Saturday, October 3, 2015

Exploration 5: Fear is Just a Chemical from Rachel Hopper

     Mr. Money Mustache opens his article "Fear is Just a Chemical" with a skeletal structure of an important molecule in our bodies.  Being a pharmacy major, I know that the molecule is hydrocortisone, a steroid hormone that comes from the adrenal gland.  Our adrenal glands produce this hormone in response to stress, as well as fear.  He says, "This is Pure Fear.  Not quite as scary as you imagined, it is?"  The image of the steroid hormone was the big reason I was intrigued to read the article as well as choosing it for this assignment.  His reasoning for this image is to convey that hydrocortisone is our natural and chemical way that we respond to stress and fear.  It took a nightmare to realize how powerful it was and how it can influence us greatly.  This influence hinders us from things in our life and that doesn't really help us.  It interferes with us expending our circle of friends, expending our horizons, making a financial or career move that could be for the better, or just challenging ourselves in general.  Like he says, "Like most things in life, it's not worth being afraid of."  He challenges his audience to confront what they are afraid of because "Action Cures Fear".  I feel that he is referring to being unafraid and fearless as a life skill, almost like being decisive, ambitious, or determined.   His ultimate point is that fears should not be taken into account when making decisions.  It's like making decisions based on any other emotion.  He illustrates that life without fear is a life where one is better off.  
     This article makes many good points.  His strength is his approach.  He approaches fear as something as simple as a microscopic molecule that circulates our bloodstream from time to time.  Putting it in that perspective helps his argument that fear should not be considered when making decisions.  His weakness, I feel, is that he doesn't ever really acknowledge any contradicting ideas.  Do I agree with this?  Yes, but not entirely.  Emotions do have a way at hindering us from things in our lives.  I think that having emotions like fear, stress, worry, sadness, or any other emotion is all part of being human.  I also think that the best decision making is done with a clear mind, free from clouds of emotion.  I believe that there should be a balance.  I think everything about life is about balance.  Would peace of mind exist without fear, stress, or worry?  There is a time for everything. There is a time to be fearful for the future, to be cautious for the things to come, and to set aside emotions and be clear-minded.  I agree with him that decision-making is the time to be clear-minded.
         Here is the link for "Fear is Just a Chemical" :  http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/08/23/fear-is-just-a-chemical/
         One resource I really value and truly find interesting is TED Talks, specifically the TEDMED division. TEDMED is a conference that focuses on health and medicine.  These are conferences people actually can attend, and I would honestly love to go to a conference at one point in my life, if not as many years as possible.  Being a Pharmacy student, I found this very interesting.  I first came across this when a mentor of mine had shown me a video and then I went looking for myself.  One universal theme of TED talks that I've noticed that these talks emulate is perspective.  The TEDMED talks specifically give new perspectives on surgery and patient care.  Watching these advances and revolutions in the medical world is absolutely incredible.   Listening to these professional who are in the workforce currently and seeing things from their perspective makes me excited for the future, my own future and the future of the field.  What will the medical field be like when I finally graduate and receive my degrees that I have been working so hard for?  The possibilities could be endless.   This resource can be useful to any student interested in going into the medical field.  Whether you are a Pre-Med student, or a Biomedical Engineering student, or someone who is just curious and wants to be informed on what is going on in the world, this is incredibly useful, informative and even entertaining,  TED talks in general have many different categories as well like technology, business, science, global issues, and fine arts.  Anyone can find something that they are curious about and learn so much about it by watching a talk.  
        These TEDMED talks are about revolutions in surgery so there will be pictures and footage that they will show.  So if you are a sensitive to that kind of material, be cautious because there will be some examples throughout these presentations.  http://www.ted.com/talks/quyen_nguyen_color_coded_surgery
http://www.ted.com/talks/catherine_mohr_surgery_s_past_present_and_robotic_future

TEDMED conference taking place in 2011

2 comments:

  1. Im not honestly surprised at all that you chose this article by Mr. Money Mustache because of your knowledge and interest in pharmacy and things of that nature, I like how confident and proud MMM is about taking on things you fear and calling them out, and you Rachel did a fantastic job elaborating on his point and incorperating it into your own personal views.

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  2. I also am interested in Pharmacy so Im going to make sure I go and check out this whole article. I agree that choices should be made without the mind being clouded too.

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