• ‘MID-LIFE CRISIS’ HAS NOW BEEN SURPASSED BY MILLENNIAL AND GENERATION Z CRISIS. Latest study by Dartmouth College researchers reports unprecedented deterioration in young people’s health worldwide, affecting relationships, careers and lifestyle choices, with distress reflected in higher rates of substance overdose, antidepressants, hospital & psychiatric admissions, attributed mostly to underlying factors of weaker job prospects, underfunded medical care, lingering effects of Covid, and ever-rising social media use. Analysis of surveys covering three decades and millions of people worldwide found worse mental well-being now peaking in early twenties, though improving steadily with age. [DISCOVER MAGAZINE]

 

  • MAGIC PHRASES THAT SUPPOSEDLY MAKE KIDS LISTEN TO THEIR PARENTS by giving them ‘emotional safety,’ feeling respected and with the freedom to express their feelings: (1) “I believe you” – which defuses shame and creates safety; (2) “Let’s figure this out together” – which mitigates power struggles and makes them more likely to stick to the solution; (3) “You can feel this. I’m right here” – which validates their feelings and helps them reset when overwhelmed, in survival mode, and when logic doesn’t register; (4) “I’m listening. Tell me what’s going on” – which by simply feeling heard, stops kids’ resistance trying to push back; (5) “I hear you. I’m on your side” – which shifts parents from adversary to ally, lowers defenses and makes kids far more likely to meet halfway; (6) “I’ve got you, no matter what” – which shows them that love is not conditional on their performance or perfection. When regularly protecting a child’s dignity, they feel safe, listening becomes the natural outcome, and they’ll follow through on boundaries. [CNBC.COM]

 

  • BUMMER NEWS FOR SENIORS: Latest Chinese study of more than 62,000 adults concluded that risk of cognitive decline – particularly dementia – was over 40% higher for those heavily eating processed foods, red meat and sugar, versus very limited quantities of those, and instead prioritizing vegetables/ legumes/ olive oil/ nuts/ seeds/ with moderate fish/ poultry/ dairy. An earlier American study showed consistent results by combining nutritional science with neuroscience via MRI scans of blood samples to analyze nutrient biomarkers, to further suggest that brains benefit from a combination of fatty acids/ antioxidants/ carotenoids (in many fruits & vegetables)/ vitamin E/ and choline (in egg yolks/ fish/ meat/ legumes). [SCIENCE FOCUS]

 

  • PERSPECTIVE ON THE INCREASING TENSION BETWEEN AMERICANS who support building up of Western society values and those who seek to tear it down, as a battle between people “guided by the spirit of success, responsibility and duty who, when faced with a problem, do not complain about the unfairness of life but seek an answer – versus those guided by envy and the impulse to escape personal failures & shortcomings by blaming others.” This is exemplified in Los Angeles by “disastrous public policy including confiscatory tax rates designed to punish business rather than reward innovations; treating homelessness as a right rather than a plight; a brutal crackdown on police ability to fight crime & public disorder; failing public schools; and decaying public services… while ‘Scavengers’ thrive by feeding on shame, elevating victimhood and spreading anti-Americanism,” supported by politicians who cater to maintain voting support, in order to maintain personal careers and power. https://www.thefp.com/p/ben-shapiro-the-most-dangerous-force-in-america-is-envy-lions-scavengers

 
THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK

  • “FOR MILLENNIA, HUMAN BEINGS HAVE LIVED INSIDE THE DREAMS OF OTHER HUMANS in writings, drawings, sculptures, music and other art forms. Based on: (1) the pace that computers are already creating these methods of communication, (2) the fact that what we normally take to be ‘reality’ is often just fictions in our own minds because of a belief in this or that illusion, and (3) that the ongoing information revolution is likely to create unprecedented ‘realities’ on an unprecedented scale, we might in coming decades find ourselves living inside the ‘dreams’ of an alien intelligence… What would it mean for humans to live in a computer-based network, and how might it change our politics, society, economy and daily lives? How would we have to change in order to adapt, survive and hopefully even flourish in this startling new world?” A must read for those planning to be alive during these coming few decades is NEXUS, authored by YUVAL NOAH HARARI.

 

  • “The fragmentation of American society is the outcome of degradation in traditional family religious and moral beliefs stemming from the Sexual Revolution which have deprived us of human feelings, with the Individual having replaced the Family as the cell of society, and with Wokeness viewed as a moral code versus merely emotional language used to shut down honest discussion.” A fascinating and sad history of how this happened: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5n-O1KGHB8