Why punishment is less effective than talking to constructively work through issues:):):)...

I'm only going to blog for a few minutes, here, because I'm in the middle of trying to sleep for work:):):)...

...but I did want to take a few minutes to discuss why punishment is so much less effective than talking to constructively work through difficult issues:):):)...

...I mean, communicating a problem that is clearly not seen, since, by definition it is unresolved is obvious, of course:):):)...

...but I mean:):):)...beyond that:):):)...

The big reason, psychologically, is that people have limited developed pain thresholds for any given moment:):):)...our pain threshold can grow over time:):):)...but...like everything in life:):):)...it is limited:):):)...

So we can only absorb so much pain and comprehend it at any given time:):):)...and overwhelming our pain threshold only makes more difficult our efforts to interpret pain -- that people cause us and that we cause others -- at any given moment:):):)...

So understanding that pain is actually IMPEDED by creating too much of it:):):)...it's information overload for our emotional senses:):):)...and it is too confusing and too much to comprehend at any one moment:):):)...

So the way out of this dilemna is to communicate as effectively, as clearly, and as unambiguously as possible -- this is the real rub:):):) -- so that adding to our pain threshold -- and our natural, healthy, and functional self-defenses that keep too much pain at bay:):):) -- does not overwhelm our ability to understand difficult, uncertain, forever confusing, and always infinitely complex realities that we can only begin to comprehend with limited capacities at any given moment:):):)...

I won't say that we develop our abilities slowly, necessarily:):):)...though this is often true, as well:):):)...because my experience is that there are definitely moments of punctuated equilibrium in our psychological evolution, I believe:):):)...

For anyone not familiar with the late Stephen Jay Gould's concept of punctuated equilibrium, it refers to the propensity in biological evolution (which is relevant here, even though I am refering to psychological, social, and cultural evolution:):):)...for life to become infinitely more complex and adaptive in response to very dramatic realities:):):)...

Dramatic events like asteroids hitting earth, killing multiple or single species and creating environments that existing species must make similarly dramatic adjustments to their new settings are good examples of punctuated equilibrium:):):)...volcanoes creating similarly dramatic disruptions...or massive floods or events that are otherwise beyond the limited capacities of species to adapt to events (the consequences of global warming might turn out to be one such similar kind of event in human evolution in the future:):):), are all good examples of punctuated equilibrium:):):)...

Similarly, pyschological, social, and cultural evolution can be impacted, I believe and in my experience, by dramatic events for individuals or groups that have dramatic events that occur to them that are beyond their present abilities to cope or thrive or adjust to those events:):):)...meaning that some people/species will fold, self-defend, stagnate, regress or otherwise suffer under harsh, critical, or dramatic circumstances:):):)...

But, as Victor Frankl describes in a wonderful little book, Man's Search for Meaning, that my dad read in his undergrad at the University of Michigan:):):)...and that Abraham Maslow references in my favorite book of all time, The Farther Reaches of Human Nature:):):):)...some people are able to thrive and grow even under the most unlikely and overwhelming of circumstances:):):) (in Frankl's case, suffering through the ugliness of the holocaust), even while others suffer:):):)...

And my experiences, in the last few years, at the very least, reflect some of that capacity on my own part, I believe:):):)...I'm very proud of my ability to thrive even in the most difficult of circumstances:):):):):):)...I am actually amazed by it, much of the time:):):)...and the last two years have definitely been one of the most dramatic tests of that ability that I've ever suffered/lived/survived/thrived/grew through:):):):):):)...I'm really pretty overwhelmingly amazed, really:):):):):):)...I really can't believe just how much shit I can shovel so quickly and efficiently and with increasing abilities to observe, understand, and navigate more and more complex and difficult terrains and understandings of the same terrain:):):):):):)...it's kind of amazing to me, really:):):)...

And we would all do better, I believe, from both experience and my own understandings:):):), if we supported each other through such realities with the least posssible necessary aggression (a term that I'm quite sure will likely be used like "democracy" and "freedom" to rationalize less ideal and uglier versions of it, perverting, at times, it's truest, best, most beautiful, most constructive abilities and potential and ever-more-ideal actualities:):):)...that if we used the least possible necessary aggression, we will support better functioning, surviving, and thriving, growing, and learning of more and more people and other species dependent on human support for its survival and thriving:):):)...

All of our psychological, political, educational, social, and cultural development and evolution would be far better enhanced, I believe, if we were to LOWER the pain thresholds that we create for people to observe, explore, understand, learn about, integrate, and otherwise navigate to support each other and one another better in our ever expanding and critical development and evolution:):):)...

Punishment/justice/beating up on others, physically or emotionally/revenge/or otherwise rationalizing hurting people in the name of teaching them adds to our already too heavy pain load and makes it more, rather than less, difficult for us to negotiate, navigate, explore, learn about, and understand our intrapersonal, interpersonal, larger social, cultural, political, physical and other environments so that we can function more succesfully within them:):):)...and limiting any one person's functioning limit's ALL of our functioning, both short term and long term:):):)...short term, because it focusses our attention away from more constructive means of functioning in our immediate and short term situations:):):)...we all have ever expanding but still limited developed capacities to anticipate and navigate ever-complex social and psychological terrains:):):)...but it also limits our long-term individual and general capacities, as well:):):)...both in a cumulative sense (all the little immediate and short term situations and opportunities for learning and growth that we miss or ignore:):):)...

...but MUCH MORE IMPORTANTLY:):):)...as the repercussions of limiting the already limited functioning of others puts further stress on limited abilities to navigate and cope and thrive and grown in always stressful situations:):):)...

So hurting others doesn't just lead us to do stupid shit that we could otherwise use our time and energy to do much more valuable shit in our lives and the lives of others:):):)...

...but it also frustrates the already too frustrated efforts of others to deal with their own lives and, as a consequence, to often make our lives more difficult:):):):):):)...

And more ideal functioning consists of us seeing these cycles to better navigate them and circumnavigate cycles and trends and series of less than ideally functioning or more destructive or stagnating or regressive cycles:):):):):):)...

More freedom and less pain means for better thriving, even in difficult or hard times for people, generally, to cope with, thrive in, and navigate:):):)...and more understanding for immediate, short term, and long term future navigations of ever complex realities that, as we develop more finely tuned senses to note complexity, seem and are more complex as our limited psychological abilities to detect, understand, sense and navigate them become more complex as well:):):)...

Trying to "beat away" such complexity (proverbially beating our little primate chests, so to speak:):):), just makes it ALL THE MORE DIFFICULT for ALL OF US to navigate difficult realities:):):):):):)...and no amount of pain will ever make that difficulty go away...and will, generally, make it much more complex and difficult to navigate the more we maintain such a poor orientation to complex realities:):):)...

It's a foolish and ironic instinct we humans have to become more aggressive in the face of stress and fear since -- given a certain threshold of real satiation of hunger, shelter, and safety needs -- it becomes increasingly and often exponentially, I believe, counterproductive -- meaning it makes things MORE, NOT LESS difficult to handle -- than if we had just chilled the fuck out, so to speak:):):):):):), so that we could begin to understand complex, difficult and stressful realities more clearly:):):):):):)...

My friends and I just did this together, this weekend, I think:):):):):):)...which is why I'm feeling so inspired to write so GODDAMN MUCH today:):):):):):):):):):)...and doing some pretty fucking advanced work for a guy who still hasn't finished his Ph.D., I have to say:):):):):):)...

If Tom hasn't read this post and figured out that I am ONE BRILLIANT MOTHERFUCKER:):):), I doubt that ANYTHING will convince him:):):):):):)...

Gotta go try to sleep for awhile:):):):):):)...

I hope everyone is having as an amazingly productive and incredibly inspiring day as me:):):):):):)...

The best day of my life, I think:):):):):):)...and it's only getting better:):):):):):):):):)...

Spread love, please:):):):):):)...it's much sexier and sweeter than hate:):):):):):):):):)...really:):):):):):):):):)....

More freedom and equity make for better experiences of life and work and families and democracy and markets and everything than less freedom and equity:):):)...

Maslow and Sen can both see this, in part:):):)...as can Nye, less than Sen...and Sen less than Maslow:):):)...

The three best books that I've read substantial portions of for all three of these authors is The Farther Reaches of Human Nature, by Abraham Maslow, Development as Freedom, by Amartya Sen, and The Paradox of American Power, by Joseph Nye:):):)...I imagine that Joe's newer book, Soft Power, is probably a better illucidation of his ideas:):):)...and Amartya may have a newer book as well:):):)...but Abraham, unfortunately, passed from our immediate and biological presence (or at least his and our conjoint living biological presence:):):) in 1972, I believe:):):)...so we will have to mine the beauty and wonder that it Abraham Maslow's brilliant work while he was living, which is, fortunately, terribly abundant:):):)...

And much of the reason why I am not just satisifed with writing books and giving lectures is that I HAVE NO INTEREST (NOR DOES ANYONE ELSE) with any wisdom I might have to develop, share, or leave to leave with me:):):)...I want EVERYONE to have it...and more:):):):):):)......and different:):):):):):)...

As I said in a much earlier post (like a year earlier:):):), on my other post on tripod...



...my goal as a teacher is to have my students KICK THE LIVING SHIT OUT OF MY LEGACY:):):):):):)...

...and...if possible:):):)...while I'm still alive and kicking:):):)...

...that is:):):)...if you chickenshit motherfuckers think you can catch me:):):):):):)...

Good luck, biatches:):):):):):)...

In the meantime:):):)...lot's a good stuff I have to write up as I get the chance:):):)...

Oh, how a full time studying situation would be so much more efficient and effective for me to share everything I'm learning:):):)...one day, soon:):):):):):)...

Have a great day, everyone:):):):):):)...I really do love everyone:):):)...though, like most people:):):), I do love my closest homies best:):):):):):)...but love to everyone, nonetheless:):):)...

Love,
Ben "Annie" Ashcroft:):):):):):):):):):):):)...

Also:):):)...if you haven't checked out my most recent tripod post on the great chit controversy of 2005:):):):):):), I would HIGHLY recommend doing so:):):):):):)...to see what's got me so goddamn inspired today, as as NBA Jams and Jason "The Sexiest Man Alive" Blick might say, "on fire":):):):):):):):):)...