apathy

Are We Better Than This? Penn State.

Carmen Lezeth Suarez 5 Comments

*in case you don’t want to watch the video, here’s a sorta transcript:

I had planned to post a very different video blog today, but in light of all that has happened over at Penn State, I couldn’t help but change what I had to say this morning.

People are outraged that this horrific situation happened at Penn State and rightfully so.  But I’m not surprised.  I’m not surprised it happened at all.  And I’m not surprised that people didn’t do anything for so long, and when they did, they did the bare minimum.

I’m not surprised because I see it every day.  We are so self-absorbed as a society now a days, that when something bad does happen on the street or at an event or there’s a fight at a bar – people’s first reaction isn’t to get involved to stop it — No, most people’s first reaction nowadays is to break out their  iPhones and film it!

This lack of community, this apathy, this fear of getting involved is dangerous, it’s killing us — its destroying us.  And it’s a shame.

I think it’s easy to sit here and be appalled by people’s inaction after all these years — that people knew children were being raped by a 50 year old man.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s friggin’ outrageous on so many levels.  But do we honestly believe that when the big thing happens, when the big emergency happens that we’ll be able to break out our Superman cape and help someone in distress when we won’t even get involved in what we could call the “little” things in comparison?   We won’t  even help out our next door neighbor or the homeless guy on the street or assist the little old lady with her groceries.  All out of being self-absorbed or just not wanting to get involved.  Hell, who are we kidding? -most of us don’t even know our next door neighbors nowadays.

I think it’s easy to be outraged.  Hindsight is 20/20 after all.  The hard thing to do is to look in the mirror and ask ourselves, “what have I done to help someone today?”

But we CAN change it.  That’s the good news.  We can always be better than we used to be.  “When we know better, we do better,” to steal a line from the great poet Maya Angelou.  And that’s my hope.

That as all of this comes to fruition, as all this unravels,  that we find a way to become a better people. We have to, we’re better than this.

On a side note, to all the Veterans out there — much love and peace to you, always.  Thank you for your service.

Till next week then.

Beautiful Men and Depression?

Carmen Lezeth Suarez 28 Comments

Beautiful Men and Depression? 

I started writing a blog on “Beautiful Men” (and when I say “beautiful” I mean more inside than out) and, somehow along the way, I came across this article on WebMD about men and depression.  I’ve never even really consider that men get depressed. Depression does tend to lend itself to being more of a “woman’s disease” and, well… I learned something today and thought I should share the information in case others might be interested.

So, this is for all the beautiful boys out there – and all the girls who love them.  Even if you don’t suffer from depression, you may want to be aware of the symptoms that pertain to men.  At the very least, it was a learning moment for me – and quite interesting.

I’ve copied a part of the article here on my blog – but the rest can be found at:

http://www.webmd.com/depression/depression-men?ecd=wnl_dep_070210

Depression in Men

While clinical depression was once considered a “woman’s disease,” more than 6 million men in the U.S. have at least one episode of major depression each year. Unfortunately, the lingering image of depression as a female condition may keep men who are clinically depressed from recognizing the symptoms of depression and seeking treatment.

Depression actually affects both sexes. It disrupts relationships and interferes with work and daily activities. The symptoms of depression in men are similar to the symptoms of depression in women. But men tend to express those symptoms differently. The most common symptoms of depression include low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts, loss of interest in usually pleasurable activities, fatigue, changes in appetite, sleep disturbances, apathy, and sexual problems, including reduced sex drive. In women, depression may cause them to feel sad and emotional. Depression in men, on the other hand, may cause them to be irritable, aggressive, or hostile.

Why is depression in men commonly not recognized?

There are several reasons why the symptoms of clinical depression in men are not commonly recognized. For example, men tend to deny having problems because they are supposed to “be strong.” And American culture suggests that expressing emotion is largely a feminine trait. As a result, men who are depressed are more likely to talk about the physical symptoms of their depression — such as feeling tired — rather than symptoms related to emotions.

Does depression in men affect sexual desire and performance?

Yes. Depression in men can affect sexual desire and performance. Unfortunately, some antidepressants, like SSRIs, can do the same. Men often are unwilling to admit to problems with their sexuality. Many mistakenly feel that the problems are related to their manhood, when, in fact, they are caused by a medical problem such as clinical depression.

To read the rest of this interesting article please go directly to the WebMD site:

http://www.webmd.com/depression/depression-men?ecd=wnl_dep_070210

PS. I’ll post the “Beautiful Men” blog next week…  promise!  Happy & Safe Fourth everyone!

Peace, love and all that good stuff!