gabor mate (3)

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I have long been watching the rise and fall and antics and dramatizations of the Jordan B. Peterson (social) phenomenon. One cannot really ignore it, if you want to know what is going on in the sociopsychological and political atmosphere of today's world (at least in the postmodern Western world). 

I made this poster today, after listening to Peterson's failure to make his legal case against the Ontario College Board of Psychologists yesterday. His case is for "free speech" when he is in public as a public figure, and at the same time he wants to keep his psychologist license and not be censored (unfairly). He is big on being treated unfairly by anyone, especially now his own profession and the State --thus, Peterson is a controversial political figure and has been deeply interested in activism and politics and a rather conservative-libertarian perspective. That's all a much bigger topic. You can hear my 3 videos on my Youtube channel if you want to know more of my views of this fascinating and troubling character in the world. Right now, he is actually one of the top most known ('stars') internationally as a Canadian. Even more known than the prime minister?--or they are a close tie. Peterson can't stand our Canadian prime minister and says so in public media constantly. 

My critique or fearanalysis is of Peterson's take on 'freedom'... which is fear-based, and thus distortive. (a longer argument there to be had)...

Gabor Mate is also very well-known and outspoken, and has his quick critique in 2 min. summary, rather good, I think: go to: https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Gabor+Mate%22+on+%22Jordan+Peterson%22+&sca_esv=559894069&source=hp&ei=HgfoZPHcMsWH0PEPrOK-4Ao&iflsig=AD69kcEAAAAAZOgVLm6V1PbrowLbIdKH4tRhOBH3bxKC&ved=0ahUKEwjx45i11_aAAxXFAzQIHSyxD6wQ4dUDCAw&uact=5&oq=%22Gabor+Mate%22+on+%22Jordan+Peterson%22+&gs_lp=Egdnd3Mtd2l6IiIiR2Fib3IgTWF0ZSIgb24gIkpvcmRhbiBQZXRlcnNvbiIgMgYQABgWGB5IuWFQAFi1XnAAeACQAQCYAbkBoAGfF6oBBTIyLjEyuAEDyAEA-AEBwgILEAAYgAQYsQMYgwHCAhEQLhiABBixAxiDARjHARjRA8ICCBAAGIAEGLEDwgILEAAYigUYsQMYgwHCAhEQLhiKBRixAxiDARjHARjRA8ICBRAAGIAEwgILEC4YigUYsQMYgwHCAgsQLhiDARixAxiABMICCxAuGK8BGMcBGIAEwgIFEC4YgATCAgsQLhiABBixAxiDAcICCBAuGIAEGLED&sclient=gws-wiz#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:adf7cd1e,vid:qOJ0lUSBI14

 

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The early developmental years are crucial for children when it comes to their relationship with fear/anxiety and other aspects of their innate and conditioned life-orientation to: Is Life Trustable or Is Life Untrustable? [1] There are more people now a days starting to ask questions about what the impact of COVID-19 pandemic (shock and awe and isolation) had on this new crop of COVID children (and their care-givers)? I have not done research on this but I have heard more than one person in the field of education and daycare field talking about this connection. Are the young children especially (but not only) really impacted more negatively by COVID-19 than we can even imagine as adults? Are these a more disregulated and mistrustful, and anxious group of children now who are going to grow up and create a whole lot more problems (and costs) for society, from within families, daycares, schools and beyond? I'm calling this the COVID-Fear-Bubble phenomenon. OF course, it is just speculation at this point. 

On the recovery and rehabilitation side of things, however, there are some good stories of pro-active interventions into children's well being in relationship to fear, for e.g., John Coleman, of the Apocatastasis Institute just published his summary of an article recently published on offering various nature interventions with children to help them overcome some of their fear of nature (and of life itself, perhaps)--see the BEE BRAVE presentation he gives: https://www.bitchute.com/video/P5YqcYT5niyU/

Let's keep the conversation going about fear/anxiety [2] its positive and negative sides, including the impacts of COVID-19 especially and how can we teach not just about being braver, but being more courageous, being more fearless. I have a great deal of experience and research and thoughts about this connection of a spectrum of means in how to live life in a better relationship to fear than being so paralyzed and harmed by its excesses, individually and collectively. So, also check out The Fearology Institute happenings. 

 

Note: 

1. Life-orientation education, as I am calling it, has many levels of evidence and reality, but there's at least an important one in Erik Erikson's emotional/affect development research and model puts "Trust vs. Mistrust"  (or Love vs. Fear) at the foundational base of child development as universal. My colleague Four Arrows (Dr. Don T. Jacobs) has more or less offered an analogous conceptualization with overlapping meanings and implications in his worldview education distinction. My other fearwork for decades has played with these ideas but only very recently am I seeing how important this is in bringing a universal ethical basis to education--and, philosophically, arguably it is a telos of education..

2. For a good video on fear/anxiety in the individual and coping strategies and the way society conditions us, especially in parenting, and by offering children distractions and other means of "isolation"--there are chronic problems that accrue, especially with the "attachment" bonding ecology, and this is where fear/anxiety will grow, and even panic patterning that will affect people for life--see talk on this by Dr. Gabor Mate' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39RyGEVRbWk

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