Blog Post #9 :A rEaL uPsIDE dOwN DeAl

A rEaL uPsIDE dOwN DeAl
Years ago I remember a patient that I cared for who was diagnosed with the big C, Cancer. She was a rather bright and beautiful graduate student at the University of Wyoming and she had a promising future ahead of her. She was a quick witted sporty intellectual, who had a “can do anything” attitude. Her smile was invigorating and refreshing; no one could look her and not want to return the smile. Her intellectual capacity was many light years ahead of her 20 year old vibrant spirit. If you were to describe her in terms of a color she would be bright eye shocking red. If you were to describe her in terms of a car she would be a sporty Mini Cooper. The only problem was she was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma a rare, rapidly growing, highly invasive variety of cancer. It is a blood-fed cancer; meaning, blood vessels grow directly into the tumor and it is typically filled with blood. A frequent cause of death is the rupturing of this tumor, causing the victim to rapidly bleed to death. We all knew that she was not able to leave the hospital alive and irrationally, she oddly was okay with that, almost at peace with that.
The most irrational part of the entire ordeal was how insistent she was on taking her final exams.
She requested that each instructor come to her hospital room with the final exam in tow and allow her the prescribed time to take the exam. The entire staff was uneasy about her request but this was her last dying wish.
We have all put aside what comes natural, what feels comfortable and easy in favor of something which is the exact opposite. As a pessimist I am optimistic that one day my belief in the goodness and wholesomeness of mankind will change. But so far the insidious Christmas time robberies leave me somewhat questioning. We say that we don’t discriminate but we do unintentionally. We have preferences about ourselves, our tribes, our groups, our clubs, our beliefs and our chosen way of life. I can’t tell you how many times I have sat down, at the Fourth Street Café, staring at people whom I believe different from me wondering why they say and do the things that they do.
We irrationally anchor: Ask someone if they believe their sudden weight gain has a direct correlation with the Thanksgiving feast that they just consumed. Why wouldn’t the fact that an excessive caloric intake prior to Thanksgiving come into mind? Ask someone if a lucky charm really has the ability to change individuals luck and they will most likely respond with a yes.
Call this irrational or is it just a rational way of understanding the world.
We irrationally see patterns where none exist: Try to persuade a basketball player, fan, or statistician that there isn't anything to the idea of shooting streak. Try convincing him that it is all random luck. Chances are it won’t be that convincing.
...such "mind bugs" extend to the beliefs and preferences we have about ourselves and others.