No one likes pain. We pull away from it; we do what we can to avoid it. Just as the body can experience pain, so can the mind. Thinking about painful things can cause confusion, mental anguish, anxiety, and headaches. Because the brain doesn't like pain any more than the body, it tends to automatically push these distressing thoughts out of the awareness of the conscious mind and into the subconscious. This process is called repression. Once the painful thought is buried in some remote part of the mind, mental distress is reduced. We all use repression; it would be impossible to live without it!
By Kenneth Marple, M.A. Coping Better
No one likes pain. We pull away from it; we do what we can to avoid it. Just as the body can experience pain, so can the mind. Thinking about painful things can cause confusion, mental anguish, anxiety, and headaches. Because the brain doesn't like pain any more than the body, it tends to automatically push these distressing thoughts out of the awareness of the conscious mind and into the subconscious. This process is called repression. Once the painful thought is buried in some remote part of the mind, mental distress is reduced. We all use repression; it would be impossible to live without it! By Rev. Kenneth Marple, M.A. Some Grumbles About the Grumblers
The economy is bad. Why? Well, because the grumblers say so --that's why. Schools are in bad shape. Why? Because the grumblers say so --that's why. I've got a question of my own. Why should the grumblers always get the press? Sure, something is always going wrong for somebody, someplace; but the truth is, it's going pretty darn well for the most of us, most of the time. Couldn't somebody point that out? I suspect that if these are bad times we'll have to wait for Heaven for better times. It seems to me that politicians always base their platforms on some upheaval that might come. Something like, "You might lose your job." Well, you might. Still, with the unemployment rate hovering at 5%, you've got a real good chance of getting another one if you’re willing to work. Compare that to say, 1940 at 14.6% unemployment (and mostly, only one family income), or 1982 at 9.7% unemployment. Meditation: A Cheap Way To Get Away
In our fast-paced society, there has been a growing interest in the old art of meditation. As issues multiply and become increasingly complicated, the search for peace, spiritual truth, and expanded awareness becomes more urgent. Ornstein (1977) describes meditation as a technique for "turning down the brilliance of the day, so that ever-present and subtle sources of energy can be perceived within." Whatever the definition, meditation is a deliberate attempt to find a more peaceful state of consciousness that is healing and soothing. Wallace and Bensen (1972) found that heart rate slows, respiration is reduced, less oxygen is consumed, and brain waves show a marked increase in alpha frequencies during meditation. Since these changes are the opposite of what happens to the body when one is subjected to stress, meditation is a good means of dealing with the stress of modern life. By Kenneth Marple, M.A. Burnout
Jesus said, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:29-30). Yet, many people feel they need to "burnout," rather than wear out! Symptoms often associated with burnout include: fatigue, trouble getting to sleep, trouble concentrating, a feeling of being under a great deal of pressure, disappointment with accomplishments, low energy levels, and headaches. People experiencing burnout do a lot of negative "self-talk." "My work hasn't been worth much. No one knows what I'm going through. Life isn't fair. My life isn't counting. I'm 45, and I can't wait to retire. I wish I could get a different job." Ralph Cramden might have said, "You're going to the moon Alice; you're going to the moon!" Christine Maslach describes burnout as resulting in emotional exhaustion, a desire to withdraw, and a reduced feeling of accomplishment. By Kenneth Marple, M.A. Dementia and Obscene Language
The vast majority of older people do not have organic brain disorders. The prevalence of dementia in the aged has been estimated at approximately 2 to 5 percent of non-institutionalized adults, and only 20 percent among individuals over eighty. Not long ago "hardening of the arteries" was incorrectly regarded as the primary cause of dementia; presently, "Dementia of the Alzheimer type is believed to account for more cases of dementia than any other single disease" (Davison/Neale, 1986). Much disorientation among older people can be attributed to depression (older people suffer losses that include: health, income, property, power, and life-long friends), or the side effects of medications; these types of disorientation are reversible and can occur in all age groups. In the minority of older adults, where permanent dementia does occur, there is sometimes an alarming change in language and behavior. This can be confusing and upsetting for family members who knew a very different grandfather or grandmother. For example, one lady that I used to visit at a nursing home would greet me eagerly with a stream of obscenity, then proceed to follow it up with sexual advances! She had been a very devout person and a Sunday school teacher. What happened? By Rev. Kenneth Marple, M.A. Beyond Reasonable Doubt
Doubt can be an important part of life if it launches one on a course that results in resolution; that is, doubters should work their way toward becoming believers whenever possible. Doubt is a major force in psychology, religion, and criminology. In criminology, it is usually not possible to prove innocence or guilt beyond a shadow of doubt; however, it is usually possible to prove it beyond reasonable doubt. By Rev. Kenneth Marple, M.A. Balancing the Protestant Work Ethic
Though John Calvin (Geneva) died in 1564 and John Knox (Scotland) died in 1572, their teachings continue to prod each of us toward productivity and perfection. The followers of these reformers made a direct connection between the blessing and approval of God and material prosperity. Riches became the visible manifestation of God's delight with his people. In order to demonstrate to the world God's special love toward them, these folk scrimped and saved, worked to exhaustion, and put themselves on rigid schedules. It did work --God blessed them --at least in terms of getting rich. It is no job to quote Biblical passages that support thrift and hard work; but is there a "down side" to such a theological formula for prosperity? Rev. Kenneth Marple, M.A. Back to the Future
Mary Williams was my paternal great-grandmother. Mary was born in 1870 and grew up on a plantation in Maryland. Because of her longevity, her life overlapped considerably with my own. It was from grandma Mary that I first learned about plantations, slavery, and the civil war. Mary told stories about her brothers fighting in the civil war, killing snakes in the gravel pit, and visits from former slaves who had helped to raise her. As a young woman she recalled that the former slaves would walk from the farm in Maryland to her home in Philadelphia where she lived with her young minister husband. She was born on the heels of the Emancipation into a world where salves were still not all that emancipated, onto a farm where her parents had actually owned slaves. By Rev. Kenneth Marple, M.A. Babies Must Endure Many Fads
Parents always want to raise their babies in the best possible way. In the past 100 years, there has been no shortage of experts to tell them how. Mostly, new moms and dads are a little sensitive about getting much advice from their parents. After all, when these young folk look at the disastrous results of their own parents' potions upon them, why would they want to repeat such a fiasco? Since it is not totally unusual for children to think of their own parents as well-meaning, bumbling fumblers, the obvious place to turn for advice is a book. By Rev. Kenneth Marple, M.A. America Began With Religious Intolerance
The Puritans left England because they despised the centralized control of the Anglican Church. We are expected to feel sorry for them. The trouble is, once ashore in America their own intolerance toward other religions made England look like the freedom express. The once-persecuted Puritans quickly became the persecutors. Puritan minister Nathaniel Ward wrote, “Anyone willing to tolerate another’s faith either doubts his own, or is not sincere in it.” Quakers who dared to enter Massachusetts (Puritan territory) were imprisoned, flogged, abused --and six were hanged; they were a “cursed sect of heretics.” By Rev. Kenneth Marple, M.A. Are We Expecting Too Much?
Though much modern psychology is built upon understanding why people do what they do, most successful psychological interventions are built upon the assumption that people must ultimately take responsibility for their own behaviors. Blaming the other person, or even the environment, has never been the power behind successful treatment plans. In fact, blaming others actually keeps us from doing what we can do for ourselves to become whole. If it were impossible for people to control their behaviors, therapists would have little to work with. People can and must take responsibility for their own lives. The truth is, for things to change in our lives, we must take the initiative and do something different than we are already doing --and we can. Sure, we can all understand that people come under stress, but does that excuse them from responsibility for heinous behaviors? The last century ended with a basketball game being interrupted on a Friday night to show us all a dozen police cars following O. J. Simpson down I-5 as he fled from law enforcement officers in a white Bronco. As the evidence accumulated, police arrested Simpson for the murder of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. Since Simpson was a noted personality, police needed a nearly air-tight case before they dared to make the arrest. By Rev. Kenneth Marple, M.A. Avoidance Can Backfire
Avoidance is an important survival strategy for all people. Most of us have learned how to use avoidance to stay out of trouble! The Bible cautions: "Avoid every kind of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:22); "avoid sexual immorality" (1 Thessalonians 4:3); "avoid godless chatter" (2 Timothy 2:16). One of our old hymns warns, "avoid evil companions." In addition, most of us try to avoid pain, accidents, taxes, late charges, and overdrawn checking accounts. He or she who can avoid can live well. Rev. Kenneth Marple, M.A. A One-Winged Bird Can’t Fly
What I like about America is that it has two wings. Whenever it gets lopsided, or begins to fly in circles, the people always seem to know that it’s time to give a little more power to the other wing. That done, the Eagle levels herself and flies a little straighter. That is, until the other wing gets out of control! Every healthy bird has both a right and a left wing. Things get precarious when the right wing wants to cut off the left wing, or when the left wing wants to cut off the right. Yes, history tells us that we have prospered and flown well because we are a nation with two wings. We have business and we have labor unions. We have merchants and we have consumer advocates. We have industry and we have environmentalists. By Rev. Kenneth Marple, M.A. Aunt Sally Couldn't Stand Losing
To this day, I dislike playing table games. Mostly, I think it's because people take them too seriously. As a boy, I stayed for about six weeks with my Great Aunt Sally, who lived in a big Eastern city. Aunt Sally liked to play games; but, she also liked to win! My aversion to table games came when I beat her in Monopoly. Aunt Sally said it was "disrespectful" to beat an adult and she sent me to bed early. I've always been thankful that she wasn't my mother. |
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