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Nigel

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Everything posted by Nigel

  1. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder about 7 years ago. For the past 4 years I had not had any bipolar episodes or any issues. Two months ago, I had a manic episode. It was not necessarily a bad episode, but I was manic nonetheless. As a result, the doctor put me on a medication that makes me extremely tired and impairs my cognitive functioning. This medication was chosen because it has worked for me in the past, and we knew that it would work quickly. The problem is, the doctor would like me to stay on this medication to prevent possible future bipolar episodes. In the past, to counteract the mind dulling effects of this medication, I had taken a stimulant (like adderall). But stimulants will no longer work to counteract the effects of the medication. As a result, I have become very frustrated and agitated, as I think anyone would if their cognitive functioning were suddenly limited. I talked with my psychiatrist about this and she was insistent that I stay on the medication. I have serious issues with the logical reasoning here. Yes, without medication I will eventually have another episode. However, these episodes can be easily fixed in a short amount of time. It took less than two weeks to get the last episode under control. Furthermore, I have never hurt others during the course of a bipolar episode, and I have never hurt myself. The only time that things got seriously out of hand, I was able to seek out medical help prior to any adverse decisions. Also, during this one instance, I had not yet been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, so the racing thoughts and mania were quite scary. Being older and more knowledgeable about bipolar makes a significant difference. I guess my question is, is it logical to impair my cognitive functioning to prevent something that is very treatable. I value my mind. I don't see how inhibiting my attention and cognitive processing could benefit me, particularly if the concern is my mood. Am I right in demanding that my doctor take me off this medication? *as an after thought, last time I was put on this medication, I simply stopped taking it. I did not have a bipolar episode for 3 years after I stopped taking it.
  2. That sounds interesting. I would have pursued something in protozoology if I could hack graduate school in biology, but I knew that I couldn't. As an undergraduate, I got a a job on campus working in a cloning lab. It was interesting, but talking to the grad students and spending time there showed me that this lifestyle was not for me. I think that everyone should experience, on some level, the career that they are thinking about pursuing before jumping into it. On the other hand, after getting a bachelors in biology, masters courses in education were a joke. Either every discipline is different, or our nation just has terribly low standards for teachers.
  3. Sorry, yes, the concern was for mainly--if not entirely--the education of the poorer children. Voluntary cooperates would certainly be successful in middle class communities.
  4. I would like this argument in support of education critiqued. I argue that some form of education, supported by the public is just. Although Objectivist critics maintain that this is a form of compulsion on several levels, I do not wholly agree. I will absolutely agree that school choice is necessary, privately owned schools is must, and the curriculum as we know it is unacceptable. However, I argue that the public should support a minimal level of education at privately operated schools. We live in a liberal society in which citizens must be able to rationally make decisions both politically and economically. This system depends on a rational population who can use their consciousness to reason. Therefore, in paying to support an education (paying less than we pay now), we are ensuring the preservation of our society and the liberties therein. Practically, I can see people jumping to argue against this, but I believe that this is theoretically sound. Everyone benefits from the preservation of liberty, and the preservation of liberty requires individuals that can think logically. Taxing for the purpose of education is acceptable in that taxpayers expect a return on this investment. I can go into detail on the skills necessitated in educating to this end, but it will get lengthy and I think that most people have enough common sense to understand the argument. I am only curious about this as a reasonable argument to have schooling, not how the actual implementation is achieved. I am against compelling attendance and all the rest. Also, in stating that a minimal amount should be paid, I feel that it would be reasonable to have the taxpayers pay part of the cost, but parents should pay the rest. And I am not talking about ridiculousness like states that pay $20k per student per year to educate them. I have seen $7k per student go a long way (and parents would pay part of that bill).
  5. Just a thought, I know that the university that I went to had an office where psychologists provided free therapy. It was graduate students who were close to graduating and about go into their own practices. I went to a large university in America though. Also, although the school is often not very helpful, talking to your teachers individually might be a little better. Often times they are more than willing to give you some extra time or whatever. It sort of built in to their leftist altruist personalities, but take advantage of it. You would be surprised at some of the things they might do for you. As far as your studies seeming pointless, your probably right. Most of it you will never use regardless of what you study. The amount of knowledge retained by university graduates is abysmal. Unfortunately, to be employable, you need to struggle though it. I forget where the quote was, but I read some Ayn Rand quote about sucking it up and doing your best to ignore the contradictory nature of a university, because being employable is a necessity.
  6. Yes, though I guess that the problem is that the mule's integrity is questionable to begin with. This is the problem with attempting to apply moral reasoning in this situation. The mule engaged in a behavior that was unethical--at least a very good argument can be put forth that this is unethical. The question asked is how does the mule act in a way that is ethical while engaging in unethical behaviors. Although this question is worthy of considering, the more direct point is don't be a drug mule to begin with. Now, as is often the case, if the mule was coerced into trafficking drugs, the situation is clearly different. But based on the information provided, I argue that one must take responsibility for their own actions. Ratting out others simply to avoid the consequences of his decisions demonstrates a lack of integrity. Being a drug mule is a decision that must be carefully and rationally analyzed before doing. A rational human would consider the consequences of trafficking before engaging in this activity. If, after considering the consequences, one still chooses to be a drug mule, it should be argued that the individual has accepted the possibility of being caught. To add to this argument, why was one mule caught, but not the others within the crime organization? Perhaps the others were more skillful and use more ingenuity in trafficking drugs. Maybe the one who got caught was careless or lazy. Since each individual, particularly the mules, acts as an individual, this could arguably be turned into a case of individuals being wrongly associated into a collective. All are criminals, true. But one's incompetence should not adversely effect others.
  7. While I don't disagree with the other comments here, I believe the issue that should be addressed is integrity. Choosing to deal drugs is a problem in itself, but after that choice has been made, one must accept responsibility for the choice. In choosing to deal drugs, one must accept the possible consequences of this choice. Weaseling your way out of the consequences of a conscious choice demonstrates a lack of integrity.
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