I don’t know if you’ve been following 3I/Atlas, but there’s a lot of information out there about it. For those of you unfamiliar, 3I/Atlas is an interstellar object that is passing through our solar system. At first, scientists believed this was a comet, but it’s different than any other comet than we’ve ever seen before. It has shown signs of non-gravitational acceleration, it changes color, its emissions seem to be changing, it’s extremely large (some have said the size of Manhattan) and it appears to be chemically different than any comet we’ve ever seen.
There have been some theories that this could be an alien probe or spacecraft. While this may seem far-fetched, its ecliptic-plane trajectory (fancy name for the path it’s taking through our solar system) indicates it couldn’t be just a random path. In other words, it appears it’s being guided through our solar system. It lacks a tail like other comets, but has shown to project a line of light back to the sun (all other comets cast a reflected light in the opposite direction from the sun). To top it off, it has demonstrated non-gravitational course shifts and periodic radio signals have been detected coming from the object.
So, what is it? Your guess is as good as mine. Sooner or later, I guess we’ll find out. You’ll have to form your own opinion based on what you read. But here’s the catch: you will probably have a tendency to read the articles that support your own personal theory. If you believe this can only be a comet, you’ll read articles from people who also think it’s only a comet. If you believe this could be an alien craft, you’re more likely to read articles from people who believe it’s an alien craft.
In other words, we tend to bias our reading or our acceptance of what we read based upon personal opinions or feelings. We will read articles that support our preconceived opinions. Not only that, but we will find articles that support our preconceived ideas to reinforce our personal biases and we will tend to accept what we read and apply it to our own personal lives. We can even go so far as to experiencing things based upon what we’ve read.
There’s no better example of this than what we come away with after reading about a medical condition like Myasthenia Gravis. We can read about possible symptoms and actually either relate to them or start experiencing them. Are those symptoms caused by what we read or is what we’ve read helping us to realize those are symptoms we’ve actually experienced? It’s a fine line.
Reading up on a medical condition can be a good thing. It helps us learn about the condition, recognize symptoms, prepare for situations, and even encourage us to get medical attention. At the same time, reading up on a medical condition can also influence us in ways we weren’t expecting. What we’ve read could plant seeds that may or may not be true. It may even cause us to experience symptoms we’ve never had before simply because the article we’ve read describes them.
Let me give you an example. Have you ever known anyone who has gone to the internet and looked up a medication a doctor has prescribed them? Did they start experiencing any of the side effects described in the article? Did they have these side effects before they read the article and the article just helped them recognize it or did the article plant a seed about a side effect that they are now starting to experience? We’ve all known someone who has done this. In fact, we may have even done this ourselves.
My point is, it’s good to become educated about Myasthenia Gravis, but just remember that what you read doesn’t necessarily mean you will experience the same symptoms. Granted, you will recognize some of the symptoms they describe because you’re already experiencing them, but we shouldn’t assume we’re going to automatically experience all the symptoms described or to what severity.
When I was first diagnosed with MG, I read a lot about it. I learned that some people lose the ability to walk. That scared me. I was having major problems with my legs and couldn’t walk great distances. At that point, I could have started believing that, based on what I had read, that I was soon going to be in a wheelchair. Our minds can be our worst enemies and if I had believed that, I guarantee you I would be in a wheelchair today. But I’m not. Instead, I chose to read up on how I could prevent ending up in a wheelchair. I learned that exercise is important, but must also be tempered with proper rest. I learned that you have to take care of your body through proper nutrition, proper exercise, and proper rest.
I also learned from my reading that breathing can be a real problem for people with MG as the diaphragm muscles can also be affected. This can lead to a myasthenia crisis where a person with MG becomes completely unable to breathe on their own and must be placed on a ventilator. I’ve had trouble breathing, especially when I catch a cold or allergies start to kick in, so I have to take precautions when this happens. I have to do breathing treatments utilizing a nebulizer. Sometimes I have to go on steroids or even antibiotics. I can’t allow the congestion to get too bad or I’ll become so weak that I’ll be unable to cough any congestion out of my lungs or bronchial tubes which could lead to pneumonia. If I become so weak I can no longer breathe, I could go into a myasthenia crisis.
What I’m trying to say is it’s good to read about things, but you have to be careful about how what you read affects you. If you’re reading up about a medical condition, learn what you can do to help yourself through the condition and try to avoid making your condition worse by becoming negatively influenced based on what you’ve read. Just because an article describes a symptom or side effect doesn’t mean you’re going to experience it. And if you are experiencing those symptoms, then research what you can do to help make those symptoms better, not worse. Use what you’ve read to properly prepare. Don’t allow what you’ve read to plant seeds which can lead to depression and despair.
When I read articles about 3I/Atlas, I try to read all the theories, not just the ones that support my own theory about what is happening. It’s actually human nature to want to read only those articles that support your theory and assume any article that doesn’t support your personal opinions as being worthless. That leads to bias and bias can lead to improper behavior. Am I preparing for aliens? No, but I’m not ruling out the possibility that this isn’t just a comet. I think we’re rather foolish to think we’re the only planet in the entire universe to host life. I also think we’re rather foolish to think we’re the most intelligent and advanced species that exists. I’m keeping an open mind when it comes to things like this.
What I know for certain is everything that once existed, currently exists, or may exist in the future, was created by God. One day we’ll know everything, but for today, I only need to know what God wants me to know.
So, I encourage you to read up on Myasthenia Gravis, but do so with the intention to learn how to better cope with it, not to make you feel worse or experience new symptoms. Don’t become biased, but be open to new ideas and techniques. As you read through these articles do so with a mindset of what can I learn to help me through my experience with MG and avoid the mindset of what else can MG do to me.