Angelina Jolie Brings Optimism to Women at Risk of Cancer

By Dr. Russ,

When Angelina Jolie announced she had a double mastectomy, prophylactically, to prevent breast cancer, she became a role model for action-oriented optimism. Some 232,000 women in the USA receive a breast cancer diagnosis each year, and 40,000 die from the disease. Genetic testing also indicates that Angelina is at risk of ovarian cancer as well. Breast cancer has many survivors, but ovarian cancer does not. Ovarian cancer is much more deadly. 

In 1962, at the age of 41, my mother died of ovarian cancer. She had been treated 10 years prior for breast cancer with a single mastectomy. My mother’s mother died at the age of 39 of ovarian cancer. Twelve out of thirteen of my maternal grandparent’s siblings died of some kind of cancer at relatively young ages. We have learned since the advent of genetic testing that either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes are present in nearly every female in the lineage from my mother’s mother.

In 1968, my aunt, my mother’s younger sister underwent prophylactic surgery that removed both breasts and she had a complete hysterectomy removing the ovaries and uterus, all at the same time.  She was in her forties, approaching menopause, and had born three children. My Aunt lived to be 80 years old. She got to enjoy being with and seeing all her six grandchildren grow into their twenties.

When my mother passed in 1962, everyone was forecasting a cure for cancer within forty years. Well, it has been fifty years, and we still do not have the cure. In 1968, when my aunt underwent the surgery it was truly groundbreaking, but some 45 years later, Jolie is being hailed as a ground-breaker for women’s breast health.

As you know, the Dr. Russ brand of optimism is not about wishful thinking and pie in the sky outcomes, but is about taking constructive action to improve your life situation and attitude. Angelina Jolie’s actions speak louder than any words she has spoken. I have seen the positive results of this kind of action-oriented optimism had for my aunt, up close and personal. It is not easy to have the parts of your body that most define physical femininity removed. Like a good optimist these women assessed their worst-case scenario and its likelihood of occurrence. They then made a decision to save themselves for their families. These are the kinds of actions that define the Dr. Russ Buss brand of optimism.

Let me know what you think.

Do Americans Prefer Guns to God?

By Dr. Russ,

After the Newtown massacre of 6 and 7 year old children, I observed people coming together in mourning at memorial services held in churches all over the country.  It is not unusual for tragedy to lead us to seek comfort in God; to look for the Lord’s guidance and yes protection.   To me that would mean people now would seek out God more and guns less.  Protection of the soul and the spirit within is not had with a gun, but only with God.  So what has happened?

According the New York Times, Americans are flocking to gun stores across the country in record numbers to purchase not just guns, but weapons designed to kill 10 to 100 people in under a minute.   Thirty round, high capacity, rifle magazines are now selling for $60 up from $12 a few weeks ago.

These Americans who have made this choice to arm themselves with what I consider to be “weapon s of mass destruction” have forsaken the protection of God for the false belief that they can play God and protect themselves.  On the way to the gun store, they have forgotten ten truths about God.

Ten Truths Americans Forgot about God on the Way to the Gun Store

1.     Martin Luther King, Jr. fought the final major battle for the equality of blacks in America on a platform of non-violence, peace, love and reconciliation.  The guns that were used, were used by those who sought to destroy the African American, but only fueled the determination of their spirit of endurance.

2.     The watch-phrase of the 60’s was “We Shall Overcome.”  And, overcome they did without firing a shot despite being fired upon over and over.

3.      It took four centuries, but the Roman Empire despite putting thousands upon thousands of Christians to horrible deaths in the Coliseums finally became a Christian Empire in 381 AD. 

4.     Evil works through the creation of irrational fear that there is nothing we can do to keep ourselves safe except to take up evil and try and fight evil with evil. 

5.     Evil is stymied when we come close to God, place him in our hearts and talk to Him moment-to-moment, everyday.

6.     Jesus taught that life is not about the flesh and worldly things, but about the spirit and life everlasting.  On a given day, in some particular circumstance, someone may protect their flesh with a gun, but protection of the spirit can only be sought through prayer and peaceful coexistence with our fellow human beings.

7.     The reason the Founding Father’s were successful in overthrowing British rule in the American Revolution had little to do with the right to bear arms and everything to do with an unyielding spirit and belief that, “All people were created equal and had the right life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”  How else could that “rag tag” group of colonists under the command of General Washington have prevailed except for a belief in the ideal for which they were fighting.  They were not fighting to protect their own flesh.  They put their flesh at risk to protect some projected future, which was an IDEA!!!!!

8.     In their rush to the gun store, they have forgotten that the logical extension of their thinking is an SUV that transforms into a tank for protection of the homeowner, or the pocket size tactical nuclear weapon. 

9.     We have a choice to choose God and not guns.  When we choose guns we choose to play God.  I do not recall any Bible story where it turned out well for one or more humans to play God.

10. God created the world and everything in it including humans so that we could experience the joy of living with God and walking with Jesus through worship and honoring Him.  Life is not about us!  Life is about God!  God will not forsake us.  Those Newtown families who choose to seek out God and come closer to Him will be assured that their lost loved ones are being cared for by God, and they will find a deeper meaning and joy in their renewed spirit that will come from this death than ever imagined. 

Insurmountable Optimism: Mountain Climbing at 85 Years Old

By: Jackie Monroe

Meet Tom Jenkins, of Centennial, CO: an 85 year old mountain climber who reminds us to be thankful for each day of life, whether we can climb mountains or not! 

Originally aired by Denver's 9News, check out Tom's story below, and see if his message doesn't sound familiar. 

In this season of Thanksgiving, each and everyone of us can find something to be thankful for. Will you go a step further and not only be thankful for your life and the people and opportunities in it, but also look for the ways you can continue to make positive changes for yourself and others? 

If we wake up in the morning, we have the privilege of choosing the way we will respond to the day that unfolds before us.  What will your choice be?

Blessing of the Animals is an Act of Optimism

By Dr. Russ,

On Sunday, October 14, 2012, the community around Duke University Chapel came together to celebrate the “blessing of the animals.”  This event is in commemoration of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, which always occurs on October 4 of each year and is celebrated at Duke on the first Sunday after the 4^th.  Originally scheduled for October 7, 2012 in front on the majestic Duke Chapel, it was postponed due to rain.  As someone aptly said, there is nothing worse than the smell of wet dog.

Sunday, October 12 was a gorgeous 70 degree, blue sky day; a perfect venue for celebrating the Patron Saint of animals and the environment who lived during the 12 century.  The celebration honors all animals on earth, and is meant to remind us that God entrusted humankind to be good stewards of the animals he placed in our care.  The event was attended mostly by dogs and their owners, but there were cats, guinea pigs, and even an iguana sprinkled throughout the crowd of several hundred.

Sofie, my standard poodle, and I attended the event.  I had never been to one of these ceremonies before, and came away quite impressed.  We had music from a local children’s choir, liturgy, prayer, and a short sermon all in honor of God’s gift of animals to our world.  Afterwards, the numerous robed clergy on hand came around and gave an individual prayer-of-blessing for each animal.  This individual ritual is clearly depicted in the picture above.

Animals of all kinds and species bring us much joy and enrichment, hence the popularity of zoos, the Discovery and Animal channels.  Our pets bring us the comfort of unconditional love.  All we have to do to fulfill God’s promise of the gift of animals to the earth, to us, is to treat them with the respect, dignity, care that God did when He spoke them into existence.  

Optimism is derived from two aspects of animals: 1) the unconditional love they give to us, and 2) the joy and positive spirit we get from taking good care of them.  We experience both sources of optimism within the close personal relationship we develop with our pets and farm animals.  We derive the same level of optimism from animals in the wild and the sea when we hold these creatures in the awe of God’s wonderful creativity and treat them with dignity and respect by honoring their environments, their freedom, and rightful place to live on the earth. 

Optimism and Virtue: Change, Politics and the Good Life

By Dr. Russ,

This essay is the first entry into a series of articles on the subject of optimism and virtue.  First, I address the question: What is the relationship between optimism and virtue? 

Virtue is defined as striving to live the good life not for the sake of some extrinsic reward or avoidance of punishment, but instead for the intrinsic value of goodness for goodness sake.  We can never achieve a state of perfect virtue, because God is the only perfect being and since God is limitless, so too is virtue.   Thus, the goal is not to become virtuous, but to learn to engage in a continuous process of self-improvement and becoming.

Optimism is defined as a view or perspective that no matter what circumstances of life we encounter, we believe we can find a way to make progress by building on positive events and solve the problems inherent in negative ones.  Like virtue, optimism is a continuous striving to improve and make our lives better. 

The “good life” of living virtuously could be defined based our own personally derived sense of what is “right living,” or we could look to a spiritual source for the characteristics of the “good life.”  In these essays, I use the Bible and the life of Moses as depicted by 4^th century scholar Gregory of Nyssa, as the standard for virtuousness.

I will argue that in order to live a life of optimism in each and every moment, i.e., viewing each and every moment of life as an opportunity for growth and self-improvement, we must be pursing goals of learning to live virtuously as set forth in the Bible, particularly, the life of Moses as characterized by Gregory of Nyssa.

First Lesson of Optimism and Virtuous Living

Development of virtue can only occur in an environment of change.  Gregory of Nyssa argues the Pharaoh’s decree to kill all first-born males sets the stage for change as a constant in Moses life and demonstrates how his response to change created opportunity after opportunity to learn more virtue.

Application of Lesson to Politics and Change

At the close of the Republican National Convention and on the eve of the Democratic National Convention we are being bombarded with calls for the need for change.  Romney argues that his plan will bring prosperity and Obama asks for four more years to complete the changes he has begun.  Everyday, no matter where I go, I come upon a homeless and down and destitute person looking for some help with their dire economic circumstances. 

How are we to maintain a perspective of optimism in light of all of this change?  The first step is to focus on the goal of virtue and not leading the “good life.”  The “good life” is one of wealth and accumulation of material stuff.  Virtue is pursuing some good for its own sake. 

Doing good for its own sake requires us to stop looking at our own welfare and start working toward improving the welfare of others.  Trying to discern what is or might be beneficial to the welfare of others in the context of today’s political climate and economic circumstances is truly a challenge, but a much more worthwhile endeavor for enhancing optimism than trying to figure out how to “feather our own nest.”  The key is in the trying and striving toward better and better service toward others.

In conclusion, do not be disheartened by the constant change and challenge of day-to-day living in our modern American society because it gives us the continuous opportunity to improve in our ability to maintain an optimistic perspective and simultaneously pursue a virtuous lifestyle.

As we live through the daily changes of the next two months leading up to election day, we have two ways to pursue optimism and virtue and rise above the fray of negativity: 1) We can simply ignore all the rhetoric and go out and do something to help someone in difficulty of less fortunate.  I guarantee that when you make that effort, you will feel both positive and good about yourself, in a way that lasts. 2) You can demand from whichever candidate you support that whether they are going to give tax brakes to the rich or middle class, they find a way to make sure every monetarily enriched individual gives back the money, 2 to 10 fold, in kind or service, for the betterment of society and the less fortunate.

[Note: The key reference for defining and illustrating virtuous living is: Gregory of Nyssa, The life of Moses (Harper Spiritual Classics; trans. A.J. Malherbe and E. Ferguson; San Francisco: Harper, 2006].