Thought Picnic: In the struggle to resume as I

A fog in the head

It is strange that only recently I wrote about being stuck on the absence of desire, I concept that might well be quite seriously misunderstood when it is seen as physical rather than a head and consequently a mental health issue.

Blog - Thought Picnic: Stuck on the absence of desire

There is no doubt in my mind today that I do need therapy, there are knotty issues that are affecting my flow, I cannot seem to get a grip on several things that I would have thought a few months ago would have happened without any need for encouragement or inspiration. I really do feel somewhat stuck that something radical needs to happen.

The therapies I require

Indeed, some physical therapy can come in useful in the form of spa treatments and a sports massage, however, fundamentally, mental therapy would reach down into the depth of what seems to ail me, a few sessions of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis, a professional helping me unravel the pall of infirmity that inhibits aspects of productivity and expression.

The catharsis of writing is not enough and though having a conversation with my best friend might have helped things a bit. In myself, my confidence is shaken and the kind of focus that appears as sure-footed maturity is not particular manifest. It is like I am at my most vulnerable when I need support and most misunderstood that places the burden of patience on others.

Seeing more of me

I have no idea of how much time I need to get back either to my old self or to arrive at a manifestly improved self, I am just taking each day as it comes, hoping that in the process things either fall into place or I find that essential support I need.

It is inauspicious that this is happening at a time when I am with my partner, and we have ahead of us some consequential plans. Oh, I can be quite moody if not boring, these are realities that probably need to be experienced and appreciated along with everything else people know about me. What I do not know is if my human frailties can find enough allowances in the frame of reference of those on whom I depend as much as they depend on me.

Then there is a responsibility that I bear in all this, the need for others to see the 'for worse' of me when they are distracted by the 'for better' at commitment, and feel deceived about all the components of my evidently fragile being and nature.

Thankfully, we are not astronauts

The American Criminal mind

The episode of the respected and excellent NASA astronaut who is now facing an attempted murder charge is interesting from many perspectives.

However, I see one particular American perspective to this matter, this is broadly a generalisation of sorts; every time there has been a serious criminal situation, the police and news people do a background analysis and most cases do not expect their suspect to be holders of college degrees, have decent jobs or be high achievers.

Generally, criminals should be genetically predisposed to vices that separate achievement from non-achievement.

An astronaut is supposed to be in the rank of the highest achievers having passed every kind of psychometric and demographic profiling to become one of America’s best.

The cult of achievement

Unfortunately, this case has besmirched the Graven Image and humongous Golden Idol of the Cult of Achievement and they who worship at the Altar of Perfect People have just realised that the astronaut is flesh and blood, human and fallible just like you and I.

However, it would appear NASA finds that unacceptable – the concept of being human, mortal and emotionally affected – that they would be reviewing from two perspectives the physical and mental assessment criteria for becoming an astronaut, as if, any tests can pinpoint with accuracy such unpredictable behaviour.

Thankfully, we are not astronauts

Something we non-astronauts would know without having to achieve these high grades of becoming cult demigods is this; none of us would drive 900 miles in diapers to achieve anything – it takes the innate quality of an astronaut’s mental prowess and genius to come up with such meticulous attention to detail.

For that realisation we are grateful but probably scared rotten that astronauts might be such a seriously calculating bunch that some unsolved issues in our communities might as well have been perfectly perpetrated by people perfectly and conveniently out of the radar range of mere mortal detectives.

I must however commend how NASA has closed ranks about its own and they way they have tried the manage the situation around the affected parties.