Letters to the Editor
dmac68
Published Letters: 25 Editor's Choice: 2
-
Cognitive Restructuring
[Read the article: WayLay]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The therapist said: "What's the worst thing that could happen if that comes true?"
I'm familiar with the technique cited by BeatnikBob. It's part of an anti-anxiety therapy called "cognitive restructuring," which is basically a 50-cent expression that means "changing the way you think about stuff." You take your worst worry and ask yourself, "What's the worst that could happen if that came true?" Then you try to answer the question as honestly as you can. The goal is to get the patient to realize that: a) his worst fears are unlikely to come true; and b) even if his fears do materialize, it's possible to cope, adjust, and get on with the business of living.
I used to worry about losing my job all the time. Never mind the fact that I've been with the firm 13 years, or the fact that in all that time, I've never received even one negative performance review. I mentioned this to my therapist, and she asked, "What's the worst thing that could happen if that comes true?" I answered, "Well, I guess I would have to go out and find another job." She replied, "And what would be so terrible about that?" I think that was the moment when I finally began to see the light. I still worry about stuff, but nowadays I don't allow my worries to take hold of me the way they used to.
-
Unaware of the "Controversy"
[Read the article: A moral "Compass"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]My girlfriend and I caught The Golden Compass during a sneak preview of the film over the weekend. Neither one of us knew anything of the books, the author, or the controversy surrounding them. We both thought it was a wonderful film, well-crafted and thoughtful, if a bit too intense for younger viewers. It's a fantasy film with both a brain and a heart, and I encourage everyone to go see it.
-
That'll Be the Day!
[Read the article: Which Democrat can beat McCain?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The only thing I think is clear: If the election is about change, either Clinton or Obama defeat the 100-year-war candidate easily in November -- as long as instigators on both sides can ease up on the ugly, divisive rhetoric.
Ease up on the ugly, divisive rhetoric? That'll be the day!
Besides, Joan...you make it sound as if ugly, divisive rhetoric is a bad thing...
-
Hmmm...
[Read the article: Free drugs from your faucet]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I guess that explains the erection that I had for over 4 hours last night...
-
News Coverage of Iraq War in US Media
[Read the article: Five years of Iraq lies]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]As he campaigns for the White House, John McCain, Bush's heir apparent in the Iraq propaganda department, has been signaling that "complete victory" in Iraq will be his talking point of choice for Year 6. If the mainstream media and the American public don't wake up to the truth about how the war has gone, they'll find themselves buying into an even longer and deeper tragedy.
Judging by the severely diminished news coverage of the war in Iraq, the prospect of having the American public "wake up to the truth about how the war has gone" seems increasingly unlikely, I fear.
-
I Wonder...
[Read the article: Rev. Jeremiah Wright isn't the problem]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]In his Second Inaugural Address, delivered near the end of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln issued an equally terrifying warning -- one also largely erased from the national memory. "Fondly do we hope -- fervently do we pray that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away," Lincoln said. But then he added, "Yet, if God wills that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-man's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said 'the judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether.'"
I wonder what would have become of Mr. Lincoln's political career had he had to deal with the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, et al. I can just imagine it:
"Tonight on The Factor: Is President Lincoln a Confederate sympathizer, or something far worse? We report, you decide!"
-
A Perfect Catch-22 Situation
[Read the article: Sizing up Petraeus on Iraq]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]So, here's the situation as I understand it: If the security situation in Iraq deteriorates, we can't draw down our forces, because that might make the problem even worse. On the other hand, if the security situation in Iraq improves, we still can't draw down our forces, because that endanger the gains we've made. Sounds like a perfect catch-22 to me.
-
Which is Worse..?
[Read the article: Who's in charge here?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The fact that (a) torture is the official policy of the U.S. government; or (b) after 7 1/2 years of Bush and Cheney, nothing--and I mean nothing--that this administration does strikes me as surprising or shocking anymore.