“I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” William Ernest Henley wrote these often quoted lines of poetry in 1875 while in a hospital recovering from tuberculosis of the bone that required an amputation of one leg and surgery on the other. The title of the poem is “Invictus” …Read More
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Daniel Sloss: It’s Only A Story
Is a story just a story? In my own opinion stories are powerful; and power must be used responsibly. Comedy has a particular context (anything for a laugh), but where is the line on what is appropriate, even for comedy? Does it depend on the audience, the context, the evening, the mood? Perhaps we should …Read More
Happy Chinese New Year 2019 ~ Year of the Pig
“I learned long, ago never to wrestle a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.” ~ George Bernard Shaw Pigs get a lot of notoriety. The Chinese Zodiac cycles every 12 years, and the Pig comes in last. Happy Chinese New Year 2019 ~ Year of the Pig! Is this your year? …Read More
Groundhog Day 2019 predicts early spring – really?
Thousands of people gathered in Pennsylvania at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney awaiting the answer: Will the frigid winter continue for another 6 weeks? the famous Groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, emerged for his annual prediction at around 7:30am. He did not see his shadow! Bundled in their winter gear, the crowd cheered as Punxsutawney Phil predicts an …Read More
It Ain’t Love It’s Dopamine ~ Natalie Wilson
As we gamify our lives, even love has become a game. The chemical of addiction is dopamine. The reward that our brain receives is a hit of dopamine when we win the lottery, win the video game, win at blackjack, win the girl or guy, win … win … win … This brain neurotransmitter makes us …Read More
#26: Storytelling as Medicine (Caren Neile)
In my expanded definition, “medicine” is anything that heals the body, mind, emotions, or spirit. As a physician, this includes the Western medications that I prescribe, but it goes beyond to include so much more. In every conversation, it is important to define the context and agree upon the definitions that we are using. Here …Read More
Steven Johnson – Play, Creativity, Invention
“Serious play is not an oxymoron; it is the essence of innovation.” —Michael Schrage Creativity and play are inextricably linked. If necessity is the mother of invention, play might just be the father. The interplay (pun intended) of necessity and playfulness have both brought the world some serious innovations. In the TED talk video below, …Read More
Do It Anyway ~ Mother Teresa
Do It Anyway People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway. If you …Read More
How to have a good conversation
We are social creatures, built for connection. Almost like a hive organism, the whole human population has become an interconnected web of information. As I awake in the morning to the alarm on my smart phone, I contemplate how to start my day. The evening before, I had looked at my schedule to determine when …Read More
Narrative Medicine ~ Rita Charon
Narrative Medicine fortifies clinical practice with the narrative competence to recognize, absorb, metabolize, interpret, and be moved by the stories of illness. ~ Dr. Rita Charon With the age of science and objectivity applied to modern medicine, little space is left for empathy and emotions. “Just the facts” has become the litany that creates a …Read More