The last time I was home, one of my sisters and I got into a conversation about our view of the worst problems in society. At the time, she had put mental health as the number one. Although I had ranked mental health in my top 5, I chose lack of personal responsibility. We agreed that both were among the top issues not being discussed. In the few years since, and walking this journey with you, I have begun to rethink that conversation. My conclusion, is that they are equal, even go hand in hand, I would say. To my point, in a more recent conversation with someone about mental health and tragedies, they brought to question, where are the parents? Where are the teachers? I stepped in and requested they not say, where is the government? And next said “where are you and I”?
We all recognize huge tragedies that arise of mental health issues as they rock the entire world. After each one I wonder, how did we get to this place? Then wonder if you think the same thing too? Sadly, I am beginning to recognize my part in getting us there. I am beginning to recognize my avoidance of very small personal tragedies that when shared could completely change a perspective. I am beginning to recognize that each one of us has issues (fears maybe) that affect our mental or emotional state. These issues fester into all that is bad if we let them. Maybe you are like me, and are becoming more aware that if we can affect someone who is in a bad place, even if it is just to say I am here if you need me, then maybe we can help heal small mental health issues so that they do not become large mental health issues.
What if we took time to effect the lonely high school student, the person we work with, a stranger dining alone? What if we took a minute for the person we happen to notice with a tear streaming down their face? What if we not only saw the person being bullied or made fun of, but learned the why about the bully? What if we helped the weak, the poor, the downtrodden, the hungry? What if we recognized all of them in ourselves, and each other? Could we change the dynamic to stop the next tragedy?
I do realize that some people have chemical imbalances, medical issues, and/or brain misfiring and they cannot control what it is they do at times. They should be helped medically and we should somehow learn to protect ourselves without destroying them. For others, a path is chosen because they cannot resist the evil side that lives in all of us. We again need to find away to protect ourselves from such evil. But, there are many that may agree with me that a little bit of love, added to any situation, can have enormous impact on outcomes. And so when we invite people in with love, or inject ourselves into a situation with it, then maybe we can change someone’s mental health, change their life, their path, stop a tragedy. Maybe the one life that we impact in a minute by simply seeing someone, saves thousands, either by our changing an attitude or by starting a cycle that somehow alters time.
I do not know for sure what impact you or I could have in a minutes time of spreading all that is good. All I know is it is worth that minute for us to try. I firmly believe that the brain and the heart can recover if only… The fact that you are here reading this gives me hope that you may possibly be making adjustments along with me. So if you have a mental illness and would like to educate all of us about it, or you have a story about a life you changed, or one that changed your life, please share it. Or if you are ready to just make a comment, we are ready to hear you, and accept you with open arms.