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While I was waiting to get my car fixed today, I decided to spend my waiting time by walking through a nearby shopping mall that was located just across the street. Walking through shopping malls is something I do quite regularly and I'm not sure why. There's something about the atmosphere that seems to promote contemplation within me as I feel like I'm viewing things through the unfamiliar and analytical lense of an anthropologist who's just visited an foreign society. Or, now that I think of it, it could have more to do with viewing things through eyes that have went through the permanent corrective laser surgery operation of philosophy. Either way, I made a startling connection while I was in a store called FYE. FYE, for those who don't know is a store that sells a vast variety of CD's, DVD's and electronic accessories. Or, at least that's half of what fills the shelves. The other half is merchandise which consists of things like collectible figures, pillows, key chains, etc, of movie and tv characters like Batman and Freddy Krueger. In other words, it's a freakin toy store and that's what really jolted my fascination, and not just that it's a toy store, but that it is a toy store essentially for adults, as the people I normally see in there are teens and adults. I never really thought much about it before, but now that I think about it, that's actually rather strange since toys are essentially something that is ideally replaced with more fulfilling and challenging endeavors that require so much more creativity and work. Not that I'm saying adults shouldn't play, but merely that the way in which we play should change and adjust to accommodate our psychological growth. Then a depressing thought crossed my mind, which is that people, psychologically, just aren't growing. It's not a new thought, but it is an idea that I think really made the transition from something that I "got" in my head to something that I felt deep within the marrow of my bones and in my heart. I got goosebumps and even was on the verge of tears, knowing that what I was beholding was the market essentially adjusting to meet unmet childhood needs and fatherless homes that have left people in a perpetual state of adolescence. This is very consistent with the statistics of how many people suffer from adverse childhood experiences, which can be found of acestudy.org. In addition, I'm reminded of an observation that philosopher Stefan Molyneux made in his popular podcast Why Men Don't Want to get Married. The observation was that, as a result of men being in the humiliating position of being told lies through the anti male propaganda that comes from modern feminism that portrays single mother's as competent and heroic, while fathers and men are at best an optional burden, men have opted to forgo marriage all together. As a result, the market has adjusted to the propaganda, since men have more disposable income that they're not spending on a family, which is why you see so much porn and other stuff which escapes my memory. Possibly, the knife shop that I saw in the mall that sells an arsenal of impractical blades and weapons like swords and ninja stars, which had a sign outside the door that said "It's simple. Buy him a knife. Dad's dig knifes." Presumably, because men are just such simple, medieval minded creatures? Another factor possibly involved with the abundant number of toys could be the growing number of consumers who are buying, or watching for free, digital media on the internet. But, that would make another discussion altogether. In conclusion, this experience has certainly opened my heart towards those who have been damned to the limbo of perpetual adolescence as well as strengthened my own determination to grow in order to thrive above and to experience a life that transcends what tragically seems to be the psychological growth ceiling in today's society..