Attention Anticipation Disorder (AAD)

Technology is an enabler of many things. It has brought us closer together (figuratively speaking) from the standpoint of globalization. Its pervasive evolutionary effects touch every aspect of our lives and our dependency on it has changed the way in which we view ourselves and the world. The reality of this new dependency is creating a 21st century technology addiction.

Everyone wants to be wanted, wants to be needed, and wants to feel included somewhere. It’s human nature and even those who say they don’t probably do. Technology has given us the tools to stay in touch, maintain persistent contact, and exist together without necessarily having to be in the same place. The itch of wanting or needing attention from others gets scratched so often now that for some, it becomes an insatiable desire that is never fully satisfied. Like any addiction, the psychological need for stimulation starts to control every aspect of life.

Look around you. How often do you see people engrossed in constant perusal and manipulation of their technology? Access to attention, real or perceived, has captured our awareness and holds it hostage in the hopes that the insatiable itch gets scratched. We all love our gadgets because they give us access to what we think we need and want. Be it desktop or portable, these tools exacerbate the need for persistent attention. Technology is wonderful and does so much for all of us. But, as is consistent in life, too much reliance on any one thing or person can cripple an individual and deny them peace of mind.

Young people are especially vulnerable. Their desire for attention and inclusion is no different now that it ever has been. What is different is the tools now exist to facilitate the almost unquenchable need for constant validation via communication. I call it Attention Anticipation Disorder (AAD). The anticipation of receiving attention from someone becomes a mental need for that contact, regardless of whether it’s substantive of frivolous. Unfortunately this need preempts all other matters of importance in life. School, family, work, community, etc. all take a back seat to the potential that we are about to be on the receiving end of some attention. The world will have to wait……I’ve got mail! The satisfaction of the ubiquitous attention supersedes the substance of the communication. That is how priorities get screwed up and the disorder starts to claim its victims.

Real danger comes when there is a lull in attention; a reduction in frequency or an outright absence of communication. Then the need forces the individual to stimulate attention by saying or doing something that is sure to warrant a response. These periods of virtual darkness can leave a person feeling lonely and unsatisfied. Attention makes us feel good. Anticipating attention feels good only so long as the attention actually comes. When it doesn’t, then anticipation alone can be excruciating. “Chasing the high” is often associated with drug addiction. I see a major correlation as it relates to AAD.

I am not a doctor or a scientist and I have zero intention of doing any research. I just pay attention to the world around me and offer my opinion when the mood strikes me. In my own family I have seen AAD invade our home and take over to the point where rational thought and reasonable activity are supplanted by addict-like behavior. Take the time to observe the role of technology in your life and the lives of your children. Look for the warning signs of obsession. Self-impose limits personally and for your family. Enjoy all its benefits but don’t hesitate to pull the plug when it starts to get in the way of all that is important to you. Who knows? Maybe one day we will all start looking at each other and talking again.

Don't Ask Don't Tell Solution

President Obama’s recent decree that he will put an end to “Don’t ask don’t tell” is by all accounts a transformational declaration of most promising proportions. During this period of war we need every heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, transgender (pre-op), transgender (post-op), male and female who are able bodied and willing to answer the Nation’s call. I care not about who these folks are attracted to or what they do within the confines of their own bedrooms. Military service should be available to all who have a desire to defend the United States of America.

There are just a few things that we need to iron out in order to facilitate the reversal of this policy that has caused such uproar for so long. Maybe if we work fast enough on the details we can open the floodgates for our new volunteers to be part of the upcoming surge in Afghanistan. I’m sure many are waiting in the wings, chomping at the proverbial bit, anxious to grab their rifles and start annihilating the enemy. I want them to have their opportunity.

Now back to those few things that need to be done. It all boils down to some fairly practical matters; billeting and bathing. Since the full integration of all parties interested in service will bring together a spectrum of attractions, intentions, and environmental conditions regarding close-quarter living, we just need to iron out those details of who will be sharing intimate space with whom. After all, we must protect the personal privacy inherent in the individual at the same time celebrate the diversity of our ranks.

How shall we do this? Who will billet and bathe in the same facilities?

Heterosexual males and homosexual females? Nope
Heterosexual males and homosexual males? Nope
Heterosexual males and bisexual males? Nope
Heterosexual males and bisexual females? Nope
Heterosexual transgender (pre-op) males and homosexual transgender (post-op) females? Nope

Okay, this doesn’t seem to work as easy as I thought it would. I’m sure there is a combination out there that will make this easy but I can’t seem to nail it down. Since everyone (including white male heterosexuals over 40!) has a right to the protection of their gender and sexual orientation from the unwanted advances and potentially uncomfortable realities of others who might be attracted to them, the open inclusion of all representative groups is going to mandate huge infrastructure upgrades to accommodate the various dispositions. So we will need billeting segregated by gender and orientation, as well as bathroom facilities. I guess we could just use the same bathrooms but set up specific times of day for the let’s say homosexual female transgender (post-op) folks. We could just work up a simple schedule. That way no one is in danger of being in those intimate private circumstances with someone representing another demographic thereby causing discomfort and affecting the mission. Or we could just build a host of one-person rooms, each with its own bathroom and assign one to every service member throughout the globe. But, then there’s the cost.

Oh wait! Here is another option.

I am all for every swinging Richard (oops! Will need to find an alternate saying!!)…..every worthy individual desiring to serve this Nation having the unfettered opportunity to do so. With a plethora of limp-wristed Americans who feel that the country’s problems are not their problems, it is refreshing that there are still others willing to answer the call. So let them.

The easy way to make this happen is to remove all restrictions (except those currently used to determine suitability for service) on who can join and who can do what. Declare that acceptance into the military makes you a military serviceperson, independent of your gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, creed, or background. Establish one standard for service. If the individual meets the entry requirements then he/she can participate in the full spectrum of service options without regard to any individual discriminators. That means one height/weight standard, one physical fitness standard, no preclusion for direct combat service, all jobs available to all who qualify for the prerequisites. This also mandates that military persons live, bathe, eat, sleep, and work in unisex facilities to be provided. There can be no special treatment, preference, segregation, unique accommodation, protected class of individual, or other policy that provides anything for an individual above or below the standard for the whole. This is truly an all for one and one for all approach and the true essence of team.

Gone will be the days of different standards and double standards for males and females that have degraded military effectiveness for years. It will be refreshing to do away with “conditional equality” and see everyone as equal contributors held to the same standard. We can welcome our new personnel and not be shackled by the mindsets and considerations of the past that diverted attention and resources from our most pressing concerns. We might actually improve our collective capabilities and turn a corner towards a military focused on mission in lieu of social experimentation.

History might prove that President Obama actually earned that Nobel Peace Prize after all. Once we create our new “one-standard” military and leverage all this talent waiting to serve, we can get busy destroying the enemy which will hopefully result in some degree of lasting peace and validate his preemptive award.

I guess this might really be as easy in practice as it was for the President to declare it. I’m excited about the future!!