The above refers to a Feb 28/2018 “Best of BBC Future” post by Christine Ro. After acknowledging that there has been a lot of research into the negative psychological effects of 'social isolation' (for example, the Royal College of General Practicioners in the UK say that research has found loneliness to have a risk level … Continue reading Rescuing Shyness|Why being a loner may be good for your health
Rescuing History | Reading ‘The People v. Lee Harvey Oswald’
More about the most famous, or infamous, loner of the twentieth century. This week I finally finished reading the 651 pages of The People v. Lee Harvey Oswald, by Walt Brown. A one-time FBI agent who went back to school to become a history professor, Brown says that since he was a boy he what … Continue reading Rescuing History | Reading ‘The People v. Lee Harvey Oswald’
Autism | When they admire you
For some years now I've been editing my old journals, condensing them, getting rid of the paper. This morning I came upon the entry for Sept 12, 1969, one of the most important dates in my life. In an upscale bar frequented by the insurance industry, I had met Matthew, a young underwriter who I … Continue reading Autism | When they admire you
Autism and the Simpleton
Long before I heard about autism, I was thinking about it. I was a loner from the beginning – as a boy entering school at 5 yrs old, I didn't keep to myself by choice – I did it by instinct. I was completely unable to have friends. As Chris Stone says in my novel … Continue reading Autism and the Simpleton
Rescuing Loners | The Firing of Dwane Casey
I have to say something about the firing this week of Toronto Raptors coach, Dwane Casey. Though named a finalist for 2018 Coach of the Year, after the best-ever season by a Raptors team, and winning the first round in the playoffs before losing to Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Casey was dismissed. Yet … Continue reading Rescuing Loners | The Firing of Dwane Casey
The Lost 11 year-old Loner |Was he really Lost?
Last week I went for a walk below the Scarborough Bluffs, the 12,000 year old cliff along the north shore of Lake Ontario created by a giant glacial river during the last ice age. After a long winter, I walked in the spring sunshine there, and explored the woods that grow in the deep gullies … Continue reading The Lost 11 year-old Loner |Was he really Lost?
Rescuing Lee Harvey Oswald | Finding ‘The People v. Lee Harvey Oswald’
One day I did a search for novels in which Lee Harvey Oswald is a character, and, among others, I turned up, The People v. Lee Harvey Oswald, by Walt Brown. Walt Brown is interesting. A one-time FBI agent who went back to school to become a history professor, he says his life-long ambition, since … Continue reading Rescuing Lee Harvey Oswald | Finding ‘The People v. Lee Harvey Oswald’
Watch out for Narcissists and Sociopaths
(This was a post on my previous blog, Loner's Highway, where I presented narcissists as another type of loner. Because they're such problematic people, especially for shy people, I'm including them here.) According to The Everything Guide to Narcissistic Personality Disorder, by Cynthia Lechan Goodman, MEd, and Barbara Leff, LCSW, someone may have narcissistic personality … Continue reading Watch out for Narcissists and Sociopaths
Watch out for Sociopaths
This was originally a post on my previous blog, Loner's Highway, where I was describing the different types of loner. Sociopaths (sometimes called psychopaths, an older term) are a very different kind of loner. Contrary to what most people think, they are not demented haters of humanity. They like the rest of us very much. … Continue reading Watch out for Sociopaths
