Nature of Logic and Perception

I would like to think that logic and critical thinking go hand in hand. Most of my major decisions are thought through and analyzed. I take the information I am presented with and then go from there. This is especially important if the decision I am faced with effects more than just myself. If a decision effects my family or people I care about I am more likely to take a little longer to analyze the information presented. One instance that has occurred recently in my life that required critical thinking over its initial perception happened this summer when my father was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.

In June, my mother called and told me that the doctors, in the small town they live, had given my father roughly two weeks to live and that she should take him home and make him as comfortable as possible. This was where the perception came into play. With the information I was given, my perception was that I had two weeks left to spend with my father. At the time and for the next day, that was the reality of the situation, little did we know things would be different. Needless to say, my wife and I rushed off to Texas to spend time with the family. When we arrived at my parent's house, we were still looking at the perceived reality of what we knew at that point. Trying to keep a positive attitude, knowing what we knew, was a difficult thing to accomplish but we knew that it was the best thing for all people involved.

After some much needed talking with my mom and dad, some stress, tears and a little sleep, we decided that we, as a family, were not going to go out without a fight. About 45 minutes from where my parents live, there is another small town with a hospital and we decided that logically the best thing to do would be to get a second opinion. We knew what the doctors in their home town had said and were willing to except that if necessary but knew that there could be a chance for a different outcome. This was the best decision we could have made. The doctors at this other hospital were willing to work with our family and made arrangements for my father to see an oncologist that worked with this particular type of cancer and treated the jaundice the hometown doctors were going let kill him. Today, he is continuing to go through chemotherapy and the doctors tell us that the treatment is working well.

The perception of reality I had at the beginning of this whole ordeal was that my father was going to die and soon. I thought it would be difficult to find a treatment to help my father continue his life and helped my mom research various options. In all actuality what was really happening was that the doctors in their hometown didn't appear to want to treat my father's illness for whatever reason. We still aren't sure why a doctor would tell a person to take a family member home and let them die when there is a treatment that can help them live