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To continue with the culture thread, with Merry2e's thoughts on "listening to depression," and following up on a conversation I ad with Dr. Grobstein today, here are some thoughts from writier Siri Hustvedt regarding her "battle" with migraine...thoughts which I think apply to our conversation here: 

"Chronic headaches are my fate, and I have adopted a position of philosophical resignation. I am aware that such a view is resoundingly un-American. Our culture does not encourage anyone to accept adversity. On the contrary, we habitually declare war on the things that afflict us, whether it’s drugs, terrorism, or cancer. Our media fetishizes the heart-warming stories of those who, against all odds, never lose hope and fight their way to triumph over poverty, addiction, disease. The person who lies back and says, “This is my lot. So be it,” is a quitter, a passive, pessimistic, spineless loser who deserves only our contempt. And yet, the very moment I stopped thinking of my condition as “the enemy,” I made a turn and began to get better. I wasn’t cured, wasn’t forever well, but I was better. Metaphors matter."

Sometimes, though, there is an enemy--and sometimes battles can be fought and won.  Which battles are worth fighting?  Only those where the enemy is clearly known and where a strategy to win is clearly attainable, at little cost?  When are risks and costs in battle worth bearing?  When is it appropriate to resign oneself to one's condition?  Can a sufferer only successfully resign oneself to his or her situation after a long, unsuccessful battle?  And will that resignation necessarily bring relief or healing? Perhaps a product of my culture, I like a good fight, don't easily give up or give in, and wonder where to settle on all of this.