May Open Thread
Been wrong a time or two?
When I was getting interviewed a lot about books I’d written, one of the most interesting lines of questioning was when the journalist wanted to know what I’d been wrong about. The first time I was asked, I admit I was flummoxed for a minute. We tend to spend so much time making sure we’re right about things, that we often ignore or forget what we’ve been wrong about — which is an intellectual mistake of epic proportions, as our mistakes are so full of learning potential. So my question to get you rolling this month is:
What important issue/question have you been wrong about recently?
Ever since I left active duty from the Marine Corps in 2008, I figured that I was fine. I avoided going to the VA and ignored clear signs that I needed some mental health treatment. After a mental health episode that put me in the hospital last fall, I realized that I was wrong. I realized that I had to put some things on pause and care for myself. I even realized that I should be in some meds, as much as I hate the pharma industry. I’m doing a lot better now but I could have got treatment a long time ago. I’m happy where I am though.
A couple months ago, two guys passed away that I had served with. One committed suicide and the other overdosed. That hit me like a ton of bricks. Now I’m much more open and honest about my mental health issues. I’ve learned that we all have these problems whether we’ve been to war or not.
A few weeks ago my sister commented on some story about passengers onboard Mexico City's metro train being victims of 'needle pinches', supposedly perpetrated by would-be assailants seeking to drug them, in order to rob their possessions or maybe even to kidnap them.
I judged the matter as yet another urban myth, akin to the fears of needles infected with HIV stuck on movie theater seats in the middle of the AIDS crisis of the 1980s.
Turns out there's been more reports coming out, so I guess the threat is true. Yet another think to worry about in this wonderful megalopolis of ours...