Tuesday, Indianapolis, Indiana

Among the theories about the origins of April Fools Day dates back to the fourth century when The Emperor Constantine entertained some group of court jesters who asserted that they could do a better job of ruling the Kingdom if only given the chance. The Emperor got a chuckle out of the idea and declared that one of the jesters, a guy named Kugel, would indeed rule as king for one day. In his first act Kugel declared that absurdity was the order of the day, and low and behold April Fools Day began.

In our time the day is remembered with mostly with tame jokes aimed at surprising people. We might announce that the company has announced layoffs, but when the shock begins to register, shout, "April Fools!"

Benign stuff, usually. But of course there are those with boundary and judgement problems who carry the idea too far and engage in April Fools jokes that go too far. The holiday does provide cover for the sociopaths among us to amuse themselves with sadistic hijinks.

Among the more famous April Fools Day pranks included the 1965 BBC joke that claimed they had developed that allowed odor to be transmitted over the airwaves. What was surprising to the BBC was that several viewers actually contacted the network to report that the operation was a success - that they had indeed smelled odor through their television sets!

And in another April Fools Day joke a Dutch television news program reported that the leaning Tower of Pisa had finally fallen over, causing may distraught viewers to call into the station in horror.

Have you had an elaborate April Fools Day joke played on you that sucked you into its clutches? I don’t believe I am especially gullible but who knows, given the right messenger and a credible subject.

Monday, March 31, 2008
Indianapolis, Indiana

Are you edgy? Do you have trouble concentrating? Are you constantly distracted in the middle of an activity? Have these tendencies caused you problems in school and at work? If you don’t already know it, have you considered that you may have attention deficit disorder? Or perhaps you may be hyperactive?

Most of us have heard these labels, ADD or ADHD and usually applied to children whose behavior is difficult to control. Millions of children have been diagnosed as ADHD given their behavior at home or in school. The label is controversial because it is not alway reliable distinguishing between a child that is pathologically distracted or merely undisciplined. This becomes especially consequential when the treatment for the diagnosis is the use of a drug to control their out of control behavior.

Nonetheless the diagnosis has become very popular over the past two decades. Today, about 5% of the population is believed to have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. That’s 1 in every 20 people. And as the name suggests, the main characteristic of the diagnosis is an inhibited ability to control mental focus and behavior. Children with ADHD have difficulty sitting still and remaining calm in many situations. It has obvious consequences for school performance.

Science tells us that the cause is principally genetic which means ADHD does not disappear in adulthood. The difference is that adults generally find more adaptive ways to cope with their distractibility. Is this because their impulses abate with age? That’s less likely. It is more probable that adults are willing to conform to the boundaries that are set for them in their jobs and their family life. In other words, adults with the tendency to attention deficit submit to the external demands in their social environment. And this is what gives skeptics pause that ADHD might be a misused diagnosis, failing to distinguish between kids who are chemically unable to focus and those whose parents will not demand that they focus.

See if you can related to these symptoms:

1. Inability to sit still

- While seated, you cross and uncross your legs several times every minute
- All your slacks are shiny and rubbed-out at the seat
- You have made yourself nauseous in a rocking chair

2. Ignores details & makes careless mistakes

- When in a parade you cannot march in step and turn in the wrong direction when ordered
- You have unopened items in your home because you are incapable of following the assembly instructions
- When writing with a pencil you use the eraser in equal amounts to the point

3. In constant motion, often running inappropriately

- You need new shoes every three months
- The only time your heart rate is normal is when you are asleep
- You routinely run up the aisle at church

4. Often loses things necessary for tasks or activities

- You cannot identify more than three objects that you have owned for more than one year.
- You do not own any tools
- When cleaning your house you discover several “lost” items that you subsequently replaced

5. Often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly

- Making eye contact for more than five seconds makes you physically uncomfortable
- You often yawn in the face of people speaking to you
- You cannot remember why you are answering these questions

Friday, Lafayette, Indiana

A CNN story about the deteriorating situation in Iraq featured footage of an early morning survey of the quiet streets in a war ravaged neighborhood. As the camera panned across bomb craters in busy streets, burned remains of car bombs and demolished buildings, the eerie silence was punctuated by the sweet sounds of dozens of birds chirping.

Going about their business of finding mates, buildings nests and preparing for births, the birds do what they do right here in my neighborhood. They live in a parallel universe whose only distinctions are the noises of the human world around them. Whether Bagdad, Lafayette, Indiana, Birmingham, Alabama or Moscow, Russia, mating birds call out their melodic sounds and live their busy lives without regard to the goings on in the human world.

How many of us cope with the noise of the world by living parallel lives, ignoring what is happening in the world around us? Like the birds in Bagdad, we in America have been given the luxury of flying around, busy with our business, choosing to remain oblivious to the ugly, violent world that goes on near and around us.

Thursday, Lafayette, Indiana

Seventy-five years ago America was introduced to “Popeye the Sailor Man.” For several generations we watched him in animated form in movie shorts and television. While many readers may not remember this legendary cartoon figure, Popeye remains an icon of American pop culture.

An enlisted Navy man rarely seen on duty, he roamed around with his girlfriend, Olive Oyl, a single mother with an eating disorder, and her baby, Swea Pea. They were constantly confronting a hulking, sociopathic bully named Bluto who, for reasons incomprehensible, was stalking Olive and jealous of her affection for Popeye.

Despite being poorly spoken, uneducated and suffering a larynx issue and speech impediment, Popeye has a mellow nature. His forearms are swollen, perhaps from an ailment contracted on a port-of-call and he is addicted to his pipe tobacco. Most times he appears to be a emotionally detached from his surroundings. He is patient and not easily provoked.

HOWEVER . . .

When finally roused in anger, Popeye pops open a can of spinach, of all things, and downs it in one swallow. And he is then suddenly transformed, taking on super human strength. In a whirlwind of movement he wreaks violence on wrongdoers and ends the threat. In his sign-off from the episode, Popeye acknowledges the source of his power as he sings:

He then offers two toots through his pipe.

YOUR INNER POPEYE . . .

What do we learn here? Many of us can relate to Popeye’s personality as a well-intentioned, generally easy-going individual coping with complex relationships and responsibilities. And we can also empathize with the experience of being taken advantage of, and even accosted by the mean-spirited people we encounter.

But here is where fantasy takes over. Imagine how wonderful it would be if we too could simply pop open a can of something we find distasteful, endure it going down, and in return be blessed with a burst of power, focus and strength to overcome anyone in our way?

This fantasy is our Inner Popeye, the inner rage that seeks to find a way out but is too timid to let loose.

INERT SPINACH & THE DEATH OF POPEYE . . .

In light of this profound Popeye, metaphor, the popularity of spinach salad means that we are all seeking to be Popeye,. And yet despite our consumption, we remain powerless.

The fundamental source of Popeye’s strength does nothing for us. For us, spinach is inert. And inert spinach means the loss of power. Inert spinach means the death of Popeye, and the emergence of Bluto.

This is a terrifying scenario for us all!

Wednesday, Lafayette, Indiana

It was 31 years ago today that the last episode of the classic television hit Sanford & Son aired on NBC. The cast was led by an improbable standup comedian, Redd Foxx whose nightclub act was notoriously blue. Nonetheless the network took a chance on him within the confines of a scripted program and he flourished.

Fred Sanford was an cranky old man who owned a junkyard in the infamous Los Angeles ghetto of Watts, the site of one of the most horrific race riots in history. He shared his business with son Lamont, played by Damont Wilson. The stories centered around Fred’s constant schemes to make fast money that inevitably wound up creating chaos.

And while his son was perpetually frustrated by his obnoxious father’s ways, he remained loyal to him and stayed. A lot of the humor of the show involved Lamont trying to undo his father’s mess and repair the hurt feelings caused by Fred’s personality.

The show was produced by Norman Lear who became famous for bringing All in the Family to prime time featuring America’s most famous bigot, Archie Bunker. Some viewed Fred Sanford as an African American version of Archie Bunker.

Whether valid or not, Fred was full of bluster and attitude. He became famous for several phrases including, “You big dummy!” He also had a recurring fear that he was about to have a heart attack. When he got stressed he would shout, “It’s the big one! I’m comin’ Elizabeth!” referring to his late wife.

Why We Watch

Beneath the show’s obvious racial veneer - one of the earliest prime time programs starring African American actors, there is a meatier, psychological theme in Sanford & Son. It was the tension - common in all families - between adults and their elderly parents. Lamont’s patience is constantly strained by the antics of his crude, unsophisticated father. And Fred was constantly frustrated by his son’s impatience and immaturity. The show’s plots centered around the breakdown in communication between father and son. And who cannot relate to this conflict?

Despite year after year of disputes, disagreements and maddening stubbornness, father and son love each other more than they are separated by their generational divide. The show depicts the bond we have with our parents, even when the connection is painful and disruptive in our lives. Fred may drive Lamont crazy, but in the end he is more devoted to his Dad than he is willing to admit.

Tuesday, Lafayette, Indiana

The popularity of the television hit Monk has brought to light the problem of OCD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Most people know this challenge from the observable behavior of its sufferers who are constantly, and ritualistically focused on order and cleanliness. While it is played for laughs on television, it is the cause of great suffering and social difficulty for the individuals who cannot relax until all things in their surroundings are in perfect order. They obsess about whether they turned off the faucet or the oven and repeatedly return to make sure.

In the language of the DSM-IV, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder involves a pervasive pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal control, at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by four (or more) of the following:

1. Is preoccupied with details, rules, lists, order, organization, or schedules to the extent that the major point of the activity is lost

- You created a spreadsheet outlining the minute by minute schedule of you daughter’s prom.

2. Shows perfectionism that interferes with task completion (e.g., is unable to complete a project because his or her own overly strict standards are not met)

- As a result of indecision you have never been able to order from a menu.

3. Is excessively devoted to work and productivity to the exclusion of leisure activities and friendships (not accounted for by obvious economic necessity)

- Your overtime pay tripled your regular salary.

4. Is overconscientious, scrupulous, and inflexible about matters of morality, ethics, or values (not accounted for by cultural or religious identification)

- At least three fellow employees have lost their jobs as a result of your negative reports on their personal behavior.

5. Is unable to discard worn-out or worthless objects even when they have no sentimental value

- You rent three thousand square feet of space at a local storage facility.

Relief for sufferers includes new medications along with supportive psychotherapy.

Monday, Lafayette, Indiana

A Nun runs out of gas on the way to the hospital where she worked as a nurse. She sees a gas station up ahead but does not have a gas can. She improvises by using a bedpan she has in her car. She returns and begins filling the gas tank using the bedpan. Two guys are watching from across the street and one says, “if that car starts, I am becoming a Catholic!”

Why We Laugh

The joke’s effect is based on the confusion between an ordinary human act - a woman using her creativity by filling her gas tank with a hospital bedpan - and another person misinterpreting the meaning of the act. This misunderstanding forms the basis of the joke.

The Meaning & the Inner Sadness

The experience described in the story means little to the nun beyond the nuisance and inconvenience of running out of gas. But for the man observing from across the street it is loaded with existential significance. He evidently believes that the nun is filling her tank with urine, and that she evidently believes the engine will operate. This incongruous scenario means that this man is, pathetically, seeking a miraculous sign to convince him to believe in the existence of God. He stands ready to be persuaded by any clear indication that there is a power beyond nature. What a revealing commentary on the sadness of his life.

What about you?

Does the foundation of this joke resonate with you? Are you always looking for a sign that there is a higher power that can rescue you from your despair? Are you like the desperate man, always on the lookout for a sign? Are you so frantic for hope that you will latch onto any possible indicator that life is ore than you are feeling right now? While this joke makes you laugh, it is obviously profoundly sad.

Friday, Lafayette, Indiana

This is the weekend when Christians around the world celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. The meaning of this event is central to the belief that Jesus is a savior sent by God the creator to rescue us from ourselves. It presumes, of course we acknowledge that we need saving.

This is not a universal feeling, or even a widespread feeling. In fact, it confronts directly the tendency of Americans in particular who celebrate our personal independence, individual capacity and inherent entitlement to happiness - not just its pursuit. And with this blessing comes the expectation that success is our birthright; that limitations are the fault of our caretakers, bad fortune or our own poor initiative.

We seem to have cultivated a resistance to the truth that we cannot have it all. And worse, we live with the maddening awareness that we frequently do not do what we should. Instead, in the words of the Pharisee Apostle Paul, “I do the very thing I hate.” This is a truth of human life: struggling endlessly with our worst selves, even as we know the best of ourselves.

Who doesn’t know the wisdom of staying in the moment, resisting ruminations about a past we cannot undo and a future we can only partially control? Is there anyone unaware of the counsel to live with an expectation for the unexpected? How many speeches, sermons and penetrating writings does it take to persuade us that personal serenity is the only human experience that buffers emotional suffering and psychic pain?

Yes, we need rescue. We need something that goes beyond our mind, experience and capacity to envision our life without the corrosive effects of stress from worry, regret and interpersonal conflict that ruins the very peace we know in our heart is our desire. We need something big, dramatic and external to ourselves to reorient our attitude. Some force is necessary to overpower our limited capability, stubbornly resistant because of our hubris.

Thursday, Lafayette, Indiana

This week we acknowledge a grim anniversary. It was five years ago that the infamous war in Iraq began. The mood of the country deteriorated from initial support to growing skepticism and finally outright disillusionment with the venture. The staggering costs in lives and dollars has steadily mounted with little evidence that the Iraqis are stepping up to take over their own national destiny.

The war is now the longest in our history, surpassing the two World Wars of the 20th Century. And because it is a civil insurgency rooted in religious fanaticism there is no end in sight. The only hope is to control the violence and quell the passions. Soldiers can do the former, but it is religious leaders who must do the latter. And we are becoming more impatient with the soldiers being Americans instead of Iraqis. And as long as the country feels invaded and occupied, there is little chance that the Islamic religious leaders will have much success redirecting murderous passions of their followers.

Regardless of anyone’s opinion about the legitimacy of the war in Iraq, it should be very clear that the execution of the war has been at least questionable if not tragically inept. John McCain, famously supportive of the surge in Iraq, is on record harshly criticizing the early approach to the endeavor, lambasting Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Cheney for their approach to the invasion as simply too little to be effective. And here is the Vice President, when questioned by a reporter about the opinion of the American people overwhelmingly opposed to the war, snips back, “So?”

Say w…w…w…what!?

Without a draft that invests the total population in the endeavor of a nation’s war, with no real demand for the rest of us to feel the sacrifice and pain of international combat, we have the dubious luxury to ignore the whole matter and go on with our lives. It’s a war fought by a few heroes sent into combat by chicken hawks who spare their own lives and the safety of their own children.

If we go to war, we are all in or we should go in at all

If we go in, we do so with everything to end it swiftly

Five years of a piece meal effort

Osama Bin Laden is alive & communicating from Afghanistan

It’s just disgraceful!

Wednesday, Lafayette, Indiana

Yesterday Presidential candidate Barack Obama gave a speech for the ages about racial tensions in America. Prompted by the hate sermon of his church’s pastor who blasted our country for its shameful history of racial animus Barack gave a sweeping account of the history and status of the problem we confront about disconnection between blacks and whites in America. It was impressive that he addressed virtually every relevant community in the culture. He spoke to angry white voters and bitter black voters about the divide that is our shame.

It seems to be inevitable that one day there will be a woman or person of color who will be elected to the White House. While many may be surprised that it has happened now, the fact is that America is a population filled with woman and people of color and our leadership is destined to represent them. I for one, as a white male from a blue collar background am ready for the leadership of black Barack, lady Hillary or aging white guy John.

In the midst of the heart of the partisan campaign, it seems that we have as good an opportunity to prosper under any of their leadership skills as we have under the traditional current President, whose leadership skills are, by most accounts minimal or worse.

With the economy in the tank and the war an acknowledged catastrophe can we do worse with any of the three leading candidates? I just don’t think so.