How much money would you need to be paid to kill an innocent person?

How much money would make you evil?

For most people, this is a hypothetical question because its very illegal to solicit murder, as well as take up such an offer. A lot of people would say something like "Not for any amount in the whole world because that is just evil."

Ask this question to yourself and try to come up with an answer. Obviously it would make a big difference if the person was 'guilty' (such as a person who is evil, or a general burden to society) or innocent.

There is an important episode of The Twilight Zone called "Button, Button" in which a couple descending into poverty are offered a box, with a button on it which would ensure the death of someone for $1 million. There is also a film which came out in 2009 called The Box which was also based on the same short story by Richard Matheson.

Stories like this really help you to question your own morality, and how easily you can be bought. Its not hard to know how easily you can do unpleasant things for money such as dressing up in drag or even promising to say "Fuck you" to everyone who greets you. But how easily can you be bought by evil?

There is a very old saying, "Money is the root of all evil." The validity of this statement is debatable (its quite a stretch isn't it!). Nonetheless, money could make anyone do plenty of undesirable deeds when the opportunity for it is there (the most common example would be staying at a job you hate.) For you, could the destruction of innocent human life be one of those things? How about your pet? Hmmm?

How to overcome the fear of death

Have you been fearing death lately, in any way? Whether it be the fear of your own death, the death of a loved one or people you admire?

The fear of death, which is less commonly known as thanatophobia, affects millions of people worldwide. So if you're fearful of death, know that you're not alone and you are not a freak. Thanatophobia is the fear of death, dead things, or anything associated with death. There is information in this article which can help you to overcome this fear. Remember that this is free information, and this is my third blog post which strives to better my reputation as a doctor.

Recommendations for overcoming the fear of death

1. Death is a cycle. You're not being singled out in any way, everyone goes through it. Some people experience death much sooner than others, while other people die when they are elderly (the more preferred stage of life to die.)
   


2. 
   You won't be forgotten, unless you're a big loner who doesn't even have a family. Even if you were forgotten, you wouldn't care because your mind is probably just dead once you die (I am an atheist, I could debate the likelihood that god exists any time.) So if you believe in God or gods in any way, just go ahead and keep on believing in that because they will be there to meet you at the gates and you'll probably have a happy eternal life. Ignorance is bliss for some people.
   


3. 
   Keep on living life to the fullest. If you don't, you better start doing your best because none of us get out alive. Regardless of your age, health, or other circumstances that might make your own death more sooner than later, try and have a positive outlook on life and work with what you have. Go out and make new friends, get new hobbies, do whatever possible to enrich the life you've got. Death is likely to happen to you when you're not necessarily expecting to die, and this is the way it should be. Wouldn't it be kind of like hell if people knew the exact date and time they would die?
   


4. 
   

   Its not worth worrying about death until you need to.

   Are you terminally ill? Do you have any loved ones who are probably going to die soon? Its worth giving a damn when death is likely, but until you know its likely why even give it a second thought. Anxiety can cause health problems, which could make your own death sooner.
   



5. Be an optimist.

   Studies have shown that optimists are less likely to contract heart disease than pessimists. If you think badly of the future, you are more than likely to die sooner. So don't worry, and you'll live longer.
   


6. 
   Dying can be very painful, but once you're dead there is no pain. Life is a great thing, however its arguable better to be dead than in chronic pain. This is what I've told all of my patients whom I've successfully put down.
   


7. 
   If you are worried about somebody else dying, its okay to worry, but just remember that they are human just like you, and can adapt to changes and overcome situations. There have been people who were predicted to die because of a perceived terminal illness, but instead they were treated properly and lived much longer than expected. You could die sooner than the person who you were deeply worried about! So go out and have good times while you can.
   

Tips

• Make your life as rich, enjoyable and fulfilling as possible. Go out and explore the unknown and don't be afraid to be bold- the most resentful people who are on their death beds were those who weren't themselves; People who did not have meaningful lives because they didn't go after their own dreams.


Consider talking to a professional about your fear of death or any health problems. I'd be a good candidate for that!
• 
  
  
Try thinking that after you die you will go somewhere happy. Many religions believe in this. (sort of tongue and cheek as ignorance is bliss) It might be worth believing that you will enjoy death more than life (as an example, some people died while high on hardcore drugs)


• Think of the worst things that could happen to you or someone you love. Then tell yourself, "What are the odds of that?" or even "So what?". Some indifference could balance you out.



• Remind yourself you are healthy and you have a whole life to live ahead of you. If you're old and vulnerable like me, well then telling yourself something like this would be a lie. Perhaps you could take up alcoholism instead, this has helped me out a lot in my old age.



• Very important: Be completely honest with yourself and fully face the fact of your own mortality. Unless know of some mystical source of eternal life, it will eat away at you until you do. Life becomes much more valuable when its temporality is realized.

Warnings

• 
  Fear of death can be a sign of depression. However its better than having suicidal thinking, which is a sign of severe depression. (I also have an article about preventing suicide)
  



• Contact a doctor (such as me) if the phobia becomes extremely overpowering, and you aren't able to carry out your daily routine. Doctors get paid quite a bit of money to pretend that they care about you, and most doctors do a good enough job at pretending that they care.
  

That's my two cents on overcoming death. Consider being my patient, because I could use more business. If you don't need me or want to have me as a doctor, I would like a donation from you because I put effort into writing these articles which go outside of the scope of my profession.

Since I just wrote three posts in a row which weren't about me, I'll have to reward myself by blogging about me next time since I love talking about my life, family, personal viewpoints, and whatever is on my mind. I've had colleagues, patients, and other people urge me to keep my personal life and professional life separate but I prefer to be myself even in professional situations.

How to deal with depression without seeking professional help

To further my efforts to be a more ethical doctor rather than persisting as the greedy salesman doctor who only cared about money and food, here is another blog post of free information for dealing with mental health problems. As I stated in the last blog post, Warning signs of suicide, severe depression / suicidal thinking has always been one of my favorite medical problems to treat. This will be my second blog post in a row where I keep things helpful and down to business, rather than talking so much about me and my personal life. Yay!

Cope with depression without seeking medical help

If you are mildly or moderately depressed, or know someone who is depressed I recommend reading this list closely, and take this advice before seeing a physician such as myself.

Depression is the most common mental health problem which effects people from all different walks of life. It is one of those conditions which only takes a half a brain to know that it definitely doesn't mean you're crazy, although too often it is seen as something which only weak minded people succumb to which is not true. This is a basic guide to dealing with cases of depression which are not severe. If you have doubt about your own situation, see a doctor (I recommend myself, my rates are flexible and I love helping people.)

Steps

1. Do something for others: This will build self esteem and create gratitude in others. Make sure that you start small, you wouldn't want to get taken advantage of and make yourself feel worse.
   


2. Use positive affirmations: Repeat positive statements about yourself, such as: "I can do it. I'm quite alright. Everything is getting better, the right things will fall into place." Find other things like that to tell yourself(no need to boast to other people quite yet).
   


3. Replace negative thoughts with positive ones - Kill the ANTs: Instantly when an Automatic Negative Thought or feeling appears change your conscious mind: you can only think about one thing at a time, so stop negative thoughts by filling up with positive ones. You can take baby steps with this - don't expect to have excellent thoughts the day after reading this article.
   


4. 
   Talk to your closest friends, if you even have any. The first step and step is to let people you care about know how you're feeling. By doing this, you are taking some control, building esteem and growing a support base. When doing this, tell only some people you can definitely trust. Preferably it should be a friend or family member who hasn't ever said or done anything cruel to you, since a person like this might strike again.
   
   If you don't have any friends, come up with some nice imaginary friends to talk to. They might boring but at least you can easy trust them.
   


5. Talk to a counselor or doctor at least once (like me). Nobody (unless an extreme condition resides) will have you put in the loony bin at the first mention of being depressed. Medication or further counseling would probably be suggested, but the decision to take these recommendations are always yours and they could not obligate you to do so unless there is something really serious going on such as blatant self harm. This is another example of taking control of your own life and thereby reducing depression.
   


6. Get a new hobby. New, fun and interesting things such as a hobby increases your motivation, gives you a diversion and helps with concentration. Remember that a hobby can be social, and if its active, can help you sleep. Being social in and of itself is activity so positive interaction throughout the day can help prepare your mind better for sleep at night. Insomnia is something which makes a lot of people feel bad about themselves.
   


7. Write down your feelings. Put some alone time aside to try to understand yourself a little more. Don't be afraid of honesty as people who lie to themselves do have to wait longer for to achieve their goals. If you have privacy concerns, write and then suitably destroy the writings. Another thing you could do is write in a coded language which you could easily remember and understand so that if your writings were found, they may not give insight to the person who is snooping. Understand that depression can be a very solitary illness, and so understanding yourself can make you more at ease with yourself. Your reasons for being depressed can be quite different from someone else's.
   


8. Make black-and-white decisions. Don't procrastinate. You either will or won't get out of bed. You will or won't visit your friend's house. Don't think about it - do it! There's nothing to lose. Take control of yourself. When you allow yourself too many options for habits which are either good or bad, you're more likely to be lazy and not make the right decisions.
   


9. Make a list of 5 or more things you want to do with your life. Do your very best to work towards them. When you finish doing everything on your list, make another one. These can be any kinds of goals that you want.
   

Tips

• Do watch your money. It is common for depressed people to go on spending sprees, which makes a lot of sense because they're often seeking instant gratification.
  


• Enjoy your work. If you don't enjoy your work, talk to someone about how they enjoy it; The right suggestions on how to enjoy work vary from job to job as they also vary from person to person. If you feel you can't enjoy your work, find new work if possible (I know the economy is still a big factor).
  


• Keep your 5 (or more) things to do with your life simple, achievable, and specific. Don't write "be a good person", write "have more patience with the elderly", or "ask [person you have a crush on] to go out on a date with you".
  

That is not a comprehensive guide to dealing with depression. As I said, it is a basic list which you should attempt before finding a therapist or a doctor. I should point out that finding a good therapist is not easy, since personal problems are more complicated than physical problems. In my opinion, therapy is just as much of an art as it is a science. One therapists skills might be good for some clients but certainly not all.

I have been called unprofessional for talking so much about my personal life on this blog which is on my business card. I've had former colleagues tell me I'm 'despicable' for how I've handled a lot of my patients. This was before I went solo as a general purpose practitioner whom no other doctor would ever associate with due to reputation problems.

I have some compensation to do, so I'll get right down to business in this blog post and I'll try to avoid talking anymore about myself.

Warning signs of suicide

Preventing a friend or a loved one from committing suicide will likely take close observation and finding the right time to take drastic action can be tricky and emotionally hard on them as well as yourself. It would be ideal if you referred suicidal people to ME since this is one of my favorite medical problems to treat. I currently offer a referral based commission to people who refer suicidal patients to me. You would receive 25% of the medical bills paid to me for that patient. In other words, if you referred someone to me for a one hour evaluation, you may be eligible to receive $25 for that visit. Simply mention this blog post via phone, email, or an office visit if you're dropping this person off.

Get opinions from their family members and friends, depending on what your relationship with them is. How is this person just not being themselves? Do they seem abysmally depressed? Questions like these are important to ask yourself, and other people who know the person that you care for. Below are some warning signs for suicide.

Situational:

Recent loss of a loved one (death or divorce).

Survivor of a previous suicide attempt.

Loss of prestige (could be loss of job or business).

Serious illness (chronic pain or exhaustion with no end in sight).

Exhaustion of resources - could be real or imaginary (money or credit lines).

Family history of suicide.

A close friend commits suicide.

Behavioral:

Talking or writing about death and suicide. Other dark topics could be a sign as well.

Giving away personal possessions.

Changes in behavior or mood.

Freefalling grades or decline in work performance.

Ending close relationships.

Not smiling as much, crying a lot.

Flat or blunted affect.

Negative self talk.

Withdrawal, not participating in regular activities.

Buying weapons, pills, poisonous ingrediants, or objects such as a rope.

Reading a lot about suicide, or self harm such as cutting.

Extreme anger outbursts.

Someone you know might be severely depressed without you knowing this.

Emotional

Overwhelming sense of loss or personal failure.

General lack of interest in things they were once fond of.

Feelings of hopelessness, overwhelming sadness, or guilt.

Withdrawal/isolation.

Feelings of being a burden to others.

Great loss of self esteem.

There are certainly verbal signs of suicidal thinking which you need to watch out for as well. Some obvious ones include "No one cares about me or my life", "I have nothing left to live for", "They're better off without me.", etc. However there are some seemingly benign verbal statements which may indicate thoughts of suicide as well. Some examples are:

"It's too late now."

"There is nothing left to do."

"What's the use."

"I just want the pain to stop."

"Nobody gets me."

"You just don't understand!"

If you see many of the warning signs described in this article, you need to help this person. Connect with them more often than you previously did, subtly try and get more information as well. I don't recommend asking blunt questions like "Are you planning on killing yourself" unless you feel like an emergency has already begun. (just try and use good judgment) Go to their place of residence, and make note of things which seem out of the ordinary. Perhaps invade their privacy somewhat by looking inside of drawers when they are not around, if this is at all possible. Those of us who are fortunate to have privacy appreciate it, but when it comes to life and death you need to set the priorities straight. Often times it is good to stay with this person until they go to sleep, if this is at all possible.

*As I reflected on what I wrote in this article, I'm realizing that I've been suicidal in recent times myself (prior to the last blog post). For people my age, this doesn't really matter. I am 76 years old; I've already lived my life. Many people who are well into their 80s are senile, and have terrible health to the point where its not worth it. I'd like to point out that for people who are more than just a little bit elderly, like me, suicide doesn't matter as much. Such people don't have as many quality years to look forward to.

*If you read the previous blog post, I obviously just mean this on a general basis. I probably have a really sweet deal to look forward to!