Emsworth Wed Dec 4 20:44:21 2002
Philosophical thoughts
To cease upon the midnight with no pain seems like a golden dream. And yet, could it be that simple? Moreover, however, is that what one truly wants? Isn't the true pleasure in actual experience, actually doing things? Regardless of moral concerns about jeapordizing one's soul, one can find pleasure or peace, albeit all too temporal, from the act of seeking or doing or in some way performing an action (and the "performative utterance" is to be the means of confirming one's existence.) And yet, the same process that can lead to "I think, therefore I am" can lead to "Why must I think, let alone exist?"
La Mettrie would argue, firstly, that one exists in this life to seek out pleasure, and that if life no longer provides one with a sense of pleasure, than one might as well depart it. Beyond that, however, is the question of whether suicide is even an ethical question in the first place. French philosopher La Mettrie argued that bodily chemistry controls our actions, removing free will from the picture. Can suicide be morally wrong when there is no choice involved? Of course, such thinking negates moral judgements in regard to any and all actions, which is why it was so controversial. Yet there remains the fact that all too often are actions are indeed determined by our body chemistry. Just as one may say or do things while drunk that one would never consciously choose to, so other factors may effect one's rational reasoning. This is a rather tricky area, as it is difficult to determine after the fact whether or not the suicidal person performed that act out of their own volition, and too often the general assumption is that all suicide attempts are fully intentional. Yet a serious ethical judgement must rest on the mental processes behind the action, and not on outside perceptions of the action. Depression and suicidal tendencies are often, though not always, linked, and depression may often have as much to do with chemical imbalances as with adverse circumstances or at least perceptions of such (though the combination of both can be especially worrying.) The question boils down to whether or not a suicidal person is in a fully rational mental state and is in full, conscious control of their actions at the time that the suicide is performed, or whether they are acting while temporarily insane or under the influence of outside substances or otherwise irrational. This in some ways forms an odd parallel to Kant's view on suicide. Kant argued that the act of suicide essentially removes freedom of choice by destroying our body. The medicalization of ethics proposed by La Mettrie, and to a large extent adopted by modern society, presents a view in which there is no freedom of choice to the action of destroying the body. This argument can be both a relief and a torment. On the one hand, it removes all responsibility from the suicidal person. On the other hand, by removing the choice, it might raise a fear amongst other people that at some point, for whatever reason, they may reach a point where they are not operating in a rational state of mind and may kill themselves. Thus suicide and mental health seem to be inexorably linked.
So it all boils down to whether or not suicide is a choice. Granted, there may be some sullen teenagers who, out of a misbegotten desire to "show" their girlfriend or family or whatnot, kill themselves (though all too often in recent years seems these sort of individuals are more likely to seek to harm others than themselves), but what about so many others? Does talking help if it is not a conscious choice, and can this afflict people even in comparatively pleasant circumstances?
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mouse Fri Dec 6 19:54:14 2002
Re: Philosophical thoughts
> Does talking help if it is not a conscious choice, and can
> this afflict people even in comparatively pleasant circumstances?
Wow.
I certainly hope talking helps - what else can most of us offer except our words, which show our sympathies, our concern, our care for each other? Someone or other called suicide "a permanent answer to a temporary problem"; hopefully by talking, we can help others understand that there _are_ solutions to even the most serious problems, and that other people care about you and want to help you find those solutions.
As to whether even people in 'pleasant' circumstances can be suicidal - of course they can. The literary exemplar is of course Richard Corey, that rich, handsome, privileged young man who went home one night and put a bullet in his head. I am sure he has real-life counterparts.
As to how conscious a choice it is - one can (and people have) argued for the whole range of concious/biological determination for human activity, all the way from 'every action is the result of chemistry and/or hard-wired instinct' to 'the mind is ultimately in control, and we have choice of/control over everything we do'. And one can cite examples all along the range - from the actions of psychotics who are clearly incapable of controlling behaviors driven by scrambled brain chemistry to people who demonstrate incredible mental control over such autonomic actions as heart rate, or who seem to survive massive injury by sheer willpower, or even those who seem to be able to just will themselves to die. In the end, I suppose the answer (unsatisfactory as always)is: it all depends. It depends on who you are, what your particular biology is, your training, your background, your support structure - who knows, maybe even where you are in the rhythm of your day or your life. Perhaps some people do commit suicide because of disease or chemical imbalance, and not from concious choice. This is bad even without bringing morals into it; it means all possibilities have ended for that person. This is my objection to death in general and suicide in particular; it is bad if it is a) avoidable and b) deprives one of possibilities. I don't really think too much in terms of morality, but rather in ethics. My dictionary seems to define them as the same thing, but they seem different to me - perhaps because 'morals' seem always to come freighted with 'judgement' (mostly from others). In the end, I think we have to be the judges of our own actions; we must develop our own ethical code, and force ourselves to live up to it. Ultimately, one can't know all the things that motivate another person; we can't judge whether a decision they make is ultimately 'right'. I have considered the ethics of suicide for some time. I work in a Cancer Center; just down the hall from me is a professor who runs a research program in Alzheimer's disease. Certainly, there comes a time when one's mind or body is irrevocably finished, when there is no realistic hope for a cure. The question then becomes, should one have the right to end one's own life at that point? I rather think you should, because at this point, death is not avoidable, and the possibilities have rather come to an end - and no one should force another into a life they see as unbearable, without hope of change. But equally, no one should force another to end their life if that person does not want to go. No one can judge the point at which another's life is unbearable to that person. That said - we can do whatever we can to make life bearable for each other.
You could argue, I suppose, that there are other things than the prospect of an immediate, painful death that can make life unbearable - but I would argue that everything else holds at least the possibility of change. People work their way out of poverty and massive debt, they learn to cope with missing limbs and without missing loved ones, they fight back disease and depression. And I am old enough to have learned that just continuing to exist in time brings change, if only in your perspective. If nothing else, I feel one should continue if only to find out what happens next. Who knows what is right around the next corner?
And there is so much about life that is really wonderful - even little tiny things flowers and sunsets and those incredible Belgium truffles Trader Joe's starts carrying about now. There is something to be said for spending some time just existing, without thought, just experiencing the feel of the world, and yourself moving through it.
I guess, to summarize: 1) I vote with Kant - suicide ends all your options. 2) Morality (for me) has no place in the equation. A dead person is beyond it, and a suicidal one doesn't need more guilt, whether or not they are acting consciously. 3) While disease and organic defects are not one's fault, and so the results of them should not be blamed, it is best to do whatever one can to address them, and get whatever help one needs to get through life - medical, psychological, and from friends. 4) Because the world is a pretty neat place to be in, all in all. If not today, maybe tomorrow.
I sense, perhaps, some question on the value of an individual life, but that is another topic.
I wish you well, Emsworth. I hope you are just in a general philosophical mood - either way, keep talking.
(btw, i posted on the greystone inn forum to congratulate you on being published - hope you saw it before the keen boards ate it.)
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spinclad Sat Dec 7 01:02:49 2002
Re: Philosophical thoughts
One may offer one's attention, compassion, desire for another's well being, sympathetic sorrow and joy, posture, breath, and heartbeat, to the concrete benefit of oneself, one's friend, one's enemy, and the world. One may see how one's actual will is always and simply the Will of the world blowing through; or one may overlook the matter; or one may notice that this fact is not at all noticeable, however true it be. One may see oneself and others as industries of cells which are industries of atoms which go about their dynamics with no concern for any larger action they may be part of. One may count the five skandhas composing experience, or five states of matter, or four forces, or four or five or ninety or one hundred eighteen (and counting up and down) elements...
For one contemplating an end: whether this body believing in a self goes on or comes to an end, the world goes on; whether one considers or cares about this at all, the world goes on. Breathe, and be well.
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Emsworth Wed Dec 11 00:44:03 2002
Re: Philosophical thoughts
> I certainly hope talking helps - what else can most of us offer except our
> words, which show our sympathies, our concern, our care for each other?
> Someone or other called suicide "a permanent answer to a temporary
> problem"; hopefully by talking, we can help others understand that
> there _are_ solutions to even the most serious problems, and that other
> people care about you and want to help you find those solutions.
Tried talking to my parents. Sometimes just talking about it helps, but more often my inability to articulate precisely what's wrong, what triggered an incident or exactly what led led me to feel this way, has proven to be a barrier, and when I've expressed some of the notions in my post and my concerns about how everything is temporal and seeming lack of purpose to existence, Mom just can't relate, or even quite grasp what I'm saying or more importantly why I'm "letting" it bother me at all. (Earlier today, unusually, vented about my problem to an online friend, who merely responded, "Well, why do you want to dwell on such things in the first place," as if I'm doing this intentionally, and apparently under the impression that any person is fully capable of ignoring any thoughts and not letting them bother them in the slightest.)
> As to how conscious a choice it is - one can (and people have) argued for
> the whole range of concious/biological determination for human activity,
> all the way from 'every action is the result of chemistry and/or
> hard-wired instinct' to 'the mind is ultimately in control, and we have
> choice of/control over everything we do'. And one can cite examples all
> along the range - from the actions of psychotics who are clearly incapable
> of controlling behaviors driven by scrambled brain chemistry to people who
> demonstrate incredible mental control over such autonomic actions as heart
> rate, or who seem to survive massive injury by sheer willpower, or even
> those who seem to be able to just will themselves to die. In the end, I
> suppose the answer (unsatisfactory as always)is: it all depends. It
> depends on who you are, what your particular biology is, your training,
> your background, your support structure - who knows, maybe even where you
> are in the rhythm of your day or your life. Perhaps some people do commit
> suicide because of disease or chemical imbalance, and not from concious
> choice. This is bad even without bringing morals into it; it means all
> possibilities have ended for that person. This is my objection to death in
> general and suicide in particular; it is bad if it is a) avoidable and b)
> deprives one of possibilities. I don't really think too much in terms of
> morality, but rather in ethics. My dictionary seems to define them as the
> same thing, but they seem different to me - perhaps because 'morals' seem
> always to come freighted with 'judgement' (mostly from others). In the
> end, I think we have to be the judges of our own actions; we must develop
> our own ethical code, and force ourselves to live up to it. Ultimately,
> one can't know all the things that motivate another person; we can't judge
> whether a decision they make is ultimately 'right'. I have considered the
> ethics of suicide for some time. I work in a Cancer Center; just down the
> hall from me is a professor who runs a research program in Alzheimer's
> disease. Certainly, there comes a time when one's mind or body is
> irrevocably finished, when there is no realistic hope for a cure. The
> question then becomes, should one have the right to end one's own life at
> that point? I rather think you should, because at this point, death is not
> avoidable, and the possibilities have rather come to an end - and no one
> should force another into a life they see as unbearable, without hope of
> change. But equally, no one should force another to end their life if that
> person does not want to go. No one can judge the point at which another's
> life is unbearable to that person. That said - we can do whatever we can
> to make life bearable for each other.
This was mostly due to my own situation. Last year I was in a state of hysteria, unable to calm down and clear my mind and think naturally. As it was, the accident was labeled a suicide attempt due to this, even though I actually fell. This has led me to wonder about actual suicides, though, and also led to some slight concern should I find myself in such a state again and wind up doing further bodily harm to myself, or actually killing myself. (The fact that during the past couple of days I've been rationally studying the feasability of suicide and realizing how limited my means are is oddly reassuring, in as much as it suggests that perhaps it will be less likely for me to do such a thing while in an uncontrollably irrational state, and though it has been worrying my mother a great deal, it seems unlikely I'd be able to go all the way through it in the end, even something as seemingly simple as slashing my wrists, though my mother the nurse pointed out that I'd need to get the veins and would be better off with the throat anyway.)
> And there is so much about life that is really wonderful - even little
> tiny things flowers and sunsets and those incredible Belgium truffles
> Trader Joe's starts carrying about now. There is something to be said for
> spending some time just existing, without thought, just experiencing the
> feel of the world, and yourself moving through it.
Flowers do not grow in most parts of El Paso and there are no Trader Joe's here. But I definitely concede the point. I don't know, though. There have been far too many times when I've felt overcome by the fact that even such pleasures are temporary, and remained depressed over a cup of orange sherbet recently. But then I think about walks I've taken where I've felt almost completely at peace, humming as I stroll along, or how much I enjoyed the "Barney Miller" marathon (the tape of which I must find), or even the possibility of seeing my nieces again (haven't even seen the youngest, who shall be two this month.)
> I guess, to summarize: 1) I vote with Kant - suicide ends all your
> options. 2) Morality (for me) has no place in the equation. A dead person
> is beyond it, and a suicidal one doesn't need more guilt, whether or not
> they are acting consciously. 3) While disease and organic defects are not
> one's fault, and so the results of them should not be blamed, it is best
> to do whatever one can to address them, and get whatever help one needs to
> get through life - medical, psychological, and from friends. 4) Because
> the world is a pretty neat place to be in, all in all. If not today, maybe
> tomorrow.
> I wish you well, Emsworth. I hope you are just in a general philosophical
> mood - either way, keep talking.
Just for the record, this actually arose from a mandatory 10 page essay assignment for my philosophy class (and explaining my discomfort with the subject matter to the professor didn't help.) But it could have come at a better time. I had public hysterics the day that I posted this.
> (btw, i posted on the greystone inn forum to congratulate you on being
> published - hope you saw it before the keen boards ate it.)
Thanks. I appreciated. Now I just need to e-mail Michael *again*. (Which needless to say, has done little to decrease my feelings of frustration with existence in general, and just wanting to be *out* of it, while at the same time I really do not want to kill myself; as is, the whole thing has been worrying my mother too much.)
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Emsworth Wed Dec 11 00:45:56 2002
P.S.
And thank you, mouse, for obviously putting a great deal of thought and probably time into your response, instead of simply saying "You're kidding, right?" or "Forget it" or "LOL d00d u need b00z!" or what have you. I think it helped, slightly.
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mouse Wed Dec 11 18:30:29 2002
Re: P.S.
well, i _worry_ about you, presumptuous though that may be. i've been depressed myself, and i know you can get through this - but it's not easy, so i hope my babbling will help, even a little....
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mouse Wed Dec 11 18:25:16 2002
Re: Philosophical thoughts
> Tried talking to my parents. Sometimes just talking about it helps, but
> more often my inability to articulate precisely what's wrong, what
> triggered an incident or exactly what led led me to feel this way, has
> proven to be a barrier, and when I've expressed some of the notions in my
> post and my concerns about how everything is temporal and seeming lack of
> purpose to existence, Mom just can't relate, or even quite grasp what I'm
> saying or more importantly why I'm "letting" it bother me at
> all. It's good you can talk to your parents, but some things I suspect just cut too close to home. I don't know your mother, of course, but I suspect on some level the reason she doesn't seem to quite grasp it is that she is worried about you, and in some subliminial sense is hoping that if she "ignores" it, it will all just go away. Even the best of us are sometimes stymied by our subconscious. Still, keep trying - even if she doesn't always understand, you matter more to her even than you probably realize.
>(Earlier today, unusually, vented about my problem to an online
> friend, who merely responded, "Well, why do you want to dwell on such
> things in the first place," as if I'm doing this intentionally, and
> apparently under the impression that any person is fully capable of
> ignoring any thoughts and not letting them bother them in the slightest.)
Again, I think some of this is fear - your friend doesn't know quite how to respond, and the subject upsets him, and so he tries to dismiss it.
...
> As it > was, the accident was labeled a suicide attempt due to this, even
> though I actually fell.
Meant to say something about this - I think there is evidence that one's mental state (and in particular, depression) can cause you to be less aware or responsive to the outside world, or on some level sort of not care about the consequences of your actions. It's not exactly that you intend to harm yourself, it's more like you don't care if you get hurt or not, so you don't exercise normal caution. I'm not sure exactly where psychologists put this sort of thing.
....
> and also led to some slight concern should I find myself in such a state
> again and wind up doing further bodily harm to myself, or actually killing
> myself.
Which seems to me rational - I think that the fact you are aware of the possibility is good, but you still want to work on the depression. (well, obviously...)
> (The fact that during the past couple of days I've been rationally
> studying the feasability of suicide and realizing how limited my means are
> is oddly reassuring,
It's amazing how tough people are to kill, when you get right down to it. I have had one or two periods in my life when I have been over ways and means of doing myself in, vs. all the ways they could go wrong, and how nasty a state you would be left in if you didn't succeed....I ended up concluding it would be easier just to keep going.
> though my mother
> the nurse pointed out that I'd need to get the veins and would be better
> off with the throat anyway.)
Your mother has a sort of ruthless practicality that I must say I find appealing.
> Flowers do not grow in most parts of El Paso Not at all?! The wastelands here are admittedly not as deserty, but if you look closely you can find the most amazing tiny blooms. I know El Paso has lizards - those are pretty amazing too, in their own way.
> I don't know, though. There have
> been far too many times when I've felt overcome by the fact that even such
> pleasures are temporary, and remained depressed over a cup of orange
> sherbet recently.
This is true. One could argue that transience adds to the pleasure - if you were always knee-deep in flowers, would you enjoy them as much? And the fact that something has ended doesn't mean you will never experience it again. (This, at any rate, is the attitude I am trying to cultivate, although in the more prosaic task of dieting. I have to remind myself, just because I turn down chocolate cake today does not mean that I will never again have the opportunity to eat it. Not the best analogy, but I offer it for whatever use it may be.)
> But then I think about walks I've taken where I've felt
> almost completely at peace, humming as I stroll along, or how much I
> enjoyed the "Barney Miller" marathon (the tape of which I must
> find), or even the possibility of seeing my nieces again (haven't even
> seen the youngest, who shall be two this month.)
As I said - there is always something else further down the road. Just keep trying to remember that, and to find the little surprises as you go along.
> Just for the record, this actually arose from a mandatory 10 page essay
> assignment for my philosophy class (and explaining my discomfort with the
> subject matter to the professor didn't help.) But it could have come at a
> better time. I had public hysterics the day that I posted this.
Glad to know this. Still, it's funny how things come together sometimes - and this is obviously something you still need to get settled, for your own personal philosophy.
> Thanks. I appreciated. Now I just need to e-mail Michael *again*. (Which
> needless to say, has done little to decrease my feelings of frustration
> with existence in general, and just wanting to be *out* of it, while at
> the same time I really do not want to kill myself; as is, the whole thing
> has been worrying my mother too much.)
DO NOT allow Michael to become the avatar of the frustrations of existence (he's clearly much too good at it). Or any other frustrating/annoying/irritating person either, for that matter. The world is far too full of them. It is best to maintain an attitude of condescending pity; clearly they are lesser beings with no real understanding of the important things in the universe (this attitude has kept me, at least, from strangling clerks and ramming my car into all the idiots on the freeway). One certainly should not kill oneself for the jerks in the world.
(On the other hand, perhaps we could work out a serious guilt trip for him....assuming he's even around here these days)
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Emsworth Thu Dec 12 23:35:22 2002
Re: Philosophical thoughts
>It's good you can talk to your parents, but some things I suspect just cut too >close to home. I don't know your mother, of course, but I suspect on some >level the reason she doesn't seem to quite grasp it is that she is worried >about you, and in some subliminial sense is hoping that if she "ignores" it, >it will all just go away. Even the best of us are sometimes stymied by our >subconscious. Still, keep trying - even if she doesn't always understand, you >matter more to her even than you probably realize.
Tried again today, only upset her. We're both rather high-strung (and her chemo treatments and whatnot took an additional toll in that regard, and she hasn't been feeling well lately.) On the other hand, having had multiple crying fits today, I called my sister, and though I only briefly mentioned my problems, just talking to her, hearing her voice, listening as she scolded her little offspring, hearing the voice of my youngest niece (who turned two today)... it all was extremely calming
> Meant to say something about this - I think there is evidence that one's
> mental state (and in particular, depression) can cause you to be less
> aware or responsive to the outside world, or on some level sort of not
> care about the consequences of your actions. It's not exactly that you
> intend to harm yourself, it's more like you don't care if you get hurt or
> not, so you don't exercise normal caution. I'm not sure exactly where
> psychologists put this sort of thing.
Frankly, none of the doctors or counselors have gone too much into the exact state of mind at the time (either asking about my general sleep patterns and whatnot in the period leading up to it, seemingly accepting it as a suicide attempt, or choosing instead to focus on my current, or at least recent, emotional stability and incidents along those lines.)
> Which seems to me rational - I think that the fact you are aware of the
> possibility is good, but you still want to work on the depression. (well,
> obviously...)
Obviously indeed. Last few weeks, though, talking to parents, professors, counselor, etc. hasn't helped much. Just casual conversation with classmates and acquaintances after my final yesterday was quite helpful, though, at least for awhile.
> It's amazing how tough people are to kill, when you get right down to it.
> I have had one or two periods in my life when I have been over ways and
> means of doing myself in, vs. all the ways they could go wrong, and how
> nasty a state you would be left in if you didn't succeed....I ended up
> concluding it would be easier just to keep going.
> Your mother has a sort of ruthless practicality that I must say I find
> appealing.
Put them all together and they spell MOTHER!
> This is true. One could argue that transience adds to the pleasure - if
> you were always knee-deep in flowers, would you enjoy them as much? And
> the fact that something has ended doesn't mean you will never experience
> it again. (This, at any rate, is the attitude I am trying to cultivate,
> although in the more prosaic task of dieting. I have to remind myself,
> just because I turn down chocolate cake today does not mean that I will
> never again have the opportunity to eat it. Not the best analogy, but I
> offer it for whatever use it may be.)
Actually, my point had less to do with temporality (as much as that has been bothering me unneccesarily) as it was with the fact that sometimes even when engaging in the pleasures I once held so dear (brisk walks, orange sherbet consumption), I've found myself having fits of depression or hysteria.
> Glad to know this. Still, it's funny how things come together sometimes -
> and this is obviously something you still need to get settled, for your
> own personal philosophy.
Very much so. This has been a very tough semester, re-adjusting and all that, and even with just one final left, I feel as if I should just chuck everything and wander off into the distance (as I said, my short walks used to be so calming and liberating, maybe I need to try for a longer one, leg agony be dashed, and yet as I said, not sure how beneficial some of my shorter ambles have been, even though I've found myself missing or showing up late to classes due to the urge to take them [notably right after I learned of Tim Bram's death].)
> DO NOT allow Michael to become the avatar of the frustrations of existence
> (he's clearly much too good at it).
That line made me chuckle audibly. Thank you.
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mouse Fri Dec 13 18:31:02 2002
Re: Philosophical thoughts
> Tried again today, only upset her. We're both rather high-strung (and her
> chemo treatments and whatnot took an additional toll in that regard, and
> she hasn't been feeling well lately.) On the other hand, having had
> multiple crying fits today, I called my sister, and though I only briefly
> mentioned my problems, just talking to her, hearing her voice, listening
> as she scolded her little offspring, hearing the voice of my youngest
> niece (who turned two today)... it all was extremely calming
I hadn't realized that your mom was ill - of course, that makes things more difficult all around, because I am sure you want to support her, while at the same time needing her support (and the same for her). I think what I was trying to say was, the more you can keep contact with the people you know care about you , the better, even if they don't always understand the problem. Sisters are always good too, of course.
> Actually, my point had less to do with temporality (as much as that has
> been bothering me unneccesarily) as it was with the fact that sometimes
> even when engaging in the pleasures I once held so dear (brisk walks,
> orange sherbet consumption), I've found myself having fits of depression
> or hysteria.
hmmm....maybe some new things then? You don't want the things you love (and that you will love again) to get too linked with the depression, I should think....but I'm not a counselor or psychologist or anything, so I shouldn't try to give you too much advice. I guess I was thinking that the pleasures can be a mood-elevator, and that never hurts.
> Very much so. This has been a very tough semester, re-adjusting and all
> that, and even with just one final left, I feel as if I should just chuck
> everything and wander off into the distance (as I said, my short walks
> used to be so calming and liberating, maybe I need to try for a longer
> one, leg agony be dashed, and yet as I said, not sure how beneficial some
> of my shorter ambles have been, even though I've found myself missing or
> showing up late to classes due to the urge to take them [notably right
> after I learned of Tim Bram's death].)
I figured Tim's death would have hit you hard - unfortunately there's nothing magic to fix that quickly. Exercise in general I think is good - it's a matter of finding the one that works for you. Do you swim? - that would perhaps be easier on your leg. Some people find lap swimming boring, but I find I can either focus entirely on a problem and work it out while I swim, or just focus on the feel of swimming and sort of empty my brain while I do it - both of which can be beneficial. Probably using an exercise bike or something like that might have the same effect, but it depends on what your leg will take. Get through the last final, and then you will have time to try some longer walks, or figure out what else will work. (and good luck with the final).
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The Avatar of the Frustrations of Existence Wed Jan 1 15:23:10 2003
Re: Philosophical thoughts
> DO NOT allow Michael to become the avatar of the frustrations of existence
> (he's clearly much too good at it).
MWUHAHAHAHAHA! I'm good at EVERYTHING I set my mind to!
> (On the other hand, perhaps we could work out a serious guilt trip for
> him....assuming he's even around here these days)
I wasn't. I was wallowing in the mire of political blogs. It was a real mistake. I was depressed enough without following the news, for God's sake.
So this last week I resolved (early) NOT TO READ political blogs. And lo! I started working again! Yeah! Woo! I rock!
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mouse Thu Jan 2 19:18:04 2003
Re: Philosophical thoughts
> I was wallowing in the mire of political blogs. It was a real
> mistake. I was depressed enough without following the news, for God's
> sake.
> So this last week I resolved (early) NOT TO READ political blogs. And lo!
> I started working again! Yeah! Woo! I rock!
sounds like a good idea....personally, i'm tempted to spend 2003 under the bed, reading old comic books.
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