Us humans have brains that are highly aware of our surroundings. We spend our whole life retaining information on how the world works around us. This gathering of information allows us to make automatic predictions and solutions. Is this a good thing? Automatic decisions don’t allow for open minded thinking. Unexpected tragedies and events happen everyday. How do these events affect a person who has already predicted how their day would go? These tragedies are game changers. For example, if one day we realize that we have an unusual cough, we predict that the cough will go away, and it doesn’t. Months pass by and we finally go to our family doctor still thinking that everything is fine and dandy. However, the doctor finds a mass in part of the lung. How does a person who thought this was just a ordinary cough, handle being told they have cancer? A person who has already predicted they were healthy, now has a life changing illness. It is easy as humans to draw up models of what we expect our life to look like. It is so easy to say everything will be fine.

We need to prepare ourselves and train our minds for these failed models. We as humans need to stop predicting and coming up with automatic solutions. Why not be prepared! Preparation is usually easier for those who were once unprepared. However, changing the way those unprepared people think beforehand is critical. People are stubborn! Many think that life will always be rainbows and candy, but FYI it can be quite the opposite.

The patient mentioned above could have taken responsibility in going to the doctor. Maybe if they did, their mass could have been better prevented. The patient could have evaluated the severity of their cough, how long it lasted, and if they were doing things to cause this cough. However, now the preparation to deal with cancer, will be greater than the proactive preparation that could have been taken.

Working toward survival comes in many ways. For one, being prepared for survival is key. When it happens take responsibility. Whether that be seeing a therapist, doctor, or talking to a friend. These are all great examples of taking responsibility. Also, it is OK to mourn. Some things take time!