A recent NASA-level creativity test has pretty much proven that modern education lowers our awareness. Any reputable grade school in the world teaches Charles Darwin’s “theory” of evolution as basic fact, yet a national poll in America has revealed that 42% of citizens are “not too” or “not at all” confident that the concept of evolution is real. 36% had serious doubts that the Earth is around 4.5 billion years old, despite numerous scientific tests that indicate this. Only 53% per cent of people were “extremely” or “very confident” that childhood vaccines are safe and effective, despite mountains and mountains of evidence that proves this.

A paltry 33% of Americans polled believe in human-induced climate change, even though the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has made it as clear as possible that it is real, it is us, and it will have catastrophic effects on humanity as a whole unless drastic and immediate action is taken to combat it. Despite mass shootings in Colorado, Texas, Virginia, Las Vegas, ad infinitum, gun control still isn’t close to the number one issue that most Americans decide their vote on, and laws and regulations continue to be watered down instead of squeezed. In fact, Georgia now has a law that enables people to carry weapons in state and local buildings, airports, churches and bars, Florida has signed a bill banning local gun regulations, and at least 12 states have made it legal for people to carry guns in schools.

Dr. George Land recently informed an audience at TEDx Tucson of his findings regarding a NASA-level creativity test that was performed on school children. Land and Beth Jarman were the ones who developed the test, and it was designed to determine where creativity comes from, and if it is inherited or learned. In total, 1,600 children between the ages of 4 and 5 were tested.

Dr. Land sums it all up nicely in this video below:

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Almost unbelievably, scientists concluded that 98% of these children were creative geniuses! However, when the same children were tested only 5 years later, merely 30% of them were creative geniuses; 5 years after that, a paltry 12% qualified. As might be expected—at least after reading the aforementioned results—only 2% of adults test as creative geniuses. Also keep in mind that this trend has been verified millions of times. The modern school system is making most children less creative, overall.

Dr. Nascimento, head scientist for the study cited above, explains that, “The reasoning for this is not too difficult to comprehend; school, as we plainly call it, is an institution that has historically been put in place to ultimately serve the wants of the ruling class, not the common people. In order for the so-called elite to maintain their lavish life styles of overt luxury—where they contribute the least but enjoy the most—they understand that children must be dumbed down and brainwashed to accept (And even serve) their rapacious system of artificial scarcity, unending exploitation, and incessant war.”

Dr. Land argues that, “actually looking inside the brain we find that neurons are fighting each other and actually diminishing the power of the brain because we’re constantly judging, criticizing, and censoring. If we operate under fear we use a smaller part of the brain, but when we use creative thinking the brain just lights up.”

In 1965 George Land, Ph.D. founded a research and consulting institute to study the enhancement of creative performance. This research ultimately led to the formulation of Transformation Theory-a theory of natural processes that integrates principles of creativity, growth, and change. From these principles, Dr. Land developed unique strategic thinking and innovation processes for organizations.

He invented the first computer-interactive approaches to group innovation, decision-making, and strategic thinking. His exceptional processes are now licensed by over 400 major corporations worldwide.

Dr. Land has also taught interdisciplinary science and creative/innovative process to the faculties of some three dozen universities. Among his articles and books is his seminal work Grow or Die: the Unifying Principle of Transformation. Originally published in 1973 by Random House, it was a main selection of the Saturday Review Book Club and was submitted Random House as its nominee in the science category for the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award.

With Dr. Beth Jarman he co-authored Breakpoint Beyond: Mastering the Future – Today, published by HarperCollins in 1993 now also available in Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish and Korean.

Dr. Land has been elected a senior fellow of the University of Minnesota, a fellow of the New York Academy of Sciences for his outstanding contributions to science, and a colleague and fellow of the Creative Education Foundation. In 1989, Dr. Land received the Outstanding Creative Achievement Award from the Creative Education Foundation for his lifetime achievements in creativity. In 1995, the Innovative Thinking Network created the George Land World Class Innovator Award in honor of Dr. Land. His listings include Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World. He passed away in March 2016, but his work on Transformation Theory and creativity will continue to impact the world for decades to come.

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List of previous Associated Press Polls: http://surveys.associatedpress.com/

The cycle that never seems to change: Sometimes I’ll get out there on the interwebs and notice it’s always the same people that complain about all of the same things over and over again. Whether it be fear induced by the modern faux news media, or another less than substantial political talking point, here they are, devolving into an ever increasing angst.

Seems that they often experience a particular problem multiple times over and wonder why we have to deal with it repeatedly. Our thoughts and feelings often create our reality and govern our lives. And sometimes they are what create problems for us.

Often, it seems, we develop such a strong negative focus that we end up attracting the same problem over and over and over again. So if you feel like you’ve been facing the same problem on a loop, think about what negative influence you are embracing intentionally or otherwise. If you are frequently facing similar problems there may be a particular behavior of yours at play.

Here are some common negative influencers that make you attract problems and even the same issues time after time.

Obsessively thinking about the problem

While worrying is an evolutionary trait that is critical for our survival, too much worrying is always a harmful thing. Worrying about our problems imprints those very issues into our brains and we soon find that we’re too deeply involved in the problem to be thinking of a solution.

My friends always seem to get after me because I might not express the same angst or worry that they’re expressing — They say that it appears to them that I don’t care. The fact of the matter here is that I do have many of the same concerns or cares that they have — I just don’t let the latest political flavor of the day rule the way I think and do things. I’m not defined by anything anybody might say about any so-called deal of the day on the internet.

I understand that controlling one’s thoughts is easier said than done, simply distracting yourself from having intentional thoughts about whatever the issue is at hand can make a world of difference in your overall handling of the situation.

For this, we can form a deliberate distraction.

For instance, one can always do something nice for someone, smile at a stranger, say hi, help someone out anonymously, and by anonymously I mean telling no one about it.

After a while of doing this sort of stuff, you’ll find that you can meet your greatly diminished angst with a bit more focus and tact.

You could call an old friend, watch a movie, or even practice an instrument you haven’t picked up in a while. As long as it helps you shift focus and create a happy distraction, practice it until you’re ready to think about things with a clear head and not ‘worry’ about it.

With enough practice, you will learn to create a distraction to the obsessive overthinking.

Acting out of fear

Our actions can affect our vibe and in turn, alter our beliefs. Our actions often mirror what’s brewing inside of us and reflect our vibe. This sort of thing can be handled by making small seemingly insignificant changes.

For instance, when we’re feeling low, simply putting on a smile can give a much needed positive emotional boost that can make us feel better overall.

Our moods and actions are often in tandem with each other, hence our actions mostly reflect how we’re feeling inside.

When we’re struggling with similar issues time and again, we tend to feel frustrated and wary about the problem repeating itself.

We start to tread with caution in fear of history repeating itself.

For instance, if you log into the internet, you might fear that you’ll get into and argument with a Trump or a Biden supporter.

You already know what you’re going to say and that might bother you a bit.

You might worry that you’re going to continue the cycle, because by now you just seem to know that your politics has already defined you.

You don’t have to be defined by the talking points of the day. You can just as easily express your concern over a matter and be done with it.

Spend the rest of your day on the net posting pictures of pretty flowers or something.

If you fear too much about what “might” happen, you are subconsciously sending a message to the universe that something is constantly on your mind and it ends up happening.

All over again.

Complaining or talking about the problem

One of the strongest reasons we tend to attract problems repeatedly is that we talk a lot about the problem and in turn, this creates a negative environment around us and attracts more and more negativity as time goes by.

Seems sometimes we just can’t even help it. It’s as if it’s almost addictive to share one’s issues just to vent or simply dump our worries on someone else.

Constantly complaining about always ending up with the wrong partner, being stuck in a boring job, or of how everyone hates your chosen lifestyle will get you accustomed to the habit of perennially complaining.

Over time, with each complaint, you add an ounce of negativity to your emotion box until one day it seems too full and it becomes your entirety — it becomes your negative state of being.

Your valid argument will become much less valid, and your credibility will become much less credible.

Soon, people might quit listening to you about things that might actually really make a difference.

The cycle that never changes, never will change, unless you make the conscious effort to change it.

Thanks for the read.

Happy Trails.

If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be … For the poor you will always have with you in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’ (Deuteronomy 15:7-11)

If your neighbor is suffering from hunger, mental health issues, lack of good shelter, and gainful employment, then it falls to us to do what we can to help him in these regards. We don’t have to be assholes about all of this — We all just need to do what we can, and according to our own means.

Though the homeless and indigent have always been with us, record keeping of the problem started back in the 1870’s and from that, the problems have become increasingly worse. The civil rights and civil liberties movements of the 60s accelerated the problem, and government policy accelerated the problem even more starting in the 80’s with gentrification of the inner city and the de-institutionalization of the mentally ill.

Our nation used to offer work to those who were homeless, and they accepted it. Then our nation offered welfare (free money) and the homeless accepted it. As it is now, our homeless are offered a free spot to pitch their tent and they accepted it.

It’s hard to believe just how far down the rabbit hole we’ve gone as a society over the past 150 years — Government policy supposedly designed to make things better has only served to make things worse. And the proof of my statement resides somewhere in downtown Great Falls, living in a tent.

I feel bad for kids today with regard to the internet and their social self. With all their electronic gadgets, they’ll never know the simple joy of throwing rocks at each other.

The statement above might sound funny on it’s surface, but according to research conducted over the past 10 years or so, there’s actually something to this whole business of social isolation when it comes to the internet.

Smartphones have made a significant change to the way we live our lives, giving us access to information on the go and keeping us in touch wherever we are.

But the benefits they offer are only part of the story. An alarming new study from non-profit research organization Sapien Labs suggests that a decline in the mental health of younger generations has occurred alongside smartphone use and an increase in social isolation.

Understanding the Social Self

Social functioning is correlated with various aspects of mental and physical health (e.g., Cruwys et al., 2014; Holt-Lunstad et al., 2010; Kawachi & Berkman, 2001; Maher et al., 2017; Perkins et al., 2015; Segrin, 2019). More importantly, the ability to relate to and interact with others effectively has been crucial for human cooperation and the building of our modern world. The breakdown of this capability such that it is seriously impaired in over half of young adults across the world therefore has serious consequences for the future of society.

Social interaction involves a complex set of functions: reading facial expressions and body language to assess intent, learning to respond appropriately within social norms, regulating one’s emotions and more.

While the capacity for social behavior may be an innate human trait, as is the capacity for language, it requires practice to get to a place where we are confident in our ability to handle social situations of all kinds. It is also only through repeated interactions with others that we build the friendships and other relationships that establish our place in the social fabric. From feeling detached from reality to avoidance and withdrawal and suicidal thoughts, these symptoms represent the extreme of disconnection from or a failure to integrate into the social fabric.

The Internet and the Social Self

Why would the Social Self be in such decline? A big part of the answer is likely the Internet, which has seen a meteoric rise along with smart phones since 2010. Data now shows that around the world people spend 7 to 10 hours a day on the Internet.

This leaves little time for in-person social interaction with friends and family. Where once children spent several hours a day engaged in in-person social interaction, adding up to, in our estimation, 10,000 to 25,000 hours by the time they reached adulthood, for generations growing up in the Internet world that number is likely closer to 5,000 and for some, even as low as 1,500. The lack of sufficient social engagement may even have neurobiological consequences.

In rhesus macaque monkeys for instance, the size of specific brain structures increases with more direct affiliative social connections (Testard et al., 2022). There is also the distortion of social perceptions by the Internet where adolescents compare themselves to a virtual reality that does not match our physical reality. Furthermore, the virtual medium may not effectively engage the neurobiological systems designed for pro-social behavior. The human mirror neuron system, thought to support the learning and development of social behavior by enabling brain-brain dyads of observational learning and imitation may not function effectively, if at all, in the virtual environment (Dickerson et al., 2017). For example, adults demonstrate poor emotional fluency while using video-based communication systems compared to in-person behavior.

Several studies with adolescents and young adults have shown the amount of time spent on a digital device (i.e., screen time) is correlated with poorer social skills (e.g., Kelly et al., 2018; Twenge et al.,2018).

It might be important to not underestimate the magnitude and nature of the challenges of social isolation and digital interaction at the expense of in-person social interaction in the modern age of today’s electronic devices.

You can read the full report here: https://sapienlabs.org/publications/

The report shows this decline is consistent across 34 countries where data was acquired, and that over the pandemic, the mental well being of each younger age group of adults fell much more dramatically.