emotion is not a disease

http://ezinearticles.com/?Human-Emotion-is-Not-a-Disease&id=4569494

The disease model has become so prevalent in the United States that it seems people are becoming incapable of thinking of behaviors *outside* this model. Some quotes from the above linked article:

"If it is not a mental health illness to feel happy when you win a lottery why is it an illness to feel sad when a loved one dies. If it is not an illness to feel nervous before performing on a stage, why is it an illness to feel anxious sometimes? Stress in relation to work or finance is a normal response depending on the circumstances and is not an illness.

"So here is the problem. Feeling stressed or down or a bit anxious is not the same as a mental illness. Conditions like anxiety and depression represent one end of a spectrum of human emotion and behavior. Labeling every emotion as a disease is good for sales of medications, for groups seeking to raise funds and for academics pushing research agendas."

I do NOT agree with everything this guy writes. He says some things about being a 'victim' that I think is very slippery ground - I'll say it again (and will keep saying it over and over, because I feel that it's true and needs to be repeated til it sinks in: People constantly mis-attribute their successes, failures, and ability to overcome hurdles (or not) in their lives.

Almost without exception, people who 'succeed', or are able to 'recover' from dire illness, stress, or other trauma or difficulty: They had help.

And let me make this perfectly clear: I am not at ALL saying that people should feel guilty for having been helped. To the contrary, I beliee we all need help, and should all get whatever help we need. Ideally. The problem with people being unaware of having received help is that they, and many others who are equally unaware, deny the rest of us, who haven't been as fortunate, both our need and the recognition that they DIDN'T 'do it alone'.

I see this myth of self-sufficiency as a big hot-air balloon that needs to be shot down. It's BULLshit, and is a HUGE handicap for those of us who aren't as 'lucky'.

I'll return to my favorite analogies of plants: Imagine there are three daisies in a field. One of them had the great good fortune to sprout up smack in the middle of the sunniest, most perfect spot in the meadow: Plenty of sun, a little shade for a brief period in the hottest part of the late afternoon; the same tree that provides it shade also serves as a windbreak so that it only receives the calmest of zephyrs, a light, gentle, calm breeze. It's also far enough out in the open that it receives plenty of rain, but the soil is so perfectly drained, yet also so full of nutrients, that it never becomes water-logged and is easily able to spread its roots far and wide to seek out what it needs. There are no predators to attack the daisy here: No bindweed to choke its life out; no competitor weeds who crowd it out.

The second flower is not so fortunate. It finds itself in the most barren spot in the whole field: Gravel-strewn, dusty soil provides not a speck of nutrition even for such a hardy soul as a daisy. When it pours, most of the water drains off, running downfield to her more fortunate cousin in his primo spot. When it's dry, what little soil there is blows away and clogs the daisy's pores with dust. There's a large thistle growing right next to her that sucks up what little moisture *does* find its way into this parched spot; it also blocks her sun most of the day, while failing entirely to shelter her from the harsh winds that happen to blast through that particular corner of the field.

The third daisy finds itself in a small swamp, a lowland, eternally shaded section of the field that never drains properly. She's in the shade of a giant oak, so never gets even the tiniest glimmer of sunshine. It's a miracle she ever sprouted at all in this miserable, gloomy spot; in fact, she often wishes she hadn't. Soggy Daisy gazes longingly at Perfect Daisy in her sweet spot in the middle of the field; she even eyes Droughty Daisy, envying her moments in the sun, even though she knows it must be painful sometimes to be so dry. Because, you see, daisies are really weeds, at heart: They're basically quite hardy and don't need much, but do need at least the bare minimum basics of non-soggy soil and good sun. A daisy without these will languish, but still survive - she's too tough to kill, but will be miserable nontheless.

Where as that fortunate flower who gets just a little more than she actually needs? Will thrive, flourish, even, and appear to be almost a different species altogether from her poor, unfortunate neighbors on whom Fate has not seen fit to bestow these blessings.