Responding To Netizen's Comment Part 1

Netizen: I read a series of your lengthy discussion on Freud's psychosexual development ... and I just wonder if it is worth our time; to learn about psychology's mumbo-jumbo.  For a layman ... everything is a blur ... everything sounds Greek to me.

Response:  My advice to you is not to underestimate the new things you learn every day.  You think it is not important ... but one day soon you will realize you were dead wrong in giving a matter-of-factly attitude to any information that screams "I am important ... don't ignore."

And do you think I will waste my time discussing things and developing stories in this blog if it is not important? It is not uncommon to hear this kind of reaction. On a superficial level ... you may say psychology or psychiatry is not your line of expertise ...  you are an engineer and to hell with this crap. So you place yourself snugly inside the box (your comfort zone) unmindful of small things that sounds minor or trivial.

But in this age of computers, nobody should frown at how important one should update herself as far as her skills and knowledge are concerned.  My sister who is a nurse by profession, at age 62 in the US  doesn't have any intention of slowing down (retiring).  She has all the resources in her house, and her children have laptops, cell phones, and desktop computers in every nook of the house.  She doesn't know how to email, (she preferred writing letters instead) and she doesn't use Viber when everything there is free. She hates Facebook and Twitter and her mindset says that seniors who are into these activities are juveniles. You gave her a pep-talk and she gave you dagger looks. She pooh-poohed the use of the computer and maintain her jaded impression, that computers are only for the young.

Boy was she wrong! She had this rude awakening when computers become mandatory in all hospitals in America ... and she had this unpleasant but surprising discovery that she don't fit anywhere.  At 62 she considers her nursing experience as her trophies, but what does America care about her experience when everyone is expected to know the little ABCs of computers to keep her nursing career going.  She tried learning the ropes ... but too late ... she run out of gas as she reach her dead-end  ... and was forced to retire.

As my teacher use to pound us daily before in college ... I can still hear his voice reverberating: "Learning is a continuous process ... ad nauseam ... " and he is right ... learning is never-ending.

Learning new things gives us a feeling of accomplishment which, in turn, boosts our confidence in ourselves and our capabilities.  You'll also feel more ready to take on challenges and explore new things in your life. Acquiring new skills will unveil new opportunities and help you find innovative solutions to problems.

Keeping your skills up-to-date can give you the trust and belief that you can handle any tasks in the house and free yourself from paying for unnecessary trips to the hospital or paying plumbers or electricians when you can do the job yourself. 

Stay flexible and enthusiastic about what you learn every day. You may become reluctant to take on new projects if your skills are rusty or you lack some abilities that are needed to take on the intricacies of the work.

Responding Yo Netizen's Comment Part 2

Netizen: I read a lengthy discussion on Freud's psychosexual development ... and I just wonder if it is worth our time; to learn about psychology's mumbo-jumbo.  For a layman ... everything is a blur ... everything sounds Greek to me.

Response:

Why is it important to know a little about the 5 stages of psychosexual development?

Freud's theory of psychosexual development is important because it helps us understand how issues starting at the time the child is born and while passing the 5 stages (oral, anal. phallic, latent, genital), can affect behaviors when he becomes an adult. Ultimately, it's a way to help us become more conscious of the way we parent and raise our children, along with giving us insight as to how and why we act the way we do.

Sigmund Freud's theories and work to the uninformed helped shape the current views of the why's of a person's behavior ...  also his personality, sexuality, and memory. Freud's work also laid the foundation for many other theorists to formulate ideas, while others developed new theories in opposition to his ideas.

In layman's terms, so you will understand ... Sigmund Freud's theory suggests that human behavior is influenced by unconscious memories, thoughts, and urges. This theory also proposes that problems that were not resolved in the 5 stages of the child's development can result in fixations and pronounced carry-over traits can be overtly seen when she becomes an adult.

So tell me, do you think your matter of factly attitude (or your cavalier negative reaction) about learning new things that were out of the box of your expertise ... or your line of work ... matches the gravity of the situation when you see abnormal symptoms from your close friend or your brothers and sisters, or your colleague?

Would you not feel good, if you have handled the situation more adeptly and professionally?  If you saw your brother who has a short fuse and is too quick to react angrily even to matters that are simple and minor ... and his temper is up on the roof ... wouldn't it feel like a consolation knowing where your brother is coming from ... and you understood him very well?

If you see your mother exhausted because of repetitive and constant handwashing ... don't you find solace in knowing your mom's history and appreciate her struggles? If your best friend flirts with men, and people give her monicker as the hometown floozy ... wouldn't you find comfort in the fact that you know what stage she got the fixation and getting her professional help is a step in the right direction?

It can even happen to you. If you see something out of order, (or something out of hand) don't you have the impetus to reexamine yourself and trace where the problem originated?

Understanding human behavior is so complex ... but don't just brush what you read as unimportant.  The life you save ... maybe your own.

Dyuk ... Dyuk ... Dyuk

Nestor: Ang hirap pala KALABANIN ... ang pagiging mangungutang ko.

Ariel: Ano ang ginagawa mo para kalabanin ito?

Nestor: KINAKAMPIHAN ko na lang ... para wala nang issue.

Choice Cuts

(Some Pinoy programs on TV barely make a glitch on our radar screen, but there were lines uttered that invaded our collective consciousness so much so that we find ourselves echoing its most famous lines in our everyday conversations. Some lines manage to put a smile on our faces making us happy and contented.

Whether intentional or accidental, the classic lines resonate with us, because we can relate to the scene and see our lives being lived out onscreen.)

(Eksena sa Dirty Linen. Mila and Onore talking about the Chief of Police of Alhambra)

Onore: Mahirap para sa akin na isipin na may illegal na ginagawa ang hepe namin. At kilala ko rin siya.

Mila: Pero tama ba ang ginagawa niya Onore?  NAMUMULAT na ang mata mo sa katotohanan ... at ngayong GISING ka na ... malaking kasalanan ang PUMIKIT ...