[links] Link salad heads for the Piedmont

[jaylake]

Same Book, Different…Book (includes spoilers) - Editor Gabrielle Harbowy talks about her reactions to my novel Green, and compares those reactions to a number of other reviews.

Steampunk themed cruise to be held on Navigator of the Seas - Including yours truly. USA Today blogs about this as well.

In an old furniture store far, far away… - More

Comments

[ulfhirtha]

The pieces today on Pen State and Aurora point up something that has been bothering me since PSU's sanctions were announced: people are ready to breathe fire and vengence ostensibly on the behalf of the still-living victims of Sandusky, but most - especially those with some actual power to act or at least move opinion - throw up their hands with an "oh well" about doing anything to try and lessen (let alone prevent) babies and teenagers from being murdered at the local theater. Or mall. Or front porch. Something about that seems deeply screwed up to me.

[nicosian]

I don't care for ol "dead eyes' harper but I appreciate that 1. he's not re opening any abortion or gay rights debates, and 2. that fox noooze couldn't get in.

Downside, we have Sun Media, which attempts to be Fox, with lurid news headlines every morning about how "them people" ( pick your flavor that day" are "taking your tax dollars and living large/stealing your pets/corrupting your children/out to get you, oh oppressed hardworking joe!"

One headline post election was "WELCOME TO HELL".

[jaylake]

Actually, I'm an optimist, too, by nature. I'm not criticizing optimism per se as an attitude or a lifestyle choice either one.

The "cult of optimism" is that "power of positive thinking" rhetoric that healthy people (and some healthcare providers) inflict on the seriously ill. When in fact it's natural and normal to be depressed, upset, resentful, grief-stricken, etc. Often that "buck up" message is a cover for "I am afraid what happened to you might happen to me, please make me feel better about this".

I've certainly seen that often enough on my cancer journey.

[jimvanpelt]

The "power of positive thinking" meme is too closely related to "it's all your fault--you invited illness into your life--because you have negative thoughts" belief. My sister-in-law died of cancer recently, and she spent some of her last days dealing with the guilty feeling that the cancer was self-inflicted because she'd had negative thoughts about herself before she was diagnosed. The "your attitude controls all" thinking is in the same bailiwick as "illness is totally controlled and controllable by diet" and one step removed from the "if you make the right choices, you will live forever."

I'm all for a positive attitude and eating well, but I don't believe they create impenetrable barriers between good and bad health.

[alumiere]

This is what I was getting at, along with the idea that someone would tell me that if I just look on the bright side...

Be an optimist, but if you want to help someone who is struggling rather than tell them how to think/feel/act actually do something to help. Fix them a homemade meal that they can safely eat; stop by and visit with a well loved movie to watch; take a few minutes to reach out to them on the phone or online with something to cheer them up rather than telling them that if they think positively it'll be better.

Especially when things are going wrong we could often use the contact and human warmth but many of us don't know how to ask. And many friends notice we're not as present but don't want to bother us so we wind up feeling isolated which can make things harder.