*Editor’s note: This column is posted posthumously.
By Natasha Josefowitz, ACSW, Ph.D.
LA JOLLA, California — I recently read about a Missouri Congressman who was among the majority that voted on a new rule forbidding women from entering the chamber with bare arms, requiring them to cover up. My initial reaction was: “Here we go again! Men controlling what women wear.” It made me ponder about the role men have held throughout history, attempting to keep women compliant and subservient.
Here’s an interesting statistic: tall men make considerably more money than short men. In other words, size matters. Big fish eat little fish. Bucks with the largest antlers come out the winners more often during confrontations. We, too, are animals, no different from other species—bigger and stronger males often try to control the smaller and weaker females. So, it’s all a matter of biceps. Even with the inroads we have made over the years, this disparity may always remain.
I remember a law in England from a few centuries ago which defined the size of the stick with which a husband could beat his wife. It was legitimate to beat one’s wife as long as the thickness of the stick did not exceed the prescribed measurement. What is considered good and legitimate in one century is viewed as deplorable in another. Consider slavery, which was acceptable to many societies in the 1800s, but has fortunately become repulsive to the world today (even though it still exists in many places and forms). There is no absolute good or evil, no right or wrong; these are all human constructs defined by the century we live in, the country we call home, or the generation we were born into. To wit, child labor is no longer permissible in many countries and we no longer burn witches at the stake. Within my lifetime, inter-racial marriage, as well as same sex marriage, was forbidden. Now it is legitimate. I wonder what aspects of society that we take for granted today will be considered inhumane to the next generation—the way we raise livestock like chicken, cows or pigs, unable to move in small enclosures.
In Act II, Scene 2 of Hamlet, Shakespeare writes, “There is nothing good or bad that thinking makes it so.” If there is no consensus about good or evil, there is no morality. These days morality is up for grabs depending on your belief system or religion. Missionaries once forcefully removed children from their Native American parents, placing them in schools to be indoctrinated into Christianity. The church is apologizing for this episode today.
Our brains do not like uncertainty. They look for reasons to explain various behaviors and seek explanations for what they do not understand, especially when living in uncertain times, as we are today. To alleviate feelings of discomfort and anxiety, our brains invent or believe conspiracy theories. The more risk-averse or anxious individuals are, the more they seek certainty and predictability, which can be filled by authoritarian figures who tell us what to do and what to believe (“Daddy knows best”). The need for security triggers the search for others to provide us with an answer.
The more in flux a country is, the more the status quos is favored. Democracy, by definition, is a system in flux as opposed to rigid, authoritarian systems. To quote Plato: “All democracies contain the seeds of their own destruction.” Change is welcomed by some people while seen as threatening to others. Even parenting has its opposing advocates such as rigid feeding schedules for babies versus the Dr. Spock demand-feeding approach. The good news is that it doesn’t much matter. Children will grow into their genetic destiny. Neurogenesis, the impact of their environment, also influences behaviors.
We are living today on the cusp of a totally new world with the advent of social media and the potential impacts of artificial intelligence. Being 96 years old, I am sorry I won’t be privy to the changing roles we will have to pursue. We are already required to prove we are humans to legitimize our writing as our own. It will be an unimaginable world. Our brains will have to adjust to new ways of thinking and acting. Our planet may be uninhabitable within this century. We may have to rely on AI to indicate a new way to survive. We humans have not been willing to give up our creature comforts for the good of future generations. Greed has prevailed in industries, which contributes to the continuous rise of global warming.
So, dear readers, my stream of consciousness and random thoughts are an indulgence I sometimes permit myself. I am grateful for your patience if you have gotten this far.
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© Natasha Josefowitz. This article appeared initially in the La Jolla Village News.