The term mental illness has become just another stigmatized weapon of weak, narrow-minded fools, halfwits, and bullies who, if you call their bluffs, have no real power over anything and especially over anyone. However, mental wellness is what we all deserve and seek whether we’ve been diagnosed or not. Those of us showing up daily seeking mental wellness know it’s not something to be taken lightly. It takes effort. Endless effort. Yes, endless.
Mental wellness education begins at home, and now we’re finally taking a much closer look at so many things that were casually swept under the rug because the truth was too painful. Our families were attempting to protect us by not addressing the obvious in hindsight. You know that uncle of yours that no one ever really told you about while you were facing the same demons? I know first hand. I don’t blame anyone for my own trials.
My family did the best they could at the time. I believe in their hearts they felt that they were protecting me. The fact is that the only way we will survive is realizing we have nearly everything in common if we’re willing to seek the truth. Truth. It doesn’t just matter. It’s what we wake up for each day except we now live in a time that it’s challenging to know what the truth really is, or is it? Take a look around. A really deeply focused look around. The bullies think they can manipulate and cast their gas-lit distortion fields on us, and we will just say thank you, sir, may I have another. There’s a fine line between genius and madness. Let that sink in. I must be another crazy one that should be “locked up,” right?
Not even close. I know my truth, and I’ll always choose to show up over hiding behind ignorance spread by false prophets. I’ve been one of the crazy ones for 53 years, and I have 47 more to go. Stay strong. Be well.
“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
— Steve Jobs