[ Evangelism and Conversion Methods ]

Some sign their email and/or comments with initials. I usually find the behavior to be rather pompous — a self-statement of greatness. But I’m re-thinking it. I’m getting quite bored of:

–Daniel

What do you guys think?

drm

I often struggle with my emotions regarding groups of people who harm themselves and others. When I was younger there wasn’t much of a struggle; I was always empathic - constantly trying to figure out a way to help.

Now I often feel like giving up due to hopelessness. I think what this requires is some sort of disconnection emotion, usually anger or of elitism. What I wonder is whether or not this is a natural progression for those who started off so open. What if it’s a self-defense mechanism for those who are exhausted from sadness?

Surely this could simply be a construct to make one feel better about becoming callused, but I think it’s worth exploring as I feel it’s quite possibly a factor in my development. It’s like you can only try and help and lift and empathize so much before you just get exhausted. At that point you start to say, “They can’t be helped…because they’re too far gone.”

Can you see that? The elitism or contempt as an insulating barrier between one’s caring for a “hopeless” cause?

A new BBC piece is highlighting an alternate approach to depression. Rather than assume that it’s something that should immediately be countered with drugs, how about addressing the things that are making you depressed?

A leading psychiatrist says that depression is not a human defect at all, but a defence mechanism that in its mild and moderate forms can force a healthy reassessment of personal circumstances. — BBC Article

I first heard about this revolutionary idea from one of my favorite female bloggers. I can’t remember her name right now, actually, but she’s known for being abrasive with her honesty. Anyway, her approach was simple: maybe you’re depressed not because you “have depression”, but rather because your life is depressing. Try improving it.

And that seems to be what this latest commentary from Dr. Keedwell arrives at as well.

“Don’t beat yourself up about being depressed, in most cases it will run its course provided you take yourself out of the situation that caused it.

Take yourself out of the situation that causes you pain? Brilliant!

I’m definitely not an expert on this, and I have no doubt that there are some cases that are seriously chemical and that require medication. I just think that along with many other problems that have industries associated with their remedies, this one is like 95% crap.

I get depressed too, but I can always find a reason for it. It’s always me not taking enough control of my own life — not doing the things that I think I should be doing. This leads to feeling like a victim and the spiral begins. Fixing that, i.e. becoming more active and more productive always fixes it in a very short amount of time.

And that seems to be what the good doctor is saying. Depression is kind of like the pain response when you touch a hot pan. It’s a signal that you need to change something. In short, I think that just as poor diet and exercise cause obesity, poor lifestyles and life perspectives cause depression.:

BestLife magazine just did a great article on divorce and men. It’s about how devastating divorce is to men relative to women — especially later in life where it often comes as a complete surprise to the man.

The article is called Sudden Divorce Syndrome and I highly suggest you check it out if you are 1) married, or 2) know someone who’s married (that should cover everyone).

This is a particularly sensitive topic for me as I’ve personally seen many of my male friends crushed by divorce. Here’s a quote:

“Think of it,” says Stephen Baskerville, president of the American Coalition for Fathers and Children, in Washington, D.C. “A father could be sitting in his own home, not agreeing to a divorce, not unfaithful to his marriage vows, and not abusive, and the next thing he knows, the court has taken his house, his children, and a lot of his money, and then forced him to pay his wife’s legal fees and even her psychologist’s fees. And he can be threatened with jail time if he resists.”

And people ask me why I’ve waited all this time to get married…

[ Sudden Divorce Syndrome ]

A couple of my friends are trying to teach me to appreciate beer. I’m trying to teach a couple of my friends to appreciate Slayer. It’s the same.

I can’t find “flavor” within the overwhelming bitterness. They can’t hear “music” through screaming and guitars. It’s the same. We can’t find the signal within the noise.

The answer, in both cases, seems to be to subject yourself to enough of the noise that you’re able to tune it out and find what lies beneath.:

[ Strong Believers and Strong Atheists Are Less Depressed ]

The expectation lens is a phenomenon that modifies how one perceives a movie. Like myopia and presbyopia it can go two ways:

1. You expect a movie to be horrible, so it ends up appearing better than it actually was.
2. You expect a movie to be excellent, so it ends up appearing worse than it actually was.

Two extremes of this phenomenon are old classics you happen to catch on TV, and big-name movies you see in the theater.

Random TV movies make use of the LEL (Low Expectation Lens) and yield more satisfaction, while big-screen blockbusters employ the HEL (High Expectation Lens) and tend to disappoint.:

Interesting. If you see this woman turning counter-clockwise you’re more left-brained, and if you see her turning to the right you’re more right-brained.

Click the link to see what these supposedly say about you.