![]() And I saw the unbelievable thinness of our planet's atmosphere. “When I looked out the window of the International Space Station, I saw the paparazzi-like flashes of lightning storms, I saw dancing curtains of auroras that seemed so close it was as if we could reach out and touch them. This article originally appeared on 12.23.22 We could all use that little extra measure of grace as we strive to figure out what a true and healthy "normal" feels like. So let's be gentle with one another and ourselves as we roll our harried selves into another new year. ![]() The overwhelm of our brains and hearts as we try to process it all is real. The grief and trauma of those who have experienced the worst of the pandemic are real. The uncertainty, the precariousness of "normal," the after-effects of everything that upended life as we knew it are real. Of course, life can't just stop, but we do need to allow some time for our bodies, minds and spirits to heal from what they've been through. We tried to fling ourselves into life, desperate to feel normal and make up for lost time, without taking the time to fully acknowledge the impact of the past two years or to fully recover and heal from it. We're like a person who thinks they're feeling better at the end of an illness so they dive fully back into life, only to crash mid-day because their body didn't actually have as much energy as their brain thought it did. Putting it like that, of course we're exhausted. Carpenters, entrepreneurs building homes, painters, and even first-time homeowners can now use methods from generations past to make projects better. We help craftspeople teach the skills they use on the job every day, and inspire others to make a career move into skilled careers. That’s why we started MT Copeland: to capture the craftsmanship seen in the built world around us (our homes, our workplaces, our cities), and help anyone learn directly from experienced professionals. And over 40% of skilled workers will retire in the next 10 years. In construction specifically, the demand for housing-especially affordable housing-and safer roads and bridges is only increasing. Craftsmanship, the human trait that enables us to care for and love the work we produce, especially in the built environment.Įven as we make advancements and increase efficiencies in technology, the built world desperately needs more people who care about craft and want to work with their hands. While it's tempting to blame yourself or search for what you could have done differently to stop it, the terrible truth is it's not always possible to prevent.Īs AI makes daily headlines (and robots take over), I’ve been thinking more about the future of human work and the value of craftsmanship. We'll undoubtedly get better at treatment and prevention of depression, just as we do with all illness, but the devastating truth is that sometimes people do die from it. There are treatments for depression, but sometimes the disease is resistant to treatment. Suicide might be the mechanism, but the disease of depression is the cause, just as unregulated blood sugar is the mechanism for someone who dies from the disease of diabetes. But it helps to understand that that depression, while largely treatable, is a sometimes-fatal disease. There's little comfort to be found when a loved one dies of suicide. ![]() With suicide, the intention is obviously there, but it's impossible to know how much control a person actually had over it in the moment. ![]() I purposely choose to say "when he died" instead of "when he killed himself" because the latter implies conscious choice, and I don't know how much of it was truly a choice on his part. The kind, funny uncle I lost to suicide was a year younger than Tommy Raskin when he died. It also helps explain why a young man with so much promise, so much passion, and so much support around him could die from a depression that led him to suicide. That line, "forgive me, it's hard to be human," resonates with us all. "He hated cliques and social snobbery," wrote Raskin, "never had a negative word for anyone but tyrants and despots, and opposed all malicious gossip, stopping all such gossipers with a trademark Tommy line - 'forgive me, but it's hard to be a human.'" He was sensitive and kind, while also fiercely dedicated to making the world a better place for all in it. He loved animals and fought for their ethical treatment. His passion for true liberty and justice for all and his desire to solve problems of injustice, poverty, and war is clear. The celebration of Tommy's life continues with a list of the people who surrounded him with love and support. “Statement of Congressman Jamie Raskin & Sarah Bloom Raskin on the Remarkable Life of Tommy Raskin” > Everyone shou… - Dr. ![]()
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