To Everything There is a Season...

To My Readers,

I am saddened by the passing of my 42-yr-old son, Ron Jr.  An unresolved bout of Asthma led to complications that hastened his death.  Numbness and disbelief help the initial grief.

When a person's health turns for the worse, there is little time to say what needs said, to do what needs done.  We scan memories for slivers of time well-spent.  When found, we mine them to ease the pain of loss. Childhood faith is often renewed, worn out prayers revived.  We remember a God of long ago.

If we are lucky, we are not caught unaware by a person's sudden passing.  We have done the work of living well and loving through all conditions.  We believe that our loved one only sleeps.  A better life awaits on the other side.  A healthy approach to death is a sign of balance in the life.  To everything there is a season...

Sleep well my son.

Love,
Mama

"I think, therefore I am." - Rene Descartes

Hi all!

Just hung up with my friend from Ohio -- back and forth sharing of current events, our hopes, and dreams.   I am transparent with my friend.  Her heart is warm -- like the sunniest of days in Pennsylvania.  This week holds promise for farmers' haymaking before the steamy earth begins to cool.  The sun beats down in anticipation of autumn's prelude.  Vines cling to the last fruits of summer drying in the heat.  Gardens thirst.  Children stroll with parents down sidewalks strewn with tables. Shiny wares, jewelry, antiques, canned goods, and handicrafts bid for buyers. The air is chilled most mornings as summer fades into fall.  It is good to be alive...

Descartes had it right. The act of thinking does guarantee the existence of the self.  Thinking left to "its-self " however, does not guarantee that it will be fair or consider the rights of others.  Elder and Paul maintain that "egocentric" thinking strives to gain its own selfish interests.  It strives to validate its current way of thinking.  Thinking that is fair or "rational" however, considers the rights and needs of others.  It strives to see things as they really are.  People who pursue selfish interests do so at the expense of others.  They are both skilled and unskilled.  Skilled egocentric persons use their intelligence to wage believable arguments without concern for others.  Those who are inexperienced or naive fail to see through those arguments.  They are often looked up to as "experts."  Unskilled egocentric persons are easier to spot.  Their prejudices and narrow-mindedness give them away. 

Rational thinking is properly done when intelligence and sound reasoning are used to bring about justice rather than social and economic success (Elder and Paul, 2007).  Rational thinking is based on fairmindedness and considers the rights of others.  Thinking that is rational, teaches us to think more carefully regarding health care choices that will affect us and those we love.

Here's to rational thinking,
Sharon

concepts from, Taking Charge of the Human Mind by Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul

Critical Thinking Concepts and Principles, The Foundation for Critical Thinking

http://www.criticalthinking.org/

A Matter of Mind

Hi All,

Just catching up with my reading while in between client appointments.  It's blistering here in PA with no rain in sight.  Where to start?  I'd like to share a bit from a small book by The Foundation for Critical Thinking.  It describes the importance of allowing reason to guide emotions when making judgments or engaging in important decisions.  Please give a fair hearing to Dr.'s Elder and Paul as you go about making those important health care decisions.

"Humans are not by nature rational or ethical," write Dr. Linda Elder and Dr. Richard Paul in Taking Charge of the Human Mind, a miniature guide to Thinking, Feeling, and Wanting.  The authors list the following  to broaden readers' understanding of differences between the intellect and the emotions.

Emotion - A state of consciousness having to do with the arousal of feelings.  Refers to any of the personal reactions, pleasant or unpleasant, that one may have in a situation.

Intelligence - The ability to learn or understand from experience or to respond successfully to new experiences, the ability to acquire and retain knowledge.  Implies the use of reason in solving problems and directing conduct effectively.

Elder and Paul state that for humans to develop as fair-minded skilled thinkers they must:

1. Understand how the mind works.
2. Use this understanding to develop skills and insights.

"Powerful emotions or desires influence our thinking, helping or hindering how well we think in a situation," write the authors, "The key to understanding human thought then, is, to understand its essential duality: its capacity for egocentrism (being trapped in self-delusion, myth, and illusion) and its capacity for reasonability (freeing itself from self-delusion, myth, and illusion)". 

Critical thinking consists of using both the intellect and the emotions.  Bringing our intelligence into play helps us think more reasonably and make better long-term decisions.  Give it a try!

More later,
Sharon Full

About the Authors:

Dr. Linda Elder is an educational psychologist

who has taught both psychology

and critical thinking at the college level. 

She is the President of the

Foundation for Critical Thinking

and the Executive Director of the Center For Critical Thinking...

Dr. Richard Paul is a major leader

in the international critical thinking movement,

Director of Research at the Center for Critical Thinking,

and the Chair of the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking... 

Artful and Skilled Thinking

Critical thinking is an art that can be acquired and developed for better decision-making. We owe it to ourselves and our families to study the core concepts of critical thinking to avoid unnecessary harm when making health care choices.

Decisions based on feelings or other people's opinions neglect vital questions that must be raised in order to clearly understand what is at stake. How will the decision impact you and those around you?  Are the facts you base your decision on accurate? 

Information needs to be gathered and examined for accuracy, clarity, and relevance. Assumptions must be examined to avoid making decisions based on a lack of knowledge. The information needs to be accurate. Inferences, or conclusions made must be double-checked for accuracy. Conclusions reached must make sense given all of the facts.

Health care decisions can be made with confidence when core principles of logic are followed and fairminded principles are employed.  For more information check out
http://www.criticalthinking.org/CTmodel/CTModel1.cfm.

Here's to artful and skilled thinking for more informed health care decisions.

Doctor of the Heart

Good Morning All,

Better late than never regarding my promised post. It's thirty minutes before lunch as I finish up at the library. I am re-reading Conrad Baars, MD, Feeling and Healing Your Emotions. Baars emphasizes that there is a needed partnership between our emotional and intellectual lives as we go about making decisions. Allowing reason to guide our emotions, places the decisions we make on more solid footing with less chance that we will regret them. A little history...

When I was young and impressionable, life experiences as well as gut instinct taught me how to react to life. When I became an adult, I was often derailed by decisions made in haste based on how I felt. I made poor decisions for a lack of reason. Conrad Baars, MD points out that when our emotions are coupled with reason, we lessen the chance of that happening. Reason helps us weigh the pros and cons of decisions before committing to them. Reason helps calm the emotions and gives us time to think.

People and Health seeks to guide your health care decision-making. PAH offers step-by-step instructions on how to partner with your intellect when making important decisions about your family's health care. People and Health (PAH) will step in with personal consultation if needed.

Your partner in healthy decision-making,
Sharon Full, MFA, MA
Owner, PAH
http://www.peopleandhealth.org
peopleandhealth4u@gmail.com
You can reach us on Twitter and Facebook too.

"People and Health": Healthful Thoughts

"People and Health": Healthful Thoughts

Healthful Thoughts

Hi All,

Just taking a break from my day job to eat lunch and to check on my followers.  The middle of the day is when I step back and ask how things are going with me.

It was a good morning, although hectic with the noise and clamour of pre-schoolers and water day.  I watched my client with Autism run free with the wind in his hair.  I pondered his fragile condition, watching tenderly in case he would trip.  Like a child, I too can raise my hands to the breeze.  I too can run with all my might, knowing that a benevolent presence orders the chaos of my world.

Keeping myself focused on what is most important is a healthy practice.  When I am centered, I make better decisions all around.  Here's to healthful living!

Best,

Sharon

People and Health Update

Much more information coming your way soon. Be sure to subscribe on this site and on the feed for the latest updates by "People and Health." I look forward to getting to know you and am sure you will find these valuable health resources helpful in every way.

To your success,


Sharon Full - P.A.H.

Caring for your family's health

You care about your family's health as well as your own, but, let's face it, you have a busy life and live in a busy world. There are so many voices -- friends, family, teachers, doctors -- that attempt to influence you and steer you one way or another. And perhaps you feel pressured to make decisions without the time to really think about it. You may be asking yourself questions like:

-- "Should my child be on medication to improve his or her behavior?"
-- "Do I agree that my parents should be placed in a long-term care facility?"
-- "Should I have that recommended surgery?"
-- "How can I know what nutritional supplements are best for my family?"
-- "Which diet is best for me?"
-- "They want an answer by next week, what will I do?"

"People and Health" exists to support your personal right to make informed health care decisions based on the time it takes and your own value system.
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