Category: Misconceptions

Dealing with epilepsy · Misconceptions · Not too personal

Myths debunked #2: epilepsy and a sex life

Codrin PO

There is a common myth that people with epilepsy cannot have a healthy sex life or that engaging in sexual activity can trigger seizures. This misconception is not true and can lead to unnecessary fear and stigma surrounding the topic.

The reality is that epilepsy, in most cases, does not directly affect a person’s ability to have a fulfilling sex life. Epilepsy is primarily a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures, and its impact on sexual function varies from person to person.

Continue reading “Myths debunked #2: epilepsy and a sex life” →
Blog · Dealing with epilepsy · Misconceptions

Elon Musk’so first principles applied to epilepsy

Codrin PO

I was reading yesterday about how Elon Musk thinks and why is he so successful. People say that he “works” on first principles. I first heard about first principles when I was around 18 (so 15 years ago) when I was studying philosophy and going to philosophy competitions.

First principles = origins (of anything). Using first principles as a mental model (I’ll talk about this in a future post) is a thing to do. First principles tell you to break down a thing until its raw form that deters fallacies. It’s a weird explanation, but, in my head, it’s the right one.

In one sentence: break down a thing to see its origin and start your thinking process from there.

For persons with epilepsy, the example I am giving is Continue reading “Elon Musk’so first principles applied to epilepsy” →

Blog · Career counseling · Misconceptions · Old blog

Career counseling #16: Dictator or role model

Codrin PO

I saw a few days ago an article on Facebook and, because the subject looked interesting, I clicked. The title said something like “the diabolical questions that CEO`s ask during interviews”.

You know already that there are thousands of articles like this online. But I read it anyway. These were actually questions from CEOs of startups or vice presidents in some multinationals I never heard of. I should have guessed.

But there was a question that was unique: “would you prefer to be God or the devil?”. The author didn’t mention any responses, but it was still intriguing.

In my opinion, during an interview, a question that I would ask would be: “do you to be a dictator or a role model inside the team that you will lead?“. As we all know, most people will try to balance the answer and try not to give a definite answer as they feel it might be a trap. Continue reading “Career counseling #16: Dictator or role model” →

Blog · Misconceptions · Not too personal · Old blog

Misconception #4: The imaginary friend

Codrin PO

I was talking to a friend on Facebook a while ago about his dream job and what he would want to do. He told me that he hasn’t got the courage to do it because, he said, people will make fun of him, regardless if he will fail or not. He has a twisted view of the world, it seems.

A lot of people have the same problem. Since we were kids, parents and other children say to you that you are not the best, that there will always be someone smarter, faster or with a better education. In my opinion, this is not the way to educate your children or to support your friends.

For me, this was not the case. My mother and my grandparents always supported me to such extent that I thought I am perfect (not that today that isn’t the case anymore). But the most important was my imaginary friend. Although I was a shy kid (and I am still a little shy).quote-Lee-Ryan-i-still-have-imaginary-friends-who-i-211749

I had an imaginary friend who listened to every dream that I couldn’t share with anyone. I used to tell stories to my friends when I was little, but my imaginary friend was the one who loved them all. Continue reading “Misconception #4: The imaginary friend” →

Misconceptions · Old blog

Misconception #2: The rich people from abroad

Codrin PO1 Comment

I am from Romania, one of those Eastern European countries that people either don’t know they exist or they confuse it with another one (the capital is Bucharest, not Budapest). Millions of Romanians left in the past years to work abroad. Doctors, teachers, construction workers. You name it, they’re abroad working. This happened because the average salary in Romania is of about 390 Euros/month, money with which you need to pay rent (or a credit for a house/apartment), utilities and buy food.

In 2012, I left abroad to work. I got a 2-year contract as a postdoc researcher in a Belgian university. I earned a little over 2,000 Euros/month. For Wallonia (the French part of Belgium), the salary was decent. We could rent a nice apartment with almost everything we needed. READ MORE