JedDiamond

A Life For Sale: Healthy Adventure or Mid-Life Depression?

As I write this article, in 11 hours, 6 minutes, and 49 seconds, 44 year-old, Ian Usher will be selling his life. Born in Great Britain, now living in Perth, Western Australia, he is planning to do what many of us only dream of doing. Here’s what he says. "I have had enough of my life! I don't want it any more! You can have it if you like! No, I'm not contemplating suicide, I am going to sell my life!! I have my reasons. However, I am still not sure whether this is inspired madness, complete foolishness, or just some sort of mid-life crisis. Whatever it is, it's all going up for sale in one big auction.  Everything I have and everything I am. On the day it is all sold and settled I intend to walk out of my front door with my wallet in one pocket and my passport in the other, nothing else at all, and get on the train, with no idea where I am going or what the future holds for me." More…

30 Years of Marriage and the Fire That Could Destroy It All

We live in Northern California, Mendocino County, in a wonderful little town called Willits. We actually live up in the hills outside of town. We are surrounded by beautiful, tall trees, and wild-life abounds. Each summer we worry about fire and each summer some crazy people start fires somewhere in our area. Luckily we haven’t been affected-- until last night. In the midst of a hot, dry spell, it began to cloud up and we felt the first raindrops. We were glad to be getting some rain to lessen the fire danger. We weren’t prepared for what happened next. More…

7 Reasons Men Die First

Popular culture may paint men as the stronger sex, but from the moment a boy is born, his life is more likely than his sister's to be cut short. Across national and cultural boundaries, men die an average of seven years earlier than women; the disparity in the United States is approximately five years. In a new book, Why Men Die First, Dr. Marianne Legato, a specialist in gender-specific medicine at Columbia University, explains why men are so vulnerable. More…

Fathers, Children, and the Courage to Stay Alive

The week leading up to Father’s Day (June 15, 2008) has been designated Men’s Health Week. According to the Men’s Health Network the purpose of Men’s Health Week is to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys. On a very practical level, this is a time to appreciate our own fathers and children and commit to our own health and well-being. My father almost died, but in the process helped save my life. More…

Fathers, Children, and the Courage to Stay Alive

The week leading up to Father’s Day (June 15, 2008) has been designated Men’s Health Week. According to the Men’s Health Network the purpose of Men's Health Week is to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys. On a very practical level, this is a time to appreciate our own fathers and children and commit to our own health and well-being. My father almost died, but in the process helped save my life. More…

Eckhart Tolle: Enlightened Master or New Age Flake

Come visit me at www.MenAlive.com or www.TheIrritableMale.com      I’m generally not drawn to the latest new age spiritual thinking. My spiritual practice usually involves long walks in the woods or moseying around town enjoying the chance meetings that occur with people, dogs, cats, clouds, trees, and sunshine. But everyone and their brother and sister has been touting Eckhart Tolle’s, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose. When Oprah and my wife, Carlin, (two women who I admire and respect) got on board I decided to get a copy and take a look. More…

How to Survive Male Menopause

Come visit me at www.MenAlive.com "Man is not the enemy here, but the fellow victim." Betty Friedan      The male mid-life is often talked about in general or humorous terms, but rarely is it discussed seriously. I believe that just as all males and females go through puberty, so too do all males and females go through the change of life. Evidence continues to mount that Andropause or Male Menopause is real and has a profound effect on men and the women who love them. More…

Barack Obama & Jeremiah Wright: Irritable Older Males and The Father Wound

Come visit me at www.MenAlive.com.      You can’t listen or watch anything these days without being bombarded with Reverend Wright and the effect he is having on the Presidential aspirations of Barack Obama. With so many important issues that should be discussed during this election campaign—global warming, ending the war in Iraq, saving our failing economic system, universal health care, to name only a few—I’m wondering what has gotten America so fired up about a 66 year-old retired pastor and a 47 year-old mid-life man seeking the highest office in the land. More…

Save the Males: Why Husbands Matter

Come visit me at www.MenAlive.com.      As those of you who have followed my work are aware, depression runs in my family. My father tried to commit suicide when I was five. Though he didn’t die, he was hospitalized for many years and our lives were never the same. I’m sure my experiences have something to do with my professional journey. For the last 43 years I have focused my efforts on helping men and the women who love them. In a world as over-stressed as ours, some group often gets singled out for shame and blame. Three of my colleagues who specialize in men’s health want to change things. I think you’ll want to hear what they have to say. More…

Does Menopause Cause Divorce?

Come visit me at www.MenAlive.com or drop me a line at Jed@MenAlive.com      Although I hear from many women at mid-life and beyond who are devastated by their husband’s leaving them (often for a younger woman), that is only part of the story about marriages falling apart at mid-life. A survey by AARP Magazine of almost 1,200 people who divorced in their 40s, 50s, or 60s found that women initiated 2/3 of the divorces. Kate Vetrano, chair of the American Bar Association’s Elder Law Committee, told the magazine that "They're shedding their marriages in the quest for happiness." What’s going on here? More…