Anthony Marsella – Page 2

Two Paths in the Woods, Pt 2. Beyond Symbolic and Poetic Words By Guest Author Anthony Marsella

Posted on November 4, 2014 by kathiemm

The path we choose in our lives is not merely a symbolic or poetic path — one presented so eloquently by Robert Frost’s image of worn and less-trodden paths at a fork in the road. No! The path before us is an essential life-nurturing and sustaining path and each person must choose to renounce violence, destruction, war, and killing. In each of our daily habitual actions, we are making moral choices regarding the survival of our planet.

Humanity is at the point of extinguishing countless life forms and expressions. We engage in an unbridled assault upon each other and upon the natural world. Our appetites for destruction are endless in virtually every realm of our lives — economic, political, social, educational, and moral. Our global condition is well–known, and yet we are oblivious to the dangerous consequences of actions we are supporting. These facts are most visible in the United States of America, a nation once symbolized as a “beaming light-on-the-hill.” It is now a nation whose policies and actions — whose “choices” — are characterized by corruption, cronyism, exploitation, violence, inequity, prison population disproportions, and the sins of affluence (e.g., lobbyists, hypocrisy [hypocracy], contempt for citizen rights and participation [demonocracy], and slow deaths by obesity, malnutrition, racism, classism, poverty). We can do better.

The mass media, a potential voice for informing and educating citizens is a participant in destruction. Analyses of critical news events become opportunities to defame the “other side” — whatever that may be! Receptive audiences choose to watch and to listen to media supporting their existing views. Minds become closed to doubt and fall prey to gossip, calumny, half-truths, entrapment, stereotypes, falsehoods, and misrepresentations. We can do better.

*Anthony J. Marsella, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Hawaii. Dr. Marsella’s essay was originally published by Transcend Media Service at https://www.transcend.org/tms/2014/10/two-paths-in-the-wood-choice-of-life-or-war/ . We will publish excerpts from it intermittently over the next few months.

USA: A culture of violence, Part 2

Posted on January 7, 2013January 7, 2013 by kathiemm

Second in a series by guest author Anthony Marsella

Charting a “culture of violence:” Causes and consequences

As the immediate emotions of the presidential elections pass — the euphoria and elation of the winners, the grief, despair, anger of the losers — the harsh realities of daily life once again emerge. Among these is the widespread violence pervading the United States.

As Figure 1 demonstrates, the manifestations and consequences of violent acts are extensive. They suggest a “culture of violence” that is generated by acts arising from individual and collective impulse and intent and sustained by tolerance and approval across political, economic, educational, military, and moral policies of institutions.

The omnipresence of violence

As the new year begins, let us acknowledge that violence abounds in American society, touching everyone’s life as victim, perpetrator, or anxious observer and witness of endless violent acts committed locally, nationally, and internationally.

Ultimately we are all victims and perpetrators through acts of intention or acts of silence and indifference.

How much more violence can we view on TV, how much more violence can we cheer and applaud in entertainment, how much more violence can we experience before becoming overwhelmed by a constant state of stress, anxiety, anger, and/or moral indifference?

Every person — regardless of location — is compelled to live with daily reminders of risk and danger. What is distinct about violence in the USA, however, is the existence of a national culture of shared, learned behaviors and meanings transmitted across generations via values, attitudes, and ways-of-life that are violent. This is our culture today. What can we do about it for tomorrow?

Anthony J. Marsella, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu

People come into our lives . . .

Posted on December 3, 2012December 20, 2012 by kathiemm

People enter our lives at unexpected times

Changing us in profound ways . . .

A glance, a smile or frown,

A word — spoken or written —

An act of kindness or harm.

Some remain in our lives for a lifetime,

“Others” for a moment.

Whatever it may be,

The entry of “others” into our lives

Is always an encounter of consequence,

Not to be treated lightly,

Nor dismissed as chance.

The entry into our lives of “others”

Is to be pursued — explored, understood,

For it is more than it seems,

It is a sealing of minds, lives, and spirits.

It is a connection.

II.

I was blessed yesterday to meet a man

— A person of color –

A man of quiet dignity,

His years honed by life lived amidst

Doubts and uncertainties,

Unanswered questions,

A man — humble and sincere.

I listened as he spoke of his life.

Not a frozen written narrative,

But an unfolding of his heart.

Graceful words,

Magnified in meaning

By the deliberate meter of his speech.

A sacred moment.

The man spoke of his lifetime search — his longing

For a home — not a house — but a home —

A place, anchor, refuge . . . for his soul.

A grounded piece of earth,

Upon which he could stand,

Plant roots, grow, and become.

A place where he could say:

“I am home.”

III.

I was changed by his words.

He may never know this

Unless along the way,

He finds this poem.

But no more needs to be said.

I will remember his lined face,

Gentle voice,

Deep-set eyes,

Peaceful countenance,

All shaping the moment,

Affirming — forever —

There is no “other.”

Thank you, Clive.

Anthony J. Marsella, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, and Past President of Psychologists for Social Responsibility (PsySR)

October 29, 2012