Dysfunction

Dysfunction

dys·func·tion

ˌdisˈfəNG(k)SH(ə)n

noun

abnormality or impairment in the function of a specified bodily organ or system.

deviation from the norms of social behavior in a way regarded as bad.

We all know dysfunction

It comes in so many forms

Our bodies get dysfunctional

So do our minds

Our relationships get dysfunctional

So too it seems our morals

Our behaviors

Perhaps even our minds

And dysfunction is contagious

Gabor Mate suggests that much of what we suffer

By way of mental illness and addiction is due to dysfunctional environments

Poverty

Messed up families

Violence

We see it in others

And we see it in ourselves

How patterns form, and are passed down

From generation to generation

Even the ancients understood this

In the Old Testament we find the claim that

“the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children,

to the third and the fourth generation”. (Exodus 34:6-7 = Deuteronomy 5:8-10)

Of course the author suggests this is the act of a retributive God

But we know, it is simply the way it works

We pass on our worst stuff

A girl or boy growing up in an abusive family

Will fall into the pattern, becoming either abused or abusive

Scattered kids (think ADHD) come from scattered households with scattered parents

Who knew?

That there was such a thing as “trickle down dysfunction”

But now we see it more than ever

We see dysfunctional behaviors

Hate, fear mongering, greed, bullying, name calling

Self centeredness, cruelty

Trickling down from those in power

To all of the rest of us

Infecting us

Tainting us

Making us dysfunctional

We see it everywhere

Hate, fear mongering, greed, bullying, name calling

Self centeredness, cruelty

Everywhere

And it is not just “them”

It is “us”

We are being driven

By trickle down dysfunction

Into being our worst selves

Sometimes I look at what I have written

And I am appalled

And many times I end up recanting

Well

Deleting

Delete, delete, delete

But often the damage is already done

What is the antidote to this illness of the soul?

What pulls us out of the swamp, and puts our feet on solid grown

How do we find our better selves

It you believe in prayer, maybe you need to pray

For love, compassion, patience, kindness, self control

For those things the Bible calls the ‘fruits of the Spirit”  (Galatians 5, look it up)

Or perhaps if you are so inclined

It would help to meditate

To find that quiet center

A walk in nature might help

Or a cup of chamomile tea

Maybe you just need to sit snuggled next to someone you love

And watch the sun go down

Trickle-down economics is a tragic myth

Trickle-down dysfunction is a tragic reality

It is time for us to say, “this stops here”

It is time for us to say, “this stops with me”

It is time