Young folks who may become confused the essence of truth:
Truth arises from within and with those close by who know you in person. We are in a sea of disinformation such as Biden “Returning you to normal” or AG Barr “ The right side is the winning side” or Zuckerberg “it’s way over my head. Lost touch.” Or the media “We need your ads”. Or Trump “You still haven’t caught on to the game” Place your trust in God or in your friends back porch Friendship is not a recent creation. I finally am cornered and must write. However I am plagued by a multitude of choices. Even though the me always gets turned upside down into a we there is trouble with the Yogi Berra choice of coming to a fork in the road and taking it. So I will weasel out to the wheel. I’m sitting in the hub of the wheel with ball bearings whizzing around and looking for address or direction to take.
First of fourteen spokes. The first section is the original version I wrote, the second section a collaborative effort between my granddaughter Ariel and I, and the third section is the spoke from her perspective.
Spoke One
Like a hatchling duckling at age 4; I follow Jack Bass through all his adventures I’ve learned about since. Following that path from the hub of the wheel, gradually metamorphosing into PK the gonzo psychiatrist. It was never my intention. Although I always intended to leave general practice and enter psychiatry; I had no notion of how psychiatry would turn into a monster leaving me in a frightening but delightful Ganzo position. I could not until now accept it as such.
~ ~ ~
There is an essential mystery that remains in science: instinct. Like a hatchling duck; I follow Jack Bass through all his adventures - both those I witnessed as a child and those I’ve learned about since. At age 4, it seemed to be pure instinct that drove my interest in him, and I followed what I imagined Jack Bass to be: heroic. In adulthood, following that path from the hub of the wheel meant I gradually metamorphosed into PK the Gonzo Psychiatrist. Although I always intended to leave general practice and enter psychiatry, I had no notion of how psychiatry would turn into a monster and leave in a frightening but delightful Gonzo position. I could not, until now, accept it as such.
~ ~ ~
When grandpa and I speak about his life and his childhood, Jack Bass nearly always appears in our conversations, no matter the topic. Jack Bass was a family friend who passed when my Grandpa was only 7. I once asked him if he was remembering Bass as he knew him as a child or if time had intensified and altered his memories, and he responded that he wasn’t sure the answer was needed. Bass lives on as a lighthouse to my Grandfather, a guiding influence who represents heroism in his own uniquely rebellious way, which greatly aided my Grandpa when faced with the stranger that psychiatry became. Instinct, innovation, and heroism. He faced a field greatly changed by the drug industry and insisted on tackling it from a comprehensive, person focused, and inventive lens, despite being seen as outlandish by others in the world of Psychiatry. This determination and willingness to explore made him who he is: the Gonzo Psychiatrist.
