Now that the weather has changed the mornings sound different. I hear the birds chirping in the trees. It is just another nuance in life that may go unnoticed. It seems the older I get the more details I do see and hear. Is that a result of slowing down, stopping to smell the roses as they say, or is it just an increased awareness due to time constraints? I am, for various reasons, more aware of that reality as well. Well, I expect that is just a part of aging.
I woke up in a bit of a depressive mood. I am aware of that and it doesn't cause me a great deal of consternation. It happens. You can't allow yourself to get immersed in that too deeply. You shouldn't allow yourself to get overly immersed in any of your emotions, truth be told. All things in moderation is the rule. When we allow that to happen, and begin to alter that mood by artificial means, that is when real trouble begins. That choice is the beginning of dependence and addiction. I've found a good days work, some physical exertion, does wonders for the psyche. Yes, it takes effort on your part, no one can do it for you. We have far too many that are turning to that outside " help. " It does make a lot of money, for a lot of people, that can't be denied, both legal and illegal! I can tell you this much, no one is getting rich off of me. I made my contributions in years past.
I have never been one to go to the doctors. I'm more from the old school in that regard. If no bones are sticking out and you're not bleeding too bad, you're probably alright. Rub some dirt on it, get up and move on. In recent years I have had to go more often. That's that aging thing again, it's relentless. I have noticed that almost every time I go for a visit I am given this questionnaire. Several of the questions want to know if I feel like hurting myself. One asks if I feel like committing suicide. I wonder if those questions are something that is current, or did they always ask that stuff? Like I said I seldom went to a doctor and so really don't know. I wonder too, if these questions relate to the increased use of mood altering drugs. I hear they are giving kids this stuff all the time to make them behave. I can only assume many adults are gobbling them down as well. Better living through chemistry. I remember hearing that from Timothy Leary back in the day. I was skeptical then, I'm skeptical now.
It is my thinking that we are teaching people to reach for artificial means and outside help all too quickly. We learn best when we make mistakes. We need to quit trying to fix everything. Somethings are just broken and always will be. There will be days when you don't feel so good, and days when you are on top of the world. The " cure " for both lies inside you, not in a bottle. It's alright to feel sad, that doesn't require therapy. No one complains about being too happy though. Things is, if you are, you should question that as well. Mania is as prevalent as depression. We used to call that being crazy, but we don't say that anymore. Now we just have episodes. Truth is, we have always had episodes, the normal person has several a day, we just didn't medicate those episodes as readily.
Empathy is a term we hear used a lot these days. Empathy is understanding the feelings of another person. It is experiencing what they experience. The thing is that doesn't mean you should have the same response to that feeling as they do. That is the part that is getting confused here. All too often we are accused of lacking empathy because we don't agree with the response to whatever emotion is being felt. If you are sad, I'm supposed to be sad. That's the thinking, but that thinking is wrong. If you truly empathize with the person you attempt to resolve that issue, not just feel it with them. Empathy doesn't involve just going along with the feelings but requires action. Handing out drugs isn't the best answer to the problem, just a quick fix.
Well I wandered off a bit as I'm prone to do. I started out hearing the birds singing in the trees. I ended up talking about drugs. I found the sounds of those birds a comfort this morning, they came as a surprise. It was like opening the door to find yourself already home, if that makes any sense. Now, I need to get up and get going. Places to go and things to do.
I woke up in a bit of a depressive mood. I am aware of that and it doesn't cause me a great deal of consternation. It happens. You can't allow yourself to get immersed in that too deeply. You shouldn't allow yourself to get overly immersed in any of your emotions, truth be told. All things in moderation is the rule. When we allow that to happen, and begin to alter that mood by artificial means, that is when real trouble begins. That choice is the beginning of dependence and addiction. I've found a good days work, some physical exertion, does wonders for the psyche. Yes, it takes effort on your part, no one can do it for you. We have far too many that are turning to that outside " help. " It does make a lot of money, for a lot of people, that can't be denied, both legal and illegal! I can tell you this much, no one is getting rich off of me. I made my contributions in years past.
I have never been one to go to the doctors. I'm more from the old school in that regard. If no bones are sticking out and you're not bleeding too bad, you're probably alright. Rub some dirt on it, get up and move on. In recent years I have had to go more often. That's that aging thing again, it's relentless. I have noticed that almost every time I go for a visit I am given this questionnaire. Several of the questions want to know if I feel like hurting myself. One asks if I feel like committing suicide. I wonder if those questions are something that is current, or did they always ask that stuff? Like I said I seldom went to a doctor and so really don't know. I wonder too, if these questions relate to the increased use of mood altering drugs. I hear they are giving kids this stuff all the time to make them behave. I can only assume many adults are gobbling them down as well. Better living through chemistry. I remember hearing that from Timothy Leary back in the day. I was skeptical then, I'm skeptical now.
It is my thinking that we are teaching people to reach for artificial means and outside help all too quickly. We learn best when we make mistakes. We need to quit trying to fix everything. Somethings are just broken and always will be. There will be days when you don't feel so good, and days when you are on top of the world. The " cure " for both lies inside you, not in a bottle. It's alright to feel sad, that doesn't require therapy. No one complains about being too happy though. Things is, if you are, you should question that as well. Mania is as prevalent as depression. We used to call that being crazy, but we don't say that anymore. Now we just have episodes. Truth is, we have always had episodes, the normal person has several a day, we just didn't medicate those episodes as readily.
Empathy is a term we hear used a lot these days. Empathy is understanding the feelings of another person. It is experiencing what they experience. The thing is that doesn't mean you should have the same response to that feeling as they do. That is the part that is getting confused here. All too often we are accused of lacking empathy because we don't agree with the response to whatever emotion is being felt. If you are sad, I'm supposed to be sad. That's the thinking, but that thinking is wrong. If you truly empathize with the person you attempt to resolve that issue, not just feel it with them. Empathy doesn't involve just going along with the feelings but requires action. Handing out drugs isn't the best answer to the problem, just a quick fix.
Well I wandered off a bit as I'm prone to do. I started out hearing the birds singing in the trees. I ended up talking about drugs. I found the sounds of those birds a comfort this morning, they came as a surprise. It was like opening the door to find yourself already home, if that makes any sense. Now, I need to get up and get going. Places to go and things to do.
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