Home Invasion Suspect Says Sorry

Caleb Williams, 21, broke into a home with two other people. He knew people were home when he went in. In this interview, he says he is sorry about what he did.

Do you believe him?

I think this interview will cause a split in how people see him. I suspect it will be pretty divided. What do you think? Do you think Caleb is honest or lying?

You can read the news story here.

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Study: Acetaminophen (Tylenol) Makes You Less Empathetic

This is a chilling study:  If you or anyone you interact with takes acetaminophen, take notice!  It may affect their behavior towards you.  Yes, you read that right. That’s what new research has discovered.

According to research out of Ohio State University, people who take acetaminophen have an immediate change in their ability to empathize or feel pain. It affects both their perceptions of their own pain and ability to empathize, but also how they perceive other’s pain emotionally and physically (once the drug takes affect).

According to the study, acetaminophen also blunts feeling of positive emotions such as joy!

I wonder how acetaminophen affects our facial expressions then. Could it possibly interfere with our ability to make them, and our ability to read them like Botox does?

It’s scary researchers are just discovering this.

It makes you think twice about taking it, doesn’t it?

I am sure the people who take it, myself included, have no indication there are changes going on. I never sensed a change. Have you?

It hints at just how biological we are.  Change one element by introducing a new chemical, and our mood, behavior, or personality can be effected.  Even how we perceive others can change and we can absolutely be in the dark that it is occurring.

So the next time you see someone pop these little white pills, think about your interactions with that person.  Do you really want to ask for a favor at that time?  Maybe immediately after they pop the pills, but don’t wait an hour!  You may regret it.

Nick Gordon Speaks To Dr. Phil

Dr. Phil had Nick Gordon on a few days back. This time, unlike the last, Nick Gordon wasn’t under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Did you get to see it?

Gordon was home with some friends when Bobbi Kristina Brown was critically injured in her bathtub and as you know, she died of her injuries.

Gordon tells his story of what happened.

Do you believe him?

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Expression of the Day: My Thoughts

emotions

On May 3, I posted this photo and asked people what they saw when they looked at this expression. I also asked, “If a person did this after you asked them a question, would you think they are lying because they are covering their mouth?”

This is not a universal expression of emotion. It’s just one of many, many facial expressions we make as humans, and while it shows a negative response–that’s about all we can say. There is not enough information to determine anything else.

Some of the potentials one could simply speculate at without forming an opinion would be:

–Thought of something startling, uncomfortable, displeasing
–Tasted something displeasing or possibly burped up something unpleasant
–Saw someone do something unpleasant
–Has a feeling of disbelief over hearing some news, conversation–or seeing a behavior (theft?)

The list could on with other examples, too.

We can’t determine much from this picture other than she felt something negative until we got more information. If I saw a person reacting like this, I would simply say, “Are you okay?” and let the person provide more information.

Now, if you ask someone a question and they give you this response, I do not believe covering the hand over one’s mouth signifies lying. We cover our mouths for many reasons from shock to disbelief to surprise.

A reaction like this could also be as simple as this woman remembering she was supposed to be somewhere, and forgot–totally unrelated to anything anyone said!

While we can see an emotion or expression displayed on someone’s face, we can never be sure of why until we dig deeper.

Is there really a right and a wrong?

jpornelasadv / Pixabay

 

Is there really a right and a wrong in our lives, in how we make decisions?

In my last post, I asked people.  I put up a poll and 80%, 69 people voted yes they believe there is a right and a wrong.  Five people (6%) voted “Absolutely not!”, and the last 14% were undecided.

I found that fascinating.

Considering I have written a lot about murder, I am not surprised by the answers. And yet I am very surprised.

In my younger years, I would have argued with you vehemently that there is a right and a wrong, but I have seen otherwise lately.

We live by many rules and laws in our society that guide our choices in how we act in life.  These, in simple terms, define what is acceptable in our society and what is not.

For example, it is not acceptable to steal from people, harm, injure or kill them.  But we still do kill people in society, right?  We still implement capital punishment in the U.S. and other countries.  We have “moral” justifications as to why we shouldn’t do it, but then there are times when we believe it is okay to do it. And people argue both sides of that debate–that we should kill and that we shouldn’t kill.

We believe in the laws because they protect people. They give people the right to life, liberty and in some places the right to pursue happiness.  Each country, however, has different values.

Some people find they are guided by right and wrong by their religious values, by their belief in God, and other people decide right and wrong based on their internal value system, or a system of compassion.

But how do we truly know what is right and wrong?  Can we ever know?

If I decide something is right for me, how can I say it is right for you?

What guides you in making that determination?  Who is the ultimate determining factor of the “right” decision?

We all have different beliefs and values.

I used to think there was a “right way” for someone to do a task, behave, respond, etc. if they cared about me.  Now I am not so quick to make a judgement.   Now I realize, there is my way and their way, and neither are right or wrong. There are just two possibilities.

This change in my paradigm has greatly opened up the world I live in.  It’s more beautiful and more lovely than before. It’s not near as black and white. It has changed my relationships considerably, too.

I do believe in protecting life, giving people equal opportunity, fostering safe environments and being compassionate, but those are my beliefs on right and wrong.  What are yours?

If this concept is new to you, here is some interesting reading for you.