I went to a section of a class on medical advances of the 20th century that I am taking; today's section was on mental health. The man who is giving the course is an MD. Once again I am struck by the differences in how people see mental health if they are "on the inside" versus how they see it if they are "on the outside". If they are on the outside, it seems to me that mostly they really have nothing to go on, to judge whether something is valid or not. They seem to rely on what other people have done, on statistical studies, or whatever. And most of the other people who are taking this short course are similar in their attitudes; they mostly accept what the lecturer is saying, and have no really independent way of judging for themselves. The lecturer seems to me to be a capable person and has thought about medical history more than the average person, but I would not want him as someone to direct me to help with emotional problems. I do not see a person who listens carefully to others; not a mindful person. I find that discouraging.