'Our next president is Leon Guerrero,
not Kris Aquino or Manny Pacquiao'
"One of the reasons people hate politics is that truth is rarely a politician's objective. Election and power are." CAL THOMAS
By Alex P. Vidal
There were predictions that our next president in the future would be Senator Lito Lapid, not Manny Pacquiao, Bong Revilla, Jinggoy Estrada or Kris Aquino.
We don't know how and why. But these predictions came from no less than some groups of municipal mayors and even village officials. Among the so-called mediocre characters in public service today, only Lapid, Manuel Mercado Lapid in real life, has the charisma with the masa.
"People don't care if he did not even finish high school. What matters most is he connects and this is something that other politicians with doctorate degrees and multiple titles don't possess," said a mayor from northern Iloilo who refused to be identified saying he is "still a loyalist of Pareng Erap (Manila Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada)."
The municipal mayor said Pacquiao, a congressman from Saranggani, "is only a media creation like other celebrities and showbiz misfits who trespassed the politics" and the highest office they will reach is the senate "never as president of the republic."
CONGRESS
The website of the 16th congress of the Senate of the Philippines described Lapid, 58, "Leon Guerrero" in one of his action films, as "the lowly person of a silver screen hero" who started his political career as vice governor of Pampanga in 1992.
"Never did it occur to the lowly person of a silver screen hero that a man of his mettle would make a mark in the annals of this chamber, a place then forbidding of the not so lettered," stated his biography. "Indeed, as a testament to a working democracy, a person with little formal education can be presented the opportunity of belonging to the group of select individuals mandated by the people to craft policies that would later on become laws and rules of conduct. For this reason, Senator Manuel “Lito” M. Lapid never passed off the chance to deliver well in this world of the erudite."
It added: "The six years of his first term as a senator were marked with achievements which left the cynics perplexed and his critics baffled, but nevertheless proved his worth as a working legislator. He was one of the top performing senators having placed 4th among his peers in the number of bills and resolutions filed in the 14th Congress alone. He fathered one of the meaningful social legislations of the 14th Congress, the Free Legal Assistance Act of 2010 which seeks to ensure that the poor may be afforded free quality legal service. This measure heralded other policy initiatives that look to bridge the great divide between the rich and the poor. Since then, he never wavered on making proposals that would uplift the living standards of the little people of the society whose caused he has been championing, being the "Bida ng Masa".
EXCELLENT
"Consistent with his excellent showing when he was then a neophyte Senator, he did what he could, not to disappoint the more than eleven million Filipino voters who granted him a fresh mandate in the 2010 National Elections. At the close of the 15th Congress, Senator Lapid filed 239 measures earning him the distinction as the fifth most prolific members of the Upper Chamber. He authored the Meat Labeling Act of 2011, Comprehensive Unilateral Hearing Loss Research and Development and Rehabilitation Act, Urban Agriculture and Vertical Farming Act, Corporate Social Responsibility Act, Kindergarten Education Act, and the Adopt-A-Wildlife Species Act, among others. As the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Games, Amusement and Sports, he saw to it that measures are in motion to sufficiently ensure the development of sports in the grassroots, seeing to it that the youth develop a keen interest on participation to sports competition.
COORDINATION
"He looks forward to further coordination between concerned government agencies so that appropriate support is afforded to the national sports development program. In his first year at the helm of the Senate Committee on Tourism, he has initiated initiatives to oversee the development of the tourism potential of the country and gather the tools to ensure the country’s success as it joins the tourism race with our Asian neighbors.
"With the aid of the people who believe in him and share the causes he seeks to uphold, Senator Lapid has proved that he is one who cannot easily be dismissed. Despite the unfair imputations against his competence, he has successfully struggled towards becoming one of the more productive legislators, slowly dispelling one criticism after another to distinguish himself as a dependable leader, a scholar of worthwhile ideals, a gentleman for the masses and a warrior for social responsibility."
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Man of the future
"Men can not afford to be a naturalist, to look at Nature directly, but only with the side of his eye. He must look through and beyond her." HENRY DAVID THOREAU
By Alex P. Vidal
What is the future of man?
Imaginative naturalist, Dr. Loren Eiseley, admits in The Immense Journey there were days when she finds herself "unduly pessimistic" about the future of man.
"Indeed, I will confess that there have been occasions when I swore I would never again make the study of time a profession," she explains. "My walls are lined with books expounding its mysteries, my hands have been split and raw with grubbing into the quicklime of its waste bins and hidden crevices. I have stared so much at death that I can recognize the lingering personalities in the faces of skulls and feel accompanying affinities and repulsions."
She says one such skull lies in the lockers of a great metropolitan museum. It is labeled simply: Strandlooper, South Africa.
LONGER
"I have never looked longer into any human face than I have upon the features of that skull. I come there often, drawn in spite of myself. It is a face that would lend reality to the fantastic tale of our childhood," Eiseley adds. "There is a hint of Well's Time Machine folk in it--those pathetic, childlike people whom Wells pictures as haunting earth's autumnal cities in the far future of the dying planet."
Yet the skull has not been spirited back to us through future eras by a time machine, according to her describing it as "a thing, instead of the millennial past. It is a caricature of modern man, not by reason of its primitiveness but, startlingly, because of a modernity outreaching his own. It constitutes, in fact, a mysterious prophecy and warning."
For the very moment in which students of humanity have been sketching their concept of the man of the future, that being has already come, and lived, and passed away, explains Eiseley.
CURIOUS
"We men of today are insatiably curious about ourselves and desperately in need of reassurance. Beneath our boisterous self-confidence is fear--a growing fear of the future we are in the process of creating," she explains. "In such a mood we turn the pages of our favorite magazine and, like as not, come straight upon a description of the man of the future."
She suggests that the descriptions are not pessimistic; they always, with sublime confidence, involve just one variety of mankind--our own--and they are always subtly flattering.
"In fact, a distinguished colleague of mine who was adept at this kind of prophecy once allowed a somewhat etherealized version of his own lofty brow to be used as an illustration of what the man of the future was to look like. Even the bald spot didn't matter--all the men of the future were so bald, anyway," Eiseley writes.
SCHOLARS
In the minds of many scholars, she points out, a process of "foetalization" is one of the chief mechanisms by which man of today has sloughed off his ferocious appearance of a million years ago, prolonged his childhood, and increased the size of his brain. "Foetalization" or "pedomorphism," as it is termed, means simply the retention, into adult life, of bodily characters which at some earlier stage of evolutionary history were actually only infantile. Such traits were rapidly lost as the animal attained maturity, she observes.
"If we examine the life history of one of the existing great apes and compare its development with that of man," Eiseley explains, "we observe that the infantile stage of both man and ape are far more similar than the two will be in maturity."
At birth, according to her, we have seen, the brain of the gorilla is close to the size of that of the human infant. Both newborn gorilla and human child are much more alike, facially, than they will ever be in adult life because the gorilla infant will, in the course of time, develop an enormously powerful and protrusive muzzle. She says the sutures of his skull will close early; his brain will grow very little more.
BRAIN
By contrast, she adds, human brain growth will first spurt and then grow steadily over an extended youth. Cranial sutures will remain open into adult life. Teeth will be later in their eruption. Furthermore, she elaborates, the great armored skull and the fighting characters of the anthropoid male will be held in abeyance.
Eiseley says modern man retains something of his youthful gaiety and nimble mental habits far into adult life. The great male anthropoids, by contrast, lose the playful friendliness of youth. In the end the massive skull houses a small, savage, and often morose brain.
"It is doubtful whether our thick-skulled forerunners viewed life very pleasantly in their advancing years," she observes.
By Alex P. Vidal
What is the future of man?
Imaginative naturalist, Dr. Loren Eiseley, admits in The Immense Journey there were days when she finds herself "unduly pessimistic" about the future of man.
"Indeed, I will confess that there have been occasions when I swore I would never again make the study of time a profession," she explains. "My walls are lined with books expounding its mysteries, my hands have been split and raw with grubbing into the quicklime of its waste bins and hidden crevices. I have stared so much at death that I can recognize the lingering personalities in the faces of skulls and feel accompanying affinities and repulsions."
She says one such skull lies in the lockers of a great metropolitan museum. It is labeled simply: Strandlooper, South Africa.
LONGER
"I have never looked longer into any human face than I have upon the features of that skull. I come there often, drawn in spite of myself. It is a face that would lend reality to the fantastic tale of our childhood," Eiseley adds. "There is a hint of Well's Time Machine folk in it--those pathetic, childlike people whom Wells pictures as haunting earth's autumnal cities in the far future of the dying planet."
Yet the skull has not been spirited back to us through future eras by a time machine, according to her describing it as "a thing, instead of the millennial past. It is a caricature of modern man, not by reason of its primitiveness but, startlingly, because of a modernity outreaching his own. It constitutes, in fact, a mysterious prophecy and warning."
For the very moment in which students of humanity have been sketching their concept of the man of the future, that being has already come, and lived, and passed away, explains Eiseley.
CURIOUS
"We men of today are insatiably curious about ourselves and desperately in need of reassurance. Beneath our boisterous self-confidence is fear--a growing fear of the future we are in the process of creating," she explains. "In such a mood we turn the pages of our favorite magazine and, like as not, come straight upon a description of the man of the future."
She suggests that the descriptions are not pessimistic; they always, with sublime confidence, involve just one variety of mankind--our own--and they are always subtly flattering.
"In fact, a distinguished colleague of mine who was adept at this kind of prophecy once allowed a somewhat etherealized version of his own lofty brow to be used as an illustration of what the man of the future was to look like. Even the bald spot didn't matter--all the men of the future were so bald, anyway," Eiseley writes.
SCHOLARS
In the minds of many scholars, she points out, a process of "foetalization" is one of the chief mechanisms by which man of today has sloughed off his ferocious appearance of a million years ago, prolonged his childhood, and increased the size of his brain. "Foetalization" or "pedomorphism," as it is termed, means simply the retention, into adult life, of bodily characters which at some earlier stage of evolutionary history were actually only infantile. Such traits were rapidly lost as the animal attained maturity, she observes.
"If we examine the life history of one of the existing great apes and compare its development with that of man," Eiseley explains, "we observe that the infantile stage of both man and ape are far more similar than the two will be in maturity."
At birth, according to her, we have seen, the brain of the gorilla is close to the size of that of the human infant. Both newborn gorilla and human child are much more alike, facially, than they will ever be in adult life because the gorilla infant will, in the course of time, develop an enormously powerful and protrusive muzzle. She says the sutures of his skull will close early; his brain will grow very little more.
BRAIN
By contrast, she adds, human brain growth will first spurt and then grow steadily over an extended youth. Cranial sutures will remain open into adult life. Teeth will be later in their eruption. Furthermore, she elaborates, the great armored skull and the fighting characters of the anthropoid male will be held in abeyance.
Eiseley says modern man retains something of his youthful gaiety and nimble mental habits far into adult life. The great male anthropoids, by contrast, lose the playful friendliness of youth. In the end the massive skull houses a small, savage, and often morose brain.
"It is doubtful whether our thick-skulled forerunners viewed life very pleasantly in their advancing years," she observes.
India, Philippines take joint 2nd place in annual death toll
Syria most dangerous country for journalists for second year running, with 19 killed
India continues to be one of the most dangerous countries for journalists in 2013
Global death toll down by 17 per cent on last year; but worrying increase in threats, abuse and kidnappings of news workers
Syria is the most dangerous country for journalists for the second year running.
The International News Safety Institute recorded 126 journalists and other media workers killed in 29 countries this year. The death toll is down by 17 per cent compared to last year, however the numbers of journalists assaulted, threatened and kidnapped appears to be increasing at a concerning rate.
Syria and Pakistan retained their position among the world’s five most dangerous countries for journalists. India, the Philippines and Iraq are also in the top five.
According to INSI figures, 19 journalists were killed in Syria. Most were local journalists targeted by either the authorities, pro-government or rebel groups, or killed by shelling or in crossfire. The Syrian death toll is down from 2012, when 28 media workers were killed. However, abductions among both local and foreign news media increased this year, a deterrent that meant many international news organisations are now not sending their teams to cover the conflict.
At least 18 foreign journalists and more than 20 Syrian journalists are believed to be missing in Syria after being detained or kidnapped there.
The Philippines and India were the second and third most dangerous countries, with 13 journalists killed in each country.
In the Philippines, nine journalists were murdered by unknown assailants, and so far their killers have enjoyed total impunity. The numbers of those who were died doing their jobs this year in the Southeast Asian archipelago was boosted by the deaths of four journalists killed while covering Typhoon Haiyan.
In India, seven journalists were murdered. Although many of these murders sparked speculation as to the motive of the killers, not one has been thoroughly investigated, and nobody has been brought to justice. A further two journalists were killed while covering communal violence in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, and four died in accidents while on assignment.
Iraq was the fourth most dangerous country for journalists, with 11 members of the news media killed. Ten were murdered by unknown armed groups - seven in the northern city of Mosul. The local and national authorities have thus far failed to respond to the murders.
Pakistan remains in the top five most dangerous countries for journalists, where bombings and targeted killings are common. One of the biggest risks for journalists there is being caught up in secondary blasts.
The most dangerous countries for journalists in 2013 are:
Syria: 19 journalists killed
India: 12 journalists, 1 media worker killed //
Philippines: 12 journalists, 1 media worker killed
Iraq: 11 journalists killed
Pakistan: 9 journalists killed
Somalia: 8 journalists killed
Egypt: 6 journalists killed //
Brazil: 6 journalists killed
The preliminary findings, compiled in liaison with INSI's regional contacts, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the International Press Institute (IPI), are a prelude to INSI's biannual 'Killing the Messenger' report, an analysis of media casualties around the globe.
Other journalist support groups that are members of INSI maintain separate records based on their own criteria. They are:
The Committee to Protect Journalists http://www.cpj.org
The World Association of Newspapers http://wan-ifra.org
As a safety organisation, INSI records all deaths, whether deliberate, accidental or health-related, of all news media staff, support staff and freelancers while on assignment or as a result of their news organisation being attacked because of its work.
Global death toll down by 17 per cent on last year; but worrying increase in threats, abuse and kidnappings of news workers
Syria is the most dangerous country for journalists for the second year running.
The International News Safety Institute recorded 126 journalists and other media workers killed in 29 countries this year. The death toll is down by 17 per cent compared to last year, however the numbers of journalists assaulted, threatened and kidnapped appears to be increasing at a concerning rate.
Syria and Pakistan retained their position among the world’s five most dangerous countries for journalists. India, the Philippines and Iraq are also in the top five.
According to INSI figures, 19 journalists were killed in Syria. Most were local journalists targeted by either the authorities, pro-government or rebel groups, or killed by shelling or in crossfire. The Syrian death toll is down from 2012, when 28 media workers were killed. However, abductions among both local and foreign news media increased this year, a deterrent that meant many international news organisations are now not sending their teams to cover the conflict.
At least 18 foreign journalists and more than 20 Syrian journalists are believed to be missing in Syria after being detained or kidnapped there.
The Philippines and India were the second and third most dangerous countries, with 13 journalists killed in each country.
In the Philippines, nine journalists were murdered by unknown assailants, and so far their killers have enjoyed total impunity. The numbers of those who were died doing their jobs this year in the Southeast Asian archipelago was boosted by the deaths of four journalists killed while covering Typhoon Haiyan.
In India, seven journalists were murdered. Although many of these murders sparked speculation as to the motive of the killers, not one has been thoroughly investigated, and nobody has been brought to justice. A further two journalists were killed while covering communal violence in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, and four died in accidents while on assignment.
Iraq was the fourth most dangerous country for journalists, with 11 members of the news media killed. Ten were murdered by unknown armed groups - seven in the northern city of Mosul. The local and national authorities have thus far failed to respond to the murders.
Pakistan remains in the top five most dangerous countries for journalists, where bombings and targeted killings are common. One of the biggest risks for journalists there is being caught up in secondary blasts.
The most dangerous countries for journalists in 2013 are:
Syria: 19 journalists killed
India: 12 journalists, 1 media worker killed //
Philippines: 12 journalists, 1 media worker killed
Iraq: 11 journalists killed
Pakistan: 9 journalists killed
Somalia: 8 journalists killed
Egypt: 6 journalists killed //
Brazil: 6 journalists killed
The preliminary findings, compiled in liaison with INSI's regional contacts, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the International Press Institute (IPI), are a prelude to INSI's biannual 'Killing the Messenger' report, an analysis of media casualties around the globe.
Other journalist support groups that are members of INSI maintain separate records based on their own criteria. They are:
The Committee to Protect Journalists http://www.cpj.org
The World Association of Newspapers http://wan-ifra.org
As a safety organisation, INSI records all deaths, whether deliberate, accidental or health-related, of all news media staff, support staff and freelancers while on assignment or as a result of their news organisation being attacked because of its work.
NUJP year end statement
We look back at 2013 with sorrow and look forward to the New Year with hope yet, at the same time, a justified worry that 2014 will portend more of the same bloodshed and impunity, apathy and hostility as the year we are leaving behind.
It is, indeed, difficult to hope impunity with which our colleagues continue to be killed, assaulted, threatened and harassed will end soon or that things may improve a bit under an administration that brushes off media killings in one of the deadliest years for the Philippine press -- at least 10 killed, the last three within two weeks -- as “not so serious.”
Or under a president who has fallen into the habit of whining about media’s “negativism” whenever his administration finds itself with mud on its face as he did in the wake of Yolanda, lumping coverage of that disaster with those on Zamboanga and Bohol when, in fact, reportage on the two previous disasters had generally been sympathetic.
All this as government continues to remain adamantly apathetic to calls for the passage of laws that would expand the boundaries of freedom of the press and of expression, such as the Freedom of Information bill and the decriminalization of libel.
And of course, we mourn our colleagues who lost their lives delivering information to their audiences even as super typhoon unleashed its deadly storm surge on Tacloban City.
Despite this, we do have reason to hope, not least of all because of the Philippine journalism community’s steadfast commitment to uphold the principles of the profession notwithstanding the continuing attempts to stifle us and portray us as a bane that ought to be stamped out.
We have seen how our community quickly banded together to aid those among us who felt the lash of Yolanda.
Yes, as we have said again and again, the Philippine press remains free because Filipino journalists keep it free.
But we still have our work cut out for us. We still urgently need to reconnect with our audiences, with our people, to help lift them from the state of apathy and ignorance in which deliberate mal-governance has kept them for generations.
We need to make them realize that our collective search for genuine justice and freedom as a people, as a nation, can never be brought to fulfillment without a truly free press that serves both as foil to official abuse and the source of the information with which they, we, can build the future we deserve.
We owe this to them as much as we owe this to ourselves.
It is, indeed, difficult to hope impunity with which our colleagues continue to be killed, assaulted, threatened and harassed will end soon or that things may improve a bit under an administration that brushes off media killings in one of the deadliest years for the Philippine press -- at least 10 killed, the last three within two weeks -- as “not so serious.”
Or under a president who has fallen into the habit of whining about media’s “negativism” whenever his administration finds itself with mud on its face as he did in the wake of Yolanda, lumping coverage of that disaster with those on Zamboanga and Bohol when, in fact, reportage on the two previous disasters had generally been sympathetic.
All this as government continues to remain adamantly apathetic to calls for the passage of laws that would expand the boundaries of freedom of the press and of expression, such as the Freedom of Information bill and the decriminalization of libel.
And of course, we mourn our colleagues who lost their lives delivering information to their audiences even as super typhoon unleashed its deadly storm surge on Tacloban City.
Despite this, we do have reason to hope, not least of all because of the Philippine journalism community’s steadfast commitment to uphold the principles of the profession notwithstanding the continuing attempts to stifle us and portray us as a bane that ought to be stamped out.
We have seen how our community quickly banded together to aid those among us who felt the lash of Yolanda.
Yes, as we have said again and again, the Philippine press remains free because Filipino journalists keep it free.
But we still have our work cut out for us. We still urgently need to reconnect with our audiences, with our people, to help lift them from the state of apathy and ignorance in which deliberate mal-governance has kept them for generations.
We need to make them realize that our collective search for genuine justice and freedom as a people, as a nation, can never be brought to fulfillment without a truly free press that serves both as foil to official abuse and the source of the information with which they, we, can build the future we deserve.
We owe this to them as much as we owe this to ourselves.
For without them, we can never survive.
To a better, brighter future. Happy New Year!
Reference:
Rowena C. Paraan
Chairperson, NUJP
To a better, brighter future. Happy New Year!
Reference:
Rowena C. Paraan
Chairperson, NUJP
White House condoles with family of dead journalist
White House condoles with
family of dead journalist
"When Clark Gable died, I cried for 2 days straight. I couldn't eat or sleep." MARILYN MONROE
By Alex P. Vidal
In a statement dated December 31, 2013, U.S. Department of State Spokeperson Jen Psaki announced:
"We would like to extend our deepest condolences to foreign correspondent Tracy Wilkinson of the Los Angeles Times, the surviving widow of Mike O’Connor, Mexico Representative of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), who passed away on December 29.
"Mike was a fearless truth seeker and an indefatigable advocate for the protection of journalists covering organized crime and corruption issues in Mexico and Central America. Whether transporting endangered reporters to safe havens or lobbying government officials for measures to end impunity, Mike was a passionate and articulate voice of conscience for many.
AUTHOR
"He authored reports on grave threats to Mexico’s journalists and motivated both the Mexican and U.S. Governments to take steps to ensure that reporters were free to tell their stories.
"His work at CPJ followed a long and distinguished career covering Latin America for CBS News, NPR and the New York Times. We honor the memory of Mike O’Connor, and know that his legacy will inspire many to keep fighting for truth and for the defense of human rights and a vibrant, free press."
family of dead journalist
"When Clark Gable died, I cried for 2 days straight. I couldn't eat or sleep." MARILYN MONROE
By Alex P. Vidal
In a statement dated December 31, 2013, U.S. Department of State Spokeperson Jen Psaki announced:
"We would like to extend our deepest condolences to foreign correspondent Tracy Wilkinson of the Los Angeles Times, the surviving widow of Mike O’Connor, Mexico Representative of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), who passed away on December 29.
"Mike was a fearless truth seeker and an indefatigable advocate for the protection of journalists covering organized crime and corruption issues in Mexico and Central America. Whether transporting endangered reporters to safe havens or lobbying government officials for measures to end impunity, Mike was a passionate and articulate voice of conscience for many.
AUTHOR
"He authored reports on grave threats to Mexico’s journalists and motivated both the Mexican and U.S. Governments to take steps to ensure that reporters were free to tell their stories.
"His work at CPJ followed a long and distinguished career covering Latin America for CBS News, NPR and the New York Times. We honor the memory of Mike O’Connor, and know that his legacy will inspire many to keep fighting for truth and for the defense of human rights and a vibrant, free press."
Thursday, December 26, 2013
It's not good to let anyone get too close
"If you have a secret, people will sit a little bit closer." ROB CORDDRY
By Alex P. Vidal
TRUST remains to be the most important aspect of any meaningful relationship.
"More specifically, it is a mutual condition that must exist between a manager and his subordinates, a husband and wife, and between friends," wrote Dr. Jan Halper, author of Quite Desperation.
Halper warned that a husband who doesn't trust his wife to listen and be supportive will not disclose his personal thoughts and feelings. If he doesn't trust her judgment, he will not confide in her.
"As a result, they will grow apart. A manager who doesn't trust his subordination will not delegate responsibility or authority. Instead he will resort to controlling them," Halper stressed.
"When employees don't feel trusted they are likely to become territorial, derisive, and antagonistically competitive."
SEARCH
In his book Man's Search for Himself, Rollo May discussed the destructive aspects of this attitude:
--this type of individual competitiveness--in which for you to fail in a deal is as good as for me to succeed, since it pushes me ahead in the scramble up the ladder--raises many psychological problems. It makes every man interpersonal hostility and resentment, and increases greatly our anxiety and isolation from each other.
Raised with a competitive spirit, where winning is more important than caring, competition more important than friendship, men search for their opponents' vulnerable points to be used as ammunition in the future, explained Halper.
Halper cited the case of investment banker Anthony Rich, who told him, "I store confidences away to be used at a later date, if it's to my advantage. Any bit of knowledge is fair game to be used against your perceived enemy in order to declare a victory." Although Rich did not admit it, Halper said the implication was there: "It's okay to betray someone you treat as a friend if it means winning or losing."
COMPETITIVENESS
Consequently, this intense competitiveness and desire to win breed fear and distrust between men, according to Halper.
Halper said in general, men are discouraged from "opening their kimono" with one another. They are told to never count on anyone but themselves. Halper found that when he encouraged men to talk with one another about their haunting conflicts and issues, that which was troubling them suddenly seemed less important or disappeared.
"They unburdened themselves of feeling vulnerable by exposing their private side and finding someone who understood them," he pointed out. "Most often the men I interviewed were shocked at how a simple step could alleviate their loneliness and pain and provide clarity and insight."
Although there is some truth to the assertion that men distrust others because they themselves can't be trusted, another important factor comes into play, Harped said.
CONTROL
"Men don't believe they are in control of their feelings, that they choose to feel as they do. Instead they think feelings are something that come over them, that they are made to feel as they do by a mysterious external force," explained Halper. "They attribute the power and ability to others, believing someone else made them feel fear, hurt, happiness, or anger."
Men fear getting close to anyone, women or men, because it's another way they might put themselves on the line, becoming vulnerable, asserted Halper.
"Countless men told me they longed to be close to others, but if it meant feeling out of control, they didn't want anything to do with intimacy," he noted.
By Alex P. Vidal
TRUST remains to be the most important aspect of any meaningful relationship.
"More specifically, it is a mutual condition that must exist between a manager and his subordinates, a husband and wife, and between friends," wrote Dr. Jan Halper, author of Quite Desperation.
Halper warned that a husband who doesn't trust his wife to listen and be supportive will not disclose his personal thoughts and feelings. If he doesn't trust her judgment, he will not confide in her.
"As a result, they will grow apart. A manager who doesn't trust his subordination will not delegate responsibility or authority. Instead he will resort to controlling them," Halper stressed.
"When employees don't feel trusted they are likely to become territorial, derisive, and antagonistically competitive."
SEARCH
In his book Man's Search for Himself, Rollo May discussed the destructive aspects of this attitude:
--this type of individual competitiveness--in which for you to fail in a deal is as good as for me to succeed, since it pushes me ahead in the scramble up the ladder--raises many psychological problems. It makes every man interpersonal hostility and resentment, and increases greatly our anxiety and isolation from each other.
Raised with a competitive spirit, where winning is more important than caring, competition more important than friendship, men search for their opponents' vulnerable points to be used as ammunition in the future, explained Halper.
Halper cited the case of investment banker Anthony Rich, who told him, "I store confidences away to be used at a later date, if it's to my advantage. Any bit of knowledge is fair game to be used against your perceived enemy in order to declare a victory." Although Rich did not admit it, Halper said the implication was there: "It's okay to betray someone you treat as a friend if it means winning or losing."
COMPETITIVENESS
Consequently, this intense competitiveness and desire to win breed fear and distrust between men, according to Halper.
Halper said in general, men are discouraged from "opening their kimono" with one another. They are told to never count on anyone but themselves. Halper found that when he encouraged men to talk with one another about their haunting conflicts and issues, that which was troubling them suddenly seemed less important or disappeared.
"They unburdened themselves of feeling vulnerable by exposing their private side and finding someone who understood them," he pointed out. "Most often the men I interviewed were shocked at how a simple step could alleviate their loneliness and pain and provide clarity and insight."
Although there is some truth to the assertion that men distrust others because they themselves can't be trusted, another important factor comes into play, Harped said.
CONTROL
"Men don't believe they are in control of their feelings, that they choose to feel as they do. Instead they think feelings are something that come over them, that they are made to feel as they do by a mysterious external force," explained Halper. "They attribute the power and ability to others, believing someone else made them feel fear, hurt, happiness, or anger."
Men fear getting close to anyone, women or men, because it's another way they might put themselves on the line, becoming vulnerable, asserted Halper.
"Countless men told me they longed to be close to others, but if it meant feeling out of control, they didn't want anything to do with intimacy," he noted.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Yes, there is such animal as male menopause
"The masculine energy was about survival. The male was the hunter who risked his life and had to be in the fight-flight mode." DEEPAK CHOPRA
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- "Is there such thing as male menopause, sir?" asked Ronalyn, mass communication student at Iloilo St. Paul University, inside the editorial room of Sun.Star, a daily newspaper I once edited.
"Female menopause yes, but male menopause I haven't heard of that yet," I honestly replied to Ronalyn. "Since I am a newsman and not a doctor, we might as well consult the experts on the subject matter: the doctors themselves."
Days later, I found an article that could help provide the answer to Ronalyn's question: Dr. Tito Garrido's article about male menopause.
Garrido admitted that most Filipino males would not admit they also have menopause.
The mere mention of the very idea that men experience a form of menopausal change will still draw amusement and laughter, according to the doctor.
CONCEPT
"But this concept has been around as early as 1950s and it has recently enjoyed more attention and credibility," Garrido explained in his column "At Your Service" at the defunct The Philippine Post dated July 14, 1999.
Garrido defined male menopause as "a crisis of confidence identified in the middle aged men, comparable with menopause in women, but thought to be caused by psychological factors such as fear of aging."
The doctor explained further: "Undoubtedly, a part of the controversy as to whether there is indeed such a thing, stems from the misleading use of the term menopause. Derived from the Greek word 'menses,' it refers to the cessation of a woman's monthly menstrual cycle. 'Andropause,' which relies on the Greek work for a man, Andro, is the most commonly accepted term, defined as the natural cessation of the sexual function of older men."
Garrido explained that some authors see it more broadly as "a biological an biochemical condition that has psychological, physical and emotional components." Viropause/andropause is a naturally occurring psychological state that occurs in men's middle years, producing feeling of unhappiness and undermining men's sense of self worth, identity, and competence, stressed Garrido.
PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SIDES
The doctor said endocrinologists have pointed out that in men, there is nothing as traumatic as in the case of women--there is no one period, no striking change to indicate a drop in hormonal levels.
However, research indicates that men to experience this phenomenon, gradually producing less and less of the male sex hormone, testosterone, as they age.
In most cases, this progressive decline occurs from age 20 to 80 years.
EMOTIONAL SIDE
These various hormonally-induced physical and behavioral changes is now generally perceived to be the underpinning of this male menopause, or andropause, he explained.
"But this is only part of the equation," Garrido wrote, "for there are also profound emotional aspects as well. It is at this transitional stage of life that a psychological stock-taking, often triggered by biological changes, usually occurs. The reflection on one's life can also be triggered by other physical factors such as an illness like high blood pressure or heart attack, receding hairline, greying hair, or some forms of sexual dysfunction."
MID-LIFE CRISIS
He further stressed: "Other less tangible precipitating factors can include retirement or financial stress, or becoming a grandfather for instance. This process can then lead to stress and unhappiness, or what is more commonly referred at as a mid-life crisis." If a man discovers that he can't attain his goals and then discovers that his body isn't as reliable and as strong as it used to be, the effects of male menopause are compounded."
He warned that most men do indeed manage this transition well, but for those that do not, they often start experimenting with life, making major life-altering changes.
"This is where the classic stereotype of the middle-aged man dumping his wife in favor of his twentysomething secretary comes into play," Garrido emphasized. "It is a phenomenon that is described in psychological terms as 'fusion with younger body' in a futile effort to regain his lost youth."
MANAGEMENT
In severe cases in which a man experiences abnormally low testosterone levels, hormone replacement therapy maybe the answer, but many medical practitioners see this only as a last resort, Garrido observed.
"In some cases, simply minimizing psychological and physical stress, reducing alcohol intake and stopping smoking for instance, may help," he suggested. "In short, attending to the needs of the physical body is healthy, the others aspects fall into line."
On the psychological side, acceptance of aging is crucial--adopt the attitude that you're not getting older, you're getting better, he volunteered. "Value your wisdom over physical prowess and re-evaluate your goals and what you already have and try and bring them closer together," Garrido asserted. "And most of all, accept that the dreams of your youth were probably unrealistic, rework these dreams so that they may continue to inspire you, but in a more realistic context."
Garrido warned: "Andropause does not take place in a vacuum. While the male is coping with these changes, the spouse is undergoing even more dramatic changes with her own menopause. The good doctor says that if both partners do not realize what is happening and make adjustments to life and thought, the crisis of middle age need not be that much of a crisis."
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- "Is there such thing as male menopause, sir?" asked Ronalyn, mass communication student at Iloilo St. Paul University, inside the editorial room of Sun.Star, a daily newspaper I once edited.
"Female menopause yes, but male menopause I haven't heard of that yet," I honestly replied to Ronalyn. "Since I am a newsman and not a doctor, we might as well consult the experts on the subject matter: the doctors themselves."
Days later, I found an article that could help provide the answer to Ronalyn's question: Dr. Tito Garrido's article about male menopause.
Garrido admitted that most Filipino males would not admit they also have menopause.
The mere mention of the very idea that men experience a form of menopausal change will still draw amusement and laughter, according to the doctor.
CONCEPT
"But this concept has been around as early as 1950s and it has recently enjoyed more attention and credibility," Garrido explained in his column "At Your Service" at the defunct The Philippine Post dated July 14, 1999.
Garrido defined male menopause as "a crisis of confidence identified in the middle aged men, comparable with menopause in women, but thought to be caused by psychological factors such as fear of aging."
The doctor explained further: "Undoubtedly, a part of the controversy as to whether there is indeed such a thing, stems from the misleading use of the term menopause. Derived from the Greek word 'menses,' it refers to the cessation of a woman's monthly menstrual cycle. 'Andropause,' which relies on the Greek work for a man, Andro, is the most commonly accepted term, defined as the natural cessation of the sexual function of older men."
Garrido explained that some authors see it more broadly as "a biological an biochemical condition that has psychological, physical and emotional components." Viropause/andropause is a naturally occurring psychological state that occurs in men's middle years, producing feeling of unhappiness and undermining men's sense of self worth, identity, and competence, stressed Garrido.
PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SIDES
The doctor said endocrinologists have pointed out that in men, there is nothing as traumatic as in the case of women--there is no one period, no striking change to indicate a drop in hormonal levels.
However, research indicates that men to experience this phenomenon, gradually producing less and less of the male sex hormone, testosterone, as they age.
In most cases, this progressive decline occurs from age 20 to 80 years.
EMOTIONAL SIDE
These various hormonally-induced physical and behavioral changes is now generally perceived to be the underpinning of this male menopause, or andropause, he explained.
"But this is only part of the equation," Garrido wrote, "for there are also profound emotional aspects as well. It is at this transitional stage of life that a psychological stock-taking, often triggered by biological changes, usually occurs. The reflection on one's life can also be triggered by other physical factors such as an illness like high blood pressure or heart attack, receding hairline, greying hair, or some forms of sexual dysfunction."
MID-LIFE CRISIS
He further stressed: "Other less tangible precipitating factors can include retirement or financial stress, or becoming a grandfather for instance. This process can then lead to stress and unhappiness, or what is more commonly referred at as a mid-life crisis." If a man discovers that he can't attain his goals and then discovers that his body isn't as reliable and as strong as it used to be, the effects of male menopause are compounded."
He warned that most men do indeed manage this transition well, but for those that do not, they often start experimenting with life, making major life-altering changes.
"This is where the classic stereotype of the middle-aged man dumping his wife in favor of his twentysomething secretary comes into play," Garrido emphasized. "It is a phenomenon that is described in psychological terms as 'fusion with younger body' in a futile effort to regain his lost youth."
MANAGEMENT
In severe cases in which a man experiences abnormally low testosterone levels, hormone replacement therapy maybe the answer, but many medical practitioners see this only as a last resort, Garrido observed.
"In some cases, simply minimizing psychological and physical stress, reducing alcohol intake and stopping smoking for instance, may help," he suggested. "In short, attending to the needs of the physical body is healthy, the others aspects fall into line."
On the psychological side, acceptance of aging is crucial--adopt the attitude that you're not getting older, you're getting better, he volunteered. "Value your wisdom over physical prowess and re-evaluate your goals and what you already have and try and bring them closer together," Garrido asserted. "And most of all, accept that the dreams of your youth were probably unrealistic, rework these dreams so that they may continue to inspire you, but in a more realistic context."
Garrido warned: "Andropause does not take place in a vacuum. While the male is coping with these changes, the spouse is undergoing even more dramatic changes with her own menopause. The good doctor says that if both partners do not realize what is happening and make adjustments to life and thought, the crisis of middle age need not be that much of a crisis."
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