Posted by Rick E. on July 7, 2000, at 22:19:00
In reply to Re: please be civil, posted by Dr. Bob on July 7, 2000, at 0:38:36
> > I really don't think that you have ever experienced the deep rooted depression that many on this site have. If you had, you would not post such delusional things, and certainly show much more compassion.
>
> Please don't jump to conclusions about the experiences of others or imply that they're delusional or not compassionate.
>
> Or, if you do, at least don't do it in a post!
>
> Bob
>
> PS: Thank you, dj, for not over-reacting to the that post.I agree, in part, that those were some harsh statements, and I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to anyone who may have been hurt by them.
Please allow me a second chance at possibly explaining myself in more "compassionate" terms, as I now feel that I have been marked as uncompassionate.
Compassion, to me, is void of political rhetoric. To me, it is something that comes purely from the heart, without question, to a person in need from a person who is able to give. I feel that I am able to give, and I strive now and always have strived to post only positive and constructive things, as I see them.
Dj, I would also like to apologize to you for mistakingly assuming that you were one in the same with the original thread, Alex Birkett, whom I have not seen post since. I think that many of my feelings about this subject stemmed primarily from his original post. To be more specific;
>We have become obsessed with palliative care as if treating the causes of our real suffering was hopeless, so hopeless in fact that we too often happily deceive ourselves that no such causes exist at all. To refute that our society is intrinsically ‘ok’ and that we are ‘ill’ when we feel unable to be happy in it has become a great taboo.In my mind, the way that I think, (and I may not write very eloquently at all), this is a direct insult not only to my intelligence, but to the choice that I have made to treat my depressive condition with medications. It is an "assumption" that I am weak, or too afraid to deal with what might be the causation of my condition. It further assumes that because I am so weak, that I make a conscious (or unconscious for that matter), even "happy" decision to elude any notion of a cause, ignoring it all together, and thinking that an antidepressant or antianxiety pill will cure me.
That would be a wrong assumption, for which Dr. Bob has chosen (at least at this point) not to defend ME for. I am not bitter to that fact, just making a point. I don't mind admitting when I have done something wrong, as I feel I have in this, I just don't think that the entire meaning of this original thread was taken into consideration.
>We do suffer but not because we are morally or organically deranged. Our abilities to function in a healthy moral manner and keep our brain chemistry on course are utterly compromised by finding ourselves coerced into taking part in a social structure that alienates us from our real selves.Again, written as a stone cold fact, this is an assumption that once again we are as sheep being led astray by our incompetent doctors, acting at their whim, having no personal insight whatsoever as to our conditions or their solutions. Many depressives, I believe, are depressed BECAUSE they have such problems with our societal structure, which may be the point he further tried to make, but at this point is still very insulting and assumptive to me. I pray that I am not alienated from my real self, and as much introspection as I partake in, I find it hard to believe that I am, although certainly not an impossibilty.
>The coercion is not brought about by some sort of schitzo-paranoid or political conspiracy but by simple bounding conditions set up by our socio-economic belief system which, far from being ‘rational/utilitarian’ is an unquestioned and perversely superstitious religion in its own right."Bounding" & "unquestioned"...more assumptions and quite insulting to me.
I hope I have shed some light on my personal feelings here without injuring anybody. I certainly never meant to do that, and I have taken a look at what I had written, hopefully, at little more objectively. Again I apologize and truly am sorry if I hurt anybody.
Thank-you for your time. This board has helped me so much, I hope that I am still wanted here.
Rick E.
poster:Rick E.
thread:39430
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000630/msgs/39746.html