What Do You Believe? 30 Things I Believe

Obviously, I believe in a lot of things. The millions of words I write for this, that, and the other thing are testimony to that, but what would you write for this topic (which I am currently writing for an essay to possibly publish)?

In the course of our lives, all of us form a personal religion—a belief system about our role and purpose in the world. Write a paper describing your own personal belief system. The paper will be an essay that details key influences or experiences that led to the development of your own special faith or philosophy of life.

Every time I get started, I'm not sure I'm there. Obviously, religion tends to be a formal system in a building, while spirituality takes places anywhere. I'm baptized Catholic, so as I was told by a nun at one point in my life, "You're either a Catholic or a wayward Catholic."

Thus, I get the Nicene Creed.

I believe in one God,

the Father almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,

the Only Begotten Son of God,

born of the Father before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;

through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation

he came down from heaven,

and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,

and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,

he suffered death and was buried,

and rose again on the third day

in accordance with the Scriptures.

He ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory

to judge the living and the dead

and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son,

who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,

who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins

and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead

and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Throughout my life, I've read a fair bit of philosophy (Western and Eastern), and I always felt that the Tao Te Ching knocked my socks off. If my mind could get peaceful enough, I'd have a chance at that. There's a lot of literature and quotes I'd really like to spend time thinking about. Unfortunately, there's never enough time to do everything I want to do.

Add to this Cowboy Monkey Rodeo on Sunday, and there's yet another reason to do something else!

Now that might sound stupid, but in my family, we give monkey cards to all of the special people. And yes, I started that trend. Monkey cards are special. People shouldn't throw them away. Besides, who doesn't love monkeys?

I'll be honest; I don't know if I want to be friends with a non-monkey person.

So yeah, when I think about what I believe, I think of something more than religion, but that's what a lot of people go back to while I move ahead to 3 songs.

1) REM - I Believe

2. John Lennon - God

3. U2 - God Part 2

Sitting here now, I think of what I believe in, and I list it for you, beginning with religion, since the question asked about that.

1. I believe in God and "Catholic Jesus." I just can't comfortable in other churches (no knock on them - whatever faith you have is a good thing). Call that my strict Irish Catholic Nana's influence (even if she was married to a Jewish guy), or just my regimen, but I'm not into the NPR bands in church (though I listen to them outside of church). I also think people should commit to understand the ceremonies they're participating in (Communion, for example), before engaging in them. That said, stand, kneel, sit, pray, sing in soft lip-synch form isn't always me either (I'm too Mark Twain's Letters from Earth). That said, I do understand and respect the power of being in buildings created to honor God. For this, I do go to church now and again. All the same, I'm more of a spiritual guy than a religious guy. Looking out at the natural creations of the world makes it impossible to believe they were just a random chance existence.

2. I believe in me. If I didn't, who and what would I be? I am so many hobbies, interests, talents, successes, mistakes, and personality traits. While I have Parkinson's, I also love taking pictures of places I go hiking at. Given the choice, I like being a man who lives a People First Life. That said, advocating and educating for Parkinson's is who I am.

3. I believe in love. I love my wife Heather, the woman who makes my life complete. I love my family for their presence in my life, past, present, and future. I love Nature with a capital N (gracias, John Muir!). I love my friends for their support, good nature, camaraderie, and just being them. I love V+S cheese steaks a little too much. Obviously, love means something different for all of them, but love is a good thing. Without it, life isn't worth living. On that note, live life full on. Value life, both in and out of the womb. Be tolerant and respectful. I'm not perfect, but I'm trying (and it all starts with the Golden Rule and "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.").

4. I believe in my family. Back through to the roots of my family tree, they are my history, DNA, biology, and my future. I believe in culture and tradition passed through them. I believe it's my responsibility to pass this on to the next generation. I also believe in the family that we marry into and the ages old close friends (like the extended Wards) who are just like family to us.

5. I believe that every moment of my life has been preparing me to speak out for Parkinson's awareness. I'm not in it for me. I'll be stage 3 before anything gets approved, and by that time, it's too late for me. This is for the next generation.

6. I believe in the Stockdale Paradox (Confront the brutal truth, but know that you will prevail in the end).

7. I believe in Victor Frankl's theory of Logotherapy.

8. I believe in positive psychology and the people (like Martin Seligman) who teach it.

9. I believe in the Tao te Ching and a lot of Asian thought to include Chow Yun Fat's Asian movies (OK, so that's not philosophy, but Hard Boiled and The Killer were great movies).

10. I believe in divine intervention, fail safes, and satoris. The movie 15:17 to Paris features a scene where Spencer Stone asks, "Do you ever feel like life is pushing us toward something, some greater purpose?” That sums it up (by the way, the line was real - not made for the screen). I've experienced all of the above. I've felt on the verge of greater meaning. If all we're meant for is quiet desperation or life after death, why bother here? To think that all God is concerned about is following rules and worshiping him (as opposed to taking care of his creations) is something I can't accept. I get the rules and the "I believe" part, but we either follow it or we don't. Despite the above, I believe in free will.

11. I believe that if you think you are a social justice warrior calling for change by demanding people who don't believe what you do or act the way you do should be fired, then you're part of the problem. Nobody who works hard should be out of work. While people make mistakes, does this mean that they should have their livelihood destroyed? The political extremes seem to forget that nobody is perfect. If they want to destroy one another, break out the steel cages, but for those of us who want to just be, no matter what side of moderate they come up. Let them be conservative or liberal. So be it. That said, giving someone so many words to attack a business they never frequented or a person they never met is ridiculous. Can't we all just get along?

12. I believe in education. I feel that choosing not to educate the young of this world is child abuse (by encouraging reading, learning, and helping with homework, for instance). We can only do if we are taught to ask questions and research the answers / solve the problems. To put roadblocks up for a child is to take away said kid's ability to help him or herself. That would be akin to stunting someone's senses so he or she is unable to interpret what he or she explores. Education teaches problem solving and communication. It requires individual success and teamwork. It's the foundation of our world. Here, I  believe in contemplating ourselves and our thoughts through daily reflections. To go through life blindly believing conspiracy and the party line (on any side) is a huge problem.

13. I believe in listening to good music as much as possible.

14. I believe that being an American is in my DNA, but I also believe people were meant to experience other cultures and people. For this, my time in England with my former girlfriend and her family shaped me to be the husband I am for my wife (and the woman she is for husband and kids). We may not like every place we end up (I think of Turkey - I loved England), but to only experience our hometown... that would be a loss.

15. I believe in karma.

16. I believe in altruism. 

17. Despite playing too many video games on my computer, I believe my time is important. To offer my time is something anyone receiving it should want (and if they do, I should give it full on). If you don't value your time as much as I value my time, when we're working together, tell me. I have other things to do. I'm sure you feel the same.

18. I believe that we should spend our time and money on things that we value.

19. I believe that there is evil in this world, which is on a scale equal to God's good. I know that we have to stand up and fight it.

20. I believe that we were put on this earth to create things that will make the world a better place. It doesn't matter what they are (tax systems, paintings, swing sets, books, etc.). We should just keep creating since we're happier when we do.

21. I believe in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

22. I believe Nature is sacred and is worth fighting for. I believe in being between trees, staring at waterfalls, marveling at vistas, and climbing in canyons. There is no bad day in Nature.

23. I believe being a teacher improved me and many other people, even if it took a lot of learning to not make the same mistakes all over again (a massive "I'm sorry" to so many people). Additionally, I'm thankful for my students who educated me. There are a lot to name, so it's easier to just say, "Thanks everyone!"

24. I believe the Air Force changed me for the better, even if it had to drop a Daisy Cutter on the old me. I would do it again for what it did for me. I think more people should go military / Peace Corps / volunteer.

25. I believe in collecting quotes to meditate on.

26. I believe in dinosaurs / aliens / ghosts / cryptids, that I married a beautiful and awesome woman (and I'd do it again), the round earth, man-made climate problems, that vaccines are necessary, that ethics are everything, that baseball is the only sport that matters, that not caring about other people is a huge problem, that hate is a problem we have to learn to overcome, that partisan politics will be the demise of the world, that some things should be censored (i.e. schizophrenic hate rants like the Westboro Baptist Church), that history should be taught for what it is (good and bad) so we can learn from it, that celebrating the South for starting an armed rebellion that killed 620-850,000 people is something that needs to stop, that walking around with a gun on open carry is like saying, "I'd like to pick a fight with you" (that said, I do believe in the right to own guns), that Corvettes have gotten lame since the early 1970s, that some pedestrians take advantage of the crosswalks that stop traffic on a dime, that the only real Jeep is a Wrangler, that the U.S. government needs a line item veto, that Turkey Hill raspberry iced tea is awesome, and I believe that we will never solve the issues of abortion, illegal / undocumented immigration, minimum wage, guns, people being Yankee fans and right / left Twix in my lifetime.

27. I believe something really far out happened at Roswell. I'd like to know what.

28. I believe that healthcare is something we're all entitled to in some form. People should not have to worry about whether they or their families will be bankrupted if they need care. I get more expensive coverage for smokers, though I know we need coverage for pre-existing conditions. Refusing to pay that is like saying, "We'll charge you an arm and a leg, and we'll find a way to cover as little as possible."

29. I believe that Christmas is the best holiday out there. While some of the traditions are hokey (yet a lot of fun), we get to be with loved ones and give them gifts. We get to watch kids' eyes light up. We get to sing songs like "Do They Know It's Christmas," too. We get to live in a country where we can watch A Christmas Story 24 hours straight. We get lots of good food and leftovers. What's not to like? And what's more, when we invite people to our Christmas, we put them on our special team (that said, they need to show appreciation and thank yous).. That's so cool. Mind you, I also believe the kids' table is a necessity (for some adults!!)!

30. I believe that all of you, Parkies or not, are good people for supporting my writing dreams of being a Parkinson's educator / advocate. We all have the opportunity to speak out, but you make it possible that people hear my story (and laugh at my poor attempts at humor). What's more; you care about these issues, too. That means something. I may not believe I'll be cured in my lifetime, but I believe, we'll be able to stop progression of the disease, as well as understand how it starts. I know that will lead to a cure for the next generation.

THUS... I have a lot of things to think about as I redo my essay for realsies.

SO WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE?

Positive Thoughts to Handle This Diagnosis

While I was in California on vacation, I received a Facebook message from a person asking for positive thoughts on coping with his Parkinson's disease diagnosis. If I had access to my trusty computer keyboard, I could have whipped up a response in no time (I've been on this for about 2 hours, but that's not much time for a writer), but I was on the road, and yeah... typing on a cellphone isn't ideal, so I went with the simple version.

In today's world, we take for granted that we have Internet access pretty much everywhere, and when we get to those connected spots, there are computers to hook up. However, this is not true, as there are still places that lack for connection in the lower 48. Most of these places are either in the desert or the mountains, but there are also sections in places like the middle California coastline (where we were), which not only don't have cellphone connection, but they also have mega expensive gas!

And yes, before I go too far, there are towns, but they are far apart because it's beautiful on the coast, and we don't need a million towns interrupting nature when we can have lots of elephant seals instead. If you're not sure what that means, see the video below.

That said, we do need clumps of civilization in between the somewhere and nowhere we encounter across this great country. In these towns that do exist, since things have to happen, we need food and supplies, and in the bigger places, there have to be hotels, motels, bed + breakfasts, souvenir shops, and amazingly enough (since they still exist), libraries.

Prior to the message, I went looking for one of these "antiquated" libraries since I only had my cellphone and Kindle with at the time, and I needed to finish my grades (the program we use for online learning isn't compatible with my phone, and it's not always WIFI ready for Kindles in other road stretches or tiny towns). Cambria (around San Simeon) was a no go, so we went to Palo Robles (inland a little bit) instead, and I graded there (much thanks for that!).

Heading for Yosemite via Angel's Camp, I wasn't thinking I would have much luck to answer this person's message, so I was unable to type a deeply meaningful and lucid response that the magnitude of the question demanded, but I did type some things, which I hope went over well.

Nevertheless, now that I do have time, I want to compile a list of things that I would want someone to tell me upon being diagnosed. Granted, I'm a stoic, and that means I need writers I don't live with telling me to tough it up and live life the best I can with the cards I'm dealt with. This also means that I'm a feeling human, so I need people who I do live with to tell me that everything is going to be all right (and I in return need to say this to them). If this sounds like a contradiction, it probably is, but it's me all the same.

Not knowing the person who wrote me, I was humbled that someone would ask my opinion. I often think of my life in terms of the things that I struggle to do right, but I'd also like to think that I have my current attitude to Parkinson's, my marriage to my wife, and my writing as things that I do fairly well. Thus, I was empowered by his request. Additionally, his request also made me want to write this better now that I'm home.

So here it is.

1) Parkinson's isn't the end of the world. Yes, it's a progressively acting neurodegenerative disease (that's a mouthful),  but it's not King Kong and Godzilla rampaging through the city today (instead, it kind of starts as a fly buzzing around your head and landing on your face every day). What does that mean? It means you have plenty of living to do; however, you have to live this life with tremors and some other conditions that most people don't know about for a while. It's not easy to put them to the side, but you can do it. I believe in you. You seem like a good person, so you have that going for you, too!

2) Yes, someday, you'll have other issues that people will notice (and you will, too), but I can't tell you when or if you'll get to all of them. Besides, if King Kong and Godzilla rampage through the city tomorrow, it's not going to matter anyway. Life is like that. Sometimes other things take precedence, and then we need to fact up to those. Besides, we can't predict the future, so get living today (as much as you can, spending time with the people who love you and that you love). There's a lot of fun things to do in all sizes, shapes, and forms.

3) Start thinking about the bucket list. Make these things happen. Yes, you are running against a clock for how long you might be able to do some things, but you're not Dostoevsky facing the intensity of coming back from the edge of life with the heavy responsibility of living each moment perfectly. Besides, there are other options for taking on pain and suffering and pessimism. With that, even if you don't like country music, you should have / could have been listening to Tim McGraw's thoughts about life as he watched Tug's final chapters. Personally, I think he's right on. Bring on Fu Man Chu.

4) You're a great person, and you're still you. The only difference is now someone has a name for your tremors or the symptoms you presented. Stop thinking about Parkinson's 24/7 (I know that sounds easy for me to say, but I'd like to believe you can leave that at home). Family, friends, job, hobbies, and commitments outweigh Parkinson's... no matter what conditions it plants between your brain and your toes. Yes, they'll all have questions, and you'll have to answer them, but you still have a lot of memories to make and gatherings to attend. Make the most of it!

5) Stay in motion. Parkinson's is all about rigidity and exhaustion. Some people rock steady box. Others go dancing. I go hiking. Whatever you do, just do it! No hobby is wrong if it keeps you active.

6) GARY PAULSEN (Hatchet author) - “He did not know how long it took, but later he looked back on this time of crying in the corner of the dark cave and thought of it as when he learned the most important rule of survival, which was that feeling sorry for yourself didn't work. It wasn't just that it was wrong to do, or that it was considered incorrect. It was more than that--it didn't work.” 

By the way, your middle school kids have probably read this book to wire themselves tougher.

Stoics can read this quote as, "Man up. Do what you need to do. Your survival depends on you."

Feeling people can read this quote as, "Sometimes, you're going to feel like crying or getting emotional. That's OK. Get it out, but when it's done, take a deep breath and do what you need to do. Your survival depends on you."

7) Support teams are essential. Find the people who love you and tell them what you need. Listen to their advice, give + receive praise, and work together for your betterment. Sometimes they'll get it wrong, but people genuinely mean well.

BTW - Don't badmouth them and encourage them not to badmouth you when they hate on your Parkinson's in private. There is a difference, and besides, once you start belittling the person, things never stay the same (even if the person didn't hear it).

8) Everything you have learned is what you go into this rewiring with. If you're reading this early on, you have time to change before the next avalanche hits (avalanches can be anything - they are my expression for that moment when the bad stuff hits (loss of job, relationship, sickness, accident, diagnosis, etc.). Avalanche Day is your diagnosis day). The term "avalanche" comes from the Cory Richards (below) story. If you aren't wired tough to withstand the moment, then you need to find those who are and learn from them. Whether you're a stoic or a happy go lucky person, it's all about finding calm in the storm. I recommend whatever works for you. I say that as a client of myself, not a professional trainer. This woman writes about radical acceptance. 

However, if you want to know what changed my attitude, Laurence Gonzales' Deep Survival and Surviving Survival saved my life the last time I went through a bad time in my life (2011's post school job hunt days). They outline the methods that work for me.

I also recommend Victor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning.

9) NOTE - if I was diagnosed in 2011 when my symptoms started or early 2015 when I was misdiagnosed, I wouldn't have had the benefit of 19 extra months of looking at the lives of heroes and  role models to get myself in order. Frankly, I would have been a mess. Get yourself a hero and a code of life / philosophy / theology now. They will help carry you when you and your caregivers can't.

BTW, my numero uno hero in the world is Jackie Robinson.

Check out other cool uplifting things by some of my heroes like...

LITTLE ZEN MONKEY

MR. ROGERS

BRYAN ANDERSON 

PASS IT ON DOT COM (USED TO BE VALUES DOT COM)

Random Parkies' blogs like this one SHAKE RATTLE BE WHOLE

If you want a female or a funny or a great established blog, check out PERKY PARKIE

10) Here are some of the quotes that inspire me. Find ones that inspire you. It doesn't matter by who. Post them around the house.

11) Since you're a Parkie, you get Muhammad Ali (above), Neil Diamond (below), and Michael J. Fox and his foundation on your team!

12) When you're first learning, try to only view solid websites with real credentials like Michael J. Fox Foundation and Parkinsonsdisease.net when it comes to information. I could list a lot of good medical ones (NIH, Mayo Clinic, and other reputable Parkinson's orgs), but if you start looking for miracle cures R us, you're going to find them and get led astray (as well as snake oil salesmen and conspiracy nonsense on otherwise good blogs). If you go looking in chat rooms, you're going to find a million diagnoses from possible to impossible to rare to wrong. Some people know their stuff. Some want to help. If it's bugging you, see a specialist. The best thing chat rooms do is provide support that you aren't alone and allow you to make friends, while learning about the issues. For this, I recommend many of them. However, don't substitute them for doctor's advice and experience.

On that note, don't go looking for further down the line symptoms until you need to. Move into this step by step and adjust to the water's temperatures. There will be time to think about deep brain stimulation videos later.

13) Educate others, advocate for Parkinson's cures, respond kindly - don't go looking for a fight (for not using People First Language, offering help or just not knowing), document your experience, don't sit thinking the miracle cure will be here by Christmas, and live your life to the fullest! Whatever will be will be, but remember, we can be the generation to motivate a cure for the future - even if it will never be for us. For me, that is my purpose numero uno in this game of PD.

I thank you for reading this, and I hope it helps you and helps others.

Recently, I started blogging HERE at Parkinsonsdisease Dot Net. You can read my diagnosis story at that link. I encourage you to check out other bloggers there, too.

I blog regularly on my own and have a Parkinson's site on Facebook. I encourage you to like it if you would like to read more about my Parkinson's experience as well as read about me being the me that still does what the old Dan used to do before he had PD (and some new things he's learned to like since then).

Here are 2 other videos I took on vacation about my thoughts on standing up to Parkinson's.

This one is at Yosemite

This one is at Muir Woods