You are invited to a talk and conversation this Saturday, October 9th from 4 to 6 p.m. and the Eugene Library in the Bascom/Tykeson room. Kathy McMahon, a clinical Psychologist, will be presenting, “How to Stay Sane as the World Goes Crazy: Economic Hard times, Climate Change and the Messy Issues of Oil.”

Here are a few things Kathy McMahon says, “Is there a sane space between ‘Deadly Doom’ and ‘Doris Day Denial?’ Is there a place for wit when we examine the major challenges of our lifetime: economic depression, environmental degradation, and energy depletion? Is blind optimism itself, a diagnosable mental disorder?
With humor and insight clinical psychologist Kathy McMahon addresses a few of the major challenges of our time and discusses why “all or nothing” thinking is cutting short a more serious conversation about human dilemmas which are utterly hopeless, but not serious.
She’ll introduce Panglossian Disorder with subtypes such as:
• Rhett-Butlerism – (“Peak Oil? Planetary and economic collapse? Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn…”)
• Scarlet O’Hara-ism- (“I’ll just have to think about that tomorrow…”) and
• Frank Zappa-ism: (“As soon as things get really bad, they’ll come up with something”- a belief that necessity is the mother of invention.)
…and other ineffective psychological strategies for handling bad news. What we face aren’t simple problems with clear cut solutions, but are complicated dilemmas that require good humor, mature thinking and the ability to tolerate both unpleasant emotions and joy in the ridiculous. Come join us as we search for a space where we can all be more human than otherwise.

Sponsored by the City of Eugene, NLC Committee on Sustainability and the Whiteaker Community Council.

For more info contact Anand at eekley@efn.org