It’s been quite some time since my last post but that is actually because things
have been going quite well. I had treatments on July 10 and 17, moving up to
full doses and tolerating them quite well. I had to add a dose of Atropine to
kill the in-chair reaction to Irinotecan, but that’s pretty minor. And overall,
I’m learning how my body reacts to the treatment and hopefully will get better
at countering the side effects. (Note: Atropine is a potion made from Deadly
Nightshade, Jimson Weed and Mandrake, which I think means that the recipe can be
found in the “Muggle’s Guide to Harry Potter.”)
On my off week, Robbie,
David and I went back to Cape Cod for a few days and this time, we got to sail a
boat much like the one in the picture from my last post! We returned for my
next two treatments which were on the 24th and yesterday. So now I have the
coming week off and hope to return to the Cape one more time. After all, what
better cure is there to one’s ills than cool salt air, sandy beaches and fresh
seafood?
In the meantime, I have been catching up on various items of
personal business and doing some reading. One thought that I’ve been curious
about lately is the definition of, or perhaps better put, the elements of
“Wisdom.” It seems a topic akin to Justice Brandeis’ definition of pornography
– I can’t define it but I know it when I see it.
Some “academics
researchers” define the elements of wise reasoning to be 1) dialecticism —
realizing that the world is in flux and the future is likely to change; and 2)
intellectual humility — recognizing the limits of one's own knowledge. But this
definition would lead to someone making a decision to never plan for the future,
as it is both uncertain and one could reasonably feel that s/he lacks sufficient
knowledge about it. But taking the (in)action to not attempt to plan for one’s
future is surely unwise.
A more recent scholar posits that the 5 crucial
aspects of wise reasoning are:
1. Willingness to seek opportunities to
resolve conflict
2. Willingness to search for compromise
3. Recognition of
the limits of personal knowledge
4. Awareness that more than one perspective
on a problem can exist
5. Appreciation of the fact that things may get worse
before they get better
This also leaves me flat as it addresses more of a
societal philosophy built upon the idea that all individuals should act for the
“greater good” of their circle, town, country or world. While I applaud that
concept, it seems to me that acting for the “greater good” is but one aspect of
wisdom, not the sum of it.
So I ask you, Great Sages, what is wisdom?
And to ease the mental strain of thinking about that topic, above is a serene
photo from last week’s visit to the Cape! BB
This weekend is the quasi-official end of summer and I'm sad to see it go - even though September has always been one of my favorite months. Despite the troubles of May and June, July and August went swimmingly. I managed through the treatments with success and, at each "third week" break from chemo, I got out of town - three times to the Cape and once to Maine. The Maine trip, in particular, was fun as Vicki was able to join us! She was home all summer but worked two jobs - so we didn't see her much. And now she's back at school so it's just the three of us again. 
