Up Against The Odds

What is your worst fear? Heights, snakes, spiders, public speaking, death? Now imagine that you have to face your worst fear every day of your life. Do you think you would get used to it, or would you go crazy? I think that for people who are mentally ill, it is like facing their worst fears every day.

Depression, anxiety, PTSD, mood disorders, social disorders, and any mental disorder, all make "normal" life a very scary experience. People with these disorders have to face every new day knowing that they will have to make it through situations that will terrify them to the very core. If that isn't strength and bravery, I don't know what is.

If it seems like I write a lot about mental illness, it's because I have a soft spot in my heart for all those who suffer from unseen conditions. Some mentally ill people suffer just as much as someone with cancer or heart disease. Yet there is far less understanding and support for them because people can't see their illness and they don't understand what it is really like to be mentally ill. I encourage everyone out there who knows someone who is mentally ill or possibly mentally ill, to be as caring and helpful as if that person had a physical disease. After all, that person may be up against their worst fears every day.

Relatively Rich

There are a lot of people all over the world who can be considered poor. There are people in America who can't afford healthcare, new clothes, a car, or much of anything beside the bare minimum. But this kind of "poor" is relative. Think of people in third world countries who have no healthcare system to even go to. Think of people who have no clean water or not enough food or who live in a war zone. Obviously these people would be considered poorer than someone who simply can't afford cable t.v. or gas for their car.

In the USA, you might not be able to afford food, but there are usually many places you can go to get food assistance. Likewise, if you don't have health insurance, you will still likely receive some medical care when you need it, and sometimes you will even get it for free. The wealth is all around, you need simply to ask for help. In some countries, this is not the case. You ask for help and there is no one within a hundred-mile radius who can help you. You ask for food and water and there is simply none to be found nearby. You ask for an education and there is no one with enough knowledge to teach. These are the people who a truly poor.

I am writing this post not to elicit sympathy for the truly poor. (Although I believe it is important to give compassion and help where you can.) I am writing this to help people realize how rich they really are. Do you have running water and electricity? You are rich. Do you have a place to live? You are rich. Do you have more than the basic necessities of life? You are rich. Do you have an education? You are rich. Do you have people who love you and care about you? You are rich. We take so much for granted, but it is important not to because otherwise you will feel poor and unhappy your whole life.