As I reached forward, I suddenly felt myself being tugged away.
I could not do it. I was unable to press the button.
Eventually I broke free, and yesterday’s post was published.
I did not trust my gut.
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“I am responsible for everything … except for my very responsibility, for I am not the foundation of my being. Therefore everything takes place as if I were compelled to be responsible. I am abandoned in the world … in the sense that I find myself suddenly alone and without help, engaged in a world for which I bear the whole responsibility without being able, whatever I do, to tear myself away from this responsibility for an instant.”
~ Jean-Paul Sartre
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To be a blogger takes self-assurance. A great deal of it.
In part, it takes trusting your instincts.
You must believe in the ideas you have. Faith in your abilities as a writer is essential.
When I write, I trust my gut.
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“All human activities are equivalent … and … all are on principle doomed to failure.”
~ Jean-Paul Sartre
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Fear can be overcome. People with type 1 diabetes – those who previously feared needles – know this all too well.
My sisters diagnosis with type 1 diabetes has brought to light just how sloppy I have become.
She has shown much greater care in managing diabetes than I currently do.
She changes her lancet every other day; I change mine every time it dawns on me that I cannot remember when I last changed mine.
She still uses alcohol wipes; I do not.
She still shows discipline in her eating habits; I am inconsistent.
If I desired to, I could innumerate many other contrasts between us. I do not desire to do so.
I am lazy at times. Openly so. This post is not meant to conceal this…
“…who wishes to concern himself with such dangerous “Perhapses”! For that investigation one must await the advent of a new order of philosophers, such as will have other tastes and inclinations, the reverse of those hitherto prevalent–philosophers of the dangerous “Perhaps” in every sense of the term.”
~ Friedrich Nietzsche
Does laziness get unnecessary flak? Perhaps sloth has been unfairly maligned. Of course, this flies in the face of everything you and I were brought up to believe.
Honorable custom tells us that to be lazy is a bad thing. That it is something to be avoided in oneself, and shunned in others. Why should I bow down to such a stern master?
(On second thought, there are exceptions. Laziness is not always bad. At times, when we are in a merciful mood, we will describe slothfulness with the phrase “laid back”.)
Conversely, why should I make laziness my idol? Is sloth a benevolent master?
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Own thyself.
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Both knee-jerk nonconformism and mindless conformity are less than ideal.
Admittedly, I have engaged in both. Who hasn’t? With that said, I prefer opening myself up to accusations of hypocrisy to selling my ideals for a little comfort.
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I fall short. You fall short. We all fall short. Does this justify giving up?
“I found that the men most in repute were all but the most foolish; and that others less esteemed were really wiser and better.”
~ Socrates
Having picked up on the contrast between my sister and myself, I began to think…
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Not all sloppiness is equal.
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Examine & probe assumptions.
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Exercise:
Periodically ask myself “have I been sloppy in managing my diabetes lately?” List them. Examine. Judge on case by case basis.
While alive, the body is soft and pliant
When dead, it is hard and rigid
All living things, grass and trees,
While alive, are soft and supple
When dead, become dry and brittle
Thus that which is hard and stiff
is the follower of death
That which is soft and yielding
is the follower of life
Therefore, an inflexible army will not win
A strong tree will be cut down
The big and forceful occupy a lowly position
While the soft and pliant occupy a higher place
I am a singular individual. Labels do not assimilate me. On the contrary, it’s to me that labels assimilate.
Labels conceal my uniqueness. They hide my individuality.
At the same time…
Each individual is a circle; a label = where circles overlap.
Labels hint at unity. They disclose my similarities with other individuals.
That is potentially beneficial.
Still…Labels do not disclose me.
I have type 1 diabetes; type 1 diabetes does not swallow me up.
I am young; being young does not swallow me up.
I am a New Englander; being a New Englander does not swallow me up.
I am an American; being an American does not swallow me up.
I am a man; being a man does not swallow me up.
I am a human; being a human does not swallow me up.
Labels may accurately describe one of my facets. Perhaps they might even explain an aspect or aspects of myself.
A useful negation they might be. Even so, but a fraction of my self is all you see.
Words to live by:
Cherish unity, but do not let love of unity lead to forced uniformity.
Cherish your individuality. Do not let labels obfuscate your uniqueness.
Be mindful.
These jottings are the result of a process of thought set into motion by a comment that Heather Gabel made. She blogs over at Unexpected Blues. Check it out if you have not done so already!
There is a sumptuous variety about the New England weather that compels the stranger’s admiration — and regret. The weather is always doing something there; always attending strictly to business; always getting up new designs and trying them on the people to see how they will go. But it gets through more business in spring than in any other season. – Mark Twain
It snowed in southern Maine today! Thankfully it was just a dusting. Still…it snowed. In mid-April. That ain’t supposed to happen!
New England weather is busy indeed! I wonder what other devious designs it has in store?
Mark Twain: a man of wit, wisdom, and…spot-on observations.
My sister is angry about being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
Do you remember being angry when you were diagnosed?
I assume it’s a common reaction. Assumptions – although necessary at times – are often incorrect. Therefore, I’m testing that assumption of mine.
As for myself, I don’t recall being angry – not initially. I do remember being in denial a week after being discharged from the hospital. That didn’t last.
Stone cold reality refuted my delusion of having complete pancreatic functionality. I soon accepted the circumstances I found myself in, and went with the flow.
At some point I began fighting against the current.
Loneliness. Alienation. That’s what I remember feeling early on. Perhaps those emotions morphed into anger. That’s just speculation though.
I am certain that I did go through a period where I was extremely angry. Most of this anger was due to school though – at least, that is what I attributed it to.
Having spent the majority of my school career with undiagnosed ADHD, I chronically fell (woefully) short of my own expectations – in addition to the expectations of others. My potential remained untapped. Teachers constantly reminded me of that fact. In a word, I struggled.
Naturally, I was angry.
Why was I struggling in school?! What was wrong with me? Why had I fallen through the cracks of the system for so long?! Why don’t administrators and teachers care about helping students who are in the greatest need of help? These were my thoughts…
In retrospect, I can see how these thoughts catalyzed my anger. I can also see how my type 1 diabetes might have aggravated the situation I found myself in. Again, this is speculation.
I communicated my emotions only on rare occasions. These instances were the exception, not the rule.
The causes of my lack of communication were numerous, not the least of which being the inherent difficulty of expressing one’s emotions. Perhaps diabetes compounded this difficulty.
As I mentioned earlier, diabetes made me feel alienated. Describing what it’s like living with this chronic disease is futile. The communication gap cannot be bridged completely.
You are marooned on a barren island. Whether you survive is – at least in part – in your hands. Will you adapt to your environment or will you let your environment destroy you? The answer is in your hands.
Amidst a sea of uncertainty, one thing’s for sure: you are alone in your struggles.
Nobody else understands what it is like having to go through life with diabetes. Nobody else can understand.
This is how I felt. I feel this way no more.
This post = me following the advice that I gave to some one else on tudiabetes
Anger, left unchecked, will destroy you. This realization – although seemingly insignificant at the time – was a turning point. It led me to seek change.
In order to mitigate my anger (and other counterproductive emotions) I began:
practicing mindfulness meditation;
exercising (there were other reasons as well);
writing as a form of therapy;
absorbing myself in music
This is what I can think of off the top of my head.
These practices have enriched my life.
My anger has subsided.
I have come to learn that negative circumstances are transitory.
I have realized that there are positives and negatives to all situations. The world doesn’t exist in black and white.
My 12 year old sister was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on April 1. Needless to say, my thoughts are centered around helping her to transition to her new life. Therefore, I’m going to put the series of posts that I was planning on hold indefinitely. Doing what I can to help her is more important than this diabetes blog.
With that said, I’m not disappearing from the Diabetes Online Community. The DOC is essential for my well-being.
If you want to stay updated, follow me on twitter @T1DME
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