“A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi.

When I switched careers (somewhat) after the age of 50, I learned something very important: you cannot teach what you do not know.  My first career (first love) was nursing, and I had led a varied career in that field, nursing in just about every specialty except labor and delivery.  I used to joke that I had PTSD from having been in labor four times, any time I approached a labor ward I would have sympathy contractions!  With my basic hospital-based diploma-earned education in the UK, I had learned more about nursing at the bedside than in the classroom.  That changed when I went back to school and obtained my B.S.N. – and I became fascinated with all the theory that I had not known before.

But it was in the classroom, in front of a large group of nursing students (my second career) that I realized how much I still did not know.  Back I went to the textbooks, and the more I taught, the better I understood the workings of the human body.  In teaching, not only do you have to know your material, you also have to find ways to help make the material memorable (mnemonics become your best friend); have to become an entertainer and comedian (to keep your students engaged); and then a story-teller (to show how all the theory applies to real-life situations, to actual patients).  One day my students pointed out that a lot of my stories ended with ‘and then she died’, which, in case you hadn’t noticed, we all do! Since nurses are at the bedside of all possible outcomes, it is good to be prepared.

When I taught courses on Mental Health nursing, back I went to the textbook.  During my initial education, mental health disorders were categorized as either neuroses or psychoses, but the field had changed a lot since then.  I had experience at the bedside also, but not much exposure to some of the less common disorders like ‘borderline personality’, or ‘schizo-affective disorder’.  There have been movies made over the years which helped somewhat, but I found myself having to refer to the definitions, finding ways to help myself understand the different features, in order to help the students. Unlike most medical disorders, mental health disorders don’t have biomarkers, lab results that indicate an underlying illness; no CAT scans or MRIs to confirm a fractured brain.  It is the manifestations that meet criteria listed in a manual (the DSM-5) that provide a diagnosis. 

One feature which can be found in several mental health disorders (such as the anxiety disorders; in obsessive-compulsive disorder; in PTSD, is catastrophizing.  This was easy to teach about, since just about every student had experienced it.  After each major exam; at the end of each semester; their fear of failing led to an inevitable comparison to the worst experience of their life, and end-of-the-world catastrophe.  Now another important feature of therapeutic communication (which should be used in all nursing encounters, not just in mental health) is the importance of validation, letting a patient know that their feelings are valid, even if out of proportion to the situation.  So it is a delicate balance between acknowledging that a situation may have very serious consequences, without actually leading to the end of the world.  Anyone who has ever tried to help a person with anorexia nervosa change the way they see their body, to try to reframe the way they view food and exercise, knows how challenging that can be.

This week I have been thinking about the world in which we live, in which we have to come to terms each day with a new and serious reality.  Will the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda become a pandemic?  What happens when oil reserves are exhausted?  What are the real costs to the environment and the population when huge AI data centers start sucking up electricity and water? What are the long-term consequences on the mental health of those families, children, human beings, ware-housed in the inhumane detention centers which are (like so much else) run for immoral profits?  When pristine land in the National Parks is leased for mining, or carved up and sold, what is the cost to the citizens of the US?  When valuable military professionals are fired because of the color of their skin, or their gender, or their sexual orientation, what happens to the morale of all people of non-white, non-heterosexual, non-male persuasion? It is not catastrophizing when the situation is as dire as it is. Going back to my mental health definitions, just because you’re paranoid, it doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.

I recently read a statement which resonated: White Supremacy is a strategy, not a philosophy.  It has been used throughout time to subjugate, to oppress, and to maintain control of a population.  It worked after the Civil War in the US when it appeared that poor folk (of all colors and races) were finding common ground in their miserable conditions.  In order to make sure that their united cause did not lead to organized revolt, the myth of White Supremacy helped to divide, and it has continued to the present time, despite the advances of Civil Rights, of Equal Opportunity laws, of DEI practices.  Just that quickly the rights have been rolled back, and the laws have been ignored.  A significant portion of the population has been convinced that immigrants are the problem; that DEI practices disadvantage White males (females of all stripes have suffered the most from the abandoning of inclusive and equitable practices). 

I recently heard a famous actor (Lupita Nyong’o) talking about a time when, before fame and acclaim, her visa had expired and she had to decide whether to stay in the US to try to find work and legalize her status, or if she should give up on her dream.  Her mother reminded her that she could ‘come home where you belong’.  I realized that this country, this United States that was founded on principles of ‘equal rights to all’ was also a country that has convinced itself that so many of its citizens do not belong, despite having lived here for generations.  The UK and other European countries appear to be doing the same. 

But history shows a different reality.  These same European countries were immigrants centuries ago.  Immigrants with an agenda.  And they moved in with power and force, took over countries which were already occupied and running very well, with a history and culture that predated Europe, and then pillaged resources to set their own countries on a path to development and wealth.  This of course is an oversimplification, but each of the colonial powers generated extreme wealth for a few; benefited from the enslavement and mistreatment of generations of people of African descent; after mistreating and abusing the indigenous people of the countries invaded.

There has to be a better way, and there are people who have better ideas.  Although the US is a democracy, how can it be when it is not living up to its Constitution, is not ensuring economic rights for all of its people?  I have been encouraged this week (and distracted) by groups of ‘grannies’.  One set of them dance with abandon, dressed in frumpy outfits and wigs, living their joy.  Another group has formed a band (accompanied by banjos and jugs), singing protest songs with gusto.  Everywhere I can see signs of hope, as regular people stand up and protest outside of detention centers; join marches to protest the blatant land grab in Albania; stand up in town hall meetings to point out the hypocrisy and corruption in high places.

This Friday morning, rather than hyperventilating and allowing my mind to chase down the rabbit holes of ‘what ifs’, I choose to set my focus on a world of compassion and ethical caring; where decisions are made for the good of the people, not the profits; where our children and grandchildren can grow up to be whoever they want to be, without discrimination or bias; where the dream of Martin Luther King Jr. can be realized; where a group of determined spirits can overcome the greed and injustice that is threatening our planet.  We SHALL overcome!

Have a great weekend, Family!

One Love!

Namaste.