post, I heard more local versions, the ones that affected those living in the region, in the country being invaded, in the towns, the major cities... Despair in the Air, over There: Interviewer, "Foreign Correspondent" (location unknown), to a Ukrainian national, just having set foot of foreign soil, having sought refuge in a neighboring land, an adjacent country, a benevolent host: "Aren't you afraid to go back, are you sure of your decision...?"          Foreigner on Fore...

Treat, Eat Wheat: Sowing, Reaping...Weeping   Sowing, Simply Put: "Simple?!" Anyone who has, after watching the "Home and Garden" channel, now simply known as "HGTV" to gardening aficionados, tried a "simple" DIY flower or veggie garden, in their apartment, or out in the backyard, knows it's far from it; there's much more than first glance, a lot below the surface. It's not as simple as just stuffing a bunch of seeds (however you obtain them, from a store or DIY from last year's plants😁) into some "potting soil" in a pot itself or out in the ground, provide occasional (probably enhanced) H2O, accompanied, of course, by either artificial, indirect light sources, or outdoors, simply let Mother Nature do her thing...all carefully timed, in the right amounts, to eventuate in "a crop!". Those among us who have assumed simplicity, attempted to duplicate what "man and nature" has been able to cultivate over...

Wheat Treat: Threshing...Shredding - Introduction Plenty to go around: At least we'd like to think so. We, around where we reside, seem to live in a land 'aplenty, that's for sure. As in plenty of food, "foodstuffs" -- stuff that's edible. A staple of which is, of course, wheat. Wheat which in turn is used in a whole lot of products, many of which we consume at least daily (as in 'whole wheat'), if not several times throughout a day in variety of forms. In our pantries, our cupboards. We consume it and have come to assume it, as in take it for granted. We come to the table, expectantly, not always appreciating all the hands and steps it took to get there. Probably not as much after what we have been experiencing as of late. Following all the supply chain issues we experienced during the pandemic (not quite over, still some interruptions, shortages, from time to time). But now, since February 22nd, we started first hearing about trouble on 'their en...

"It's very  personal!" Insults to Injury. Im-postures: "Nothing personal", that is. A statement we've all heard and said ourselves, and in all likelihood, in both correct and incorrect contexts, emphases, intents. As both prologues and as an epilogue to the main message, event. Which itself is quite personal. How can you take it otherwise, given the impact, effects, personal damage? While harmless, "all in fun" in a few cases, other times disastrous, catastrophic. On a smaller scale, happens every day, includes all of us as participants, observers. On a larger scale, unfolding daily with most of us as observers. In-Discriminate Targeting: If it's truly indiscriminate, how can 'it' be targeting; isn't this a conflict in terms, in terms of conflicts? Exactly. Well, maybe, may be not. It's all a matter of intent, on reading their minds, whether the message and/or action was meant as a generic form of intimidation, "put down...

Mission, sans permission..."I didn't sign up for this!" Shanghaied.  No signature required: Most of us, of course, got signed up for stuff, roles, missions, without our full consent, our permission, even our awareness. 'Volunteered'. Early and often. Such as when our parents signed us up for school and a whole range of other obligations; it's a small wonder we had any discretionary time whatsoever. They (our parents) began volunteering us for all kinds of things, ranging from a free public education, to religious activities, to..."extracurriculars"! It's like they, themselves, were on a mission. Did they even ask us our opinion, let alone obtain our consent? And that wasn't even covered under the topic they started teaching us in adolescence, the "age of consent". If this latter area of engagement was good enough for them, why not us? What a double standard -- we couldn't opt out of things they volunteered us for, but then we co...

Ide-ling: "I didn't see it coming!" So taxing. "With Friends like this..." It's hard enough to be on the lookout for potential foes; one should not have to be wary of one's friends, associates. Since around 44 BC, we have learned differently. It's so tiring, taxing to have to be on guard constantly, "watch your back". I thought friends were supposed to "have your back" but, as Julius Caeser discovered, entrusting himself to his buddies in the Senate was a fatal flaw, as there were a trifecta of terrible trustees present that day, March 15th, the middle of the month -- "Ides", who became the original backstabbers. They had a lot of company, it turns out. Psychologically, of course, we all want to be able to count on our friends; at least know they won't stab us in the back when we aren't looking, most vulnerable. Won't kick us when we are already down. Won't add insult to injury. Finally, in today's li...

Post Mission Notes, Posting...A Look Back: Parents, Proxies - ask yourself... Post R&R Post:  After you have taken a few days, weeks..."do whatever it takes, and take as much time as you need to come back in good shape, ready for whatever may come next, Mr. Phelps" A reverie, resonance on the "voice on the tape", which kicked off this mission in the first place...the same one which informed me..."you tackled a hard job and never gave up..." (see yesterday, the day before, yesteryear, here). Yep, you told the coach, when asked what you would do to reach your stated goal, "I'll do whatever it takes coach!" With great enthusiasm, vigor, full of steam. And now, whatever station in life you, yourself, might be, but likely a state of fatigue, after so much 'give-and-take', you at least feel like you did whatever it took, (as in you gived, they taked). And, following a time of restorative R&R (whatever that means to you), when you ha...

Re: Recovery, Rejuvenation Recuperation Station: Post Mission Post. Well done (for now): "...you tackled a hard job (i.e., parenting) and never gave up..." So take a breather, take a knee (as in football, at the invitation from a coach)...and come back tomorrow for some post mission notes, reflection, game film..."well done, good and faithful servant". 

My, how things have...the more things change, the more... words and messages to parent by. ("Change the message; the Mission remains intact") "Maybe, maybe not": or, "perhaps, perhaps not". Words we all lived by. The ones that flowed out of our parents' mouths (versus "out of the mouths of babes"), as if reflexively, their 'go to' default statement, whenever they needed to buy a few minutes, put us at a distance. In response to a wide range of "Can I's?"...from a "sucker before dinner..." to "a new puppy dog..." to "just one more online game with friends before going to bed..." and arriving at "stay out until...all my friends can... come   on !" Responses that we as kids derive a degree of hope. They were at least equivocating, about to cave in, if I just played my hand right...just the right amount of persistence coupled with some (disingenuous) appeals, affectations, ingratiating...

Using The Force, Completing the Mission Message Central, Central Messages: The messages that are central to the mission, the one of keeping our children safe, in the presence of ever evolving technology that exposes them to so much we have yet to prepare them for.  As well as the methods, places, devices on which we place these messages. As they, themselves, are messengers in motion, creating commotion, emotion. Challenging enough for parents to keep up with one another, let alone their children. But left to their own devices... The Final Question: The one that follows the ones I posed to you yesterday here, and the one that President Zelensky left the UK MP's to ponder, one taken form William Shakespear ("To be or not to be...?") that he coupled with some strongest words ever intoned in the face of aggression (from Sir Winston Churchill, worth a look and listen)..."We will fight in the forests....". Back at home, around our homes, on behalf of our children who ...

Constructing, Obstructing, Instructing: Mission Central, Questions Central to the Mission Putting You (Parents) to the Test: To see if you are really mission ready, prepared for the journey of parenting, one which had a definite beginning but has no clear end in sight. A long and windy road 🎝, with many a twist and turn, many bumps along the way..."and no manual!" Actually, there are many, but having read all you would probably, as a parent, still come away feeling incomplete. Like the parents, almost without exception, start off a conversation with me, "You know, we're not the perfect parents..." Neither am I. But, there are certain truths and convictions that serve as guide posts, as compass points. To assist us in this "most important mission yet...", Mr. Phelps, the voice on the tape, informs us. And like Mr. Phelps in the original  series (or Ethan Hunt if you prefer the more recent iterations), it's not like we really had a choice to "s...

From Roadblocks to Roblox, Public to Private: Constructing, Obstructing - Continuing the Mission PBS to Metaverse, Simply Stated: That is, life seemed so much simpler "back then", whether "back then" for You was the "Age of Golden Radio" (see yesterday here) or the days of "Ozzie and Harriet", when We all watched the same program at the same time on the same TV (for better or worse) sans remote (the early versions of this many of us termed a "channel changer"), or more recently where families, situated throughout the house on their separate devices are engaging in their preferred vices, but may at least agree to at least gather once per week for "movie night" -- which may very well be an installment on the agreed on Netflix series. But, at least pause for a second and reflect on the reality that once upon a time, in a land not so far away, what children watched, listened to (again, for better or worse on a stereo, that parents...

Parenting Pre-cursors and Prolonged Prologues: Mission Prepping Backing up the Mission: "Good morning Mr. Phelps" the "Voice on the Tape", otherwise known as Bob Johnson, greeted the listener, set them at ease prior to introducing the true nature of "The Mission", and its full contents, an attempt to get him to "Sign on", or to lure him in, prepare him mentally. And what I should probably have done here on your behalf prior to launching you...backing up the mission before setting forth on this quest (of Parenting!, that is), and otherwise letting you know who is backing you up. This, in contrast to that on the tape, that ends with a somewhat ominous "...and if you or any of your IMF members...the secretary will disavow any knowledge..." Instead, I am offering you plenty of back-up, as well as a nice back-drop, including the voice of Bob himself, whose voice was also featured in "Outer Limits" and "Star Trek", two sho...

Roblox, Road Blocks - Constructionists or Obstructionists? A-Parently, A-Parently NOT! Stable-sizing, Through the ages: "It's always been this way..." Which is how our professor began his lecture to us on the art and science of parenting, the incredibly important process, one that starts out at conception, continues with early construction, as in building a bond of trust as well as providing an environment that maximizes the early/critical stages of healthy body and mind development, and proceeds until the infant-child-teen-young adult is "fully grown"😌. When the latter really comes to fruition (especially for US guys) is still a topic of heated debate as well as humor. Along the way, while parents' role in the 'construction' is obvious, we also find ourselves having to be, "like it or not kids" obstructionists, obstructionistic ("You're always interfering, why don't you just leave me alone...?!"). That is, we are the fir...

Roblox, Road Blocks: Parents as Constructionists, Obstructionists - Intro... Blocked Content, Access Denied! Either because you are not of age, lack an appropriate, legit login, or some other obstructionist reason..."I'm being locked out almost right after this site was constructed...it must have been those %*^& parents...I didn't think they had a clue"!  Try back here tomorrow, after you have obtained proper authorization, otherwise "come of age". Please try back in 24, content and site being 'refreshed'😔😃

Fearmongering 2.0: Trait Baiting, Pressing On. Divide and Conquer. Home Free: "Just when you thought you were home free", that you thought you heard and seen everything here about Psy-Ops. More specifically, about "fearmongering" So did I. That was until the past few days, when I saw and heard what was otherwise unimaginable... Full Court Press: When members of the press, supposedly impartial and objective, while 'holding court', while they have your attention as the one being interviewed, or US at home anticipating the next question, press the one being interviewed, until they get the answers they seem to have been looking for. This, following the 'set-up', the question(s) designed to lead the witness...who, unsuspecting, unprepared, in an emotionally vulnerable state... Waiting, Baiting: For years now, but more acutely the past week, more so the past two days, I have read, watched, but especially listened (mostly while working out, TG!) with rapt a...

(Re) Orientation: Inside Out...of your Mental Faculties Highbrow Hybrids: For those of you who tuned in here today, you haven't "lost it!' Nor have I. That is, you have not lost one of your "Mental Faculties" -- actually two, as in perception  and memory . Mine represented by will  and memory . For I do remember, as you may have, that I invited you back from your Psy-Ops to hear and see what "Roblox/Road Blocks" might be about. Well, I decided, out of free will , based on what I have seen and heard myself the last 24-48 hours to present this combination of some timely topics, some mashups of previous posts, to cover a topic germane to all of us, something we all have to examine from time to time, whether we are looking at colleges for our graduating seniors, or just our mental fitness, as in "Faculties". When applying to college it could mean whose teaching what, their ratings as scholars and skillfulness in sharing what they know, but here it...