The Human Cycle

When you look up the term Human Cycle on the Internet, one search result you get will refer you to the Human Action Cycle, which is the psychological theory related to interactions between humans and computers. 

As I’ve grown in my relationship with my first series of books, I found it rather odd that a psychological term that does not have computer in its title is focused on computers and how we humans interact with them. Truth be told, I was even a little offended and as a result decided to offer a more human centered definition as I weave my tale of vampires, therians (don’t call them werewolves, I can’t stress this enough), angels and photogeni.

Only Human is the first step in the Human Cycle and this series is my exploration through fiction of the human factor or what we call humanity. Think of this term as the trinity of Body-Mind-Soul. This first installment, focuses on the body and different physical aspects that tie all of us together as a collective species.

The second book will explore more psychological aspects and the third will focus on spirituality. This is not to say that these topics will not be interwoven throughout the series, it’s just my way of saying that each book will be focused more on a certain type of aspect of what makes us, well us.

For these books, research has been done on psychology (strong emphasis on Jungean Psychology) and various spiritual texts will be analyzed because regardless of race, creed, ethnicity, language or age, there is endlessly more that binds us together than what separates us. So religions, history, psychological theories, styles and topics will all interweave because life and reality is far from linear, and on the plane we call life, there are many existing points and in theory each one can connect.

So sit back, enjoy and connect… for what is more beautifully human, than our ability to do precisely that?

Doctors should learn how to tell stories better

Throughout the week, I’ve had quite a few doctor visits and throughout I realized an interesting thing, everyone in every profession should really learn how to tell a story. In my case, I was given a story that worried me, made me and my wife panic although luckily turned out for the better.

Like this, I’ve heard several cases where people insist that doctors have forgotten how to talk to people. There’s such a thing as having tact and there’s such a thing as being humane. From what I’ve seen, it seems doctors in general lack in both even if they have an abundance of knowledge and experience.

Honestly, during the last few days I lost count of how many people told me they had outlived their prognosis. I also lost count of how many people told me how much it annoyed them that their doctors just spat out information. In one case one doctor even told a patient while chuckling: “Well you shouldn’t last the year, but you know how these things go.”

Taking into account my experience and what people have told me, I think it pertinent that doctors be given a storytelling class to learn how to give news. I’m sure it’s a draining job and that after many years you become numb to it, granted. The thing is that patients aren’t numb... ever; actually, they’re often hyper sensitive.

Some time ago I was actually able to talk to some doctors about this and they gave me the flipside. They told me of patients who exaggerate claims, who whine about everything and who need to be spoken to firmly to get them to respond. Still, most of them admitted that a lot of colleagues often just spit out information with no consideration for the patient or their family. They like to give the facts straight. “Sugar coating is for pills,” one of them said. Some also admitted that doctors were often pessimistic in their prognoses for numerous reasons, and one was so that patients didn’t get their hopes up.

That last statement shocked me because last I checked, hope can extend your life by years. My dad beat his prognosis by 5 and a half years and I’ve recently met a long line of patients who have outlived even the best-case scenarios because of hope, because they’re stubborn and because they want to live, not to mention they want to prove a doctor wrong.

So I ask myself, what would happen if a doctor knew how to give news in a nicer way? What would happen if prognoses were given to instill hope rather than kill it... would people live longer?  Would they be happier? Would their stories have better endings?

I’d like to think so. 

Sharing words and Reflections – an Introduction

Words have power. They can heal, they can nurture, they can destroy, they can mend old wounds or even open new ones. I’ve been writing for many years and blogging has been an integral part of my output for the better part of a decade.

Throughout I’ve seen how a post can resonate thousands of miles away because even though we are separated by distance, we are united by experience. About 3 years ago, I took a very important decision in my life and decided that I would strive and work to have as much of a positive impact as I could in the lives of people I interact with.

Does this mean I’m the Dalai Lama? No. Have I stopped using foul language? Hell no. Have I stopped ranting? That’s pretty much impossible. What has happened is that I’ve recognized that there’s a time and a place for language, topics and things to be shared. I’ve also learned that I know and have been told countless stories and have my own set of stories that have actually helped people while going through some tough times.

This blog is about the many faces of words, the many uses, the many adventures and applications of words to convey messages, to share stories, and sure, even on occasion to heal. Although this blog is relatively young, it has allowed me to come into contact with beautiful people around the world, men and women who have been kind enough to drop a comment or email. I’ve been able to rekindle my passion for poetry and occasionally I’ve actually been fortunate enough to get a thank you message for something I wrote because somehow it helped someone.

I had been trying to think of something else I could do on the blog when I started speaking with a new friend. We talked about writing, blogs, recommendations on Twitter and other social media platforms. Then one day came an interesting tidbit, she’d written something she wanted to post though was worried about posting it on her blog. Having coped with various situations in my life, I told her that for me writing is part of my healing process and that certain occasions where I’ve shared and posted my thoughts has been cathartic, in part because I put it out there and in part because other people resonated with my words and I saw I wasn’t alone... and that often makes all the difference.

After reading it, I said I really think you should put it out there… and she agreed. As I read her words, I also offered to respond to give my perspective either as a man, a writer, a Hispanic or any other lens that could offer a different perspective on the same topic. So she sent me her story, I will be posting it and I will be reacting to it.

This post is my invitation to anyone who wants to share their stories and thoughts. My email is jdestradawriter@gmail.com and I’d love to share words with you in addition to the ones you already read here. As for the posts I share, I simply ask for what unifies us, respect. It’s always Ok to disagree, it is our right. It is also our right to respect, appreciate and try to understand others and search and find light.

So with much appreciation for all the people who read me, we’ll be in touch.

Peace, love and maki rolls,

JD

Convenience isn’t always better

In a time of digital everything, I can’t help but feel that sometimes convenience and practicality aren’t what they’re cracked up to be. Sure I can have three weeks of music available on an iPod, but the satisfaction and joy of browsing around for hours in a record store has been lost to most people. You see, I love bargain bins because it lets me discover bands that maybe even stopped existing. I also don’t mind paying full price for a good album from a band I love. Actually, I went to the Berkley Amoeba store recently and had a blast just looking around for hours at CD cases of some artists I knew and many who were new to me. The process was rudimentary yet satisfying. Get 30 CDs, listen to samples. Set aside CDs you want. Repeat. People nowadays browse online, download illegally and can get an entire collection in a matter of days, if that.

I’m not saying that’s necessarily wrong, I’m saying that the search was part of the fun... or more so a BIG part of the fun, at least for me. I can say the same about books, browsing through bookstores isn’t practical... it’s time consuming and a pain to discover when the store has what you’re looking for in another section. The thing is that when you find a special random book you were looking for or some random surprise you pick up, it’s wonderful. Years back, my wife read the description of a book and said I might like it. I bought it without thinking twice and I was introduced to the brilliant Carl Hiaasen.

Our searches now are digital and so are most connections. Technology has allowed me to publish a book and for that I am eternally grateful. And not only that, it’s allowed me to publish a book by my own rules... now there is one detail about my book a lot of people still don’t know. I wrote the first draft entirely by hand: four notebooks of chicken scratchings that in them held the first part of my little story, whose first installment is over 600 pages long. Although the way I’m offering my book is quite convenient, the way it came about wasn’t. Hundreds of pages of research and notes, annotations and the grind that was transcribing said book... and I loved every second of it in large part because it was so impractical and people asked me why I did it that way. The answer is because I love book stores, and love record stores and love writing long emails rather than wall posts to say happy birthday and love going out of my way to have coffee or tea with a friend and because practical things may save time, but they sacrifice experience quite often.

Is a handwritten letter something practical nowadays? Of course it isn’t. The thing is that it shows you care and that you gladly invested time into something that wasn’t practical in the spirit of experience, of adventure, of life.

So here’s to at least occasionally being COMPLETELY impractical for the sake of living.

Peace, love and maki rolls.

JD