Posted by g_g_g_unit on June 6, 2012, at 2:57:28
In reply to Re: Acceptance Of What Can't Be Changed » g_g_g_unit, posted by Phil on June 5, 2012, at 11:41:52
Hi Phil,
I hope my post didn't cause offense. I was by no means implying that people who opt for acceptance are 'losers' and I admire you for having endured so long; I can only imagine what a blow it must have been to face the fact that you were no longer able to work, when it had been such an integral part of your identity.
I'm not against acceptance of suffering. In fact, I'm busy reading a Buddhist-inflected advice book called "When Things Fall Apart" as we speak. But I think my qualm lies more with practitioners who try to rectify/minimize symptoms without always being aware of the effect it (or the disease) can have on a person's self-concept. Anyway, I realize there's a limit to what they can do. Maybe I just want sympathy .. or better treatment options ..
Not everyone has the capacity to face change. Maybe it's a personality thing, or the extent to which they identified with their 'former' life, or the inability to find other sources of self-worth. Reeves is one positive example. So are you. But I believe Hemingway blew his brains out partly as a result of the effect ECT had had on his ability to write. I don't see those who choose suicide as any more cowardly.
poster:g_g_g_unit
thread:1018911
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20120522/msgs/1019310.html