Solving for 'Why' and WTF
(Rated PG-13 for one rude word. But if that one rude word is more offensive than the other stuff, then I can't help you.)
© J.A. Carter-Winward
I had a Jr. High math teacher who told me I was "just one of those people who couldn't do math."
Looking back, I wish I had said, "Maybe you're just one of those people who shouldn't have been a teacher?" I went on to prove him wrong in a brief college stint, where I took math and aced my classes because it occurred to me that the underpinnings of his assertion were that I lacked reason, critical thinking skills, and the ability to follow basic logical premises.
Once, speaking with a guy who has pretty severe Asperger's and who struggled with being 'too left-brained,' I was told my logical abilities were "kind of scary."
Now, there's a small, evil part of my brain that wants to find that math teacher and say, "See? Suck on that, Mr. Johnson."
But. That would be illogical, and face it, unproductive. The point? I love math. I love learning math. I am not naturally gifted at math, but I'm gifted in the ability to see the underpinnings of why math is such an important skill to have, no matter what you do for a living or how you choose to live your life.
Even if, when it comes to math, you're "all thumbs," tell me—how many times have you had a gut instinct that said, "This just doesn't add up"? Because when something "adds up," it makes sense, doesn't it?
So, I wonder if they teach math in med school at all? I wonder, because it seems their ability to say "this just doesn't add up" seems not only compromised, it seems downright absent.
This is especially true regarding the first-line treatment for people who report they are in pain—emotional pain—to their doctors. Pain, anxiety, distress. Or they feel deeply depressed, or feel their moods are out of control, especially when their marriage is on the line and they've received a lay-diagnosis from the person they love, to 'go get help' or maybe they need to be ultra-steady to fit in their social constructs, like their job or communities, among other things.
So this is a kind of simple "story problem" if you will. Don't get distracted, now. And we'll be using a variant of the transitive mathematical property—if you don't like math or think you're one of those people who can't "do" math, trust me. I think you'll be able to really grasp how important this equation is. How vital.
Are you ready? Here goes.
? We don't know what causes mental illness.
? We know many—not all—of the factors that can contribute to mental illness
? The majority of people suffering from mental illnesses don't know why they are suffering— only that, after seeking help for their suffering, they were diagnosed with a mental illness.
? But we still don't know what causes mental illness.
