Thinking Like a Mountain

"Only the mountain has lived long enough to listen objectively to the howl of a wolf." To kill a wolf you have to think a mountain. The mountain nor the man agreed with the killing of wolves, it sense the light dying in their eyes. The story I just read was beautiful descriptive story that embodies one mans realization of the effect of killing wolves.

Thinking Like a Mountain  is somewhat of a poem, but mostly a story. It tells the story of a man who is hunting for wolves so there will be more deer on the mountain and a hunters paradise. One  day he shoots a female wolf and her cub he saw the green light dye in her eyes. Since that day he saw more and more wolves going extinct. He realized that without wolves there are to many deer and the mountain looks bear from the so many deer snaking on it " Such a mountain a mountain looks as if someone had given god a new pruning shear." Later in the story he made a very good point "I now suspect that just as a deer herd lives in mortal fear of its wolves, so does the mountain live in mortal fear of dear." The story ends with the man realizing that everyone and everything strives for safety, prosperity, comfort, long life, and dullness.

I personally thought that the story made some very good points. It was quit beautiful , meaningful, and was just the right length for me to enjoy.  I didn't see how it connected with what were learning at the moment, but I'm sure it will click with me soon. All in all it was a fun assignment.

TED Talk

It never occurred to me how people with such severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia could lead normal lives. It surprised me when I found out that Elyn Saks, who suffers from a severe case of schizophrenia, was married and a professor at a university. Her struggle with schizophrenia truly amazes me.

A schizophrenic scholar by name of Elyn Saks was diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia in her early college years, while she was studying at Yale. She spent a lot of time in mental hospitals, being mistreated by the employees there. They would tie her up to beds and neglect her for days on end. They told her that she had "grave" schizophrenia. "Grave" meaning that she would never have a normal life. She decided to share her experience because she feels that people with severe mental illnesses should be treated as human beings.

I took away that people with severe mental illness should be given proper medical care. I never realized that there were treatments that could let people with severe illnesses like schizophrenia live normal lives. I also never realized until Elyn Sak's intense descriptions how awful schizophrenia truly is. Hopefully we can find a cure for all people suffering from mental illness.