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CABIN FEVER Here is a story from my college days I like to tell my friends. I feel it is relevant for a lot of people these days considering quarantine issues and a record amount of people never leaving their homes due to the Coronavirus. You might have heard the term “cabin fever” and if you have seen the Stanley Kubrick Movie “Shining”, you will know what I mean. Cabin fever is a mental affliction that develops due to long-term isolation. It can first start as irritability and often escalates into various other forms and symptoms. So, let me tell you a summary of my first real encounter with this affliction. It was our sophomore year of college and we came from Turkey to study in the United States. There were four of us, three (3) in Computer Science, and one (1) in Psychology. The first few weeks we explored the area and familiarized ourselves as best as we could. The classes were different, the culture was hard, and the expectations and stress levels were high. At the end of our first semester, our friend in Psychology announced he was dropping out because he could not take it anymore. We all understood, from my friend’s looks, I could tell they all considered it. We would regularly keep in touch, but we were not close. Our friend John started showing up less and less to the classes and had no friends to speak of. We did not suspect anything for weeks, but he became more and more obsessed with something that happened in his past and he started getting paranoid like Jack Nicholson’s character in the film. Eventually, it led him to beg hospitalized after trying to assault another student he thought was conspiring against him, while in truth he was trying to help him. Naturally, he dropped out of the program the following semester. This article would be exceedingly long if I were to include the details. Therefore, it does not have the emotional impact I would like to convey; but it is more relevant than ever. If you, or someone you know, are in isolation, recognize the symptoms and recommend professional help. It can make a huge difference for you or someone else. Quite frankly, in most circumstances, all the people starting to get cabin fever need is a friend and human interaction, something they do not even realize they need. Read More From This Writer All Post Books Business Culture Education Entertainment Food Government Health Interviews Lower West Side Business & Economic Development Medical Military & Veterans Our Community Peace People Sports Who We Are CABIN FEVER June 13, 2020/No Comments POST TITLE (CAPITAL) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus Read More FASCINATING CONCEPT OF “SAVING FACE” May 13, 2020/No Comments FASCINATING CONCEPT OF “SAVING FACE” Initially, I was going to write about the quarantine protests, but there is an interesting Read More F E A R April 13, 2020/No Comments F E A R “There is so much blood pumping through your brain, it is like rocket fuel. Right now, Read More Load More End of Content.

FASCINATING CONCEPT OF “SAVING FACE” Initially, I was going to write about the quarantine protests, but there is an interesting cultural phenomenon that is very alien to us, but also very counter-productive by any measure, known as “saving face.” For one reason or another, Eastern cultures are quite obsessed with “saving face.” This concept does not even fully translate to English, for it is counterintuitive and alien to us. It is the exact reason why no one questioned the Covid-19 cover-up in China. We just chalked it off as protecting their investment, but we all know had they acted sooner they would have garnered much more sympathy from the world community. This is not a uniquely Chinese problem either. In Turkey, I encountered “Saving Face”, and it has been a topic of quite a few comedy skits and sitcoms. I also heard of this in the past from other cultures as well. How does this “saving face” work? It is surprisingly simple in thought, but quite difficult in practice, the reason why it makes such great comedy material. It is a country or person trying to hide their defects or mistakes through any absurd tactics necessary. Should anyone want to speak about those things to solve it, they will only speak about it in secret among their “in groups.” If you have ever gone to any website where the topic of an Eastern country comes up, almost any time, and without fail, some people will defend that country with whataboutism and will chastise the people who brought it up, not realizing that the discussion of that topic is part of the solution, and it is much more dignified to own up to it and work to address and solve it. That is always the case in the end. We have stories where owning up to it was rewarded and is seen as a strength of character. On the other hand, those who do not realize or possess this awareness will instead humiliate the person with the fault. It all depends on how the owning up is done, and to what end. In the West, we consider it to be a strong and right thing to admit to one’s mistakes and fix them, but in the East, it is considered weak, and instead, not making mistakes is highly praised. They always fail to realize that the only way to not make mistakes is to take extreme precautions when trying something new or taking risks. In this Coronavirus crisis, we have seen what happens when countries try to save face. This should be a lesson for everyone. Honesty is the best policy Read More From This Writer All Post Books Business Culture Education Entertainment Food Government Health Interviews Lower West Side Business & Economic Development Medical Military & Veterans Our Community Peace People Sports Who We Are FASCINATING CONCEPT OF “SAVING FACE” May 13, 2020/No Comments POST TITLE (CAPITAL) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus Read More F E A R April 13, 2020/No Comments F E A R “There is so much blood pumping through your brain, it is like rocket fuel. Right now, Read More WHAT MATTERS MIGHT NOT MATTER March 13, 2020/No Comments WHAT MATTERS MIGHT NOT MATTER In the past two decades, something very peculiar happened. As we have gained access to Read More Load More End of Content.

F E A R “There is so much blood pumping through your brain, it is like rocket fuel. Right now, you can run faster, and you can fight harder and jump higher than ever in your life! You are so alert that it’s like you can slow down time! What is wrong with scared? It is a superpower! It is your superpower” –  Doctor Who S8E4 Fear is a superpower, but with great power, comes great responsibility. Without wisdom, strength is less than useless, and it can become very destructive, and it has… These past few weeks, due to the reality of the Coronavirus, that is exactly what we have seen. People with purchasing power, go to the extreme, buying all the toilet paper (for some reason), and even some going as far as price gouging. Fear, however, has an important place in the human psyche. It’s as the Doctor said (above), it is one of the great superpowers that humans have — but we merely need to learn to use it. As anyone has witnessed, someone under the effects of emotion will react in an unpredictable or specific pattern. The individual who is afraid is more likely to run or fight, however, the angry person is more likely or certain to fight. Their rational judgment is suspended during this fear process. The actions taken during these states are much more effective due to the altered state of mind and the hormones going through the individual; they are pre-programmed. The state of fear can last up to when the source of fear is gone, and the individual may not even be panicking, but just anxious enough that they do not ask the simple questions. This is exactly how people lose money on the stock market. Stocks are falling, so they run and try to “cut their losses.” That is, of course, a topic for another time; this is just to give you an example of how this creeping “fear” can damage a person while they may not be fully panicking. Fear has a time and a place. It is a superpower that unless controlled, will lead the person to jump off the cliff. Read More From This Writer All Post Books Business Culture Education Entertainment Food Government Health Interviews Lower West Side Business & Economic Development Medical Military & Veterans Our Community Peace People Sports Who We Are F E A R April 13, 2020/No Comments POST TITLE (CAPITAL) Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus Read More WHAT MATTERS MIGHT NOT MATTER March 13, 2020/No Comments WHAT MATTERS MIGHT NOT MATTER In the past two decades, something very peculiar happened. As we have gained access to Read More MILLENNIAL COMMUNICATION & CASUAL CHATS February 13, 2020/No Comments MILLENNIAL COMMUNICATION & CASUAL CHATS Do you remember the first scene in the Godfather, where Don Corleone was talking with Read More Load More End of Content.