Tuesday, June 26, 2012

The Psychological Effects of Living in Poverty


Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs:

 Relating Maslow’s Theory to the Devastating Psychological Effects of Poverty

By Lady Rhiannon




The theory of the Hierarchy of Needs is a chart system used to describe our psychological needs and desires, and the priorities of those needs. The theory was formulated by Dr. Abraham Maslow, a highly respected twentieth century psychologist who primarily studied human personality and behavior. Maslow’s hierarchy asserted that our needs come in levels, and that baser needs must be met before there is any motivation to pursue higher needs and desires. Maslow’s research regarding the hierarchy of needs can easily apply to the conditions of individuals and families living in poverty. Poverty is a perfect demonstration of how needs can go unmet, disallowing one’s personal ascension up the hierarchy to higher motivations. Poverty not only affects and endangers individuals, but it is also a disservice to communities, and to our potential to become a greater global civilization.
Abraham Maslow was born to a poor Jewish family on April 1, 1908 in Brooklyn, NY, at a time when the area was rife with bitter anti-Semitism. Although Maslow has taken an atheistic stance on religion very early in life, (ironically) that fact had no effect on the anti-Semitic hatred and violence he faced on a regular basis. The hatred on the streets and the tension at home motivated Maslow to practically live at the library, where he read every child's book and then most of the adult books. Knowledge became his refuge and, being the first born son, his family insisted that he continue his education in college. (Hoffman, 1988)
Maslow became especially fascinated with psychology and human behavior while studying monkeys and apes with Harry Harrow at the University of Wisconsin. Maslow worked with Dr. Harrow for many years and earned all of his degrees at the University, including his Ph. D. He wanted to study the psychology of higher human potential. Maslow wanted to contrast the gloomy and deterministic approach to psychoanalysis that Freud developed (Hoffman, 1988). Maslow contributed many theories of personality to the field of psychology, but arguably his most recognizable theory is his “Hierarchy of Needs”.
            Maslow sought to discover what motivated people, enabling them to thrive and achieve their best possible potential. He studied people's wants and needs, and the priority of those wants and needs, and came up with what he called the "Hierarchy of Needs" (Hoffman, 1988). We visualize the hierarchy in charts as a pyramid built in levels, and there are five levels of need. The first and most broad level includes all the needs of basic physical and biological survival, including air, food, water, sleep, and warmth. Within the first level certain biological needs take priority over others as well. For instance, his studies conclusively showed that a subject that was both hungry and thirsty, the desire for water overshadows the individual's desire to eat. (Maslow, 1970)
            The second level in Maslow's hierarchy is the level of safety needs which reflects a person's need for security. This level includes the desire for law and order, structure, routine, and protection, such as by our parents as children or the police when we are adults. The second level also addresses our need for a consistent and steady home. If an individual does not have the feeling of being “safe”, little or no attention can be placed on pursuing higher needs. (Maslow, 1970)
            The third level is our need for a social network. We have a need to feel a sense of belonging, emotional security, love, and affection, for and from others. This level is where we nourish our relationships with friends and family and establish an emotional support system. With the first three needs fulfilled in some manner, Maslow asserts that the individual is now capable of focusing spare energies on higher needs beyond simple survival. (Maslow, 1970)
            The fourth level is the level of esteem needs such as a desire for responsibilities, status, personal and professional accomplishments, a public reputation, and higher goals. The peak of the pyramid, the fifth level, is the seeking if self-actualization, which is a deep level of personal growth and internal self-fulfillment. The fifth level represents a very high level of personal insight and understanding. (Maslow, 1970)
            Maslow proclaimed that each base level had to be fulfilled before the next level of need could be given focus or energy (Maslow, 1970). In circumstances of poverty, wherein the first two levels are not met on a consistent basis, people suffer greatly from a lack of fulfillment, enrichment, and an array of psychological conditions such as depression and anxiety (Santiago, 2011). The daily worry and stress caused from existing in a state of constant, or near constant, survival mode acts as an oppressive force against positive psychological development. The results of poverty damage the individual, the community, especially the children, and with the children the cycle of misery continues. (Williams, 2010)
            A study done by Evelyn S. Williams focused on the effects of poverty in Kenya. She focused primarily on the general population of poor Kenyan families. This study examined the relationships between socioeconomic status, neighborhood disadvantage, poverty-related stress, and psychological functioning. Her survey studies conclusively show that higher income levels are directly linked to lower levels of stress. The conclusions as to poverty-induced stress demonstrated that the higher the stress level, the higher the incidence, and intensity, of anxiety and depression. Her studies also show that living in a poor neighborhood is also a chronic stressor; unemployment, and a lack of mobility, creates communities with fewer resources and higher crime, thus fewer positive opportunities. (Williams, 2010)              
            William’s studies, as well as other social causation studies, have conclusively shown that living in poverty has a devastating effect on the psychological well-being of adults and children. In women the study shows a higher occurrence of somatic symptoms, while men showed heightened aggression, delinquency, and social problems. Poverty-stricken individuals who are educated seem to experience even greater frustration and dissatisfaction from their situation, than less educated people. All symptoms proved to be generally elevated in children. This additional symptomology in children may be due, at least in part, to the added frustration of having no control over their socio-economic status. (Williams, 2010)
            Employed families that are impoverished have a lower self-satisfaction rating overall than did poor families who had no employment opportunities. While financial worries may be less severe in homes with employed adults, the children of such families must often do without their mother's, or another adult's, guidance, comfort, and supervision, which often leads to greater psychological disorders for those children (Santiago, 2011). Young children need the security and the comfort of having their mother, and the stress of being away from the home and the children also adds to the stress mothers face. This forced absence of a child’s first and primary support system denies, not just the first two levels of Maslow’s hierarchy but, the third level of the hierarchy of love, support, and a sense of belonging. (Maslow, 1970)
            It is imperative that we understand that poverty contributes to the development of a wide range of psychopathology, and that great damage will be done, especially to children, if there is no concerted effort to reform the economic systems in all areas of great poverty, and to develop some form of intervention strategy to combat poverty and its harmful effects. Having a low socio-economic status, limited income, and limited resources creates a vicious cycle of poverty by limiting opportunities for higher employment and achievement. The most common psychological effect of living in poverty is depression from the stress of barely getting by day to day. The stress of the instability of poverty eats away at one's emotional stability (Santiago, 2011).
            If you have to live in a small town in the United States, but there is no work to be found, then you must seek work in a larger area and commute. The bus doesn't come to the town and cabs are too expensive (or non-existent), so you have to rely on your own car. A minimum wage job pays less than three hundred a week before taxes, which is less than twelve hundred dollars a month. Even if you are single, with no children and work two full time jobs, which is less than twenty four hundred a month. That could barely cover cheap rent area, gas, phone service, electric, internet (truly a necessity now), car insurance, food, water, household supplies, and bare necessities. Even two jobs paying a low wage could not cover health insurance, cable, car repairs, vet bills, family crisis, and certainly not holidays or vacation time. This scenario also leaves very few people the ability or time to go to school in an effort to elevate one's financial status. This is an existence of constant stress and concern over the next possible crisis that may cause you to lose your home, your car, and your means to make a living. What if the car breaks down? How will you get to work? How are you going to get the money for the repairs? What if you fall ill, or suffer a severe injury and have to be in the hospital where you can't work? Maslow's theory of needs and desires tells us that such a scenario of endless, unrelenting stress to survive leaves very little or no room for higher forms of self-fulfillment and betterment, such as self-actualization (Maslow, 1970).
            Debt is also a major contributing factor to the cycle of poverty and poverty-related stress. Money lenders and banks set up the system to reward those that can afford to pay more, and to punish those who cannot. Historically poor people have had a difficult time convincing money lenders to loan them money at all. Impoverished borrowers who manage to gain approval for a loan have higher risk premiums as well as putting up collateral such as their house or car. If a poor person fails to pay back a loan then the lender can take legal actions against the borrower, which may result in the garnishing of their wages, or the seizing of their house or car. (Mink, 2004)
            Money values have changed dramatically over the years. Even though wages were far lower in the sixties and seventies, that low wage could still sustain a household of people with minimal burden and stress.
           
In 1999, a full-time minimum-wage worker earned $157 less than the income required to reach the two-person family poverty threshold, whereas a full-time worker earning the minimum could have maintained a three-person family above the poverty threshold in 1969 and over most of the 1970s. During the 1980s, with no increases, the earning power of the minimum wage relative to the family poverty thresholds declined steadily, falling below the two-person threshold for the first time in 1985 and not rising above it again until 1997. (Mink, 2004)
            Poverty stricken individuals are also faced with more chronic, uncontrollable life events. Medical care is a serious issue since most poor individuals are either uninsured or under-insured. Even if they are covered they still have to worry about getting hurt or sick and being out of work. In developed countries with socialized healthcare there is still a higher incidence of disease among poor families and individuals. If they are not covered, they face horrifying medical debt, or death, in many cases, if they go untreated (Williams, 2010). Poor families are exposed to more dangerous and deteriorating neighborhoods, more crowded and noisier homes, more conflict and instability in the family, and more polluted air and water. There is a higher degree of smoking, drinking, obesity, poor diet, and sedentary lifestyles among the poorer communities as a result of dealing with chronic poverty-induced stress (Santiago, 2011). Chronic stress has been well documented to lower the immune system and cause more frequent sickness and chronic ailments (State Government of Victoria, 2010)
            Everyone has to deal with certain levels of stress and anxiety, but when stress and anxiety is a constant, daily occurrence it can lead to a number of physical and mental disorders. Chronic stress has been linked to cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and even heightens the risks for certain cancers. Anxiety can also trigger different anxiety disorders such as obsessive compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, panic disorders, and other specific phobias and generalized anxiety disorders. Left untreated, any amount of chronic anxiety can lead to clinical depression, which can cause insomnia, loss of energy, restlessness, suicidal thoughts, feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, weight loss or gain, and a reduced ability to concentrate or think clearly. (State Government of Victoria, 2010)
            Impoverished individuals and families often have to go long periods, and even years or lifetimes, without ever having their first two levels of basic needs fulfilled. Those individuals run the risk of never having the intellectual or emotional energy to focus on the fulfillment of higher needs and goals. When your life is about surviving each day, there is little or no opportunity to practice art forms or any other means of personal growth or expression.
            Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs asserts that individuals need to fulfill the lower level basic needs in order to progress beyond needs for survival (Maslow, 1970). However, years after Maslow's original hierarchy was published, Maslow wrote that in certain situations a person may progress all the way up the hierarchy without first having lower needs met completely. He specifically used the circumstance of poverty as an example wherein the progression of the hierarchy changes. The key to success is in the third level of social ties and relationships. Maslow found that with a strong, supportive family or social network of friends, many individuals can rise above their lack of basic needs and focus on higher needs of personal betterment. (Maslow, 1971)
             Much of Maslow’s own experiences of poverty, loneliness, and frustration in his youth likely compelled his motivation to study the human experience during times of personal trial and hardship. His work brought great strides to the psychological community, and he helped many people to realize that the individual must be psychologically nourished and fulfilled in order to reach optimum potential. Maslow ultimately came to the conclusion that a strong emotional support system could greatly make up for unmet needs of survival and safety, but without any support there is little hope for any higher needs to be met (Maslow,1971). This leaves the individual in a state of constant survival-mode, which leaves no mental energy for higher, creative pursuits. What a sad world this would be indeed without the higher aspirations in life, such as art, music, literature, and other forms of personal achievement. Our society would be for the better if more could come to understand and acknowledge the works of Abraham Maslow and apply it to the ills of poverty in all areas of the world. Maslow himself said, “Classic economic theory, based as it is on an inadequate theory of human motivation, could be revolutionized by accepting the reality of higher human needs, including the impulse to self-actualization and the love for the highest values” (Maslow,1971).


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Resources
Hoffman, E. Ph.D, (1988) The Right to Be Human: A Biography of Abraham Maslow. McGraw-Hill.
Maslow, A. H. (1970). Motivation and Personality. Revised by R. Frager, J. Fadiman, C. McReynolds, & R. Cox. New York : Addison Wesley Longman, c1987

Maslow, A. H. (1971). The Farther Reaches of Human Nature. The Viking Press: New York.

Mink G., Connor, A. (2004) Poverty in the United States: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, and Policy. ABC-CLIO

Santiago, C., Wadsworth, M., Stump, J., (2011) Socioeconomic status, neighborhood disadvantage, and poverty-related stress: Prospective effects on psychological syndromes among diverse low-income families. Journal of Economic Psychology 32 (p 218–230)



State Government of Victoria (February 2010). Stress can become a serious illness. Retrieved February 14, 2012, from http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Stress_can_become_a_serious_illness

Williams, E. (May 2010) Poverty in kenya: an assessment of need fulfillment, physical health, and mental well-being. A thesis submitted to the Kent State University Honors College




The Shrinking Middle Class


Why Is the Middle Class Shrinking? 

By Lady Rhiannon

 

                The greatest assault to the middle class has been the corporate takeover of our government. The CEO’s and major power holders of American corporations have invested billions of dollars in endorsements, contributions, and out and out bribes to ensure that their political loyalists will defend their interests in congress. There has also been a rise in the number of people going back and forth between being politicians (especially republican) and being corporate leaders. The Bush family has been in the oil industry for years, and Dick Cheney ran Halliburton before becoming vice president, and Cheney also worked alongside Nixon. Romney is now the headliner for Corporate interests and is fighting his battles for the sake of the "job creators"....as Republicans prefer to say rather than the "filthy rich".
Corporate interests have taken over the tax system and created a formula designed to shrink the middle class and make the rich richer. Most of the middle class workers pay 24-35% in taxes each year, but 280 of the largest and wealthiest corporations pay an average of only 18%, and there were 28 companies in 2011 that paid absolutely no taxes at all. Bank of America took $336 billion in bailouts in 2009; they made 4.4 billion in profits the next year, but paid no taxes. Google keeps their tax rate at about 2.3%. 
Our government also spends over 90 billion dollars a year in corporate welfare, which does not go to struggling business, as the name might indicate. This money goes to the largest, wealthiest corporations as an award for doing so well. Corporate welfare does not include bailouts and government subsidies, and it is almost twice as much as what we pay to all other social welfare programs that were designed to genuinely help actual people.
The Internal Revenue Service reports that the 400 highest paid incomes in the country (aka: the richest 1%), between the year 1992-2007, saw an income increase of 392 percent. However, in that same period their tax rate went down by 37 percent. Also, payroll tax rates have gone up (which primarily affects the middle class), while corporate tax rates have gone down significantly. The bush era tax cuts, which were renewed in 2010, benefited the top 0.01% earners the most with a 146,000 dollar yearly tax cut, while the middle and lower classes received no benefit. A minimum wage job in 1969 could support a family of three, now minimum wage cannot support one person. Estimates assert that minimum wage would be twenty-three dollars an hour if wage increases had stayed in sync with the rate of inflation.
The system in set up to cause more and more people to fall below the poverty line. Not only does the tax system benefit the very rich but pensions are disappearing, health care costs are debilitating, big business has beaten small business half to death, and corporations outsource and downsize job positions, and decrease wages, in spite of their record breaking profits. Once a person falls below the poverty line, whether by crisis, illness, job loss, or other form of disaster, it is extremely difficult to climb out of the hole. This is what happens when corporate ambition and greed is allowed to have free reign over government.

 

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Poe, C. (2011, April 10). Top ten list: Tax evaders. Retrieved from http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/ad-lib/2011/apr/10/tax-evaders-wall-shame/
Kocieniewski, D. (2011, November 3). New york times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/03/business/280-big-public-firms-paid-little-us-tax-study-finds.html
The Internal Revenue Service, http://www.irs.gov
Tischler, H. (2011) Introduction to Sociology: tenth edition.

The Struggles of Women in America


The Struggles of Women and Single Parent Families

By Lady Rhiannon

            Since the dawn of humanity, man, as a whole (not each individual), has sought to dominate over the female of the species. First he used his superior size and strength to physically bully women and weaker men into submission, and later used his established authority and power over other men to do so. Men even created religion, in part, to justify masculine domination, in asserting that even the all-powerful creator of the universe is male, and made women to be subjugated by men. For thousands of years women have been divided, and conquered into the oppressed majority.  This paradigm is the result of men’s fear, and men’s lust for power and control over everything.
Women have always been paid less than men because of the commonly held assumption that men can obviously perform tasks better and more efficiently because they are bigger, stronger, and smarter. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the only jobs women were capable of getting were service positions (nurses, maids, nannies, teachers), or menial, unskilled factory jobs. Female factory workers in the first decade of the twentieth century were paid less than twelve dollars a week on average for their work running the machines. Most women were paid about six or seven dollars a week, and they were all paid about half of a man’s average salary. The more intricate and skill based industries, such as jewelry, watches, clocks, and rubber, were dominated by male workers and had very few female workers at all.  
            Today, we have made good progress, but we are a far distance from equality or fairness. Women are paid a national average of 77 cents to the dollar of what men make on average, most of the southern states are much worse. Our country falls behind much of the developing world on feminist issues, ranking 90th in the number of women we have in our legislature.  Only 17% of the seats in congress are held by women. Women are often discouraged from running for office and many are passed over for male colleagues.
            Women kept poorer than men, and within limited means of power and control is a collective effort that has been established in almost all societies for thousands of years. This has been an almost completely successful strategy to maintain patriarchal dominance over the female of the species.  This is why men were against females getting an education, why women were kept secluded in the home, instead of being allowed to convene with other women, or be a part of the political or public life, why we have been barred from most positions of authority, and why women in the middle east are still required to cover their faces and go nowhere without a male escort. Women who manage to have a better education and a better understanding of the world often seek freedom, independence, and they tend to question the status quo and break from tradition. Intelligent men know this, and many of them fear it. So the effort has historically been to keep women isolated, poor, and stupid, which keeps them dependent and subservient.
            Many men seek to do away with all competition because it makes them paranoid and uncomfortable. This is why American men wiped out the Native Americans, the Mexicans, and enslaved the Africans. I think this is also representative of an irrational fear that men must be the dominant ones, because there must be a hierarchy, and if they diminish their control than women will take over the world, and enslave men the way men have always done so with women. I have met men who speak of women like they are secret agents, conspiring against men for no reason at all, because women are given “all the advantages” in life and feminism is just “propaganda” used to manipulate people and gain control.
            The struggle of women is connected to the struggle of single parents, who are usually single mothers. In Wisconsin, a Bill sponsored by Republican Senator Glenn Grothman and Republican State Representative Donald Pridemore, declares that single parenthood is a threat to the welfare and safety of children, and single parents should be immediate suspects for abuse. Grothman asserts that a child is “20 times more likely to be sexually abused”, if a child is being raised by a single mother, than by a mother and a father, a statistic that is utterly false and unfounded. This is an effort to strip single mothers of their credibility and their rights as parents.
            Hatred of single parent homes, especially single mother families, is another example of men’s fear of the breakdown of the status quo and patriarchy. Men have historically always wanted, and tried to maintain, control of procreation as much as possible by establishing marriage and family laws to legitimize births and establish the father as the head of the household and owner of the mother and children. Without the apparent need of a father in a family, or the need of marriage in order to have a child successfully, the entire fabric of society would surely crumble and chaos would reign. This is the irrational fear that stems from men’s real fear of being deemed worthless and obsolete, which is even worse than losing supreme dominance.
            In Australia, statistics have shown that there are a growing number of single women ages 25-34 in the country, and some men are considering it a crisis. According to Fr. Tony Kerin of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, women are getting too “choosy” and need to make their aspirations be finding a man to marry or they will lose their chance. There are a growing number of women in America as well who choose never to get married. Teenage pregnancy has actually decreased and now there are a growing number of older women in their late twenties and thirties who are independent and choose to have children on their own, often by artificial insemination. This is very threatening in the eyes of many men.
            Men and women who seek to maintain the established way of things justify their blatant objections to single parent homes by insisting that it is obviously better to have two parents  (one male and one female of course). To deviate from that standard is damaging to children, at the very least it is an inherent disadvantage. In truth, while single parents do suffer a greater economic struggle due to inequities in the system which makes it nearly impossible for a woman to support herself and her children, the quality of the parenting and the relationship between the parent and the child is no less because there is one instead of two. Children of single mothers have even reported that they feel that they are more of a priority in their mother’s life than did the children from two parent homes who report more often that they feel “ignored”. The well-being of the child is dependent on the quality of parenting, not the number of parents involved. The two parent household can certainly be easier for the parent in terms of work load, but it is of no inherent consequence to the child.
            Most societies have always looked down on women and single parents. There have been very few societies that have deviated from the patriarchal establishment. In the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces of China however, there are the Mosuo people, who deviate from convention and live in a matriarchal society. The women of this region live on their own or with her family, and never get married. They have what is translated into “walking marriages”, with men of their choosing. Women can have many suitors in her life and she raises her children herself, usually with the help of her family. Brothers have more to do with the upbringing of their nieces and nephews than they do with their own biological children. They are quite happy with their tradition, which has been their way for centuries and is apparently very peaceful, and allots both men and women with a lot of personal freedom. Unfortunately there are always pressures by their government to conform to the patriarchal standard of the majority if China.
            In order to change our society, we need to end the stigma of nonconformity. Good mothers need recognition for being a good parent, regardless of marital status. Difference should be tolerated unless something or someone is being hurt or otherwise abused. Single parent families need not be considered a disadvantage, or a dishonor. Successful, happy people come from single mothers and parents all the time; Thomas Jefferson, Barack Obama, Halle Berry, Lance Armstrong, Kate Beckinsale, Bill Clinton, John Lennon, Demi Moore, and Maya Angelou are just a few examples.  Opportunities and equal pay for women will go a long way in decreasing the level of financial disadvantage that single mothers face, as well as forwarding the interests of the feminist movement.
            There will always be misogynists in the world that hate, resent, and/or fear women, but education is key to weakening those numbers. Women’s history should be a required course in both high school and college. Sociology and American history should also take greater priority in our school system.  Both men and women lack a working, analytical understanding of women’s issues, the history of women, and the feminist movement.  Many men lack information, and lack empathy for the suffering and disadvantages women have faced, and continue to face. Some men and women deny that sexism even exists, while others still believe that women should not be equals and should be subservient. Education is our greatest hope in preventing this level of ignorance, prejudice, and hatred from continuing to infect our future. 

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Neill , Charles Patrick, (1913). Report on Condition of Woman and Child Wage-earners       in the United States. By United States Bureau of Labor.
http://www.care2.com/causes/austrialian-ladies-should-put-a-ring-on-it.html

An Unsacred Death

Personal view on capital punishment

By Lady Rhiannon


                I am but a shadow in the realm of chaos...a floating phantom barely seen by the general populace. I am torn, for I wish solitude and secrecy within my own personal life, yet also desire to be seen and have my ideas heard throughout the world in the hopes that they may inspire betterment in some fashion. I have never quite understood what is so difficult about maintaining goodness as a common social norm. Why are human beings so uniquely drawn toward corrupt and destructive behavior? Is it perhaps our complexity that causes our confusion about morality? Perhaps simply being human is too much for some souls to bear. Why can we not all be rational and understanding and respectful? Why do the definitions of words like logic and reason seem to be completely different to some? For instance, I believe it is illogical, inhumane and irrational to kill murderers as capital punishment. Death is much too serious a matter to be used as a regulated form of punishment. Such a consequence is rarely a deterrent for those that are eager and willing to kill. The act of premeditatedly ending someone’s life against their will is, in fact, murder, and the guilt of those executed does not justify capital punishment. What of all the innocent lives that have been destroyed? Those that were later proven innocent cannot be given back their lives. Old methods and laws of our history cannot be used as a shield against modern wisdom and logic.
                One argument for capital punishment is the age old adage of an "eye for an eye". Aside from being an archaic notion with limited modern applicability, "eye for an eye" was originally meant to primarily refer to financial contracts and agreements pertaining to debts. We should not forget so easily that all the wisdom and tradition that we cling to is often centuries old, and deserving of reanalysis.  An eye for an eye implies that if some material possession is lost, stolen or destroyed it must then be replaced by something of equal or greater value as repentance. In such cases, that which is lost is restored, and someone, if not everyone, benefits.  In a situation of murder and death, "eye for an eye" is not a logically sound principle because there is absolutely nothing gained by anyone in the entire process; there is only loss…unending loss. Those who are killed on the street are not brought back when their killer is put to death through the system. What is done cannot be undone and the addition of another life taken only adds to the injustice...simply, two wrongs do not make a right.
We should not trivialize important moral issues regarding real living beings by trying to apply ancient social philosophies, especially when taken out of context.  This philosophy was also created in a time when humans, particularly women and children, were also thought of as material possessions, and executions served as a major source of entertainment. Old world wisdom is still useful and applicable in many situations, but only when we consider the context and the source from which this thinking occurred. Knowing the source of the ideals you cling to is key to understanding the fundamentals of your beliefs and why you feel that way. We cannot use the precedents of history to justify continued use of death as punishment.
                We do not, as a society, take death seriously enough. Being faced with violence and death every day too often makes humans desensitized and jaded to the concepts of death and consequence. We can say so easily that someone deserves to die, but we should be asking ourselves why we feel that it is our right to end that life.  When someone is put to death in the prison system, those that directly and indirectly cause it and allow it become no better than the alleged criminal that they are putting to death. The desiring and seeking of vengeance is a motivation of the lower self and undermines the development of elevated thought.
                Anyone who takes a life is damaged from that moment forward, and the official paperwork regulating the procedure will do absolutely nothing to heal the scars of guilt upon those who are responsible. Those that complacently, or happily, observe and allow executions are also damaged in a deeply sadistic way. Those that do harm to others are causing harm to themselves by destroying their character, their integrity, their capacity for compassion, empathy, and respect for other living beings. There is something inherently wrong with anyone who takes pleasure in pain and death, which is the definition of sadist. With capital punishment it is not simply a matter of whether or not the accused is deserving of their fate, it is important to understand the moral implications of trying to justify murdering someone because THEY committed murder. How can we logically justify taking that life without becoming that which we are destroying? If we sink to the level of our enemy then we become our enemy, and in the case of taking someone’s life away, the damage is irreparable.  It is simply not our place to decide who deserves to live and who should die. 
                Death is not a fitting punishment for those who have taken life. It is a far worse fate to be forever locked in a cell under ceaseless, scrutinizing watchfulness. Violent killers are much more useful to us as study material and test subjects. In this way, even the most unseemly and vile specimens of the human race can serve some meaningful purpose to society rather than waiting in a cell to die.  There was recently a case in the news about a man requesting death for himself because he knew he would kill again, given the chance. As tempting as it may be to submit to his request, this execution could no longer logically be considered a punishment at all, it becomes an assisted suicide and becomes a different issue entirely. Death is often seen as more of a release than a punishment to many of the most violent and vicious offenders, therefore the alleged purpose of executions is defeated. The greater and more fitting punishment is to be denied their freedom and kept where they can do no harm. In spite of those who are for capital punishment would say, incarcerating someone for life is actually cheaper than executing him, so there is a financial benefit to eliminating capital punishment as well.
                My final argument against capital punishment is the most vital reason for ending regulated murder. We have no ability to know exactly how many innocent people we have put to death, but those that have been confirmed should have opened our eyes a long time ago to the injustice of the system. One innocent life taken is too much, and in all of human history that we have been hanging, hacking and electrocuting people the numbers have been in the thousands at least. Of the confirmed cases in this time and country there have been dozens of innocent lives taken to death row never to return. Imagine walking the last mile of your life knowing that you are being put to death for a crime you didn’t commit, knowing that you’re innocent but still incapable of changing what is about to happen, unable to convince anyone of the truth, unable to reclaim your freedom and continue living your life. Imagine your life is being taken away from you for no reason. There is no excuse for denying an innocent person their life.
                Guilty or not, death is far too personal a thing to be considered a punishment in a fair and just society. Death is not a punishment any more than birth or puberty or pregnancy, it is a phase of life which should be treated with dignity and respect.  Even knowing that the prisoner is guilty should not make the judge, the jury or the executioner feel like any less of a murderer. We must ask ourselves if this perverse practice for the pursuit of revenge mistaken for justice is worth the damage done to ourselves. Executions are not a means of self-defense; it is cold, calculating murder. This is not true justice, but merely the illusion of justice in a society that has long been an addict of violence and destruction. Of course only we have the power to end the cycle of madness that runs the system. We are the jury and all we have to do is decide and agree that life is sacred and it is not our right to try and justify the taking of it.  Capital punishment is morally grotesque and is one of the things that holds the evolution of our society back as well as the personal evolution of the individuals who sully their hands with proverbial blood. 

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