hi there. i'm aaron
Hi there. I'm Aaron Sonnenberg. I work at blip.tv and live in Greenpoint. You can find me on flickr, twitter or e-mail me at: aaron/at/blip/dot/tv
This is home, and this is everything.
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Yelling Past One Another
I’ve been thinking a great deal lately about how people formulate their opinions; from the most mundane one-off thoughts, to the political positions they passionately defend, to the judgments that can make or break relationships. Yes, this ramble can be applied to the debate over WikiLeaks, but it’s certainly not the only, nor primary matter that got me thinking along these lines.
It may seem a bit cliché, but I keep coming back to the two seemingly oppositional manners of thinking: One, that actions fall into either one camp or the other – right or wrong, good or bad – that actions or ideas are black and white in nature. Two, that within each action or idea there exist many shades of gray.
Common wisdom, as I understand it, is that we’re taught the concepts of good and bad early as children in order to instill within us a sense of values and morality. Some people learn this from parents, from school, from religion, from self-discovery, and some never learn it at all.
As we grow older, we’re confronted with increasingly complex situations that require additional ways of thinking. More nuanced emotions and motivations come into play, and in order to exist in such a world, most develop a sense that there are shades of gray to every issue.
Some might argue that the very idea of believing in “shades of gray” represents a compromised manner of thinking. That it signifies a loss of ideals, a fall from grace, and even requires the sacrifice of important principles of decency. Some may believe that the ever increasing shades of gray in this world have lead us down a road of weakened morality that causes increased conflict and destruction.
I would like to propose something that may seem both blatantly obvious and/or hopelessly abstract: That there are shades of gray between the very concepts of “black and white” and “shades of grey” (Yes…I know, I know…that does sound a bit ridiculous, but hear me out).
I think that you can believe in issues, be principled, have morals, but still believe in complexity of process and the nuance of the issues at hand. It’s call practicality, and it shouldn’t be considered a dirty word.
One of the most important concepts I learned in my years of schooling (or possibly more so just from arguing with my family growing up) is that when you’re arguing a point, your position is weakened immensely if you do not address opposing viewpoints. For example, I can’t solidly argue that the best move for our economy is more government spending without addressing what I believe to be the merits and failures of a deficit reduction policy path.
No matter what you believe in – “black and white,” “shades of gray,” or some other philosophy - it’s precisely when you feel the most certain that your reasoning is correct that you should step back and consider the merits of the opposing viewpoints.
I’m not suggesting that any manner of thinking or opinion is flat out wrong. I just believe that the more passionately you believe in a method of thinking or an opinion, the more susceptible you are to overlooking the very counterpoints you really should be considering. It’s a bias that everyone should make an effort to avoid.
Taking the time to explore counterpoints will always lead to a more in depth understanding of the issue at hand. It produces a stronger ability to coexist, live, work, and even love those with whom you disagree. It is, in my opinion, the most effective way to bring about that more idealistic world that so many people believe has slipped away due to a compromise of ideals.
This may all seem very basic and obvious, so why not just take this back to an old childhood saying that applies at any age (and I might have just been better served thinking of this anecdote before writing): Always put yourself in the other person’s shoes. At the very least, you will have a baseline with which to pursue a more productive and civil dialogue.(Source: hithereimaaron.com)
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This is 34 degrees, 25 mph wind gusts, and stinging grains of sand blowing in my face.
This is squinting not only to protect my eyes, but to take advantage of what little light is left.
This is “holy shit I can’t feel my right index finger” fumbling for the shutter release button.
It sounds crazy but there’s a current in this cold night’s experience that I love. The rush I get from pushing myself through certain types of physical and mental discomfort provides me with an extreme sense of gratification and calm.
This is why I used to love running. The simplicity of changing shoes, throwing on shorts and taking off was liberating. I found that a good run could help me cope with almost anything.
Unfortunatly I can’t run anymore due to a bad back. I miss it like hell, and I still struggle to find a substitute for the ability it provided me to push myself to the limit on command.
So while it seems crazy, I love moments like this.
For me, they’re therapeutic.
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Hallucinations in Hospital Pose Risk to the Elderly
“Disproportionately affecting older people, a rapidly growing share of patients, hospital delirium affects about one-third of patients over 70, and a greater percentage of intensive-care or postsurgical patients, the American Geriatrics Society estimates.
A delirious patient happens almost every day,” said Dr. Manuel N. Pacheco, director of consultation and emergency services at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Mass. He treated Mr. Kaplan, whom he described as “a very learned, acclaimed person,” for whom “this is not the kind of behavior that’s normal.” “People don’t talk about it, because it’s embarrassing,” Dr. Pacheco said. “They’re having sheer terror, like their worst nightmare.”
The cause of delirium is unclear, but there are many apparent triggers: infections, surgery, pneumonia, and procedures like catheter insertions, all of which can spur anxiety in frail, vulnerable patients. Some medications, difficult for older people to metabolize, seem associated with delirium.
Doctors once dismissed it as a “reversible transient phenomenon,” thinking “it’s O.K. for someone, if they’re elderly, to become confused in the hospital,” said Dr. Sharon Inouye, a Harvard Medical School professor. But new research shows significant negative effects.”
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Unfortunately, I’ve seen this happen to a grandparent. It’s terrifying to watch and there’s no doubt in my mind it significantly contributed to his ultimate deterioration. Blood tests in the middle of the night, endless scans at all hours, and still the doctors just wrote it off as an elderly patient becoming confused in the hospital.
I’m glad to see that some doctors are waking up to the significance of mental health in the treatment of a patient. Too often, they fail to step back and consider the psychological impact of their words, tests, and interactions.
I’m not saying that all doctors do this, or that the tests and treatments are unnecessary. I’ve had some wonderful doctors who really take the time to consider the mental aspect of injury or illness - it’s personally helped me overcome a number of health related issues.
However, I really would like to see increased education to improve the communication techniques of doctors and their consideration of the psychological impact words or procedures will have on the patient.
In my opinion, being able to diagnose and treat physical problems is only 50% of being a good doctor. The ability to communicate, listen and understand is just as important.
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