Preserve the Mean

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Is the following true? A good or strong man may have many faults, weaknesses, or flaws, often due to the misuse or misplacement of his strengths. An idea that Aristotle addressed thousands of years ago. More pointedly, in his essays in Ethics, to correlate terms with weakness, he uses defects of character or absence of virtue in which men possess many (Adler, 1952a, p. 352), but Aristotelian thought speaks of behaving in the middle ground.

We can understand in layperson's terms, for example, from basic arithmetic, the definition of mean, or better yet, the mean is the mathematical average (Polit, 2010). Now, to behave and live in such a way that aligns with Aristotelian concepts, is to find the average. For example, the mean of fear and confidence is courage. If we are to be in excess fear, we are on the high end of cowardice, and if we are on the excess of fearlessness, we are on the verge of recklessness; therefore, the mean is courage (Adler, 1952a, pp. 352-353).

Let us look at other correlates from the great thinker. The mean of bashfulness and shamelessness is modesty, the middle of the road or average of flattery and blame is being of praiseworthiness, and the average of pleasure and pain is temperance. In contrast, in terms of philanthropy, the mean of greed and generosity is benevolence. Aristotle even addresses the concepts of hunger and starvation, and exercise in excess and too little, all of which affect and promote health or illness in the body. An idea that most in the practice of medicine would agree with. Not too much food intake and not too little, and not too much exercise or not too little.

In a day and age where influence and distraction aim at our attention, are the maxims and sayings from the wisdom of the ancients relevant today? Perhaps, we should consider and meditate on such things, if not then we will need to address the question that Machievelli submitted, borrowing from the editors of the great philosophers tells us in the synopticon, under the heading of Honor, Adler (1952b, p. 734), referring to the ideas of Machiavelli who would sound the bell and search for who is the man that will be great among us: will he strive to be a pioneer or settle for being a puppet? Better yet, and higher than philosophical insight, the Christian man is advised in the sayings of Solomon not to be too wise or righteous, nor too wicked and foolish (The Holy Bible, New International Version, 1999, Ecclesiastes 7:16-18). If we circle back to Aristotelian thoughts once more and look at a concept he proposed during his time, should we heed the insight of: preserving the mean (Adler, 1952a, p. 349).

References:

Adler, M. J. (1952a). Aristotle: II. In The Great Books of the Western World. (Vol. 9). Encyclopedia Britannica.

Adler, M. J. (1952b). The Great Ideas: I. In The Great Books of the Western World. (Vol. 2) Encyclopedia Britannica.

The Holy Bible. New International Version, Cornerstone Bible Publishers, 1999.

Polit, D. F. (2010). Statistics and data analysis for nursing research (2nd ed.). Pearson. 

Navigate the Obstacle

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Sociologists have explored and investigated the concept of middle-aged thriving and have asked the question: What does it mean to be well and, more pointedly, be well mentally (Ryff & Keyes, 1995). Criteria and points of reference for defining well-being are, by extension, measures of positive life functioning such as accepting oneself, environment of control, favorable relationships, living a goal-oriented life coupled with self-improvement and self-determination (Ryff & Keyes, 1995). Suppose the criteria mentioned earlier, such as well-being, are operationalized or realized in one's life. Would indicators such as a spirit of good cheer, peace of mind, and depression be mediated?

In their thirty-year-old study, Ryff & Keyes (1995) highlight that their research reveals strong correlations between mediating happy feelings, life satisfaction, and symptoms of depression, particularly in relation to self-acceptance and environmental control. As for the other domains, such as healthy relationships, having a purpose in life, developing oneself over the continuum of life, and being independent, these are poorly correlated with mediating a person's happiness, satisfaction with life, and depressed mood. In other words, from their study, accepting one situation in life and trying to the extent that one can exercise some form of control over the world around them correlates to positive life functioning with behaviors reflecting a joyful spirit, being contented with life, and improved mood, however it is essential to acknowledge what Ryff & Keyes (1995), concluded: that there is more to getting on with life and that being well or psychologically healthy than the pursuit of happiness and being fullfilled. Of note and to the credit of their study, one domain of well-being that was not investigated, at least in this research, was spirituality.

G.K. Chesterton wrote a biography to defend the works of Robert Louis Stevenson, best known for his novel Treasure Island. Chesterton notes that Stevenson exemplified a character who, despite living with debilitating childhood illnesses, grew up with those challenges and faced life's adversity. Consider an excerpt from his work.

Chesterton states in his 1906 publication about R. L. Stevenson's character, "Stevenson's great ethical and philosophical value lies in the fact that he realised this great paradox that life becomes more fascinating the darker it grows, that life is worth living only so far as it is difficult to live" (Chesterton & Nicoll, 1906, p. 15). How did R. L. Stevenson believe that when life becomes complicated and overwhelming, it is precisely then that it becomes truly fascinating? 

This perspective presents a thought-provoking and philosophical approach to living even today, and applies to all of humanity. Not many will argue that parents, teachers, and coaches, who have many irons in the fire, face a myriad of challenges. Still, with an approach of living with acceptance and a whole-hearted intent to practice an environment of control to the best of one's ability, most people could achieve the feeling that life is worth living, as R. L. Stevenson demonstrated.

We can also gain insight by contemplating the ancient writings found in the Old Testament texts, particularly in the book of Ecclesiastes, and investigating the spiritual component of life. The great teacher emphasizes in chapter seven in the fourtenth verse, contemplative ideas about good circumstances and less fortunate ones, discussing the fact that God has set things in motion in a persons life such that one can not determine his future and that when days are joyful be glad, and when days are cumbersome consider that God has brought this for some devine reason (The Holy Bible, New International Version, 1999, Ec. 7: 14).

References:

Chesterton, G. K., & Nicoll, W. R. (1906). The characteristics of Robert Louis Stevenson. James Pott & Co. Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/robertlouissteve00chesrich/page/4/mode/2up?view=theater

Ryff, C. D., & Keyes, C. L. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69(4), 719–727. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.69.4.719

The Holy Bible: New International Version. (1999). Cornerstone Bible Publishers. (original work published 1973)

Stripped Down to Strength: Becoming a Marine

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I was in the second phase of Marine Corps boot camp at Edson Range, where we learned to handle the M16A2 rifle with precision. Sundays were usually for writing letters home, polishing boots, and enjoying a short chapel service. But this Sunday stood out. It left me pondering: What does true strength mean, and how do I cultivate it through this particular situation? What does this moment have to do with becoming a Marine?

The California heat filled the squad bay, mixing with the smell of sweat and nervous anticipation. My rack mate and I sat together on our splintered footlockers, our backs sticking to the metal bed frames, while the scribe recruit closed the curtains for privacy. Silence settled in, heavy and unyielding, as if the air itself was holding its breath. I glanced at my rack mate, meeting his eyes just briefly before we both looked away, unsure of what to expect. A shuffle of feet, an awkward cough, and then the moment stretched a little longer. Then we heard the order: "Hug your rack mate."

We sat there, arms around each other, roughly thirty-five pairs of recruits forming a circle, all of us feeling awkward and unsure. The hug itself wasn’t what embarrassed me. It was being stripped of everything: no camouflage fatigues, no green t-shirt, no white underwear, no black boot socks, no comfort, and not even our pride. We were as exposed as we had ever been, both physically and emotionally.

In that hot, shaded squad bay, I held my equally embarrassed rack mate. We were both sweating, and the smell was intense; the odors of perspiration clung to our foreheads, chests, and bodies. For the first time, I wondered: What did I get myself into? Amidst the sensory barrage, a fragment of my childhood flashed before me—would that Gulf Coast Texas kid, dreaming of being a Rambo or the next Commando, the hero I saw in movies, make it out of here? Here I was, facing the grime but feeling a flicker of resolve inside me, a quiet reminder of the strength I had always sought. This raw, uncomfortable moment contrasted starkly with my youthful aspirations, but perhaps this was the challenge I needed for transformation.

This might not be the introduction you expected. I'm not offering a polished self-help book. Instead, you'll find a carefully curated collection of journal entries and notes I've gathered over the years. At first, I wanted to write a memoir for my children—a handbook from Dad. As the idea grew, I realized I could share my story with more people. No matter who reads this, my goal is the same: to share my journey as a U.S. Marine, father, husband, registered nurse, and follower of Jesus. If anyone questions my right to write, I rely on my training and experience. At its core, this memoir seeks to reach anyone striving for resilience and purpose, guiding you to find strength in your own life's challenges, just as I did in mine.

When I arrived in San Diego in July and stepped onto the yellow footprints as a recruit from Texas, the drill instructors met me right away. Amid the chaos and noise, one of their voices cut through like a blade: "Welcome to the United States Marine Corps recruit depot San Diego, get off the bus!" That single line felt like a thunderbolt, asserting their authority without question. I never doubted their credentials, education, or authority. Before the Marines, my father filled that role, with my mother close behind, then grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, coaches, and family friends who kept me in line.

You might wonder about my credentials as a writer. Honestly, I have no formal qualifications, unless you count my military training and experience as a registered nurse. But let me ask you this: Have you ever doubted your own qualifications? That feeling of vulnerability and uncertainty is something we all face at different points in our lives. As you join me on this journey through my story, I invite you to reflect on your own experiences and consider how your unique journey has equipped you in ways you might not expect.

Let’s talk about drill instructors. Their authority came from who they were, what they stood for, and how they carried themselves. When I first met them, their lean bodies and sharp uniforms said it all. No one told us about their training, backgrounds, or what their ribbons meant. They led by example—through their actions, words, and steady presence. Their esprit de corps was strong and confident. They weren’t personal trainers, CEOs, motivational speakers, professors, pastors, Olympians, or life coaches. They were disciplined, battle-tested, and had finished tough training, including combat deployments and D.I. school. Their goal wasn’t just to turn boys into men, but to make us United States Marines. And they did.

I’m 51 years old and was born on 9/11. Over the years, I've faced my share of hurts, habits, and hang-ups—a phrase I learned from friends and mentors. Everyone has struggles, and I’ve spent a lot of time dealing with my own, including fighting for sobriety. Each of these struggles has served as a checkpoint in my journey, marking a point of challenge and growth. Sobriety became a milestone of resilience, parenting a lesson in patience and love, while faith offered a foundation for my values. Even with setbacks, I keep trying to set the example. I’m always learning and adapting, and I believe these checkpoints have given me insights worth sharing. While I first wrote this for my children, I realized it could speak to others, too, offering them a map of personal milestones to anticipate their own growth.

I’m writing this memoir to share my thoughts on what it takes to be strong—mentally, physically, and maybe even spiritually. As someone still learning, my words might come across as blunt, brash, or even boastful at times, and sometimes desperate or sad. Some parts are honest reflections on specific moments in my life, while others come from my time in the Marine Corps or working as a nurse. You’ll find conviction, vulnerability, motivation, and self-examination here. I wrote everything from the heart, just as I felt it.

To encapsulate this part of my journey, here's what I’ve learned: true strength is the steadfast resolve to face every challenge head-on, embracing the imperfections and lessons along the way. Think of it as your field order for life: adapt, overcome, and persist. Let's carry this mindset forward.

I am deeply grateful for the example the Marines set in my life, but I have found an even greater teacher: Jesus.

With humility and honesty, I share my many failed attempts to make life meaningful. I offer you these experiences—what has worked for me and what hasn’t—hoping they might help you too. My goal is to serve, not to seek honor, except the honor that belongs to God, who gave me the ability to write. I hope you’ll read with an open mind and find something useful.

You might wonder what the purpose was behind hugging my rack mate, completely exposed, for what felt like hours that day. That experience forced me to confront the reality that everything—even my dignity—could be stripped away. Only then could I truly begin to understand what it means to adapt and overcome. 

Together in the struggle,

Brian

Tedium Vitae

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What is mental health, or what does it mean to have good mental health? It is helpful to understand definitions. World Health Organization provides an overall umbrella term for mental health that scholars such as Fusar-Poli et al. (2020) capture by defining it as such: when good mental health is present, the vital life force of a person can be focused such that an individual can actualize their skills and capabilities such that they can manage and engage with the usual difficulties and adversities in life that all persons experience as well as being able to maintain and engage in a constructive and generative existence and create, promote and uplift their community.

Agonizingly, the following data may surprise the reader. One out of every five adults, ages 18-64, in the past year have experienced an episode of mental dysfunction adversely affecting the way they show up in the world, and suicide has increased in young children ages 10 to 24 as a leading cause of death in America (SAMHSA, n.d.) Additionally, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (n.d.) reports that roughly fifty million adults ages eighteen and older have reported some mental health disturbance since the pandemic.

What is more known is that Lloyd-Jones and McKibbin (2018), contributors to standard medical textbooks, state that health promotion aims to prevent the risk factors that propagate disease. As such, the absence of disease is not equivocal with being healthy. Health promotion involves screening for risk factors and educating others to improve their health, not just prolonging one's life.

A prolonged life with a disability is not ideal nor conducive to the quality of life of an individual without a limiting disability. Elements of one's life include the physical and psychological aspects (Lloyd-Jones & McKibbin, 2018) and the spiritual (Cook, 2022) because often when people get ill, they rely on their faith/values and beliefs to weather life's difficulties.

In a novel article, Population Mental Health Science: Guiding Principles and Initial Agenda, Dodge et al.(2024), a prominent psychologist at Duke University, highlight the significance and reality of population and societal mental health. Suppose the purpose and goal of medical intervention are to avert the occurrence of sudden death from preventable causes, for instance, sudden death from a cardiac event, according to Lloyd-Jones & McKibbin (2018). In that case, the goal of mental health intervention is to prevent dying of desperation and hopelessness (Dodge et al., 2024).

Furthermore, Dodge et al. (2024) inform us that mental health challenges persist as a population health concern as people struggle with, to name a few, life stressors such as the inability to secure food for themselves, ethnic displacement from the home country of origin, global economic uncertainty, and the never-ending natural disasters contribute to and exacerbate peoples inability to cope with life's challenges as adults that have trickled down to the nations youth who also bear the burden of struggling with their mental health.

Is a sense of purpose a strategy for adapting to life's adversities? Scholars and faith-based professionals explain purpose as it relates to the lifespan. According to Rick Warren, author of the popular Christian book The Purpose Driven Life (Warren, 2002), the opening pages get right to the point by first acknowledging that purpose related to one's life is not self-oriented but connected to God's higher purposes for us as we are connected to other individuals.

Let us consider other academics as well. According to Kashdan et al. (2023), another academic in the study of psychology, in their illuminating article Purpose in Life: A Resolution on the Definition, Conceptual Model, and Optimal Measurement, they point to purpose, describing egocentric and altruistic purposes for living. For example, the authors describe egocentric purposes for self-furtherance and self-securing in contrast to other-oriented purposes to benefit society.

Biblical scholars have addressed the motif of purpose in life as well. According to Ryken et al. (1998), a quest is a journey, a search, or a person's experiential story that can be interpreted as an individual purpose. The personal venture or pursuit involves physical exertion and often mental fortitude to accomplish and complete the tasks set out either by the individual or as a means of competitiveness, for proving oneself or searching for meaning as it relates to the lifespan.

Suppose we consider the elements of a purpose-driven life oriented to serving others despite encountering life difficulties, as Szasz (1960) describes. Can strategies or conceptualizations be incorporated into one's life to ameliorate the adverse effects of poor mental health as a response to improving the wellness and mental health of individuals, neighborhoods, and the greater community?

Neuroscientists believe answers exist. According to those who are subject matter experts in the study of neuroscience and biology, Fusar-Poli et al. (2020) inform us that the fundamental goal of psychological well-being is to improve upon individual logic and thought and mental reasoning, increase the ability of persons to perform activities to support the psyche and instill skills and behaviors with resources for stimulating personhood resiliency.

14 Spheres of Psychological Health Promotion

The following fourteen spheres of mental health promotion are distilled below and necessary to address the overall population's mental health crisis. They are geared toward young adults but applicable to all ages.

First, understanding mental health vocabulary through education and training to help others be able to advocate for themselves and seek healthcare resources by recognizing the manifestation of adverse mental health symptoms and improving behaviors toward mental health are integral. Next, by reducing the stigmatization and negative attitudes toward others with mental illness through personal advocacy and mentorship relations with young adults (Fusar-Poli, 2020), the population's mental health can improve. Additionally, instilling values and beliefs about mental health through bolstering individual self-esteem and finding value in one's contribution to life despite managing mental health challenges is lacking.

How can coaches, teachers, even university professors, the local dentist, church groups, and other community services personnel be trained, certified, and well informed as unorthodox and progressive means and measures to support the current overwhelmed and flooded demand for mental healthcare clinicians as Dodge et al. (2024) suggest?

Fusar-Poli et al. (2020) highlight the connections to optimal mental health by helping young adults promote high-level mental governing skills. Also critical and invaluable are the training and education platforms that encourage school and work performance in today's youth and emerging young adults. Managing feelings by assisting others in understanding their emotional response to situations and experiences and helping others understand their conduct in response to environmental stimuli, either positive or negative, are supportive measures. Self-direction and efficacy training are needed to help individuals face and engage with life challenges, opportunities, and possibilities. If performed well, interpersonal relationship mentoring and training to help individuals understand social, cultural, and ethnic signals and hints in personal relationships optimize the population's mental health.

Finally, helping individuals to formulate, cultivate, and connect through family and peer support connections promotes sound mental health. Most pointedly, addressing the interrelation of physical strength and vigor through sports activities and active play and extracurricular time, nutrition, sleep, and rest habits to support mental well-being is just as vital to supporting the sexual health of young adults with training through intimate partnership education. Helping individuals connect meaning in life through challenges and defining quality of life-related to experiential fulfillment can support the effort to reduce the barriers to optimal mental health and, by extension, address the growing concern of population mental health challenge (Dodge et al., 2024 & Fusar-Poli et al., 2020).

References:

Cook, C. C. H. (2022). Spirituality and Religion in Psychiatry. In Spirituality and Psychiatry (2nd ed., pp. 1–22). Royal College of Psychiatrists.

Dodge, K. A., Prinstein, M. J., Evans, A. C., Ahuvia, I. L., Alvarez, K., Beidas, R. S., Brown, A. J., Cuijpers, P., Denton, E., Hoagwood, K. E., Johnson, C., Kazdin, A. E., McDanal, R., Metzger, I. W., Rowley, S. N., Schleider, J., & Shaw, D. S. (2024). Population Mental Health Science: Guiding Principles and Initial Agenda. American Psychologist, 79(6), 805–823. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001334

Kashdan, T. B., Goodman, F. R., McKnight, P. E., Brown, B., & Rum, R. (2023). Purpose in life: A resolution on the definition, conceptual model, and optimal measurement. American Psychologist. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001223

Lloyd-Jones, D. M., & McKibbin, Kathleen M. (2018). Promoting good health. In J. Larry Jameson & Anthony S. Fauci & Dennis L. Kasper & Stephen L. Hauser & Dan L. Longo & Joseph Loscalzo (20th Eds., Vol. 1), Harrison's principles of internal medicine (pp. 8–13). McGraw-Hill Education.

Fusar-Poli, P., Salazar de Pablo, G., De Micheli, A., Nieman, D. H., Correll, C. U., Kessing, L. V., Pfennig, A., Bechdolf, A., Borgwardt, S., Arango, C., & van Amelsvoort, T. (2020). What is good mental health? A scoping review. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 31, 33–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2019.12.105

Ryken, L., Wilholt, J. C., Longman III, T., Duriez, C., Penney, D., & Reid, D. G. (Eds.). (1998). Quest. Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (pp. 690–692).

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (n.d.). Mental health: Get the facts. SAMHSA. https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/what-is-mental-health/facts

Szasz, T. S. (1960). The Myth of Mental Illness. The American Psychologist, 15(2), pg. 113–118. 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Mental illness. National Institute of Mental Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness

Warren, R. (2002). The Purpose Driven Life. Zondervan.