The Passage of Time

I recently had a birthday and as such, I have been thinking about time. Specifically, I have been exploring our societal understanding of time and how this understanding intersects with our judgments and assessments both of ourselves and others. I have lost count of how often I have heard someone say, "He's doing pretty well for his age." Our assessment of our success is often greatly determined by our age. We diagnose developmental delays and disorders using 'milestone' measures. Often our understanding of self and self-esteem is largely based on how we compare to our peers. I wonder how shifting our understanding of time and milestones would shift our understanding of self?

Weather Changes

As the season is changing, I have observed shifts in mood and attitude around the city. I have overheard jokes made about Seasonal Affective Disorder, and I have begun to wonder about this. Change in general is difficult, but I wonder how the shifting from warm weather to cooler weather impacts both individuals and larger cultures. I cannot help but return to the importance of understanding oneself within the proper context. I believe that  we often struggle to fully appreciate the extent to which we are influenced by outside factors. In part treatment helps to challenge this perceptual mistake; but I still wonder how as a society we can begin to shift this.

Assisted Suicide

I recently read an article on assisted suicide. The article of course focused on physical ailments; specifically on degenerative illnesses.  I wondered as I read this article, how this topic pertains to mental health. The article argues that those individuals suffering with painful physical illnesses that will result in death should have the legal right to end their own lives. I wonder how as a society we define pain and how we conceive of emotional pain. I am not advocating for assisted suicide for those struggling with mental illness, but this article did encourage me to explore how we as a society understand both pain and mental illness.