I'll go out on a limb here and assume that even if you had a pretty decent upbringing, somewhere along the way you developed some habits to deal with the world that get you into trouble every now and then.
Read MoreThere's a certain type of person who seems drawn to the work I do.
If you're reading this now, I imagine you're one of them:
Reluctant leaders.
Most of us around here aren't interested in much fanfare, but we do feel called to contribute in some way despite ongoing self-doubt and uncertainty. I'm no exception. More often than not I'd rather curl up with a book and call it a day.
A few months ago one of subscribers to The Gazette asked if I'd share some thoughts on the matter.
I just finished watching a short documentary that's been on my list for a little while now. It's called "An Ecology of Mind." It's a look at the work of Gregory Bateson, directed by one of his daughters, and I'll be damned: it's a rare movie about ideas that makes me tear up.
I highly recommend it.
Symptoms are tricky little things.
Knee pain, jaw tension, an achy back...each seems to beg our attention. They alert us to the fact that there is a problem, but the challenge lies in the fact that they don't tell us much about the nature of the problem.
As such they're a bit of a red herring at times.
I’m attempting something rather large in this particular piece, knowing full well that I’ll fall short. What I’d like to propose is a reconception of the phenomenon of depression. I make no claims that this is “right.” And it is not a complete picture of depression, which is an incredibly complex phenomenon. Rather I’m basing it on my personal experiences alongside a theoretical understanding of the processes involved.
I can only hope that this first approximation is coherent and can provide a foundation for continued investigation.
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