Ravi Chandra, M.D., Psychiatrist and Writer

Please support my podcast project - by purchasing a t-shirt!

2026-04-11T09:04:35Z

Hi all,

My last email was just prior to Thanksgiving, 2025! Since then I've published THIRTY SIX articles on my Substack, which I've renamed "Letters from a Psychiatrist." (There have also been two additional articles at East Wind eZine for my Memoirs of a Superfan series, which I also crosspost on Substack.)

Most urgently, I just launched a two-week fundraiser for my proposed 6-episode podcast, “Society is the Sum of Our Love: A Mental Health Mobilization for Cultural Transformation.” Please consider chipping in, with a t-shirt, direct donation to my SF Love Dojo compassion non-profit, or paid subscription to my Substack.

Here's the Substack post on the launch:

Fundraiser for Active Compassion Podcast Project
Help me build a communal “house” (with "origin stories" for our evolutionary predicament)

And here is the direct link to buy any or all of three t-shirts, for you, friends, and family. There's a range of messages, and I hope at least one will fit your mood:

Active Compassion T-Shirts to fund SOCIETY IS THE SUM OF OUR LOVE

For some "essential reads" from my Substack, see below:

Essential reads:

On Nietzsche's "Aphorisms on Love and Hate"
His ghost needs our help. Food for the road, grist for the mill.

In wake of Trump's recent racist post, American Psychiatric and Psychological Associations issue joint statement against racism
In contrast to missteps, shortcomings, and divergence on Minneapolis and ICE

How Books (and Mental Health and Friendliness) Can Save Democracy
Michael Fischer's pocket book is an essential read!

“You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone:” PBS, CPB, "Viewers Like Us," and American Promise
Grace Lee's outstanding podcast reveals challenges to psyche and society. Listen.

Rachel Maddow’s "Burn Order" – biased leadership lead to the great harm of Japanese American imprisonment in World War II
History is rhyming right now. "Be an upstander," pass it along!

Ken Burns’ “The American Revolution”: Lessons and Imperatives for Modern Psyche and Society
Also: a playlist of compelling short clips

Thanks for reading and staying in touch!

Warmly,

Ravi

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Happy Holidays! New video and more articles

2025-11-23T11:54:11Z

Hi all,

First, be sure to catch the time-limited on-demand streams of THE MONKEY KING at SF Opera and THE WISDOM OF HAPPINESS with the Dalai Lama.

Wisdom of Happiness Encore Screening Presented by BuddhaFest + Wisdom for Life

On-Demand MONKEY KING at the SF Opera

Read the program notes here, and find other program goodies here.

I've been doing a lot of writing - please check out my Pacific Heart Substack for all the articles I've written there since my last newsletter. Subscribe there for timely updates. Becoming a paid or founding member allows me to devote more time to research and writing, especially on political psychology.

You might especially note these Substack-only articles:

Let the Dalai Lama, the Monkey King, and Zohran Mamdani's encounter with Trump ease you into the Holidays!
Good nourishment for your soul - and science-based instructions for dealing with challenging political conversations

The shutdown is ending, but unfit and dangerous leadership remains
My unpublished letter to the NYT, and more on Trump's lack of fitness (November 11, 2025)

The Executive Branch is a toxic mess
Compassion, clarity, and solidarity are the answers to Trumpian misleadership

Democracy was and is a response to the mental health emergency created by tyranny
Reportback from psychiatrists' Advocacy Day on the Hill

SUN RA: DO THE IMPOSSIBLE
Riffs on a great film, with timely messages for those interested in transcendent creativity and cultural transformation

Here's what I've posted or cross-posted at East Wind eZine:

MOSF 20.12: “107 Days” by Kamala Harris – Diagnosing a Broken System (But One That Raised You) (October 6, 2025) Kamala for the people lost to Donald for himself and White Nationalism. 107 Days is a NYT Bestseller, and well worth a read. It gave me all the feels, as a psychiatrist, immigrant, and citizen.

MOSF 20.13: Raoul Peck’s “Orwell: 2+2=5”: An epic, brilliant, evocative, necessary near-miss (October 25, 2025) Raoul Peck’s film is an insightful look at Orwell’s life and dystopian vision. It breaks a lot down, but leaves something to be “desired.”

MOSF 20.14: The shutdown is ending, but unfit and dangerous leadership remains (November 11, 2025) Link to my Substack article detailing the president’s lack of fitness, and the dangerousness that follows, as well as my unpublished letter to the NYT editors.

MOSF 20.15: On Bardos of Travel to Grenada; Sketches of Time (and Doing Time) on Planet Earth (November 16, 2025) I recently traveled to the wonderful Caribbean island of Grenada for the Black Psychiatrists of America Transcultural Conference. I couldn’t have asked for a more deepening and eye-opening experience which brought me glimpses of our shared colonial trauma, amidst the peace and joy of beaches and sun.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving :)

Warmly,

Ravi

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Confront false beliefs with free speech and clarity

2025-09-25T10:34:30Z

From MOSF 20.11: “False” by Dr. Joe Pierre: A Vital Exploration of Our Vulnerability to Misinformation and Conspiracy Theories

Hi all,

My last newsletter was on June 28. On July 23, my editor at Psychology Today said it was time to "part ways." After 14 years and over 300 articles as a contributing "expert blogger." This was the article that triggered their opprobrium.

MOSF 20.8: Dismissing Concerns About Migrants Perpetuates Suffering, Erodes Human Dignity, and Emboldens Tyranny (July 19, 2025)
Many Republican voters dismiss the concerns of Blacks and migrants; this compounds the cruel and unusual punishment of racism, abusive power, and bias. Moving through our national impasse requires changing the very way we relate to each other – from distance to proximity, dismissal to compassion.

It was a week after Colbert got cancelled, and just before Jonathan Capehart left the WashPo. Since then, Karen Attiah and Matthew Dowd were fired, from WashPo and MSNBC. And last week, Kimmel was pulled. The media purge has been going on since before the election, most visibly starting with Bezos and Soon-Shiong pulling endorsements for Kamala last year. But this is all the tip of the iceberg of media censorship, bias, and soft-pedalling. We can all note the glaring sane-washing of Mr. Trump right now. Why don't they just cover his gaffes, his "unusual" cognitive capacity, and his character issues?

Power resists insight, and most media is complicit with power.

So I appreciate your support for my work and research. I would appreciate your becoming a free or paid subscriber to my Substack. I've had 13 posts there since my last newsletter, most recently hailing the victory of free speech with Jimmy Kimmel.

I'll continue to post there and at East Wind.

MOSF 20.11: “False” by Dr. Joe Pierre: A Vital Exploration of Our Vulnerability to Misinformation and Conspiracy Theories (September 15, 2025) Dr. Joe Pierre ably points out the cognitive mishaps that allow apex predators to attract and unduly influence followers. We are all vulnerable. But society has to better identify apex predators, to help us survive and thrive in the firehose of falsehoods that is coming at us, from Trump, RFK, Jr. and all their minions. We can also go farther and see how apex predators are tapping into grandiose, overvalued ideas and cultural biases.

MOSF 20.9: The Trolley Problem and Other Ethical Questions of Trump’s Immigration Policy: Is Cruelty the Point? (July 26, 2025)
Opinion polls are turning against Mr. Trump’s cruel immigration policies. This is the “Human Intelligence Quantum Machine” at work, faced with at least four significant ethical problems. Thinking about these ethical problems can help us understand ourselves and the situation at hand.

MOSF 20.10: Satsuki Ina’s “The Poet and the Silk Girl” Vividly Portrays Japanese American Imprisonment, Intergenerational Trauma, and Healing – Through Her Family’s Story (August 5, 2025) “The Poet and the Silk Girl” by Satsuki Ina (2024) is a powerful memoir of her parents’ lives during their incarceration and imprisonment during World War II, and an insightful record of intergenerational trauma and healing through protest and allyship with the vulnerable. Dr. Ina’s work with Tsuru for Solidarity continues in support of migrants and against detention and deportation.

Thanks all!

Warmly,

Ravi

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Democracy Summer! And a bumper crop of articles!

2025-06-28T19:44:31Z

Hi all,

Hope you're finding ways to enjoy your summers!

I started a "Democracy Summer" series of essays on Substack, keeping pace with Harvard Professor Danielle Allen's course on Civic Engagement at edX. I've learned so much already, and am up to Week 4, learning about loyalty, voice, and exit through the story of oft forgotten African American founding father Prince Hall. This course has helped me validate my values, especially human dignity and freedom of expression and mind, and also learn more about how the founders fought tyranny. Subscribe for more!

Ahem. (Well, in the end they sided with a strong central government and executive, but were very aware of the dangers, which have especially come to pass under DJT. My latest (brief) post at East Wind eZine takes that on.

I think joy is an act of revolutionary resistance. Of course we have to deal with distress rationally and compassionately, but the capacity for joy is in the root of our humanity - that makes it literally "radical" :) I also referred to a Chinese proverb in my recent talk on joy at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting: "the wise person isn't happy untill everyone in the world is happy." It means we are all deeply connected. There's always a touch of sadness, and even rage over the suffering of others. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Proximity to suffering brings us into our embodiment as humans, and it is dehumanizing to turn a cold shoulder. I know many people are far more active on the front lines of suffering than I am, but I hope that I'm adding to the efforts through my writing, career, and staying a good neighbor with good ears. So many people I could shout out, but I love Laurie Marshall's work in creating murals in community to support deep values and principles. Here's a sample of her work on migration. I now proudly display this poster in the hallways of my office.

Let's rescue joy from the buzzkills and party poopers in our culture, who seem to sadistically derive joy from aggression.

Here is a round up of posts - Psychology Today published 2 posts on immigration, and three on films since my last update.

Immigration at Psychology Today

Birthright Citizenship: The Psychology of Exclusion and Fear (June 28, 2025)

The Supreme Court's recent ruling and ICE actions have amplified conflict over the citizenship and safety of migrants.

US Immigration Conflicts: Considering Law and Psychology (June 21, 2025)

Professor Bill Ong Hing, a towering figure in the field of immigration law, shares his views on the legal and psychological challenges facing migrants. (This was also cross posted at East Wind eZine).

Film at Psychology Today

Celine Song’s "Materialists" Delivers a Wallop, but at a Cost (June 19, 2025)

Celine Song's latest film "Materialists" doesn't disappoint—or, rather, it showcases a disappointing state of affairs, and urges us to do better.

Asian American Men and Their Fathers: Healing Old Wounds (May 10, 2025)

Two recent films—Tad Nakamura's "Third Act" and Tony Nguyen's "Year of the Cat"—provide important narratives for the Asian American experience and the relationships between sons and fathers.

Intergenerational Palestinian Trauma in “All That’s Left of You” (April 23, 2025)

Cherien Dabis' film "All That's Left of You" portrays the intergenerational trauma of a Palestinian family, and asks important questions about how such pain might be held.

East Wind eZine

MOSF 20.7: Americans May Disagree on Policy – But Trump is Pathology and Pro Wrestling Gone Way Bad (June 27, 2025)

Evidence has steadily accumulated about Mr. Trump’s dangerousness, and his threat to democracy and even the survival of humanity. We cannot understand what’s happening without looking at his antagonistic and delusional psychology.

MOSF 20.6: Migrant Rights are Human Rights! An Emergency and Escalation (June 9, 2025)

President Trump, a convicted felon, has ordered up 7000 National Guard and 700 Marines to cruelly punish those exercising their free speech and standing up for the rights of migrants in LA. If we don’t declare this an outrage, we are in danger of further escalation, martial law, cancellation of elections, and martial law.

Substack

I'm pretty active on Substack - if you'd like to be alerted about podcasts, articles, and more on a more regular basis, please sign up for my newsletter. Paid and founding subscribers support my writing and research time, but you can also get updates for free. I like the community on Substack as well. Lots of good cross pollination.

I also did a few podcasts, and all of them are linked on Substack.

Why does America love assholes? With Dr Ravi Chandra (Andra Watkins, June 11, 2025)

Don't go chasing waterfalls... (fi fyza kahani, May 11, 2025)

Human nature, social influence, and building community on "Bounce Back Generation" podcast (with Jennifer Dhillon, May 3, 2025)

Thanks all!

Warmly,

Ravi

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Trump and Musk’s First 70 Days: Attempting Technofascist Knockout of Democracy, Empathy, Reality, and Sanity.

2025-03-30T11:39:18Z

Can you sing "Narcissistic Sociopath!" to the tune of Alexander Hamilton?

Dear all,

Hope you're enjoying yourself and taking good care.

Just published this.

A long read, about 4K words, but it felt like a necessary articulation, for me at least. I'm hoping I can help folks connect the dots between psyche and society. We have to transcend the abuse embodied by DJT, or else this whole thing could go down.

MOSF 20.5: Trump and Musk’s First 70 Days: Attempting Technofascist Knockout of Democracy, Empathy, Reality, and Sanity. (And Guess What? Hamilton Saw This Coming.) – East Wind ezine

“Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” are threatened because this man values himself over the good of the nation, because his party marches in lockstep behind his incompetence, malice, and rapacious exercise of abusive power, and because the body politic and systems that could restrain his abuse have been uninformed about and dismissive of his dangerousness – and have even lined up in support of it.

“Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” Are in Grave Danger

Our Danger Flows from the Dangerousness of Donald Trump

Hamilton Saw This Coming

The Malignant Normality of the Abusive Family

A Call to Courageous Compassion in Mental Health and Society

Civil Society Has Been Disrupted by a Megalomaniac

We Must Be Clear-Eyed About Mr. Trump’s Character and Where It Can Take Us

What is our Collective Destiny?

I haven't published anything at Psychology Today this month, but posted seven times on my Substack in March, including these two. Please subscribe if you'd like more frequent updates.

Trump's word ban is attempted mind and social control

Colds are expensive...democracy even more so!

Warmly,

Ravi

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Critical: Please help fund a postcard party!

2025-02-23T15:48:04Z

Hi all,

I hope you might help fund a postcard party for Wisconsin's Supreme Court seat. Since yesterday, I've raised almost $500 from subscribers to my Substack and past party participants. I'm hoping to raise about $1000 to fund 2000 postcards and postage from Blue Wave Postcards. This Supreme Court seat will help determine House redistricting in Wisconsin, and possibly swing 2-3 House seats by the midterms. If you could chip in $10-$50, I would greatly appreciate it. Here’s my Venmo and PayPal. You can also mail me a check or bring a cash or check to the upcoming March postcard party, details TBA.

And as I just wrote in my latest Substack:

"Well, if I wanted one post to go viral, reach a billion people, and populate the stars - this would be a good candidate! Why not? I mean it’s WAAAAY better than E-loon.

Come with me to the stars, folks! Please read and share :)

“Debate and emotional expression have different meanings around the world. They can foster interdependence or individualism, closeness or conflict.”

Culture Clash: The Meaning of Debate and Emotional Expression | Psychology Today (February 23, 2025)

"In a 2024 review paper (“Cultural Psychology: Beyond East and West”), Kitayama and Salvador summarize decades of findings in comparative psychology across cultures. Interestingly, the meaning of debate and emotional expression varies around the world."

And you can wear your support of the Church of DEI (Latin for God) by buying a fun t-shirt! Available only for a limited time.” T-shirts will only be printed if two more shirts are ordered :)

This was first promoted in my latest post at East Wind:

MOSF 20.4: A Modest Proposal: The Universal Church of DEI (Latin for God; and with CHOLE, because I’m South Asian!) (February 17, 2025)

"I was recently reminded that DEI doesn’t just stand for “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,” but is also the Latin word for God. I have decided to form the Universal Church of DEI, or rather join the Church that already exists, in our divine human quest to transcend HEI – Hatred, Exploitation, and Ignorance. The divine can only come to us as call to conscience, consciousness, and uplift. The divine has always come to us as a call to love."

And I forgot to notify you of my first East Wind post of the year in my last newsletter:

MOSF 20.1: MAGA Salt on the Wounds of the LA Fires (The Third Arrow of Suffering) (January 13, 2025)

"MAGAts waste no time in exploiting disaster for their political aims, in an attempt to further re-educate the population emotionally on how to respond to suffering. Don’t give these low-life narratives any oxygen."

Thanks much for reading and sharing!

Warmly,

Ravi

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Transcending the Pathocracy. "What's needed is a revolution of consciousness."

2025-02-09T13:49:24Z

Image by Rodrigo/Adobe, from my article on DEI.

Hi all,

I'd hoped to put out one more Psychology Today post before I sent this email, but I wanted to alert you to a very important documentary which you can see for free online through February 17. I'd actually encourage you to make a small donation to watch the film - it is tremendous - but if you really can't afford it, click the "share with friends" button, and enter your email and a price (from $0-12) and submit. You should be able to watch it for free.

The documentary is THE BIBI FILES, and it is a masterclass in the rise of abusive power, and likely a model for what we are seeing in the US, with the added antigen of autocratic state capture by Elon Musk. I think Elon could well be vandalizing government information for his own financial benefit, under the guise of rooting out "corruption, fraud, and abuse." I'm glad that the actions of Trump and Musk have been at least temporarily halted by the courts, but there is sincere question about whether they will comply with the law, and then whether the judiciary will hold.

Watch THE BIBI FILES online til February 17, 2025

Bibi's brother Yoni was the commander of the famed raid on Entebbe, and the only Israeli killed. Both Bibi and Yoni were macho "admirers of strength and power" and Yoni's death propelled Bibi into politics, and a fight against "international terror." This made him a hero to many, including far-right forces who believed that "Palestinians don't even exist," for example, and that Israel must ultimately control Gaza, the West Bank, and territories of other bordering countries. Bibi's rise leads him to grandiosity, manipulation, endless lying and seemingly infinite capacity for self-justification and other-devaluation, and feeling he was exceptional, above the law, and entitled to do as he pleased - because he was the state. He was under investigation for bribery, and then tried to crush the judiciary and the Supreme Court, leading to massive protests in Israel. He propped up Hamas to the tune of $1 billion or more, in order to divide the West Bank's Fata from Gaza. And we all know what happened on Oct 7, 2024 - a great tragedy but justification for a "forever war" and expansion of Israeli control. Now we are in a semblance of cease-fire, though I've been unable to keep up with all the details. My understanding is that the IDF is continuing their fight in the West Bank, and incidents implicating both sides have occurred.

A telling line in the movie is when Bibi says "I believe the Palestinians are human beings - but they won't keep smashing their heads against a wall. But if they see a crack, they will keep fighting." Hence the idea that "Israel" - and therefore he - must "be a wall."

But people are not walls, and even the social construct of a nation is not a wall. Imagine the wall that must be built inside each of us to dispel "inconvenient truths" of conscience and relatedness. This "boundary" involves complete denial, and is a split in the soul itself. As I've written - abusive power resists insight and thus forces enactment. I hope we can choose the type of enactment we have in our own country. I fear that the far right and wealthy interests so resist relationship – with our diverse demography and the reality that supercapitalism is unsustainable that they are practically egging for a violent resistance, which they would put down violently.

For nonviolent enactment to win will require us all to stand up in some way to abuse - to say "no, this is not ok." "Not on our watch." We are all so dependent on legal and social norms. Our existence depends on laws and mentalities. Musk and Trump should not be allowed to uproot the bedrock of our American life.

What's needed is a revolution of consciousness.

Here are my other posts from the last month.

East Wind eZine

MOSF 20.2: President Trump and the United States of Confusion, Perched on Catastrophe (February 2, 2025) Mr. Trump’s shocked most observers with his recent presser after the horrific DC mid air collision. It amplified normal existing confusion about relationships into catastrophe as he tries to roll us America back into Jim Crow mentality.

MOSF 20.3: Asian American Medical Students, Microaggressions, and DEI Initiatives (February 5, 2025) More than two-thirds of Asian American medical students surveyed experienced microaggressions. DEI was designed to build teams and foster a more supportive and nurturing environment for diversity. DEI was supported by psychological research and cultural experience – though programs do need constant evaluation and improvement. We are under attack. This is the original article that was censored by Psychology Today. (The redacted PT article is linked in this article, see below.)

(I also am soon to read The New Yorker's article on DEI.)

Psychology Today

Asian American Med Students Experience Microaggressions (February 5, 2025)
More than two-thirds of med students surveyed experienced a variety of microaggressions. (Here is the censored version of the article I published at East Wind.)

Substack

And a reminder - you can follow me on Substack for more granular and timely receipt of my writing and thoughts that won't fit in these published essays. Here is a sample:

Welcome Back to the Pathocracy (January 30, 2025) DC air tragedy reveal Trump's knee-jerk reflexes and talking points for the next 4 years.

Warmly,

Ravi

Yoni and Bibi Netanyahu - from THE BIBI FILES

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Take the red pill, and drop out of the delusions

2025-01-12T08:50:41Z

Hello all -

Southern California is in crisis, with the LA fires raging and the Santa Ana winds blowing. I had written this post before the fires started on January 7, but modified it after the catastrophe began. As I wrote on Substack,

Sending active compassion to anyone affected by the LA fires. This is a catastrophe beyond words or analogy, but Dresden firebombing, Hiroshima, and 9-11 come to mind. I can only imagine what it’s like to be there, to have lost loved ones, or lost your life’s possessions and home. LA is a major center of narrative creation, diversity, wealth, poverty, and a real driver of many American dreams. I am hoping that the narrative that spins out of this will be one of clarity and uplift - because that’s what the best storytellers do. The ‘blamer-in-chief’ will meet reality on January 20, and he can’t bluster and bs his way out of this - though he will try. The Mumpopathocracy is a giant delusion, or a symptom of the giant delusion that so many have fed with their brains and identities. It’s time to take the red pill, and drop out of their matrix.

That’s the main reason I wrote this - a review of Robert Wright’s bestselling book, but I think it also stands alone.

Take the Red Pill: Why Buddhism Is True, and Needed | Psychology Today (January 11, 2024)

Here are the other posts since my last newsletter on December 8, 2024.

East Wind eZine

MOSF 19.21: The Golden Rule in the Time of Trump: Obsolete Relic or Absolute Imperative? (December 15, 2024) (a more political version of the similar article at Psychology Today, below)

The Golden Rule is timeless wisdom. Confucius himself articulated it 2500 years ago. But it’s under threat. We are in a psychological, spiritual, and social crisis, and we have no choice but to accept the challenge, and cultivate and stay true to our values, to bend the arc of history towards justice, belonging, and equity. “The Golden Rule is humanity’s greatest generational wealth, and to my mind as important a basic need as food, water, and shelter, and embedded in our own Declaration of Independence as a resistance to the distinctly un-golden, exploitative rule of British Monarchy. We should guard and cultivate it like the treasure it is, and amplify its reach to all corners of society.”

MOSF 19.22: Did the Ivy League Break America? Can the Joy League Save it? (December 31, 2024) - a slightly more political version of my post at Psychology Today, below

David Brooks recent essay “How the Ivy League Broke America” offers food for thought on elitism and Ivy admissions’ narrow concerns. He also provides a good reminder of social and emotional values we need to emphasize. However, he misses the mark on what really broke us: white supremacy and Christofascism; our broken informational, emotional, and relational ecosystems; and the broken ways we deal with dissatisfaction and disconnection.

Psychology Today

Take the Red Pill: Why Buddhism Is True, and Needed (January 11, 2025)

Personal Perspective: In the face of wildfires and global chaos, Buddhist practices can help us shed unhelpful narratives. It's time to take the red pill and drop into our bodies.

Duty Vs. Self-Enhancement in the American Psyche (January 8, 2025)

President Carter's long life and passing gives us an opportunity to reflect on personality and the qualities of duty, service, and self-enhancement in the American psyche.

Did the Ivy League Break America? Can the Joy League Save It? (January 3, 2025)

Personal Perspective: A recent essay in "The Atlantic" offers food for thought on elitism and the narrow concerns of Ivy League admissions. But there's more to the story.

An American Buddhist Psychiatrist on Our Human Struggle (December 25, 2024)

Personal Perspective: Hera are reflections on ideals and suffering from an Asian American Buddhist psychiatrist. Happy Chrismukkwanzaa

The Golden Rule: Obsolete Relic or Absolute Imperative? (December 19, 2024)

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is timeless wisdom. And yet the Golden Rule is threatened by our political divide and by broad dissatisfaction. How do we deal?

Thanks for reading, and I hope we can all stay connected, compassionate, and cultivating in the face of all this!

Warmly,

Ravi

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Calling for a season of contemplation, empathy, learning and growth

2024-12-08T14:05:27Z

(Image for my latest post on Psychology Today, 3 Building Blocks of Mental Health and Their Great Destroyer)

Hi all,

My last newsletter blast was October 12th, and I guess in some sense my post on Beethoven's Ode to Joy was prescient, as the Ode is all about human struggle and the hopes fulfilled when we let go of petty self- and faction-centeredness to bask in the reality of brother-, sister- and personhood.

Minoritized identities and the expansive collective that is warm to our diversity took a beating on November 5 - but barely. At this point, Trump has only a 1.5% point lead in the popular vote, though he had a sweep of swing states as his team seemingly campaigned on fear, division, and conspiracy as opposed to reality. I suppose they got the benefit of economic dissatisfactions, but their plans seem ridiculous. As we await their aggressions, and foresee their collapse, I hope we learn more about what makes us tick, and what might help us create a more economically, politically, and relationally inclusive framework, locally and nationally.

I was given another taste of journalism's "obedience in advance" as Psychology Today declined this post, which I placed at East Wind eZine instead. I explain what happened in my preamble.

MOSF 19.20: Post-2024 Election: Preventing Psychopathy and Cruelty From Going Viral (Hate speech breaks brains, and can break society) (November 13, 2024)

A friend recently reminded me of Dunbar's number, the number of relationships we are supposedly capable of juggling. I've written about this before - it's supposedly 150. Unfortunately, for the once and future C-in-C, it's ONE. He seems barely capable of juggling a relationship with himself, much less anyone who disagrees with him. Everything boils down to his own self-interest, as I've written, and MANY others have noted. But that's why so many identify with him, I think. His "take no prisoners" and "tell 'em to eff off" fits the relational capacity of the lowest common denominator of the collective psyche - which is an idiot.

In short, the American collective that he represents seems to have no interest in the process of self-reflection, insight, accountability, apology, and repair that are required for enduring power. The components of enduring power:

A Focus on others
Empathy
Sharing/Giving
Expressing Gratitude
Telling stories that unite
Self-reflection, insight, accountability, apology and repair - because we all can harm when we hold power.

My acronym for this: FESGUA. (Focus on others, empathy, sharing, gratitude, uniting stories, accountability).

Today, I'm celebrating the fall of al-Assad and the dictatorship begun by his father. It brings tears to my eyes to remember the white helmets, the chlorine bombs, and the doctors and health care professionals struggling to save lives in caves and tunnels while Assad bombed them. Here's a good thread on how that all happened, on Bluesky. (I'm on Bluesky now too.) Assad was an ophthalmologist, can you believe?

I'm also on Substack. If you subscribe, you can get more frequent updates on my writing, and could even consider becoming a paid or founding member to allow me more time to write from my angle as a socially-conscious psychiatrist interested in mass psychology.

On contemplation and empathy, here's a post from 2 years ago:

Action vs. Contemplation? Finding Answers in Empathy | Psychology Today (October 13, 2022)

Here are my posts since the last "monthly" newsletter. From my neurons to your neighborhoods, and from your neighborhoods to my neurons :)

At East Wind:

MOSF 19.18: Trump v. Harris: Catastrophizing the Electorate v. Reason, Growth, and Change (closing argument of a psychiatrist for Kamala Harris and the American People) (October 17, 2024)

Dr. Ravi Chandra gives a succinct summary of the mass psychology behind Trump’s rise to power, and a closing argument for the candidacy of Kamala Harris. Including a link to the 16-minute talk on YouTube.

MOSF 19.19: Taking Stock – Engaging Our Ongoing Psycho-Spiritual-Historical-Electoral Struggle with Joy and Clarity (October 29, 2024)

Rebecca Solnit wrote of “paradise built in hell” – how community forms in dystopic, tragic circumstances. Isn’t that what’s happening now? An uplifting message for the last week of the campaign.

Statement on Cognitive Concerns in the 2024 Presidential Election by Mental Health Experts (November 3, 2024)

50 mental health experts have signed this Statement on Cognitive Concerns (about former President Trump) in the Presidential Election.

MOSF 19.20: Post-2024 Election: Preventing Psychopathy and Cruelty From Going Viral (Hate speech breaks brains, and can break society) (November 13, 2024)

Following President Trump’s election win, there has been an uptick in hate speech and violent rhetoric. Hate speech breaks brains and breaks societies. How can we stop it from going viral?

At Psychology Today

7 Neurological and Social Effects of Put-Down Humor and Hate (October 31, 2024)

Recent remarks about Puerto Rico at a political rally have stirred a prominent backlash. What are the neurological and social effects of punch-down humor and hate?

3 Building Blocks of Mental Health and Their Great Destroyer (December 3, 2024)

Personal Perspective: What building blocks of mental health and social well-being can we cultivate to help us In this turbulent time of political, social, economic, and cultural changes?

Thanks for doing all you do to keep life sane and loving!

Warmly,

Ravi

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An Ode to Joy - in the final election stretch

2024-10-12T10:05:41Z

Hi all,

If you've stuck with me, you know how I feel. November 5 is all about love versus hate, greed, and the delusion of selfish existence. I don't think any of us live our lives on the latter end, but we do have to get better at cultivating the former - a synonym for enlightenment. Beethoven was fully in support of Enlightenment values, and his symphony came out of this support.

I wrote this just after July 4th, after I had a wonderful and warm dream about the Ninth. And pretty soon thereafter, Kamala Harris announced her campaign tapping joy. There's a deep vibe in our lives, and I hope we can tune in.

MOSF 19.17: Beethoven’s Ninth and the Ode to Joy – Symphony, Psyche, and the Brotherhood of Man

We’ve recently passed the bicentennial of the May 7, 1824 premiere of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which includes the magnificent Ode to Joy. What does the Symphony continue to tell us about psyche? About struggle and triumph? About finding and choosing joy in adversity?

Also, my essay on the Goldwater Rule was just published in Dr. Bandy Lee's The More Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 40 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Warn Anew. All proceeds to support the World Mental Health Coalition (I'm not earning a dime on this, as with most of my writing). I hope you might consider purchasing a copy - this one is for the history books.

If you prefer getting my writing as it comes out, please follow me on Substack.

From East Wind, since my last email on September 2, 2024:

MOSF 19.11: The People and Harris v. An Increasingly Unhinged Trump (the Rising Culture of Democracy and the Beloved Community v. the Culture of King and Cult) (September 14, 2024)

Trump is increasingly unhinged and weird, and America must overcome its pre-existing condition: a warp towards racist whiteness. A psychological analysis of the Beloved-Community-in-Progress, in 7400 words and 9 parts, which could each stand alone.

MOSF 19.12: Springfield, Ohio, Anti-Haitian Racism, & Genocidal Language (September 18, 2024)

Trump and Vance are at risk of creating a permission structure for extreme cruelty.

MOSF 19.13: A Psychological Analysis of the Trump/Vance strategy to GOTNV: “Get Out The Nazi Vote” – with Fear-mongering Xenophobia, Racism, and Disinformation (September 24, 2024)

Candidates Trump and Vance have promoted unfounded claims about Haitians “eating pets” in Springfield, Ohio. Their language recalls words used prior to 20th century genocides. A psychological analysis of their strategy to “Get Out The Nazi Vote.”

MOSF 19.14: The More Dangerous Case of Donald Trump – Cardinal Features That Create Grave Risk, and Their Antidotes (Hint: He makes it all about himself, not us) (September 30, 2024)

Dr. Bandy Lee, forensic psychiatrist, organized “The More Dangerous State of the World and More Dangerous Case of Donald Trump” conference in Washington, D.C. on September 27, 2024. Here are links to all the conference videos and my key takeaways and insights.

MOSF 19.15: TrumpVance and their Proposed Advance of the Plantation of Lies and Weirdness (October 2, 2024)

To paraphrase Walt Whitman, “If you stop this day and night with me, shall we possess the origin of all lies?” The foundational lie of America is White Supremacy. It is asserting itself with violent psychological force now. A thoughtful meander, ending with a new creation myth, the origin of stories themselves, and an urgent call for us to forge a new, inclusive story for a better future for all.

MOSF 19.16: The GOP is Effectively a Domestic Terror Organization. Vote Blue for American Democracy! (October 10, 2024)

We’re in the final push. The fact that this election is as close as it is reveals some unpleasant truths about America and mass psychology. We’ve got the message. Now it’s up to us to say no to Trump and the GOP’s program of domestic terror and psychological warfare.

Psychology Today

Voting's Relationship to Mental Health (September 28, 2024)

Voting is a powerful pathway to register our connection with others, in our dissatisfactions, pragmatic goals, and vision for a better future. It can help reduce collective bias.

Leadership and Relationships Have This Single-Point Failure (October 8, 2024)

There is one major red flag in leadership and human relationships, and we have not yet overcome it. In fact, it's become normalized as a quality of "genius" level disruption.

The Middle East: Unfathomable Traumas, Cavernous Fears (October 9, 2024)

Personal Perspective: Beneath the facts of the current conflict run unresolved emotions. Naming them helps us heal, grow, and work towards bringing peace and resolution.

Whew. I can't believe we are eating the whole thing. Here's to the building blocks of mental health: Reason, Compassion, and Relatedness.

Warmly,

Ravi

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We are drops in an ocean, and you can't beat back the waves

2024-09-02T12:52:07Z

(Maybe there's Buddha, Buddha-lite, the UnBuddha, and Dr. Pepper.
I'm a Pepper, you're a Pepper .... or wouldn't you like to have an RC Cola too! lol.
I can't believe it's not Buddha!)

Hi all,

This is my first newsletter since the tumultuous weekend of July 17-20. On July 21, President Biden announced he was stepping down from his campaign, and passed the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris, who has been running with it. That same day, I held my first Postcard Party for Democracy, Mental Health, and Social Well-Being. I've now held 7 parties with a total of about 50 volunteers. We have sent out 6700 postcards from the Blue Wave Postcard Movement, and addressed 300 more for the Environmental Voter Project through Elders Climate Action. There's a partial list of more ways to be involved on my Substack post here, "What is Psychological Voter Suppression?"

7000 postcards, part of a 12.5 million postcard movement since 2020 (12 million thru Blue Wave, at least 500K more through EVP).

One of the two teenage volunteers yesterday noticed our collective stack of cards, and said, “see - the stamp adds just a little bit of thickness, but when you stack it all up, you can really notice the difference.”

May it be so.

Kids know what’s up. Individually we are just drops, but together, we are an ocean. And I don’t think you can stop the wave from rolling in. But everything depends on mass effort and mass psychology. We’ve all encountered the status quo in various forms, and we all embody the status quo in some way. I’d like to believe that electing democrats and promoting democracy can allow us to keep that part of the threatened status quo intact, so we can work on the deeper changes needed. And I really fear for the worst should Trump/Vance and the GOP prevail.

I will have one more postcard party, date TBD upon room availability. I will only need 10 people to finish off the remaining postcards in about an hour or so. I’m thinking that will be the weekend of September 21. Let me know if you might be able to make it. (These EVP postcards are supposed to be mailed on October 15.) Let me know if you can make it on either that Saturday or Sunday. A reminder: Blue Wave posts an 8% activation rate, and EVP posts a 1.3% improvement in voter turnout. Each targets low propensity voters, and EVP adds marketing data to reach the environmentally concerned low propensity voters.

Because of the Postcard Parties, I'm doing a fundraiser to support SF Love Dojo and my writing.

If you’d like to support my writing and compassion work through SF Love Dojo, you can do so in four ways:

1. Buy an “I’m with Collective Genius” t-shirt for $25 - this riffs on Daniel Kwan’s statement at the Oscars last year that genius arises from the collective :)

2. Donate directly to SF Love Dojo, a 501c3 nonprofit, either through the PayPal giving fund or sending a check made out to SF Love Dojo, Inc. at 1734 Fillmore Street, San Francisco, CA 94131.

3. You can also support by becoming a free or paid subscriber to my Substack, which consists of my posts at Psychology Today and East Wind eZine, sometimes with added commentary. For a sample, here’s my latest:

Donald Trump could be the UnBuddha, the personification of Dukkha and self-centeredness itself. And our antidote is the Beloved Community.

Lastly, before I get to the posts, I was on Liana Kerzner's "It's Not Therapy!" podcast on Ageism:

Ageism - Why You Should Care At Any Age - Apple Podcasts and Podbean.

Here's a roundup of all my PT and East Wind posts:

Psychology Today

The 13 "Disses" of Abusive Power, and the Wisdom to Cope August 30, 2024

Abusive power tries to negate others with these 13 "disses," such as distortion and distress. How do we cultivate the wisdom to combat the 13 disses?

Society Keeps the Score: Alienation, Cutoffs and Belonging on August 21, 2024

A controversial New York Times article highlighted the work of Patrick Teahan promoting no-contact cutoffs with family in cases of trauma. But there's more to the story.

Intergenerational Trauma and Ancestral Pattern Shifting on August 19, 2024

A Bay Area art collective utilizes communal process, reflection, and found objects to process and heal trauma.

"Didi": Insecurity, Dissociation, Cringe, and Sense of Self on August 5, 2024

Sean Wang's debut feature "Didi" provides a layered look at Asian American boyhood and interiority, complete with cringe and dissociation. It's a great companion to "Inside Out 2."

Biden Steps Down: Ageism, Anxiety, Antagonism, and Grace on July 22, 2024

A Personal Perspective: In a stunning development, Joe Biden just stepped down from his presidential campaign. What might his choice reveal about our society and collective psyche?

How Cultural, Cognitive, and Narrative Biases Affect Us on July 17, 2024

Naming media biases, and our own, can help us maintain cool heads and warm hearts as we absorb the news.

and from East Wind eZine

MOSF 19.8: “Didi”: Insecurity, Dissociation, Cringe, and Sense of Self (EAAPAAO Part 6) (August 5, 2024)

Sean Wang’s debut feature “Didi” provides a layered look at Asian American, specifically Taiwanese American, boyhood and interiority, complete with cringe and dissociation. It’s a great companion piece to this summer’s “Inside Out 2.”

MOSF 19.9: Society Keeps the Score: Family Trauma, Estrangement, Cutoffs, No-Contact, Alienation…and Post-Traumatic Growth (Part 1) (August 8, 2024)

A recent article in the New York Times explored the work of Patrick Teahan, a popular online advocate of family cutoffs and no-contact. Others worry about the effects of alienation and estrangement. Family trauma frequently affects BIPOC families, as well as all families, and society keeps the score. This essay explores nuances from social media cutoffs and blocking to our national and international dissociations.

MOSF 19.10: Society Keeps the Score (Part 2): From Psychic Cutoffs to Belonging (August 20)

A controversial New York Times article highlighted the work of Patrick Teahan promoting no-contact cutoffs with family in cases of trauma. But there’s more to the story. A precis and extension of my last post here.

Phew, that's all for now! See you again next month, or hopefully some of you might wish to keep more granular tabs on me through Substack.

Warmly,

Ravi

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