Diagnosis: Salvation or Sentence?
A diagnosis can bring partial relief and it's also useful in other ways. But it can create little tributaries that lead in all sorts of unwanted directions, and these grow the further you follow them. One is that a diagnosis can become a label, and it's difficult to see past labels.
There Is No Substitute
One day the words might run out, so I've borrowed a few.
Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hand
We tend to be smug about our powers of communication. Surveys show that most of us over-estimate how good we are at it. So much so, that when our communications fail, we routinely blame the listener. That's a cop out. The onus on getting it right lies with the sender of the message.
What’s Wrong With Hopelessness Anyway?
Are things as they are, or just as the seem? I've written before about labels, maybe 'hopeless' is just another one.
Is it Failure, or Just Punctuation?
Rejection and failure are part of life, so are setbacks to our projects and plans. But how can you tell when it's right to abandon something? Can you distinguish between failure and a temporary halt, between a full stop and a comma?
Listen Carefully; You Might Know Nothing
There's not much you can tell someone who knows everything, and you know how annoying it can be to try. It's all too easy to become that person, when we should really be listening.
Benevolent, False, and Also Possible
Like the tango, it takes two to gossip. You're probably not somebody who likes to feed the rumour-mill. But next time you hear a salacious tit-bit, or you secretly enjoy a slightly warm feeling when you hear of another's misfortune, remember that. Since we all enjoy it really, it would be unrealistic (and maybe socially damaging), to get rid of gossip. But why not add a bit of positive spin? It can be fun, and maybe you'll do someone a good turn.
A Degree In Kindness
Why we study and what we study seem to be linked to earning a living, rather than preparing us for life. The two are linked, but as so often happens we lose sight of the bigger picture.
Designer or Bespoke? It’s Still a Label
It's fashionable to label on human behaviour and we have an array of convenient terms for doing it. But whether it’s designer or bespoke, a label’s still a label. Some are more exclusive than others, you might think, but the shortcomings are still the same.
