(10-26-18) From my files Friday. I spoke at the NAMI state conference in Montana this week where I saw my good friend, Jessie Close. I helped her write her memoir, RESILIENCE.
Our reunion reminded me of what her son, Sander Pick, said when he appeared with his mother and siblings at a conference in 2012. Still poignant and true today!
“I’ve always thought that the more sensitive a person is, the more susceptible they are to mental illnesses. A sick joke in our universe is that the more it allows a person to see its beauty and deep connectivity, the more difficult it becomes for that person to maintain good mental health.
“In our culture, we tend to treat this tradeoff with a fierce double standard. As long as they are sharing with us beautiful insights into humanity, we will love and cherish them as heroes, but if they fall into substance abuse, depression or any other form of mental illness, we tend to say, ‘It’s not our problem.’
“Classically, these are artists, musicians, writers, etc., but, of course, they come in all sorts, unsung or not. These people tend to add value and meaning to our lives. At their best, they are the types who make us laugh and cry, to learn and to take risks and to love. They are brave and it angers me that as a society, we abandon them when their skies darken.”
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