Psalms and Secret Plots
The Great Dementing
When we think of the word Dementia, we think of the medical diagnosis that is used to describe a condition where an individual suffers from memory loss and a general physical and mental decline. It ends in reversion to an almost infantile state and their basic needs must be met by caregivers. It ends in a state of total dependence.
I worked in memory care and in hospice and have been intimately involved in the care of people across the spectrum of diseases that cause what we generalize as Dementia. I also have experience with family members who are, and who have been, afflicted with this terrible condition. It is heart-wrenching and tragic to watch people shrink away from the world and become feeble, while losing more and more of their dignity with each progression of the disease.
The reasons for the rise in prevalence of Dementia diagnoses are multi-faceted and the subject of much debate in the medical community. There are substantial and valid arguments for a plethora of causal factors and there are various schools which battle amongst themselves within the academic circles. If one were to ask me, I would suggest that there is not one culprit, which can be distinguished amongst the rest, in a definitive way, but who am I?
In this short life, it is difficult to know much. In truth, life is too complicated, and we do not know what we do not know. Even facts that appear self-evident can be turned on their heads with just a simple discovery. “The Science” is not settled. If it ever is, it ceases to be science and becomes dogma. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, we live in a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.
I was thinking about these two concepts, Dementia and the enigmatic nature of life and wondered if there might be a lesson to be learned.
I gleaned this from the definition of Dementia provided by the National Institute of Health (NIH),
“Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning — thinking, remembering, and reasoning — to such an extent that it interferes with a person's daily life and activities. Some people with dementia cannot control their emotions, and their personalities may change.”
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers-and-dementia/what-dementia-symptoms-types-and-diagnosis
I believe that this is what we are seeing in a large portion of the general population. Sure, it is in a less dramatic and clinically definable way, but a loss of cognitive functioning does seem to be plaguing a significant number of people, as defined above.
· People are averse to critical thinking and would prefer to have their “facts” ready made and served up to them by “experts”.
· We have all but lost our ability to remember and any real sense of even recent history, as well as our attention span, is getting shorter with every increase in the speed of internet connections.
· Reasoning is out the window, as cognitive dissonance is the baseline for a culture that has forgotten what the Principle of Noncontradiction is about.
I then further wondered about what it meant to say that someone is demented,
“unable to think or act clearly because you are extremely worried, angry, or excited by something:”
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/demented
It occurred to me that another real and present danger might be the overall population becoming demented. Not only are we suffering in large numbers from aspects of the recognized disease of dementia, as defined by the NIH, but the thing I see most often and in the most people is a demented state (see definition above). This is brought on by a complete saturation of the human psyche by the constant klaxon being sounded at every moment of the day by alarmists of every flavor. This is not something that is specific to one political persuasion or religion. This is apolitical and ubiquitous in the media. I recognize that there are all sorts of devious machinations and real conspiracies being contrived and implemented all around us.
I acknowledge and even participate in trying to start conversations about problems we face. One thing that really concerns me is that the good intentions of many may very well be causing more harm than good. We seek Truth and we fight tyranny in its many beguiling forms. Loving and sincere individuals call attention to atrocities and deception, and it needs to be done for the sake of ourselves and our children. What we have to be cognizant of, as personalities who have entered the arena of ideas, is the impact our words have on those who read and listen to them. Without a balance, we can actually cause more harm than good.
We have to ask ourselves if what we are writing or saying is causing people to be “unable to think or act clearly because you are extremely worried, angry, or excited by something;”. Are we causing people to be demented by not balancing the hard truths with a reason for hope. I know that there have been times when I have tilted in that direction. It can be challenging to see the myriad ways we are being manipulated and taken advantage of by a minority of less than virtuous individuals with a disproportionate amount of power, resources, and influence.
Maybe you share my faith in Christ, maybe you don’t. I hope that you do. Regardless, if you have never read The Book of Psalms, I would encourage you to do so. It is a well-spring of joy, sorrow, lamentations and praise that captures the human experience in a way that modern psychology can’t.
In an effort to provide some balance, I will end this short article with Psalm 64 (ESV):
Hide Me from the Wicked
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
[1] Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;
preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
[2] Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
from the throng of evildoers,
[3] who whet their tongues like swords,
who aim bitter words like arrows,
[4] shooting from ambush at the blameless,
shooting at him suddenly and without fear.
[5] They hold fast to their evil purpose;
they talk of laying snares secretly,
thinking, “Who can see them?”
[6] They search out injustice,
saying, “We have accomplished a diligent search.”
For the inward mind and heart of a man are deep.
[7] But God shoots his arrow at them;
they are wounded suddenly.
[8] They are brought to ruin, with their own tongues turned against them;
all who see them will wag their heads.
[9] Then all mankind fears;
they tell what God has brought about
and ponder what he has done.
[10] Let the righteous one rejoice in the LORD
and take refuge in him!
Let all the upright in heart exult! (ESV)
Interesting and sobering thoughts. This is not the world the way God planned it.
With nano particles of aluminum and barium sprayed almost daily for us to breathe in, with EMF radiation polluting our environment, with Roundup in many of our foods, and fluoride in our water... a perfect mix of mind numbing toxins surround us. Look up Doctor Reinhart Klinghardt who's 20 years of research prove those materials carry severe consequences to our brain, especially the pineal gland in our brain. We are being POISONED!!!