# 75
Robert Wolter to Brian
May 16, 2009
It’s interesting to me how you feel so strongly about taking ownership for your existence and not letting an outside concept or philosophy dictate your thoughts on the meaning of your life. Being the victim was never a mindset i took on and I wonder if that’s ingrained genetically in us or if it’s how we were raised. My parents never let me use CF as an excuse for not doing what I wanted and they’ve always been the greatest of supporters emotionally and physically. I was talking to a psychologist about this concept and there is strong evidence gained from studies that nurture plays more of a role in how people face adversity than nature. For instance, people who had a physical impairment at birth or were taken from their mothers after birth have much higher instances of criminal behavior later in life. But nothing is black and white, look at Oprah and others who have lived through such dire circumstances and have gone on to have amazing success.
About thinking of death, someone recently told me about the writings of a samurai. since they faced their own mortality on a day to day basis one of his teachings was to meditate on your own death for a certain amount of time every day. The purpose of this was to be prepared so that when your time to die is in front of you, it isn’t such a traumatic experience. When I heard this I felt really relieved because that is subconsciously the reason for why I do think about it. We both deal with the reality of our time on this earth more than most people. I think this is sort of a blessing in a way and I am grateful for that unique perspective on life that it gives me.
I could not agree with you more about Doctors and Nurses. At least with my experience, almost every person I have encountered in the medical field has been amazing. There’s no way for me to talk about it without sounding really really sappy but it’s the truth. I find the work these people do so incredible. The amount of time and energy and emotion they sacrifice goes above and beyond normal limits. If there are such things as angels then they are the earthly incarnation of them. There are a lot of flaws with the system for sure, but the people who are treating, caring for and working in the system are truly inspiring.
alright talk to you soon.
b.