Wyzga On Words

Q&A Tuesday: Who Here Is Plagued By Doubt? Even If Only Now & Again?

Q:    Who here, even for a moment, experiences doubt?  Before a trial?  When a client calls with a perplexing question?  When you have to make an either/or decision?  Whenever.........

A:    Click here to listen for 10 delightful minutes as Margaret Dulaney talks about devious doubt.

TIP:    If you're like me, you might recognize your fear in "Bob."  Name the fear and see what happens to diminish it. 

This TIP also works very well in witness prep. Have your witness name or label her fear to manage it.  I often ask the witness to draw a picture of the fear.  It's remarkably freeing and productive.

Letting Children Share In Grief.

My thesis to complete my BS degree in nursing addressed suicide in young children.  "Young" as in under the age of 10 years.  As a pediatric nurse I was often at the bedside of children who were dying.  There were times the parents simply could not share in the grief of what was coming.  One of my roles was to support the child in the process of death and dying.  

I believed then - as I do now - that children have an exquisitely accurate grasp of loss if we are attuned to and support them.

Adults, however, want to shield children from death, dying, grief, loss and all the messy details that are associated with the end of life, even if it's just a pet goldfish.  We can flush the dead one, replace it with another and who knows the difference?  They are small and gold.  Larger pets are a bigger issue - no pun intended.

Can you imagine that there might be ways to invite children into the grieving process?  Catherine Saint Louis writing for the NYTimes, "Letting Children Share in Grief," sensitively and carefully talks about how protecting children from grief might worsen the process of loss.  Recognizing that not all solutions fit all folks equally, Saint Louis offers valuable stories and resources which might be of use to you, your loved ones and clients.

 

Q&A Tuesday: What Did You Do, Dad? Learning The Stories Before It's Too Late.

Q:    We spend so much time teasing legal stories out of our clients; what would we get if we used those same story listening skills with our loved ones?

A:    You might hear how your father did something rich and wonderful and good.

All around me are aging parents, dying parents, no-longer-lucid parents.  Eulogies are being written that emphasize achievements, accomplishments and affections.

Before that time comes take a moment to read Neil Genzlinger's heartfelt story about cable TV and his pioneering father. 

And then ask a loved one to tell you a piece of their story.  It's as easy as, "Tell me about a time you got into trouble for something you never told your own parents about."  Or, "Tell me about an early friend you had."  Or, "Tell me what you did in the summer months." And so on. 

How Do You Move A Mind? Tell An Emotionally Meaningful Story.

 

I never excelled at math but I understood enough about formulas to create this one decades ago:

"content + context + value = emotionally meaningful story"

What does it mean?  Lawyers are storytellers. Your client's legal story depends on power, passion and precision to develop and deliver a persuasive argument. Otherwise, the story is equivalent to "water, fire, marshmallows, silicone - now draw your conclusions."

Our justice system turns on legal elements.  But those legal elements came about because somebody did something to somebody else under a set of circumstances.  Facts are necessary to prove the case; but it is the personal, emotional and conflicting aspects of the case that create compelling stories from the same forensic fact pattern.

Whether you are writing a brief, preparing for alternative dispute resolution or presenting your case to a jury, there is no substitute, no silver bullet, no simple technique that substitutes for hard work, creativity and this formula: content + context + human value = emotionally meaningful story.

The same holds true for anyone who uses narrative to relate, motivate, innovate, incite, appeal, agitate, and so on.

Click here to read Maggie Koerth-Baker's article, "The Mind of a Flip-Flopper," delving into the scientific research studying moral attitudes, the ways in which emotions and attitudes interact and, how to change a strongly held belief.  Excerpt.

"Moral attitudes are especially difficult to change, Haidt said, because the emotions attached to those preferences largely define who we are. “Certain beliefs are so important for a society or group that they become part of how you prove your identity,” he said. “It’s as though we circle around these ideas. It’s how we become one.”

We tend to side with people who share our identity — even when the facts disagree — and calling someone a flip-flopper is a way of calling them morally suspect, as if those who change their minds are in some way being unfaithful to their group. This is nonsense, of course. People change their minds all the time, even about very important matters. It’s just hard to do when the stakes are high. That’s why marshaling data and making rational arguments won’t work. Whether you’re changing your own mind or someone else’s, the key is emotional, persuasive storytelling."  [emphasis added.]

How come story works this way? Here's one answer: 

"Timothy Wilson is a psychology professor at the University of Virginia and the author of the book “Redirect,” about how we change our minds and behavior. Stories are more powerful than data, Wilson says, because they allow individuals to identify emotionally with ideas and people they might otherwise see as “outsiders.” Wilson says researchers speculate that children who grew up seeing friendly gay people on TV will be more likely to support gay marriage as adults, regardless of other political affiliations and religious beliefs. Once you care about a character, Wilson says, you can find a way to fit them into your identity."  [emphasis added.]

TIP:    content + context + value = emotionally meaningful story.

 

What To Do When Your Witness Forgets? Step By Step By Elliott Wilcox, Attorney At Law.

“What to Do When Your Witness Forgets”

by Elliott Wilcox

Things were going great.  You'd picked a fantastic jury, delivered an opening statement that got the jurors cheering for your client to win, and your first three direct examinations had gone better than you could have hoped.  Now, halfway through the direct examination of the day's final witness, things are still going exactly as planned.  Your witness is completely prepared, easily answering all of your questions without hesitation, and the jurors are hanging on his every word, completely enraptured by the sound of his voice.  But then, midway through your examination, something unexpected happens when you ask this crucial question:

Q.  “What is the worst fraternity on this campus?”

A. “Well that would be hard to say, sir.  They're each outstanding in their own way...”

Every other time that you've asked this question during your pre-trial preparations with this witness, he's been quick to identify the offending fraternity.  But now, his brain seems to have gone blank. 

[With apologies in advance to Speed fans]:
“Ok, pop quiz, hotshot. The witness has just given you an answer you didn't expect.  If you try to ignore it, the bad answer will destroy your case.  If you try to lead the witness to the correct answer, your opponent will object.  What do you do?  What do you do?”

First things first: DON'T PANIC! 

Far too often, attorneys (especially younger attorneys) lose their minds when they get unexpectedly bad responses from their witnesses.  The worst thing you can do at this point is to give your jurors the impression that you've just lost the case.  Chances are, the witness's incorrect answer isn't nearly as fatal as you think it is, so put on your poker face.  If you freak out, the jury will amplify the importance of the negative answer.  Just keep your cool -- you can fix this.

The next step, before you start jumping through evidentiary hoops trying to refresh the witness's recollection or establish a past recollection recorded, is to ensure that your witness really doesn't remember.

“What do you mean, 'ensure that he doesn't remember'?  Of course he doesn't remember, because otherwise he would have answered my question correctly!”

Actually, that's not necessarily true.  Often, witnesses know the correct information, but the reason why they don't answer correctly is because we ask them lousy questions.  Before you attempt to refresh his recollection, take responsibility for asking a lousy question, and then try asking your question a different way to see if that jogs his memory.  For example, set some parameters for your question, and make it easier for the witness to answer:

Q. “Based on their GPA's and disciplinary records, what is the worst fraternity on this campus?”

A. “Oh, that would be Delta house, sir.”

Sometimes, that's all you'll need to do to get the right answer.  But if rephrasing the question doesn't work, you can also try asking for the information in a different manner.  Are there other questions you could ask that get the same answer?  Consider stacking those questions on top of one another:

Q. “Who dropped a whole truckload of feces into the swim meet?”

A. “Delta house.”

Q. “Who delivered the medical school cadavers to the alumni dinner?”

A. “Delta house.”

Q. “Every Halloween, the trees are filled with underwear.  Every spring, the toilets explode.  Which house is responsible for these shenanigans?”

A. “Delta house.”

Q. “What is the worst fraternity on this campus?”

A. “Delta house, sir.”

Q. “Of course I'm talking about Delta, you TWERP!”

It's not as graceful as the first method,  but it still gets you to the correct answer without having to ask any leading questions.  But let's say none of these rephrasing techniques are working.  Regardless of how you rephrase the question, your witness still can't remember.  What do you do then?  When you've exhausted rephrasing techniques, the next step is to refresh the witness's recollection.

Jurors understand that witnesses sometimes need help remembering details.  For example, if I asked you what you were doing on July 10th of last year, you probably wouldn't be able to remember.  But, if I gave you a chance to look at your calendar, you could probably tell me exactly where you were and what you did.  That's the reason why the rules of evidence allow witnesses to refresh their recollection.  Here is the process you'll need to follow to help your witnesses remember:

Step 1.  Show that the witness can't remember.

Q. “What is the worst fraternity on this campus?”

A. “I can't remember.” 
A. “I don't know.” 
A. “I cannot recall.”
A. “I used to know, but I can't think of the answer right now.”

Showing the witness's lack of memory is an essential step that can't be overlooked.  Unless you can show that the witness doesn't remember, you won't be allowed to refresh his recollection.  There's a world of difference between the witness who can't remember and the witness who remembers the wrong answer.  You can't refresh a witness's recollection simply because he's giving you a bad answer.  (You can impeach him, but you can't refresh his memory.)

Step 2.  Show that the witness previously remembered the information.

Q. “Did you used to know which fraternity was the worst on campus?”

Q. “Prior to today, did you have an independent memory of which fraternity was the worst one on campus?”

Q. “DId you previously remember which one was the worst?”

Step 3.  Ask the witness if there's anything that would help refresh his memory.

Q. “Would it refresh your recollection to look at your report?”

A. “Yes, if I could review my report, that would help me remember.”

Q. “Is there anything that would help you remember?”

A. “Yes, if I could smell a whiff of stale beer and listen to Otis Day and the Knights singing 'Shout,' I think that would refresh my memory.”

Q. “What do you need to help you remember?”

A. “If you'd let me smash a beer can against my forehead, that always triggers my memory.”

The important thing to remember about refreshing memory is that you're not limited to showing the witness documentary evidence.  Typically, you're going to use written documents to refresh witnesses' memories, but understand that you're not limited to paper exhibits.  If there's anything that helps the witness remember, you should be permitted to use it to refresh their memory.

During this step, it's often worthwhile to have the witness explain to the jury why the item will refresh his memory and why he needs some help to remember.  For example, let's say you're dealing with a police officer who makes lots of DUI arrests each year.  By the time the case reaches trial, it's understandable that he might need some help remembering the exact details of this arrest, as opposed to the dozens of other cases he's worked.  Before he uses his report to refresh his memory, you'd want to ask him about the report.  “How soon after the arrest did you write the report?  Why did you write it?  How detailed does it have to be?  How accurate are you when you write it?  What details do you include?  Is it intended to help you remember details about the case months, years, or even decades afterwards?”  By asking those details, you help show the jurors that the refreshed memory will be accurate.

Step 4.  Show the refreshing item to opposing counsel.

Step 5.  Show the refreshing item to the witness, asking the witness to examine the item silently, and then look back at you when he's finished.

Step 6.  Ask the witness if his memory has been refreshed.

Q. “Having reviewed your report, does that refresh your memory?”

Q. “Did smelling the stale beer and listening to 'Shout' help you remember what fraternity is the worst on campus?”

Q. “Now that you've smashed a beer can on your forehead, are you able to remember which fraternity is the worst on campus?”

[If the item doesn't refresh his memory, you can still try to get the testimony in through the “Past Recollection Recorded” evidentiary predicate, but you won't be able to use the “Refreshing Recollection” predicate.]

Step 7.  Once the witness has refreshed his memory, re-ask your original question.

Q. “Now that you've refreshed your memory, please tell us, what is the worst fraternity on campus?”

A. “That would be Delta house.”

It's a good practice tip to tell your witness to turn over the document before answering, so the jury can see that he's testifying from his refreshed memory, and not merely reading aloud from the document.  The jury wants to see that the witness has an independent memory of what happened, and isn't merely parroting what he just read.

Hopefully, you'll never run into the problem of having a witness forget what to say.  But, if you decide to try cases in the real world, sooner or later, it's bound to happen.  When it does, use these quick tips to help refresh your witness's memory, and your case will be back on track before anyone even notices.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, WEBSITE, OR BAR ASSOCIATION PUBLICATION? You can, as long as you include the following blurb with it: Elliott Wilcox publishes Trial Tips Newsletter. Sign up today for your free subscription and a copy of his special reports: “How to Successfully Make & Meet Objections” and “The Ten Critical Mistakes Trial Lawyers Make (and how to avoid them)” at www.TrialTheater.com

Q&A Tuesday: What Else Does Story Do? Navigate Life's Complex Social Problems.

Q:     How do stories make us human?  And what does this mean for the decision-maker?

A:    Plotlines can help change the brain when "a person is curious, is predicting what will happen next and is emotionally engaged."  What David Eagleman wrote in quotes I've been saying for decades.

You might agree that the way to take anything seriously is to care about it.  Likewise, to get the listener to care about your client’s case you must endow the story with importance by treating it as an emotional experience.

Well crafted story.  How do you do that?  You take the time to produce a well-crafted story that will serve as the premium communication device to focus decision-maker attention and judgment on certain key ideas or behaviors, as well as understand the significance of that behavior.

Virtual journey.  Why is this notion critical to success?  When decision-makers follow a story, they journey - virtually - with you into a different world, an imagined reality, another mental location where the story actually exists while never having left their physical state.  The process of transition from physical world to virtual world is active with the decision-maker energetically conniving and conspiring with the attorney all the time to actually will the virtual world into existence. Why? Because the decision-maker is curious about what is going on, wants to believe the story and that they can do something which matters.

Legal to local. Does this really happen?  You have witnessed this yourself in the courtroom.  Every day decision-makers are torn away from routines, placed in unfamiliar settings and asked to make profound decisions after being handed complex legal terminology that is supposed to help them address conflicting versions of the same facts.   They hear legal judgment - the series of formal justice procedures we call case law, opinions, rules of evidence for resolving disputes in our society.

Sort and organize.  How do they decide?  By formulating a story that explains the alleged activities in familiar terms using key messages or themes that define the case from their point of view.

Parallel judgment.  Your jurors organize and sort out complex legal information, especially conflicting information, into meaningful structures that make sense to create a parallel form of social judgment that anchors legal questions in everyday understanding.

Cooperative enterprise.  In the grip of a heartfelt story artfully told, their minds are fully engaged.  When fully engaged, your jurors are working with you in a cooperative enterprise, connected and considering options, possibilities and outcomes.

Persuasion.  Storytelling persuades when the decision-maker can place herself inside the story with ease, listen deductively, absorb a story that explains the conflict early on, articulate the story in her own terms, and filter the evidence selectively to be consistent with her personal story, world experience and understanding of the world order.

David Eagleman's NYTimes Book Review of Jonathan Gottschall's work, "The Storytelling Animal," reinforces the ways in which story and the telling of stories are not mere entertainment for housebound children on a rainy afternoon.  Excerpt.

"Remember, in “Star Wars,” when Luke Skywalker precisely aims his proton torpedoes into the vent shaft of the Death Star? Of course you do. It’s memorable because it’s the climax of a grand story about good triumphing over evil. (You’d be less likely to recall a moment in which a protagonist files her nails while discussing her day.) More important, Luke’s scene provides a good analogy: It’s not easy to infect the brain of another person with an idea; it can be accomplished only by hitting the small exposed hole in the system. For the brain, that hole is story-shaped. As anyone who teaches realizes, most information bounces off with little impression and no recollection. Good professors and statesmen know the indispensable po­tency of story.

This is not a new observation, but nowadays we have a better understanding of why it’s true. Changing the brain requires the correct neurotransmitters, and those are especially in attendance when a person is curious, is predicting what will happen next and is emotionally engaged. Hence successful religious texts are not written as nonfiction arguments or bulleted lists of claims. They are stories. Stories about burning bushes, whales, sons, lovers, betrayals and rivalries.

Story not only sticks, it mesmerizes. This is why WWE wrestling thrives on fake but exciting plotlines, why there are so many hours poured into prefight boxing hype, and why there are stirring back stories included in all the profiles of Olympic athletes. But not all stories are created equal. Gottschall points out that for a story to work, it has to possess a particular morality. To capture and influence, it can’t be plagued with moral repugnance — involving, say, a sexual love story between a mother and her son, or a good guy who becomes crippled and a bad guy who profits handsomely. If the narrative doesn’t contain the suitable kind of virtue, brains don’t absorb it. The story torpedo misses the exposed brain vent. (There are exceptions, Gottschall allows, but they only prove the rule.)

This leads to the suggestion that story’s role is “intensely moralistic.” Stories serve the biological function of encouraging pro-social behavior. Across cultures, stories instruct a version of the following: If we are honest and play by the social rules, we reap the rewards of the protagonist; if we break the rules, we earn the punishment accorded to the bad guy. The theory is that this urge to produce and consume moralistic stories is hard-wired into us, and this helps bind society together. It’s a group-level adaptation. As such, stories are as important as genes. They’re not time wasters; they’re evolutionary innovations."

TIP:    Use stories to help your decision-makers navigate lilfe's complex social problems.  "As such, stories are as important as genes. They’re not time wasters; they’re evolutionary innovations."

Do Not Swim, Hike Or Go To The Hospital Alone.

Let's begin here.  "The Short Life and Lonely Death of Sabrina Seelig" as reported by Anemona Hartocollis for the NYTimes reads as a cautionary tale: don't take Ephedra; make sure your jury relates to the story of your dead client; be aware of struggling hospitals, and so on.

What happened?  A 22 year old college student took Ephedra to stay up all night to complete a paper.  Feeling ill in the morning she called 911, an ambulance was dispatched, she was taken to a struggling Brooklyn hospital where she was given sedatives, strapped to a bed, slipped into a coma that evening unattended by the hospital staff and died 6 days after admission.

Her lawyer lost her case for any number of reasons.  I was not there nor part of the trial team.  I do not know.  What is reported is that there was (as there will always be) conflicting testimony, an uneven balance in the gaggle of experts, blame on the plaintiff for bringing about her own death, and juror distancing:

"After a day and a half of deliberations, the jury of four men and two women returned its verdict: Wyckoff and the individuals working there had not been negligent.

The jury did not seem to identify with Ms. Seelig."

As I have written and spoken before, the decision-maker must have some connection to your client.  The decision-maker does not need to have lost a sister or daughter or loved one to death.  The decision-maker does not need to have experience with medical malpractice.  But that decision-maker must be reminded of the values of safety, trust, and vulnerability, taught the medical rules including the simple four-step process of differential diagnosis, as well as the hospital rules of charting, monitoring, and vital signs. 

So often these cases turn on the inevitability of the outcome.  Apparently, Wyckoff Heights Medical Center was just the place.  Excerpt.

"In 2007, when Ms. Seelig was a patient, the state ordered Wyckoff to hire a management consultant to improve its governance and finances. Five years later, it is still struggling. The Brooklyn district attorney has been investigating allegations of mismanagement. A three-month investigation by The New York Times, the results of which were published in March, found a history of insider dealing and positions being given to people with political ties. The hospital officials involved denied any wrongdoing. The hospital does not carry malpractice insurance." 

One thing is for sure: if we have not yet gone to an emergency room or a hospital for treatment, we know someone who has.  One day we will most certainly be there ourselves. 

Here's the rule: Do not go to any hospital alone.  If you must, let someone know where you are going and when and why.

Several years ago I created a website for Vincent DeAngelo, an accomplished, highly-regarded medical malpractice attorney in Hartford, CT.  Mr. DeAngelo insisted that his website provide critical information to the public in five areas of potential medical malpractice: Vbacs, emergency rooms, medication errors, hospital infections, and nursing homes.

Click here to access DeAngelo's educational website complete with detailed downloadable pdfs you can read to learn more about these areas and information to take with you before going to the hospital.  

Our moms were right when they told us not to go swimming alone.  From the grave Sabrina Seelig is reminding us not to go to the hospital alone.

Q&A Tuesday: How Does Storytelling Help Me As Well As My Client?

Q:    How does storytelling help me as well as my client?

A:    Stories are the stuff of daily life.  When we commit to becoming part and parcel of the story we need to tell on behalf of another, the commitment expands our awareness of our humanity.  From this place we become increasingly empathetic, compassionate, and relatable to other human beings, more authentic, believable and better at persuading, too.

Some years back I wrote an article with San Diego attorney Jim Parziale entitled, "Once Upon A Client - The Power of Persuasive Legal Storytelling."  [Click on the title to access the pdf.]  It's a treasure trove of information, thoughts and ideas gained over decades of my storytelling work which became translated into the litigation arena.  I bet you will recognize in these words much of what I have been speaking, teaching and writing about for almost 15 years.

I trust that this work will be of help to you and your clients.  If you intend to use it, please remember the integrity of attribution.

Does Depression Have A Function?

It's no secret, there is depression among us.

Asking the question, "How many Americans suffer from depression?" pulls up a plethora of information, articles, research and studies.

It appears that many of us experience a wide range of responses from the blues to severe clinical depression.

A University of Virginia psychiatrist who has been treating patients with depressive disorders for over thirty years believes that depression is an evolutionary paradox.  Sierra Bellows reporting in "The Evolution of Depression" tells us more about Dr. Andy Thomson and his unorthodox ideas.  Excerpt.

"Since the dawn of the species about 200,000 years ago, humans have evolved in response to the environments in which they’ve found themselves. In Northern Europe, lighter skin helped early inhabitants get enough vitamin D during the dark winters. In places in Africa plagued by malaria, many people have a genetic mutation that makes them immune. Like all living things since the first protozoa, the human body has been shaped by natural selection. And evolutionary psychology suggests that the mind has as well. Evolutionary psychologists look for the advantages of different behaviors and mental traits that might cause them to spread through the population.

For more than 30 years, U.Va. psychiatrist Dr. Andy Thomson (Med ’74) has been treating patients, and most often he treats them for depression. Major depressive disorder is one of the most common mental disorders in the United States, and each year clinical depression affects more than 17 million Americans.

Thomson and his collaborator Paul Andrews, now at McMaster University in Canada, believe that depression is an evolutionary paradox. If it didn’t confer any advantages, it should have been selected against and occur only rarely in the population. What kind of evolutionary advantage might depression have?

“Depression, psychic pain, alerts you to the fact that you have a problem, stops business as usual, focuses your attention,and can provide a signaling function that you need help,” says Thomson. “Basically, it forces you to think. Now with all its stressors and the myriad ways of evading them, modern life doesn’t encourage you to think deeply. But thinking deeply works. It’s doing what the mind was made to do.”

Not everyone agrees with the theory.  Some take issue with the premise that depression helps in problem-solving and other executive functions.  Perhaps, as is suggested, we need to reconsider how we define "depression" and not lump everything from "feeling blue" to suffering from chronic suicidal ideations in the same basket. 

You may wish to read on to gauge the full range of professional disagreements and decide for yourself: What use is depression?

Here's my experience: I have learned when enough is enough and I have to step back from the rigors of the world.  I call it time out in the natural world or sitting on the curb to look and listen while the parade marches by.  I have expanded my capacity for empathy, understanding and compassion in the face of enormous daily global suffering encountered in the work I do.  I have developed resilience born of experience.  My mantra is, "Fall down 7 - get up 8."

Maybe the key is this: how we play the hand we are dealt to find something life-affirming in the grimness of a disease, condition or situation we did not ask for.  Here's an example of one man's return After Disaster Strikes.

Q&A Tuesday: What's The Rush?

Q:    What's the rush?

A:    Fill in the answer yourself.

Last week I was in New Orleans. For the year prior I had been working as co-chair of the American Society of Trial Consulants' Annual Conference. The conference was a huge success: more attendance than seen in the past four years, excellent content, and a whole lotta fun that folks can have only in New Orleans.  But I was busy.

What's the rush? 

There were board matters (I am an active member of the board of directors) to attend to, a long and tedious board meeting, speaking on a panel as a stand-in for a member who could not make it, meeting with trial consultant wannabees, making sure things were running well and smoothly, visiting with vendors, huddling with board members and attendees on other organizational issues, and the work that continues long distance while one is away.

What's the rush?

Coming home I was confronted by an article in the NYTimes reporting on high schoolers inhaling Adderall to get the academic edge that would assure them a college seat: Risky Rise of the Good Grade Pill.  Excerpt.

The drug was not cocaine or heroin, but Adderall, an amphetamine prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder that the boy said he and his friends routinely shared to study late into the night, focus during tests and ultimately get the grades worthy of their prestigious high school in an affluent suburb of New York City. The drug did more than just jolt them awake for the 8 a.m. SAT; it gave them a tunnel focus tailor-made for the marathon of tests long known to make or break college applications.

“Everyone in school either has a prescription or has a friend who does,” the boy said.

At high schools across the United States, pressure over grades and competition for college admissions are encouraging students to abuse prescription stimulants, according to interviews with students, parents and doctors. Pills that have been a staple in some college and graduate school circles are going from rare to routine in many academically competitive high schools, where teenagers say they get them from friends, buy them from student dealers or fake symptoms to their parents and doctors to get prescriptions."

What's the rush?

What I'm even more concerned about is what happens when these young people get to college.  What will keep them amped up to get good grades then?  And what happens after graduation? 

What's the rush?

A fellow alum from the University of Virginia raised this same question in an article published in the Summer 2012 issue of The University of Virginia magazine, "What's the Rush?"  A mother talking to her 6-month old daughter addresses the personal toll the pressure for success raise when we push the pace of life.  Excerpt.

"Seven years ago, when I was 25, I had a mini breakdown over my lack of accomplishments. I had just completed my master’s program and—gasp—had not written the book I was supposed to write. I had no city to call a home, did not own a house and could not have been more lost or confused. Later I discovered this was so common with my generation, that it was dubbed the “quarterlife crisis.”

The Internet has made it so easy to announce and seemingly measure success that our expectations of how fast we should achieve our goals have become severely skewed.

At the time of my “breakdown” I was living in London working for the U.N. Having this full-fledged panic attack about being a loser in life, I had no idea how many of my peers were having the same doubts.

Our desire for speed has distorted our concept of how fast our life should be moving. If we expect to save the world by the time we are 26, what do we expect of ourselves at 50?

What is even scarier is that many of my peers are actually doing it. Recently I was chatting with my college buddy Bilal Qureshi (Col ’04), who went to U.Va. and Columbia’s school of journalism before becoming a producer at NPR, all by the time he hit 25. We were talking about a friend whose ambitions had caused her to collapse. Her body had literally given up, and she was undergoing tests to find out what was wrong.

It made me think, What is the rush? What are we rushing for? What are we rushing toward?"

At the ASTC Annual Conference I sat in on a program about blogging and social media marketing.  I was reminded AGAIN! to make my content relevant, useful, substantive.  There was no mention of beauty, inspiration, joy, prosperity, life-affirming work, community, and the like.

What's the rush?

As the wise ones say, "Days are long but years are short."