May is Mental Health month: God help us! We are all Mentally ill.

May is Mental Health Month, a time to prioritize and raise awareness about our well-being and the challenges we face.  Health should always be our highest priority (mind, body, spirit, family, environment, government...).  A vital concept I recently learned and vital to all levels of our health is anosognosia. I still have trouble remembering, pronouncing, and spelling it but it's worth learning.  It is a term of Greek origin that loosely translates to "lack of awareness or insight." 

In the context of mental health, it refers to individuals who have a mental illness but are unaware of their condition. This neurological condition hinders one's ability to recognize or perceive one's own illness, it is commonly seen in conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and dementia. While some individuals may acknowledge their illness, others strongly resist accepting this knowledge.

As a scientist rather than a psychologist, I hypothesize that most Americans suffer from a form of chronic anosognosia.  It is our collective 'mental illness' (unawareness) that is at the root of various societal issues, including wars, inadequate responses to genocides, pandemics, the instigation of terrorism, our unsustainable national debt, dysfunctional government, political polarization, personal depression, hopelessness, loneliness, denial, suicide, and multiple harmful addictions. And particularly avoiding multiple clear warnings of each of these.  Unfortunately, avoidance of understanding our objective reality only exacerbates these problems-- along with the costly, too often lethal, and literarily unsustainable consequences that persist in impacting every aspect of our lives. And we continue to stumble forward into accelerating chaos without addressing root causes. 

Money has the power to accomplish many things.  Too often however, it is directed toward the wrong causes.  Our reactionary Pleistocene brain is the primary enabler of our reactionary government.  Too often 'we the people' (and thus our government) prioritize simplistic solutions that ignore underlying causes. Failing to invest in root causes is breaking us economically.  And no amount of money or volunteer time can relieve the massive suffering and urgent needs that arise as a result.  We cannot continue repeating the same actions and then expecting different outcomes.  Einstein probably didn't define this as insanity.  But he could have. 

Here is a simple yet profound cosmic reality that we unconsciously ignore because we blindly believe in the illusion of independence.  In reality "Everything is connected, everything is interdependent, so everything is vulnerable...we need a global effort." These words were spoken by CISA director Jen Easterly on October 29, 2021.  They express the need for a global effort to address the interconnected and interdependent challenges we all face. The establishment of the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) was under the Trump Administration.  It was a step in the right direction.  Unfortunately, the delusion of "independence" is deeply ingrained in our thinking, reactions, and the laws that govern us.

Why is this the case?  Largely due to our human experiences mostly limited to five basic senses and the neurological signals our brain receive that are then filtered through our mind.  Our mind often believes in flawed concepts like independence. This illusion is the foundation of most of our problems.  It blinds us to the reality of our irreversible global connections and interdependence - which blocks us from addressing the core interrelated issues.  And this only contributes to our increasingly chaotic and unsustainable reality.

One solution lies in understanding the words of Leonardo da Vinci: "Realize how to see. Understand that everything connects with everything else." Similar assertions of reality have been made by Albert Einstein and other wise individuals throughout history. Unfortunately, our government and its agencies are codified to operate independently at nearly every level, thus failing to recognize or respond effectively to the irreversibly interconnected nature of our world.  At best our government can only offer us measures to build resilience.  This won't change until ‘we the people’ demand a more comprehensive approach.

Unfortunately, every 4th of July, we celebrate our "independence," making us feel good and usually superior to the rest of the world.   But following the daily news reflects a different picture.  Many chose to avoid the news because "it's depressing". Yet most people instinctively know that things will likely worsen before they get better -- as gun sales, mass shootings, opioid deaths, extreme weather events, political polarization, distrust of government, and rejection of science only increase.  And our persistent 'hope' or 'optomism'  that elections will solve these local, national and global problems prevents real change.

Reading the preamble of our Constitution one quickly realizes that we are not forming a "more Perfect Union," as intended.  And our Constitutional democratic republic can never achieve any of the other six intentions expressed in the preamble without a major shift in how we see the world and act in it.  Please read those seven intentions!  And if you find yourself blaming a President or a political party for our nation’s growing dysfunction, please reread the first three words of the Constitution.

Now, read the first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence. If I had one wish to change the past, I would alter just two words: "Independence" to "Separation" and "Happiness" to "Health." Dr. Benjamin Rush, a close friend of Thomas Jefferson and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, suggested this “health” change before its completion.  Jefferson rejected his edit.  And, unfortunately, the definition of happiness has evolved over time now meaning different things to different people.  The word ‘health’ however, is a concept that is challenging to define incorrectly.  But we did.  We now define medical care as "health care".  But the foundation of sustainable and affordable health is in prevention.  While medicine is valuable when prevention fails, it is exorbitantly expensive.  And prevention now appears un-American.  Now many individuals perceive "mental health" problems and programs as exclusive to those who cannot conform to our society's perceived norms and biases.  But how healthy can we be if we are well adjusted to a profoundly sick society/culture?

Thus, we remain bound to the consequences of that our most cherished and unexamined biases.  Without seeing that our favored mental constructs (peace through strength, the free market will solve our problems, my religion is the best, democracy will solve our problems...) are a serious problem.  Personal or global peace is not a function of strength or disarmament; These are a function of justice. And without liberty and justice for all there can be no peace or security for anyone.

Consider the issues of racism, terrorism, the Covid-19 pandemic, Ukraine, or any other dilemma we face. These challenges exist because we believe, and our nation’s actions, are independent.  Reflect on the consequences of our nation's first Civil War, which claimed more American lives than all subsequent wars combined. Our original Constitution was built upon 13 "independent" states, with some prioritizing states' rights over human rights. In hindsight, it is clear why Abraham Lincoln referred to our Declaration of Independence as our "Apple of Gold" and our Constitution as its "Frame of Silver." Thomas Jefferson advocated for rewriting the Constitution every 19 years because he believed that "the future belongs to the living, not the dead." Technology has been rapidly changing things for decades. Now exponentially.  Yet our government remains fundamentally the same and only grows more dysfunctional and unable to deal with multitude of problems...or the coming chaos.

Thus our nation is left with most patriotic Americans, elected officials, and political parties firmly believing that protecting our national sovereignty (our independence) will safeguard our freedoms, prosperity, and national security. This perspective ignores reality and the wisdom presented in Thomas Paine's patriotic pamphlet, "Common Sense." Paine asserts that no individual is truly independent, and the sole legitimate purpose of government, given that we are not all angels, is to maximize the two most fundamental human desires: freedom and security.

What if Jefferson had titled his masterpiece the "Declaration of Separation"? This alternative title may have prevented our persistent insanity rooted in the belief that we are independent. The profound fundamental truths stated after "We hold these truths to be self-evident" would then connect us to every individual, emphasizing that every human being possesses inalienable rights bestowed upon them by nature or a higher power - from the moment of their birth.

If anyone believes that the "Golden rule" does not apply to them, they should not be surprised when unintended negative consequences arise. Scholars who have studied the prolific writings of our founding fathers discovered that they used the word "virtue" more frequently than "freedom." Some believed that the Constitution could only endure if "We the people" acted virtuously.  John Adams said our Constitution was only fit for a "virtuous people".  

Unfortunately, both virtue and accountability regarding our global interdependence are lacking. To sustain our freedoms and security, we must amend the Constitution to accept our interdependence.  This will only be done if we can alter our mind’s thinking that blindness us to the real challenges of our irreversibly interdependent and increasingly troubled world. 

Even before Trump a Surgeon General said “loneliness” was our nation’s greatest health threat.  The current Surgeon General has claimed that loneliness carries risks as deadly as smoking a dozen cigarettes a day. Because we are social creatures, loneliness is an innate feeling akin to hunger or thirst.  And our body experiences unhealthy effects when any essential survival element is missing.  Our high rates of suicide, obesity, mass shootings, loneliness, opioid deaths, and homelessness are mere symptoms of our separateness (and selfishness) are associated with the belief we are independent.  In our culture excessive individualism may be considered normal or even patriotic. But we must never negate the importance of diversity.  It is our species greatest asset for survival in an ever-changing and increasingly interconnected world.

Placing our faith in pills rather than the "Laws of Nature and Nature's God" will only perpetuate our suffering.  Life works best when we take care of mother nature and each other.  Sustaining life on this miracle plant is essentially that simple.  Pills may prevent some obesity while alcohol and marijuana may provide temporary relief.  But they cannot bring sustainable happiness. Fentanyl may alleviate pain, but it can also kill. Spending billions of dollars to defend our borders will not eliminate the growing domestic demand for drugs. Medical care should not be conflated with health care. True health care lies in prevention through healthy eating, physical activity, environmental health, and community involvement.  Defending flawed opinions and feelings that arise from them -- is detrimental to us all. Sometimes, the best medicine for curing loneliness is helping others. Physical stress is not inherently bad; it is essential for strengthening our bodies systems, plus our mind, and spirit. Believing that stress is only harmful can actually be detrimental to our well-being.

Such flawed concepts are literally killing us. Religion, ideally, should unite us in love and mutual respect and assistance. It should teach us to use science to improve life, help others, and protect nature, instead of humanity focusing on building the most powerful weapons.  Politics should be a means of resolving our differences, rather than dividing us with hatred based on appearances or beliefs (be they religious, cultural, sexual, national, economic, or ethnic). 

United, we can survive and thrive; divided, we won’t.  And when our beliefs damage our environment, our immune system, or our human relationships, our own mind become the greatest threat to our well-being.

If we choose to follow fundamental objective truths, we can establish the foundations of health.  Too often our personal or political truths only serve to divide us.  Objective truths have the potential of uniting us.   This is the only reliable path to engineering sustainable human systems encompassing government, food and energy supply, effective communication, economic prosperity, sustainable freedoms, and maximum security.  By prioritizing the "Laws of Nature and Nature's God," we could thrive and survive in virtually any environment. However, we must convince our minds to embrace our interdependence and prioritization of the golden rule.

While we may always engage in arguments and debates, we must remember that our minds' greatest weakness is its susceptibility to believe anything. Absolutely anything. No matter how strong the belief...it does not make it a fact.  This mental error too often leads us to kill or die for unfounded beliefs.

Happiness should be synonymous with contentment.  Finding one’s fulfillment by utilizing one’s talents in serve those we love or others in need.  Our minds did not evolve to defend delusions or flawed concepts; the mind’s original purpose was to solve problems that could ensure the perpetuation of our species.

Unfortunately, too many people now believe everything they think.  Then place undue trust in the feelings that follow from flawed assumptions. Assumptions that derail us from reality and hinder our ability to learn the truth. We cannot continue repeating the same actions and expecting different results; This is literally insanity. The medical term for this persistent cognitive state is anosognosia.