By Mike Jacobson
For my latest attempt at writing an in-depth and highly fascinating look-into-the-human-psyche sort of article. (Not too much luck so far). I have decided to take a gander at our increasing over-sensitivity and whininess. I understand that the term “over-sensitivity” is a bit odd, so I’ll give an example of what it means: A student in a mainstream math class last year, brought in a note from there psychiatrists stating that this student should only take on the rigorous duty of a simple assignment if she was feeling mentally secure enough to do so. I nearly barfed when I heard this.
Now, I do understand that one’s mental well-being and emotional security are important needs, and needs that must be met, but this is a joke. It seems we have evolved enough as humans to figure out that way over exaggerating a scarred psyche is a wonderful and convenient cop-out. It doesn’t take a Doug Berg to figure out that a lot of this problem is the fault of psychiatrists everywhere. (Lets call ‘em “shrinks” for the heck of it.)
I wouldn’t make this claim if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. During a part of my junior year I saw a shrink for $60/session. I started out going with an open mind, and ended up with a lot of B.S. Every single time I confided in him about what was going on in my head, he would just repeat back to me a highly dramatized and emotionally exaggerated version of what I had told him, offering no solutions or suggestions or advice or anything. Just a soap opera story of my life. This dramatizing by someone I had deemed professional and trustworthy had a similar effect on me. My head was now completely occupied with my troubles and my emotions, 10% actual pain, 90% what someone had convinced me was pain. I guess it’s how these shrinks keep you as a paying customer. It’s pretty low if you ask me.
For me, there is only one real solution for pain, and I guess it’s kind of a solution to the problem this article is about too. If you bleed, get a band-aid, kiss and make it better, and move on.