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| "Self-portrait with the portrait of Dr. Farill" (ca. 1950s) by Frida Kahlo |
The victims or the problem solvers?
How would you explain why you’ve identified with one or the other?
Saturday, June 20, 2015
See yourself?
The victims or the problem solvers?
How would you explain why you’ve identified with one or the other?
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I find myself identifying more strongly with the patients. The patients should be allowed to choose if they want to have to change their way of life or not. I know that I would hate having to change my way of life, and losing my independence. I am frightened that my story would be like Alice Hobson’s, where I do not want to move but end up not being able to do anything about it. I want my story to be like Harry Truman, who made up his own mind and did what he wanted even if it did get him killed in the end. When it comes to identifying with the doctors, I find I agree with Juergen Bludau in that the job of the doctors is to support quality of life, not diminish it in old age. The best way I can explain why is through a quote from this book when Atul states on page 55 that “[i]t is not death the very old tell me they fear. It is what happens short of death – losing their hearing, their memory, their best friends, their way of life.” I don't believe that anyone wants to die in a stage of a terrible quality of life. As for the victims or the problem solvers, I identify more with the problem solvers. The reason why is because I prefer to solve the problem myself, rather than call someone else, like the nurse in the Chase who called Jude Thomas to let her know the dog had pooped on the floor and asked if Jude was going to come clean it up, I find it easier to just clean the mess up myself and be done.
ReplyDeleteI identify myself with the doctors/problem solvers. This may be because the past two or three years have been all but chaos for me and my family. We've experienced many difficulties, and though we couldn't always find a good solution, we kept looking for some way to make things better. I personally have felt like the victim in our situation on many occasions, but thinking about that got me nowhere. I chose to focus on the possibilities of a better tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteWhat also comes to mind is how I feel when answering some of the questions on this blog, or when we discussed political events in my government class in high school. In government, I tried persistently to find solutions to the political issues presented to me, but I could never quite find the best option. There was no way to make everyone happy. Similarly, in the question entitled "Retirement" referencing chapter two of Being Mortal, we are asked if we should hold to the idea that retirement age begins at sixty-five, or extend it to a later age. I tried to imagine that retirement age may vary according to career and how demanding the career is. An agreement seemed to be made between myself and other students that though we would like to do so, there is no easy way to create a solid boundary that defines an elderly person's ability to work. Even though there is seemingly no solve-all answer, I still believed that one existed that worked in each situation. I feel that this parallels the doctors who, despite the difficulty and severity of the situation, feel that they must have an answer for the problem before them.
I feel more like the patients because I know that when I get to that age in my life I will want to be treated with respect and will want to have a life that is not limited to four walls. I am very narrow-minded person at times but I feel that I do expand my beliefs when the time asked for it. I think that patients should always be able to make their decisions even if that is to risk their own safety. Freedom over safety. I have a feeling of victimization at times but I am more of a problem solver than abything else. If I am going through a family crisis or a death of a close friend of mine or a relative I fall into the pit of self-pity. But challenges in school and minor life problems I am pretty much a problem solver. I know that I can not solve and fix every problem that I have but I sure can adapt to certain situations and by reading Alice's and Sander's story I have a better understanding of the impact and the results of old age.
ReplyDeleteI relate very heavily with the doctors. I usually excelled when there was a clear and definable problem. This was in the case in class or in everyday life. I could eventually factor out the problem, or I could find a way to put the bike chain back on. Where I always fell short was when there wasn't a "good" solution. I didn't know what to say to my friend with a drinking problem; I could only make sure he had a safe way home. Black and white are my specialty, gray is a little elusive for me
ReplyDeleteIt was almost a relief to see that someone with their level of education also struggles with that.
I relate to the doctors because I often know the problem at hand and the solution. I have the information, and I know how to help people out, but I struggle with placing myself in their shoes at a given instant. For instance, as a server it is extremely helpful to understand your customers’ needs while they are in the process of ordering their meal. However, very few people know exactly what they want and tell it directly to you. In most cases, you have to dig in and ask them a few questions inquiring about what they want out of the meal in order to take good care of them. I always find it challenging to stop at a certain moment and understand somebody’s wants and needs and the reasons behind them. I believe it is an immensely valuable tool to have.
ReplyDeleteWhen identifying with groups, I believe I would more fit with the patients/problem solvers. In my opinion, I would rather die on my own terms early in what I consider to be old-age and quickly (as long as it does not hurt anyone else physically, emotional damage would most likely happen either way), than on someone else’s much later and in a slow and painful way (continuously pumped with medications despite being obviously beyond the point of a return to good health). When I run into a difficulty in life, whether it be computer problems, something breaking on my car, writer’s block, or something else that randomly comes up, usually I will try to work at it myself (often with the stubbornness of a pack mule) until the problem is resolved or it has slightly worsened (computer problems go into this category). In addition to this, in order to prevent future problems I will take pro-active measures (such as scheduling things way in advance, which sometimes works, and sometimes does not). Whether my efforts are effective (which they have fortunately been for the most part up till now *fingers crossed*), or not, either way I am still a problem solver.
ReplyDelete