Randolph Harris II International Institute

Home » Posts tagged 'neuroscience'

Tag Archives: neuroscience

Departing Seniors and the House of Secrets

The receptivity of the masses is extremely limited, their intelligence is small, but their power of forgetting is enormous. In consequence of these fact, all effective propaganda must be limited to a very few points and must harp on these in slogans until the last member of the public understands what you want him to understand by your slogan. Each person, in addition, has a preconscious life plan, or script, by which he structures longer periods of time—months, years, or his whole life—filling them with ritual activities, pastimes, and games which further the script while giving him immediate satisfaction, usually interrupted by periods of withdrawal and sometimes by episodes of intimacy. Scripts are usually based on youthful illusions which may persist throughout a whole lifetime; but in more sensitive, perceptive, and intelligent people these illusions dissolve one by one, leading to the various life crises described by Erik Erikson, which include trust versus mistrust, autonomy versus shame and doubt, initiative versus guilt, industry versus inferiority, identity versus confusion, intimacy versus isolation, generativity versus stagnation, and integrity versus despair. #RandolphHarris 1 of 28

Among these crises are the adolescent reappraisal of parents; the protests, often bizarre, of middle age and the emergence of philosophy after that. Sometimes, however, overly desperate attempts to maintain the illusions in later life lead to depression or spiritualism, whole the abandonment of all illusions may lead to despair. Time structuring is an objective term for the existential problem of what to do after saying Hello. What follow is the attempt to answer this question by observing what it is that people do after they say Hello, and by inserting a few hints of what might be. This can be profitably done by investigating the nature of life scripts and the course of their development. The destiny of every human being is decided by what goes on inside his skull when he is confronted with what goes on outside his skull. Each person designs his own life. Freedom gives him the power to carry out his own designs, and power gives him the freedom to interfere with the designs of others. Even if the outcome is decided by men he has never met or germs he will never see, his last words and the words on his gravestone will cry out his striving. #RandolphHarris 2 of 28

If by great misfortune he dies in dust and silence, only those who know him best will get the slogan right, and all outside the private chambers of friendship, marriage, and medicine will see him wrong. In most cases he had spent his life deceiving the World, and usually himself as well. Each person decides in early childhood how he will live and how he will die, and that plan, which he carries in his head whenever he goes, is called his script. His trivial behaviour may be decided by reason, but his important decisions are already made: what kind of person he will marry, how many children he will have, what kind of bed he will die in, and who will be there when he does. It may not be what he wants, but it is what he wants it to be. Sarah was a devoted wife and mother, but when her youngest boy got extremely sick, she realized to her horror that in the back of her mind was an idea, a picture, or perhaps even a wish that the much-loved son would die. It reminded her of the time when her husband was overseas with the army and the same thing had happened. She was haunted by an eerie vision that he would get killed. #RandolphHarris 3 of 28

In both cases she pictured herself in terrible grief and affliction. This would be her cross to bear, and everyone would admire the way she bore it. Q. What would happen after that? A. I never got that far. I would be free, and then I could do what I wanted to. Start over. When Sarah was in grade school she had many adventures with her classmates, and the guilt of that had been with her ever since. The death of her son or husband would be a punishment or an expiation for this, and would free her from her mother’s curse. She would no longer feel like an outcast. People would exclaim: “Isn’t she courageous!” and acknowledge her as a full-fledged member of the human race. Throughout most of her her life she had had this tragic cinema planned out and pictured in her mind. It was the third act of her life drama, or script, as written in her childhood. Act I: Guilt involving pleasures of the flesh and Confusion. Act II: Mother’s Curse. Act III: Expiation. Act IV: Release, and a New Life. However, in reality she was leading a very conventional life, in accordance with the teachings of her parents, and doing what she could to keep her loved ones healthy and happy. This was counter to the plot of her script—a counterscript—and was certainly not as dramatic or exciting. #RandolphHarris 4 of 28

A script is an ongoing life plan formed in early childhood under parental pressure. It is the psychological force which propels the person toward his destiny, regardless of whether he fights it or says it is his own free will. Examples of this can be seen in the 2019 film Max Winslow and the House of Secrets and in the 2023 film Departing Seniors and the 2017 movie 911 starring Charlie Sheen. A real persons may be defined as one who acts spontaneously in a rational and trustworthy way with decent consideration for others. One who follows a formula is a not-real, or unreal, person. However, since these seem to constitute the bulk of humanity, it is necessary to try to learn something about them. These studies indicate that perhaps it is possible to observe cause and effect in counseling and psychotherapy. They are actually the first studies to endeavour to isolate and measure the primary change-producing influences in counseling. Whether they are still further confirmed by later research, or whether they are contradicted or modified by future studies, they represent pioneering investigations of the question, “What really makes the difference in counseling and psychotherapy?” And the answer they give is that it is the attitudes provided by the counselor, the psychological climate largely created by him, which really makes the difference, which really induces change. #RandolphHarris 5 of 28

There is another highly practical significance to these studies. They indicate quite clearly that, by assessing a relationship early in its existence, we can to some degree predict the probability of its being a relationship which makes for growth. It seems to be quite within the range of possibility that in the not-too-distant future we will acquire an increasingly accurate knowledge of the elements which make for constructive psychological development, just as we have in the realm of nutrition acquired an increasingly accurate knowledge of the elements which promote physical growth. As this knowledge accumulates, and as our instruments grow sharper, then there is the exciting possibility that we may be able, relatively early in the game, to predict whether a given relationship will actually promote or inhibit individual psychological growth and development, just as we can assess the diet of a child and predict the extent to which this diet will promote or inhibit physical growth. In this connection the disturbing finding that an inadequate interpersonal relationship can have a negative effect on personal development, at least in the case of highly disturbed individuals, makes such early assessment of a relationship an even more challenging possibility and responsibility. #RandolphHarris 6 of 28

In principle the provocations for resistance are the same in self-analysis. Here, however, it is not the analyst’s interpretations but the person’s own encroachment on a painful insight or implication that provokes a resistance. Furthermore, the provocation that may lie in the analyst’s behavior is lacking. If the responses to them are correctly analyzed, this is an advantage of self-analysis to some extent, though it should not be forgotten that these provocations can prove to be most constructive. Finally, in self-analysis the experiences of daily life seem to have a greater power to produce a blockage. This is readily understandable: in professional analysis the patient’s emotions are largely concentrated on the analyst, because of the importance he has assumed for the time being, but such a concentration is lacking when analysis is undertaken alone. The ways in which resistances express themselves in professional analysis may be roughly grouped under three headings: first, an open fight against the provoking problem; second, defensive emotional reactions; and third, defensive inhibitions or evasive maneuvers. Different though they are in form, essentially these various expressions merely represent different degrees of directness. #RandolphHarris 7 of 28

In illustration let us assume with a patient who has a compulsive striving for absolute “independence” the analyst starts to tackle his difficulties in relationships with people. The patient feels this approach as an indirect attack upon his aloofness and therefore on his independence. Only if the goal is to improve his human relationships, in this he is right because any work at the difficulties he has with people is meaningful and will help him toward a greater friendliness and a feeling of solidarity with others. The analyst may not even have these goals consciously in mind; he may believe that he merely wants to understand the patient’s timidity, his provocative behaviour, his predicaments with women. However, the patient senses the approaching danger. His resistance may then take the form of an open refusal to tackle the difficulties mentioned, a frank declaration that he does not want to be bothered with people anyhow. Or he may react with distrust of the analyst, suspecting that the latter wants to impose his standards upon him; he may believe, for instance, that the analyst wants to execute on him a distasteful gregariousness. Or he may simply be listless toward the analytical work: he is late for his appointment, nothing much occurs to him, he changes the subject, he has no more dreams, he swamps the analyst with dreams so involved that their meaning is unintelligible. #RandolphHarris 8 of 28

In addition to the issue of self-consciousness versus spontaneity, there are two other views of the concept of divided self that are of great consequences: the multiple self and the two sides of the brain. One of the strangest forms of adjustment to emerge in our times centers about the person who has not merely divided into two selves but into several selves. The most dramatic accounts of this phenomenon are found in the books The Faces of Eve and Sybil, both of which are true histories of individuals with multiple personalities. Also, the film 2017 film Cabin 28, which is based on a true story, is another great example. One may have sympathy with a multiple-selved person in the light of the classic work of Kelly identifying the need for self-consistency as being the fundamental drive. Neither of the two, Eve or Sybil, was able to function constructively as long as the “person” kept switching identities or consciousness of self. The phrases that speak of this phenomenon have now become standard in our language, “putting it all together,” “getting my act together,” “getting my head together.” While Eve had three selves, Sybil had sixteen, each a distinct personality. Other psychiatrists have since reported similar conditions in rare instances, and one might predict that this phenomenon of divided consciousness will become more frequent, since many of the psychoses seem to have cultural or temporal connections—that is, they are products of the social situation. Something in our divided society seems to favor the emergence of this behaviour syndrome. #RandolphHarris 9 of 28

In sharp contrast to the previous logical, philosophical, or psychological views of divided consciousness is the position of Orenstein that each side of the brain controls widely differing functions. Both the structure and the function of the two “half brains” in some part underlie the two modes of consciousness which simultaneously coexist within each one of us. Although each hemisphere shares the potential for many functions, and both sides participate in most activities, in the normal person the two hemispheres tend to specialize. The left hemisphere (connected to the right side of the body) is predominately involved with analytic, logical thinking, especially in verbal and mathematical functions. Its mode of operation is primarily liner. This hemisphere seems to process information sequentially. This mode of operation of necessity must underlie logical thought, since logic depends on sequence and order. Language and mathematics, both left-hemisphere activities, also depend predominately on linear time. The right hemisphere (again, remember, connected to the left side of the body) seems specialized for holistic mentation. Its language ability is quite limited. This hemisphere is primarily responsible for our orientation in space, artistic endeavour, crafts, body image, recognition of faces…the right hemisphere is more holistic and relational. #RandolphHarris 10 of 28

Ornstein and others have suggested that the existence of the two functions implies the need for developing both sides and for seeing these as complimentary functions rather than as polarities in the human being. The high-level-functioning person will effectively utilize both functions in work and lifestyle. There are many other  views that should be considered. A third viewpoint needs to be mentioned, even though its full exposition is well beyond the scope of this report. The relationship between self or self-consciousness and the brain, considered as a physiological entity, has been fully explored in a rare dialogue between two distinguished thinkers, one, Karl R. Popper, a philosopher, and the other, Sir John Eccles, a brain researcher. Both are dualists and espouse the separate existence of mind and brain. Eccles describes their view: “According to the dualist-interactionist philosophy presented…, the brain is a machine of almost infamous complexity and subtlety, and in social regions, under appropriate conditions, it is open to interaction with…the World of conscious experience. Around the beginning of the 20th century, Dr. Freud’s theories—even though they may not all have been correct—challenged existing mores and thoughts; they necessarily attracted people with a critical mind and were part of the critical movement which existed in other spheres of intellectual, political, and artistic life in Western society. #RandolphHarris 11 of 28

However, by 1930 the social mores had changed (to some extent under the influence of psychoanalysis, but mainly through the development of a consumer society which encourages consumption in all spheres and discourages the frustration of desires). Pleasures of the flesh were no longer taboo; and to speak freely of incestuous wishes, of perversions involving pleasures of the flesh, and so on, ceased to be shocking for the urban middle class. All these topics, which an average “decent” person would not even have dared think about around 1910, lost their tabooed qualities and were accepted as the latest and not particularly exciting results of “science.” In several ways psychoanalysis, instead of challenging society, conformed to it, not only in the obvious sense that since Dr. Freud’s Future of an Illusion and Civilization and Its Discontent, psychoanalysts, with very few exceptions, did not produce any social criticism; but on the contrary, the vast majority of psychoanalysts represented urban middle class attitudes and tended to consider as neurotic anyone who deviated from this attitude, either to the left or to the right. Very few psychoanalysts had any serious political, philosophical, or religious interests beyond those customary in the urban middle class. This very fact points to another aspect of the deterioration of psychoanalysis: instead of being a radical movement, it became a substitute for being a radical movement, it became a substitute for radicalism in politics and religion. #RandolphHarris 12 of 28

Its adherents were people who, for one reason or another, were not interested in serious political or religious problems, and thus whose lives were lacking in the meaning such interests had given to former generations. Yet, since man has a need for some philosophy which gives meaning to his life, psychoanalysis was very handy for this class. It presumed to give an all-embracing philosophy of life (even though Dr. Freud had denied such an intention explicitly). Many a psychoanalyzed person believed that he had solved all the riddles of life by means of the concepts of the Oedipus complex, the fear of castration, etcetera; that if the whole World could be psychoanalyzed, or at least all its leaders, there would be no serious political problems left for man to solve. When he enjoined his disciples to love their neighbours as themselves, what did Jesus Christ mean? Did he mean the sentimental, emotional, and hail-fellow-well-met attitude which the churches teach? How could he when in order to become what he was, he had once to hate and turn aside from that part of himself, the lower part—that is, the ego and the animal nature—which is mostly what neighbours show forth? #RandolphHarris 13 of 28

If His disciples were taught to hate, and not to love, their egos, how then could they love the ego-dominated humanity amidst which they found themselves? The injunction “Love thy neighbour” has often led to confusion in the minds of those who hear or read it, a confusion which forces many to refuse to accept it. And they are the ones who do not understand its meaning, but misinterpret it to mean “Like thy neighbour!” The correct meaning of this age-old ethical injunction is “Practise compassion in your physical behaviour and exercise goodwill in your mental attitude towards your neighbour.” Everyone can do this even when he cannot bring himself to like his neighbour. Therefore, this injunction is not a wholly impracticable one as some believe, but quite the contrary. Whoever imagines that it means the development of a highly sentimental, highly emotional condition is mistaken; for emotions of that kind can just as easily swing into their opposites of hate as remain what they are. This is not love, but the masquerade of it. Sentimentality is the mere pretense of compassion. When it is put under strains, it breaks down, whereas genuine compassion will always continue and never be cancelled by them. #RandolphHarris 14 of 28

True love towards one’s neighbour must come from a level higher than the emotional and such a level is the intuitive one. What Jesus Christ meant was, “Come into such an intuitive realization of the one Infinite Power from which you and your neighbour draw your lives that you realize the harmony of interest, the interdependence of existence which results from this fact.” What Jesus Christ meant, and what alone he could have meant, was indicated by the last few words of his injunction, “as thyself.” The self which they recognized to be the true one was the spiritual self, which they were to seek and love with all their might—and it was this, not only the frail ego, which they were also to love in others. The quality of compassion may easily be misunderstood as being mere sentimentality or mere emotionality. It is not these things at all. They can be foolish and weak when they hide the truth about themselves from people, whereas a truly spiritual compassion is not afraid to speak the truth, not afraid to criticize as rigorously as necessary, to have the courage to point out faults even at the cost of offending those who prefer to live in self-deception. Compassion will show the shortcoming within themselves which is in turn reflected outside themselves as maleficent destiny. #RandolphHarris 15 of 28

A valid formula will produce successful results every time and for everyone. You just must follow it. Try this one and see. Life provides a wonderful opportunity to seek our talents and interests. It is well to remember, however, that “all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 46.11. In our searching, it is important to discover skills we should develop. Once we have decided what we really want to do, the Lord has given us a formula for achieving our eternal and temporal goals: “For He will give unto the Faithful line upon line, precept upon precept; and I will try you and prove you herewith,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 98.12. The Lord reminds us that real success will exclusively come only to the faithful—those who have sincere determination to achieve their goal. Learning is a slow process and comes line upon line, one step at a time. The Lord offers kind encouragement when He says, “Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 64.33. We must learn to be patient with ourselves while pushing to new levels of achievement or knowledge. It is important to take time occasionally to remind ourselves of what we are trying to do. #RandolphHarris 16 of 28

We are to be tried. As we pursue our goals, we may meet difficulties or distractions. Other people may ridicule our efforts. Or maybe we will find it difficult to understand or use what we have learned. There may even be temptations to give up. However, if we can just persist, the proof or benefits of our efforts will eventually come to us, which is the final part of the formula. In some cases, the rewards may be improved skills or greater knowledge. Perhaps we will be better qualified for a good job. Of utmost importance in using this process is when we use it to live as the Lord has taught us, our vision and determination will be good. Those who first seek the kingdom of God can “receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 42.61. As you do, you will find more self-confidence and increased faith in the Lord. You will find you do not really understand a gospel principle until you live it. Paying tithing may be difficult for some even though the Lord had made great promises to those who do so. When it comes into a person’s mind and heart to pay an honest tithing out of appreciation, love, and obedience, then one begins to understand what the Lord has been promising him. #RandolphHarris 17 of 28

Although concrete economic and strategic interests, such as Chinese trade and the vital necessity of sea power, were the prominent issues in the imperial debate, the movement took its rationale from more general ideological conceptions. The appeal of Anglo-Saxonism was reflected in the adherence to it of political leaders of the expansion movement. The idea of inevitable Anglo-Saxon destiny figured in the outlook of Senators Albert T. Beveridge and Henry Cabot Lodge and of John Hay, Theodore Roosevelt’s Secretary of State, as well as the President himself. During the fight for the annexation of the Philippines, when the larger question of imperial policy was thrown open for debate, expansionists were quick to invoke the law of progress, the inevitable tendency to expand, the Manifest Destiny of Anglo-Saxons, and the survival of the fittest. Before the Senate in 1899, Beveridge cried: “God has not been preparing the English-speaking and Teutonic people for a thousand years for nothing but vain and idle self-admiration. No! He has made us the master organizers of the World to establish system where chaos reigns…He has made us adepts in government that we may administer government among savages and senile peoples.” #RandolphHarris 18 of 28

In the most memorable of his imperialist exhortations, “The Strenuous Life” (1899), Theodore Roosevelt warned of the possibility of national elimination in the international struggle for existence: “We cannot avoid the responsibilities that confront us in Hawaii, Cuba, Porto Rico, and the Philippines. All we can decide is whether we shall meet them in a way that will redound to the national credit, or whether we shall make of our dealings with these new problems a dark and shameful page in our history…The timid man, the lazy man, the man who distrusts his country, the over-civilized man, who has lost the great fighting, masterful virtues, the ignorant man, and the man of dull mind, whose soul is incapable of feeling the mighty lift that thrills “stern men with empires in their brains”—all these, of course, shrink from seeing the nation undertake its new duties. I preach to you, then, my countrymen, that our country calls not for the life of ease but for the life of strenuous endeavour. The twentieth century looms before us big with the fate of many nations. If we stand idly, if we seek merely swollen, slothful ease and ignorable peace, if we shrink from the hard contests where men must win at hazard of their lives and at the risk of all they hold dear, then the bolder and stronger peoples will pass us by, and will win for themselves the domination of the World.” #RandolphHarris 19 of 28

John Hay found in the impulse to expand a sign of an irresistible “cosmic tendency.” “No man, no party, can fight with any chance of final success against a cosmic tendency; no cleverness, no popularity avails against the spirit of the age.” “If history teaches any lesson,” echoed another writer a few years later, “it is that nations, like individuals, follow the law of their being; that in their growth and in their decline, they are creatures of conditions in which their own volition plays but a part, and that often the smallest part.” The question of the Philippines was sometimes pictured as the watershed of American destiny; our decision would determine whether we should undergo a new expansion greater than any in the past, or fall back into decline as senile people. Said John Barrett, former minister to Siam: “Now is the critical time when the United States of America should strain every nerve and bend all her energies to keep well in front in the mighty struggle that has begun for the supremacy of the Pacific Seas. If we seize the opportunity we may become leaders forever, but if are laggards now we will remain laggards until the crack of doom. The rule of the survival of the fittest applies to nations as well as to the animal kingdom. It is cruel, relentless principle being exercised in a cruel, relentless competition of mighty forces; and these will trample over us without sympathy or remorse unless we are trained to endure and strong enough to stand the pace.” #RandolphHarris 20 of 28

Among the conditions which make victory for President Trump of a new orientation a real possibility is the fact that the middle class has begun to listen and to be moved. Several elements have made this possible: material affluence and the promise of the Platinum Plan in the African American communities has allowed the middle class to have the experience that more consumption is not the way to happiness. A higher educational level brings them into contact with new ideas and makes them more responsive to rational argument. Their comfortable economic situation makes them more aware of the many personal problems which they cannot solve. In the back of their minds is, often unconsciously, the question: Why is it that we, having everything one could wish, are unhappy, lonely, and anxious? Is there something in our way of life, in the structure or value system of our society, which is wrong? Are there other and better alternatives? In addition, there is another important factor: the relationship of youngsters to their parents. It has happened again and again in recent years that young people from twelve to twenty have confronted their parents with their own doubts about the sincerity of what is preached or about the sense of what is done, and many parents have been influenced by their children. #RandolphHarris 21 of 28

While one might say that it is a regrettable sign that parents do not believe in either an authoritarian or a progressive value, this lack of belief has at least now the great advantage that they can be converted by their children, who, having gone through the experience of disappointment and, not yet having acquired a resignation to falsehood and double-talk, confront their parents with a deep contradiction within their own lives, very often open their eyes and, not rarely, stimulate them and activate them to a more sincere and less hopeless way of looking at the World. Some have even gained a new interest in political action of which they had been despairing before. Perhaps the most important factor among those which form the basis for the real possibility of change is one which is not given enough weight in the general discussion. I mean the power of ideas. It may be necessary to point out the difference between ideas and ideologies. Ideologies are ideas formulated for public consumption, satisfying the need of everybody to relieve his guilty conscience in the belief that he acts in favour of something which appears good or desirable. Ideologies are ready-made “thought-commodities” spread by the press, the orators, the ideologist in order to manipulate the mass of people for purposes which have nothing to do with the ideology, and are very often exactly the opposite. Such ideologies are sometimes manufactured ad hoc—for instance, when a war is made popular by being described as a war for freedom, or when religious ideologies are used to rationalize political status quo even though it may be in complete contrast to the genuine ideas of the religion in whose name the ideologies are preached. #RandolphHarris 22 of 28

By its very nature, the ideology does not appeal to active thought, nor to active feeling. It is like a pill which either excites or puts man to sleep. When he remarked in Mein Kampf that the best time for a public rally is the evening, when people are tired and most susceptible to influence, Mr. Hitler saw this very clearly. In contrast, the idea refers to what is real. It opens the eyes. It wakes men from their slumber. It requires them to think and to feel actively and to see something which they have not seen before. The idea has the power to awaken those who are exposed to it, provided it appeals to man’s reason. If the idea touches the people, it becomes one of the most powerful weapons because it creates enthusiasm, dedication, and increases and channels human energy. What matters is that the idea is not vague and general, but specific and enlightening and relevant to man’s needs. The force of ideas become all the greater in a situation where those who defend the status quo do not have ideas, and this is precisely the case of the present situation. By the very nature of our bureaucracy and of the kind of organization which we encourage, at best we obtain bureaucratic effectiveness but no ideas. If we compare our situation with that in the middle of the nineteenth century, the fact cannot be ignored that the romantics and the reactionaries of the nineteenth century were full of ideas, very often profound and attractive ones—even though they may have been used for purposes which did not fulfill what the ideas promised. #RandolphHarris 23 of 28

However, today there are no ideas which help the defenders of the status quo. The latter repeat the old formulae of free enterprise, individual responsibility, law and order, honor of country, etcetera, some of which are plainly in contrast to the reality to which they refer, and some of which are nothing but vague ideologies. It is a remarkable fact that today new ideas are to be found almost entirely among the people who are in favour of basic change of the status quo: scientists, artists, and farsighted men of business and politics. The great chance for those who want a new direction lies in the fact that they have ideas, while their opponents have outworn ideologies which may quiet people down but do not stimulate them or enhance their energies. It would be an oversimplification to say that, because the mass media support the establishment, they will block the publication of ideas which favour radical change. While the mass media are parts of the establishment, they also need customers and hence, just as the press needs to print news, they need to publish ideas which attract people, and they must face competition from new sources of news and discussion. Those who believe that the mass media are absolute obstacles to the spread of new ideas think in too doctrinaire and abstract a way and do not take account of the subtle realities which are inherent in the business of television, radio, and the press in a country like the United States of America. #RandolphHarris 24 of 28

What might hold true for a country where the mass media are completely controlled by the state does not hold true to the same degree for the mass media who need to sell their products. The spread of ideas fortunately is not entirely dependent on the favours of the mass media. The paperback and blogs and podcasts have changed publication methods drastically. Many publishers are willing to publish ideas which find enough readers—and that can be a small minority within the whole reading public—sometimes because they are interested in the idea itself, most of the time because they need to sell books, products, and other goods and services. A paperback for twelve dollars is accessible economically as any number of the mass-media magazines and can easily become a vehicle to spread ideas provided the test is interesting and attract attention. And most blogs and pod casts are free of charge and people really enjoy those also. If we must deny its most powerful manifestations, if we are taught to deny the body and ignore the senses, if we are to reject the natural satisfactions and renounce the aesthetic ones, life makes no sense. To deny Nature in the name of some narrow ascetic doctrine, to judge men and art by its standards, is to introduce unattractiveness into life, prejudice into affairs, and imbalance into character. Not in ascetic despisal of the flesh nor in fascinated enslavement to it will peace be found. #RandolphHarris 25 of 28

As one of the World’s largest accredited municipal fire agencies, the Sacramento Fire Department promotes excellence. They are recognized as a premier public service organization, respected, and admired by their peers and the community as the most diverse, innovative, and efficient public safety provider known to man. “I recently took the lieutenant’s test, and I passed the written. Then I had to take the oral. I don’t like the oral system. I was kind of nervous. The system is tough. You go in there. I’m there for fifteen minutes, and these three guys are sizing me up in fifteen minutes. They don’t know anything about me. They don’t know my credibility. They don’t know anything from the chief of the department about me. They don’t know if I’m an abuser of sick time. They have no idea what my background is. All they do is shoot nine questions at you, and you’re nervous, and you’ve got to answer them. If you don’t answer them right, or if they don’t like the way you look, I mean, my whole twenty years can be blown down the drain by these three guys. I would not evaluate a man’s career without knowing something about the man. I’m the only one who feels this way. In my twenty years I’ve taken make thirty-some sick days. I’m a professional firefighter. I do my job. If my chief and the twelve district chiefs had to say thumbs up or thumbs down on me, I know it would be thumbs up with every one of them. I’ve been through a lot of stuff. I’ve received burns. I was caught in a backdraft. I’ve been hospitalized. I recoeved the medal of valor for rescues. #RandolphHarris 26 of 28

“They don’t know all this. All they’re judging me on is nine questions, and I’m hesitating, I’m nervous. And they could blow my whole life down the drain.” No one must go through life’s challenges alone. Jesus Christ understands perfectly what you are going through and will support you. Because God loves you and wants you to become your best, He sent His perfect Son to Earth to redeem you. An important part of Jesus Christ’s mission was to be our advocate. He overcame suffering and affliction so that He would know how to support us. If you turn to God in prayer and ask for guidance, He knows you perfectly and knows how to help you. As you turn to God and Jesus Christ, your faith will be strengthened and act as an anchor in the storms of life. Christ’s gospel can teach you the way to lasting joy, and the truths taught in His Church can bring peace and hope. The Sacramento Fire Department is committed to creating safe and resilient communities through prevention, preparedness, and effective emergency response. Friends, family, and the community can be a wonderful source of support and happiness. You can help save lives and property by donating to the Sacramento Fire Department. And remember parents, raise your children to love America, to be patriotic, to buy American made products, to love God and Jesus, respect law and order and treat everyone, especially their elders with dignity and respect. #RandolphHarris 27 of 28

 It was like a dream, when by the Lord from bondage American was restored; our mouths were filled with mirth and songs to God, to whom all praise belongs. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, One Nation, Under God, Indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all. To the nations owned that God has wrought Great works, which joy to us has brought; as southern streams when filled with rain, He turned our captive state again. Who sow in tears, with joy shall reap; though bearing precious seed they weep while going forth, yet shall they sing when, coming back, their sheaves they bring. We may not, probably will not, receive a personal visit from the Lord, but the answers do come—from prayer, the scriptures, the words of the prophet, the still, small voice of inspiration. I should like to reassure you that we truly can find courage to face our challenges and also give service to those whose needs are even greater than our own. Sometimes to each of us will come questions of life and death, purpose and our own inevitable parting. All of us have had losses or will have. Perhaps it is for this that we are taught “to mourn with those that mourn,” reports Mosiah 18.9 and to “weep for the loss of them that die,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 42.45. Death is not permanent. We have the reality of the Resurrection and that makes the waiting endurable and purposeful. #RandolphHarris 28 of 28

The Winchester Mystery House

Starting September, Friday the 13th, Winchester Mystery House presents Unhinged: Hotel, a brand-new chapter of our Halloween haunt 👻

Book your stay and prepare for an unforgettable night of terror. Will you make it to check out? 🧳

Tickets on sale now–be sure to get your tickets early as some time slots have already sold out!

Please come and enjoy a delicious meal in Sarah’s Café, stroll along the paths of the beautiful Victorian gardens, and wonder through the miles of hallways in the World’s most mysterious mansion. For further information about tours, including group tours, weddings, school events, birthday party packages, facility rentals, and special events please visit the website: https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/

Please visit the online giftshop, and purchase a gift for friends and relatives as well as a special memento of The Winchester Mystery House. A variety of souvenirs and gifts are available to purchase. https://shopwinchestermysteryhouse.com/