CYB

[MY Psychology]

Joseph Wachira, 26, comforts Sudan, the last male Northern White Rhino on the planet, moments before he passed away at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, on March 2018. (Ami Vitale/National Geographic)

Last year process :)

People have written a lot of touchy-feely pieces on this subject but I thought I’d get right to the heart of the matter

“I’ve known most of my close friends since I was four or five.  We went to the same schools.  We’d go to the same summer camps together.  So for the first eighteen years of my life, I was never really forced to meet new people.  But last year I went to college in North Carolina, and it was the first time that I didn’t know anybody.  During orientation they had some sort of street fair so that you could meet new people.  I followed a bunch of guys from my dorm there.  I tried jumping into the conversation a few times, but it seemed like everyone was talking to each other more.  Eventually they peeled off, and I just walked up and down the street alone.  That pretty much set the tone for the rest of the semester.  It was the longest four months of my life.  It seemed like everyone was making friends except me.  Or they’d already formed groups and weren’t accepting new people.  I kept hearing other kids making plans after class, and it was a reminder that other people were making connections that I couldn’t.  I spent most of my free time alone in my room.  I’d sleep through entire weekends.  I felt like a broken social person.  Recently I transferred to a school closer to home, and it’s been much better.  There were a few familiar faces, which helped.  But I’ve also relearned how to make friends.  I’ve joined a few groups.  I’ve put myself out there more.  I’m being more consistent with people.  And I’m trying not to take it personally if someone says ‘no’ to an invitation.  I’ve met some new friends this year.  And I’ve realized that being social isn’t really something you are.  It’s something you have to practice.”

“I just finished medical school.  Now I’m heading to residency, which is supposed to be even tougher.  I’ve been working sixteen-hour days.  Then I’m expected to study every night when I get home.  Some of my classmates only sleep three hours per night.  I tried that for a few months during my surgery rotation, but I ended up getting really depressed.  I felt completely depersonalized.  Everything seemed like a dream.  To make matters worse, a lot of the instructors are jerks.  I think they went through hell when they were students, so they feel like they should put us through hell.  On the first day of rotations, my attending physician told me: ‘I’m an asshole, but I’ll make you a better doctor.’  He made fun of me in front of other students.  He put me down in front of patients.  He’d threaten to kick me out every day.  I guess they’re trying to weed people out and make strong doctors.  But they’re just traumatizing people.  They’re making us apathetic.  I got into medicine because I really wanted to make a difference in people’s lives.  But after going through hell, I just don’t care anymore.”

Better then to create a wealth ceiling, a point at which all wealth over a certain point  is taxed at or very near 100% to incentivize people to actually spend their money rather than hoard it, stimulating the economy and bettering the lives of far more people. Better even still to create and regulate economic systems that protect workers and the environment in a way that such extreme levels of wealth accumulation aren’t even feasible. 

It would take you 4,167 years to make a billion dollars.

be patient, good things are coming your way :)

Bruno Barbey, NIGERIA. Lagos

The unique drug cocktail almost doubled the mean lifespan in C. elegans, a result that is notably the largest lifespan extension ever reported using a drug intervention in animals. It was also reported that no adverse health effects were seen, and the drug seemed to extend the worm’s healthspan as well.