This is the first installment on this subject, following the return of Jordan Peterson to the public eye. Although this article isn't specifically about "the return" of Mr. Peterson to his home, or the public eye, it is what sparked the thoughts that will follow in this series.
First off, I have a tremendous amount of respect for Jordan Peterson, his work and his contributions to society.
I'm not one to get swept up in the lives of celebrities or people I don't know, save a key few people who inspire me, who I let into my mental inner circle.
As someone who's very narrowly sidestepped disastrous prescriptions from doctors, Jordan's story really caught my eye and pulled at my heart strings. Something so simple causing so much pain, suffering and disruption in so many people's lives made me want to open up a dialogue about this. Because Jordan is a public figure, with an attitude of ownership and growth, my hope is that there's going to be a lot of good that comes out of his suffering so others don't have to.
Jordan Peterson's experience is one of many. His troubles came from the extended use of benzodiazepine, which created an eventual and crippling dependency. Over the time he took the prescribed drug, at the prescribed dose, he had very few indicators of the trouble that was coming until it was far too late. The reason this is going to be posted in a series is because I'm looking to analyse, learn and discover as much as possible about this subject, while drawing on my own experiences and finding ways to help others get access to it so they don't suffer the same fate as others like Jordan have.
I'm not a doctor. I have no credentials on the subject. I do, however, have an affinity for the analysis of information and the ability to rationalize and theorize. This is the way, I feel, that we can all contribute to society while allowing the experts to do their job.
Some may ask: "Why wouldn't you leave these conversations entirely to the experts?" My response is simple. Many times, experts are so consumed by their biases and their indoctrinated communities, that they fail to see progressive evidence that goes against the sea of lies that their beliefs are swimming in. This is not to blame individuals for doing the best they can with the information they have. There is, however, another side to that coin.
When science- medicine in particular, take the attitude of having God like knowledge and infallibility, the medical community faces a possibility of doing real and lasting harm to many people. This is why I am going to be following this up in a series of pieces. I look forward to hearing from readers and engaging in the community as this conversation moves along.
Much love and stay well.
Stock photo from:
https://www.pexels.com/search/pills/