Isn't there a drug for that?

I read a provocative post from blogger Scott Young this week that explores why people feel bad when a lot of objective evidence is that they should be pretty happy. His thesis is that we are victims of our own success, basically eliminating the biggest challenges humans have faced but also raising our expectations. 

Here's an excerpt that helps summarize the problem: 

But if we define a utopia as a society that gives people an abundance of the things they want, then, at least compared to nearly all actually-existing societies, we’re living in it! True, there are still problems that might be solved in some glorified Star Trek future that don’t exist today: teleportation, robot butlers, cures for aging and world peace. But if we avoid speculative futures, it’s pretty clear that we’re closer to the utopia of human desires than we’ve ever been in the past.

Yet, if we look at human flourishing, the kinds of things we need to be psychologically fulfilled, the picture doesn’t look so good. Rates of depression and anxiety have skyrocketed. People are anxious, fearful, inattentive and unhappy.

One story you can tell about this trend is that technology is to blame. The rise of smartphones, social media and easy entertainment have glued us to screens rather than real friends, hobbies and time for reflection. If so, the problem would be not that we live in a world without those things (friends, hobbies and time for reflection still exist, after all), but that our world has too much the things people desire, and they crowd out the things we actually need.

Then he explores three options that might lead to more optimism: prudence, regulation, and technology that modifies our brains to want more of what we need. 

Prudence is based on the idea that we can control our desires and act in our best interest. Being better educated about the effects of, say, certain drugs, could prompt us to avoid those temptations and dangers. But millennia of experience shows that most people aren't going to exercise prudence, at least not consistently.

Regulation means more laws that forbid certain activities or products, more regulations that control content on social media, etc. We can ban cell phones from schools. We can raise taxes on tobacco. Australia recently banned youths from using social media. The problem, Young points out, is that democracy doesn't work well when almost every aspect of life is controlled. Where is free will?

Technology is most obvious with the newish GLP-1 drugs that inhibit impulses, not only leading to weight loss but to less addiction overall. Lots of people use a low dose of anti-depressants to reduce stress and worry. Those Ozempic-style drugs are not perfect yet, and the steep costs or long-term effects likely scare some users away, but it is likely that costs will come down and such drugs will become safer and safer. More users, more confidence... more sales and money to be made.

Here's his final graf: 

I find it hard to get enthused about a future where we create an abundance of human vices, and cure that abundance by creating drugs that make us desire them less. It sounds, well, dystopian. But I suspect that this will end up being the path humanity follows, if only because it is easiest.

That sounds like wisdom to me. Humans rarely choose the hard way when there are easier options. 

I suspect I could lower my blood pressure by a combination of exercise and weight loss and diet, but I can take a tiny does of Lysinopril, and voila! My readings are perfect. 

Technology it is. 

Already dreaming of next season

As long as I am thinking about basketball (see last week's entry), I was not surprised to read today that the plan for the Iowa Women's team is to return to the "four outside and one inside" strategy the team used so successfully for many years. The greatest success was during Caitlin Clark's four years, of course.

We have a tremendous center, rising junior Ava Heiden, who is 6-4 and aggressive and seems to be steadily adding more skills to her game. We have one of the top entering frosh in the country - McKenna Woliczko is her name - and she's 6-2 and quick and can play inside or out. Then there are two transfer guards coming in from Georgia who have the potential to make immediate contributions... plus the three or four returners from last season. 

Everyone else on the team bailed... NIL has ended any sense of order or even loyalty among players, but coaches never had to worry about that and the NCAA ticked everyone off for so many years that it's just how it is. Each year there will be lots of changes... I saw that there were about 1,000 college players looking for try a new school (with a new contract). 

It's tough for a team like Iowa to put together enough money to compete financially with Big Ten teams from larger states in football, but with basketball, you just need to find enough money to buy the affections of a very few players to be competitive. 

Ironically, Caitlin Clark accellerated this "money ball" in college athletics, just as she has accellerated the salaries for the WNBA. It's amazing what one extremely talented performer can do.

And that takes me back to my original point. Modern basketball does demand at least one tall player, just to keep a larger team from crushing you on the boards. But everyone else is kind of positionless... running off screens, lurking outside the three-point line, eager to take those 3s unless something very close to the basket shows up. 

My brothers and I often bemoan the clear lack of mid-range shooting -- we grew up thinking that the epitome of great basketball was being accurate from 15-feet. I remember our entire offense when I was a senior in high school was either "feed the post" or pop up the free throw lane to the "elbow" and either shoot or drive. I spent endless hours trying to perfect the 15-foot bank shots made famous by Sam Jones of the Boston Celtics.

But there was no three-point line then. Not for high school and not even for college. 

Like so much in modern life, things change and when we spend much time comparing the past to the present, we are not only being a bit cranky but also a bit illogical. 

Caitlin CLark was once-in-a-lifetime, so that's over. Hey, I want Obama back. Heck, I'll take an Eisenhower. And I already miss Colbert and he's not done for another ten days. I miss Letterman and his replacement is about to be "retired." 

All of Caitlin's games are on TV - the next one is tomorrow night. Dave found some other stuff to do, just less often, on Netflix. So will Colbert. We are already drawing up plans to visit Chicago and the soon-ot-open Obama Presidential Library this fall. 

Kathleen and I will, of course, renew our Big Ten Network subscription just before football season begins in late August and will watch/record all the Iowa games: football, men's and women's basketball. The details continue to change, but our Iowa fan tradition continues. 

Go Hawks!

 

Already bored with the NBA playoffs, we turn to the WNBA

The WNBA is back in action, and we are pulling for the Indiana Fever almost entirely due to Caitlin Clark. Last year was a dud, full of injuries for her. I thought she had "bulked up" too much after the league tried to bully her in her first year. All the muscle may have led to her soft tissue injuries, whatever those are. 

She looked sore at time today in the 107-104 loss to Dallas, going 2-9 on three-pointers. Looked like she was getting treatments on her lower back and that soreness might have affected her lift on those long jumpers. 

But it was an exciting game, with not a lot of defense from either team. 

But my point is that it's nice to have CC back as someone to root for. Local teams have been disappointing this year other than the Avalanche. I hope they win the Stanley Cup, but honestly have zero interest in watching hockey. I would bet a lot of money that I have never seen a goal scored in real time on occasions where I did watch a match on TV. 

Replays can be slowed down, which is nice, and it turns out that I can just find all the scoring replays online if I care.

The Nuggets fell apart in the playoffs, not able to stand up to the bullying of the Timberwolves. The NBA is certainly exciting but there is so much pushing and whacking that the basketball quality is beside the point. I'd rather watch the women, who are also shoving and reaching but not so blatantly and ceaselessly.

And that takes us to the Rockies, who are vastly improved over last season's disaster but still reside firmly in last place in their division. They may only lose 90 games instead of 119. That would actually be the sort of improvement that most teams would be overjoyed by. But when you are comparing to a season that threatened to set a new record for losses, there's a long way to go.

I used to look forward to journeying downtown to Coors Field to watch the Rox. The stadium is one of the best in the league and we used to enjoy homefield advantage. But the last homestand was 1-5, so...

And that is today's sports wrap up from Denver.

The groveling among the cult members is staggering

Those in power feel they can manipulate language any way they wish, and with no repercussions. Unfortunately, most people let it slide.

The "86 47" brouhaha is a classic. First, Comey should not have posted the photo of the "found art" from a walk on the beach. A bit of discretion would have been nice... or simply resisting the impulse to post something mildly amusing. Comey, BTW, is not a man worthy of our respect. I could not care less what happens to him, but I cling to some sense of basic justice.

Second, "86 46" can be found all over the internet referring to Biden, and no one paid much attention.

Third, to twist "86" to mean "kill" our Dear Leader is insulting to us all. The etymology of "86" is murky, with the most likely original use being to note that a shop or restaurant or bar was out of something. "86 the scallops. We're all out." One server might share this with another to avoid confusing customers. 

There may also be some validity to "86" rhyming with "nix," and "nix" has its own obscure history, likely from German's nichts, which means nothing or none. 

Fourth, many have pointed out that you can watch a lot of crime movies and will never hear "We need to 86 Harry..." in a threatening conversation. To suggest that it is common among murderers to use that expression is fatuous. 

Fifth, there is little doubt among most Americans (and those clinging to the Republican Party are NOT most Americans) that Trump really does need to go. Failing an armed revolution, this can only be accomplished by finding ways to limit his outrageous behavior and that of his minions until the next presidential election. 

About 70 percent of Americans would be cheering right now if the country could "86 47" tomorrow. 

But this "86" silliness will soon pass as MAGA leaders continue to assault the English language and any sense of truth with the next lie or exaggeration or convoluted phrase. The endless language games is the point. Those in power can never let up.

In our everyday lives, if we found ourselves constantly having to listen to someone who constantly and gleefully lies... lies as effortlessly as he breathes... we would soon find ways to avoid that person. 

Unfortunately, simply ignoring the president is just not possible. Also unfortunately, calling him on the endless lies and half-truths and trolling is not going to change the minds of his mindless followers. Many of them joined the cult because they enjoy the chaos.

Logic and dictionaries are tools of the Libs. 

And it's just so fun to see non-cultists sputter in rage. Too many of our neighbors are excited by "blood and circuses," no matter how unethical and immoral and greedy those organizing the circuses are. 

Those who revel in howling at the world cannot be reasoned with. Their bloodlust is overwhelming. 

All that matters is surviving until the next couple elections can soundly defeat the authoritarians, the billionaires that fund them, and the millions who prefer obsessing over trans volleyball players rather than the murdering of innocents.

Does that seem too harsh?

Or, maybe, not quite harsh enough?

Was it a war? Is it over? Who can say?

Truth is one of the many things that Trump and his minions have damaged, with the latest being their claim that the "war" with Iran ended before the statute-mandated 60 days without getting legislative approval passed. Or maybe that 60-day requirement is just suspended due to a cease fire... though it's a cease fire with plenty of firing and an on-going and legally dubious blockade of Iranian ports by the "good guys." Or there will be some other excuse. 

Laws are made up of words and we know that words are malleable and sometimes language is used to obscure rather than illuminate. But most laws did undergo some scrutiny and argument over precise language and precise intent. 

But we have some courts, particularly the Supreme Court, that is quite willing to twist and fold and mutilate common sense. We have an administration in Washington that depends upon educated people across the country grappling with meaning and investigating endless possible meanings and implications.

Yesterday's SCOTUS decision that basically argued that states discriminate against white people when they attempt to provide representation for their non-white citizens in drawing legislative boundaries. The boiled down to taking care that politicians looking to keep groups unlikely to support them from having a fair chance. 

If you happen to be Black in Louisiana, for instance, you have received the clear message that your white neighbors are OK to draw boundaries that heavily favor one race over yours. The Supreme Court claimed that the Voting Rights Act succeeded and we no longer need such laws. That's the same basic logic as the court cited in ending Affirmative Action. 

In the next few elections, we are likely to see entire states creating rules that lead to House members, at least, from just one political party. So, a clever partisan can almost certainly create all-Texas House delegations as well as all-Democrat delegations from California. I assume someone is already plotting to draw Colorado's districts to leave Republicans with one of the eight seats. We have so much sparsely populated rural land that creating a clean sweep would be impossible. But we can come close.

And here's the thing: we really need to go to an extreme like eliminating any minority representation from most states before we can take a chance on ending partisan gerrymandering and instituting non-partisan boards to create fair districts, perhaps growing from a federal law. 

It's akin to how we will only deal with a budget deficit that has surpassed the entire gross national product for the first time since WWII when the crisis causes the entire financial system to crash. It's the same as knowing that Social Security and Medicare will soon have to be constricted due to sheer demographics, and no one in Congress is willing to suggest a plan.

Perhaps we can increase the number of House seats to 1,000 or more, thus shrinking the size of each legislative district and reducing the influence of national funding and the billionaire class. Perhaps that would give citizens some hope that they might be heard by their congressional representative.

Right now, if you happen to be a Democrat in, say Florida, you are looking at a new map that favors (though does not guarantee) a 24-4 Republican advantage despite at least 45 percent of the state voting for Harris in 2024. 

Even my eyes are glazing over right now, and I'm writing this post. I would not be surprised by a reader abandoning this rant after a paragraph or two (and this being a post closer to a personal diary entry). 

I read today that a recent survey reveals that over 50 percent of adults actively try to change the channel, scroll past, or skip to the next page of the paper... just to avoid any mention of Trump. 

That intentional ignorance may be good for the mental health of each individual but it spells the end of democracy as we know it. 

If it's any comfort, it's a virtual lock that any group that enjoys near-total power will eventually begin internal fighting. Most murders are bad guys killing bad guys, with lots of innocent bystanders, of course.

But people can just stay home and safe. Or things can deteriorate to the point where change of any kind is preferable to the suffering and injustice and pain of continuing to knucke under to the Billionaires.

An educational and inspirational stop along I-70

We drove to Iowa City last week to help granddaughter Anna celebrate a big scholarship based on her freshman year work on the Daily Iowan, to to mention catching up with family and friends. It's a bit over 800 miles and not what anyone can call "scenic." 

Plus, it's just a long slog of about 12 hours with hundreds of semi's competing for the space on the interstates. But one reason for driving was my quirky desire to stop in the very center of Kansas on I-70 and visit the Eisenhower Presidential museum in Abilene. That is the town Dwight David Eisenhower, hero of WWII and inaugurated as President in 1952, grew up in. 

His term as president began when I was one and one-half years old, so the timeline of much of the museum was a snapshot, of sorts, of America in my lifetime.

He was a Republican when political parties did not remotely resemble what we have now. In fact, both parties recruited him to run for president and why he chose to run as a Republican is not clear. 

What was clear is that he was a modest, smart, and dedicated leader who was an internationalist and who somehow managed to appeal to most people around him. Here is one quote that sticks with me that I found while we enjoyed the well-organized museum: “Leadership consists of nothing but taking responsibility for everything that goes wrong and giving your subordinates credit for everything that goes well.”

I didn't cry but I wasn't far from it. 

Imagine government officials who embraced that sort of humility and honor and respect for others. 

I know the 1950s are often ridiculed by a world that overly values sophistication and cynicism and revising all past truths, and I know prosperity was hardly equal in that decade after the war ended. In fact, the 1950s may be what the MAGA cult may be imagining when they seek to make American great again. 

Leaders won't ever be perfect. Government will never be perfect. The world will fall short, over and over. But there was a time when there were people in government who were looked to the future, who tried to, even in small doses, make the country and the world a little better each day.

President Eisenhower was one of those leaders. He represented a "middle way," and that was both his style and his politics. 

Our passions push us away from the middle way, but I see the value in steady progress toward a better country. 

If you are ever driving through the middle of the middle of America, stopping for few hours in Abilene would be well worth your time. 

In the end, the comfort is that the world somehows endures...

It's great to be a winner, even if we don't know what the measurement system was. America so desparately wants to be a winner, so naively assumes that we will always win, that our current murderous expedition to Iran is causing cognitive dissonance. 

We have our mad king claiming victory every other day, even as tensions remain high. The goal posts shift with the mad king's mood and from afar it appears that everything about the Middle East is worse than it was two months ago.

Prices are up and only going higher. The strait is still closed and dangerous. Lebanon continues to be bombed by an Israeli military that must have endless weapons. Every country on the planet rightly distrusts American leadership. 

The rich have found new ways to leverage even more profit from the chaos. And the vast majority of the world's citizens are forced to sit and observe the most powerful nation of the past 100 years burn reputation and treasure and ethics.

Trump had succeeded in pushing the Epstein files scandal off the news (not that tough in a goldfish-memory society, but it's something, I guess), and then his imported bride stepped out and bizarrely brought the whole mess back to the front page. The chaos presidency in action.

The lady doth protest too much, methinks!

Since no one prompted her to complain or make a statement, that certainly makes most people wonder if there is something there, after all. Of course she knew Epstein and many of this fellow perverts and reprobates. The whole point is that Epstein cast a wide net, knew everyone, gathered secrets, and offered a range of favors and services. Melania married into the obscenely wealthy class.

The rich are different from you and me, as F. Scott Fitzgerald reminded us a century ago. We have managed to create a society where one percent of the population possesses more in wealth than the bottom 90 percent. And the rich have manipulated the tax code to make that happen.

As is the way of humanity, extremely rich people order everyone else around and find ways to make us feel patriotic about it, even as we are all materially and psychically poorer. The U.S. military, only recently recovered from the debacle of Vietnam, is one entity that will need a generation to regain its professionalism and pride. 

Our proud Christian leaders have tanked organized religion... and recoving will take another generation. 

The media has no idea how to deal with a relentlessly irrational and angry and evil governmental leadership class.

And now Claude has created an AI so powerful that they can't actually let anyone use it. The company's own warning is that the AI can basically bring modern society across the planet to a halt. 

So much winning.