The Medicine Wheel part 1

MRI a Rama

I had to get an MRI, never mind the reasons why, and when I went to Oregon Imaging I figured it would be short and sweet like a CT scan. I took one look at the hulking machine and balked. “I have to lay still for twenty minutes in that?” no way.

The Magnetic Resonating Image machine is a very large, powerful magnet that spins at a frightening speed, makes a lot of whirling, beeping and grinding noises with a long tube the patient is guided through, sometimes an additional gadget is put over the torso or covering the head for brain scans. It is guaranteed to make on claustrophobic.

Who the hell designed this monstroisty?

The MRI allows for a clear non-invasive view of the body’s interior BUT being shoved into a narrow space with the sound of alien warfare going on is not conducive to easing anyone’s anxiety. Oh sure some have TV screens to watch or music to listen to as distraction and some are “open” meaning not as small and tubular but not always available due to location or insurance.

This is another case of good invention, bad design that nobody is happy with.

Modern medicine means well but it often ends up treating people like lab rats. All the soothing talk and helpfulness of the technicians—who are understanding-- can’t alleviate the stress of procedures that involve poking with needles, uncomfortable positions, and exposure to radiation or potentially toxic chemicals.

So I walked in a big circle with the health center, Nurse Practitioner and insurance people trying to find a better solution for my autistic anxiety to and end up where I started but this time I was accompanied by a medical advocate and a dose of Xanax. It ended up being uncomfortable but manageable.

Personally I want the engineers of an MRI to go through them on a weekly basis until they come up with something better.

Quote of the Day- The Man in the Arena

 

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt 1910

Public Vs Private Thought

 (This is a revised version of my Monday post)

We all have private and often distasteful thoughts about the world. Opinions about someone’s appearance, behavior, politics etc. but we keep them to ourselves. They are not meant to be shared but now we have a way to vent our dark nature.

It’s called the internet.

An EMT made a disparaging remark about Charlie Kirk after his shooting and a conservative Christian--a total stranger --took upon himself to locate where she worked and get her fired. She made an unkind remark about someone’s death and he took it personally enough to wreck her career. Neither should have done that and for what the purpose?

Social media allows people to express private thoughts they would never say out loud. On the internet no one knows who you are (or that you are a dog as the joke goes). There is no fear of reprisal for otherwise expressing revolting ideas behind anonymity.

Sometimes people offer stark, hurtful comments under their real names because they know, chances are, the person they’re abusing won’t come after them, but when they do, like the cited example, it’s ugly for everyone involved.

People offer an unsolicited opinion, spout whatever justification they have, and genuinely think they’re a good person because they did it. No harm for the stone thrower and they never see the effect it has on the victim so it goes on.

The internet encourages this kind of behavior and it needs to stop if we want to maintain a healthy society. What’s missing is self restraint and critical thinking. Does this comment contribute to the conversion, or is it just more fuel thrown on the fire?

We need to be well mannered, mature adults in public. We need to be safe expressing a view without threat of violence or being outcast. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but that doesn’t mean everyone has to agree to it. We have become a nation where differences of opinion to any given narrative is unforgivable. The division this creates is dangerous to democracy and our mental well being. Be kind, it cost nothing and pays in good karma. Ignore it, most of the time it’s just rage bait to get you riled up anyway.

Miss Manners tried to teach us. “One of the biggest sorrows in America is that people want to retaliate against rudeness with rudeness. One of my main missions is to say no, there is no excuse for rudeness.” She’s right and this needs to be a commandment-- not just with real life but on the internet. The next time you rush to the keyboard to express disapproval or outrage, ask yourself, would you want someone to say that out loud to your face?

 

Quote of the Week

 

American democracy will fail... “If it is going to use this power to force the world into color prejudice and race antagonism; if it is going to use it to manufacture millionaires, increase the rule of wealth, and break down democratic government everywhere; if it is going increasingly to stand for reaction, fascism, white supremacy and imperialism; if it is going to promote war and not peace; then America will go the way of the Roman Empire.” --W.E.B. DuBois.

Time for silliness

 I shall be posting more--stay tuned. In the meantime, here's some silliness to break up the monotony of the darkness ,ok.Enjoy.