Commentary

Normally, I would not poke fun of a disorder that for some people can be difficult to manage, but in the case of three stories in the news, I believe a diagnosis of serious anxiety is frequently misplaced.

It’s common for people to feel an uneasiness or apprehension about something, but these stories are not cause for panic or depression

The first story concerns the employees of Twitter who sought free space, or crying rooms, to relieve the anxiety they were experiencing over Elon Musk’s acquisition of “their” company.

It was reminiscent of the day Donald Trump won the presidency.  There were cry-ins at a number of universities, and people took to the streets crying while holding “not my president” signs.

For most people, they soon found that President Trump was doing nicely, thank you.  Except Jeremy Adam Smith, at UC Berkeley, who felt the need to write a piece, “Can We Recover from the Trauma of the Trump.”

“’The Trump years were kind of a concussion for America, and it may take years for us to assess, accept, and heal from the damage,” Smith wrote, one month into the Biden presidency.  “The research says that many of us have battled depression and anxiety all the way through the Trump years.”

I think the employees at Twitter will recover.

The second story came to my attention reading fellow blogger Francis Menton’s piece on coping with what experts refer to as “climate anxiety.”

It’s all about Americans burning fossil fuels, creating a climate crisis of human-caused drought, floods, hurricanes, and tornados.

“Evidence that climate change threatens mental health is mounting,” according to Molly Peterson’s New York Times piece, “How to Calm Your Climate Anxiety.”

“Higher temperatures are tied to depressive language and higher suicide rates,” she claims, adding that “Young people especially report feeling debilitated by climate change anxiety.”

Did you know that there’s a nonprofit organization, the Good Grief Network, that offers support to this with climate change anxiety through a 10-step process?  Me either, so I checked it out.

At the network, they refer to the 10 steps of personal resilience and empowerment in a chaotic climate. They ask: Are you having trouble coping during such painful and unprecedented times?  Are you looking to build your emotional intelligence and personal resilience? Do you feel isolated and need a supportive community? Do you feel the great unraveling taking place and are looking for ways to endure? Do you want to co-vision new ways to reinvest your time and energy into meaningful efforts?

In response, one couple in the program insisted they “we’re not going to be defeated by this thing (climate change), and planted a flowing tipu tree, which can spread a canopy of shade within just a few years

The third story encompasses the anxiety of inflation, higher prices at the market and the gas pump. The annual inflation rate is at its highest since December of 1981.  Price increases for gasoline is up 48 percent, and food prices have jumped nearly nine percent.  Of note also is the rise of the CPI, 6.5 percent, the most in 40 years.

Again, while the state of the economy is worrisome, it is does not reflect a near-term concern leading to compulsive behavior or panic attacks.

A Suggestion

While reading about those experiencing anxiety, I was reminded of an extremely funny 1977 movie, “High Anxiety,” produced and directed by the talented Mel Brooks, who also played the lead role of psychologist Dr. Richard Thorndyke.  It’s Brooks at his best. If you haven’t seen it, you should. You’ll find it on most of the movie sites. It could ease the tension you may be experiencing.

Mayorkas Wins My May Fool’s Day Recognition

Hands down, Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas deserves my May Fool’s Day recognition as the fool-of-the-month.

He insists that the southern border is secure as thousands of illegals continue to cross the Rio Grande River each day. In addition, deadly drugs, including fentanyl, flow across the border to nearly every state.

During a Congressional hearing, Republican Rep. Ken Buck told Mayorkas that his constituents want him impeached because they believe he has committed treason. “They believe you’re a traitor,” he said.

While “profoundly offended,” Mayorkas said he was “incredibly proud of my service to this country.”  Although he spoke of being “proud to work alongside the selfless, dedicated and talented 250,000 personnel of the Department of Homeland Security,” I wondered if that feeling was mutual.

Who thought it was a good idea for Mayorkas to announce the creation of a “Disinformation Governance Board” at DHS while facing tough questions before the House Committee on Appropriations?  Who determined that DHS needed to focus on the spread of disinformation in minority communities?  And, who thought that Nina Jankowicz was qualified to “shape our counter-disinformation efforts?”

Assumably Mayorkas, my May 1 Fool’s Day recipient.

Now, more than ever … may God continue to bless the United States of America.