Learned Helplessness

Learned Helplessness

Kevin Bryant

Capture a baby elephant and tie it to a solid post. When it realizes it cannot get away, it will give up and for the rest of its life when you tie it to a post it will never try to escape. Learned Helplessness. 

Put a rat in a cage. Electrify a portion of that cage and the rat will learn to jump over the electrified portion. Electrify the adjacent portions and rat will learn to avoid that area completely. Turn off the electricity and the rat will continue to avoid those areas for the rest of its life. Learned Helplessness.  

Take a generation of people from birth and force them into an education system that teaches them that its government’s responsibility to protect them, to see to their needs, take care of them and government knows what is best. Many will grow up forever believing this. Learned Helplessness. 

Humans are supposed t be the smartest animal on the plant but even man can be taught that they are helpless. This ranges from the lowest of the poor to even those elected to the United States Congress. To listen to many of them, you would think they are fighters for the people but if you look at their voting records, they are mere puppets to the establishment. An establishment we the people created by electing and continually reelecting politicians without vetting them, believing their every words and ignoring their actions. From our local school boards to our city councils and mayors to our county and state official all the way up to the White House.  

From our local officials to the United States Congress, the establishment, both republicans and democrats will continually pound those unwilling to support the establishment until they bend to the establishments will. Many elected officials finally do submit and get absorbed by the establishment. Why? Several reasons: power, money, backing of the establishment for reelection to office, fear and others. 

We the people created this mess that is called the government establishment. Unfortunately “We The People” are very unlikely to change it because the “Learned Helplessness” so many have been brainwashed into believing is true. Those age 35 and younger don’t remember when America was truly a melting pot. They don’t remember when America was as Ronald Reagan rightfully stated “That Shining Star On The Hill” that many aspired to come to. They have never known a time when America was the strongest nation both militarily and spiritually. And they have never known a time when personal freedom meant more than government provided security. 

America has always been different for a reason. We didn’t get to become the nation we are by the actions of our government, but by the will of the people our government is supposed to serve.  

We are one generation away from a nation of “Learned Helplessness”. How do we want to leave this country when we die and our children inherit it? Do we leave them a nation where the populous are indentured servants to the government or do we leave them a nation of “A Government of the People, By the People and For the People”.