If I Only Had a Brain-August 13, 2005

A survey conducted by the US government released earlier this week suggested that over the course of our lifetime, over HALF of all Americans will develop a mental illness. Now for some reason this news didn't surprise me the way it probably should have. Personally I think this is probably a very conservative estimate as I've thought for a long time from watching the direction of the country and it's citizens, that the majority of us could qualify as being nuts already. It's no wonder...Look around us.

I mean get real. We are a country and world of contrasts and contradictions...most of which don't make sense. Learn to deal with it and embrace it. Years ago it would have pulled us together, nowdays it only seems to allow us to spin our proverbial wheels in frustration and accomplish nothing to fix the problem areas or even make ANY progress in the same direction other than to yell and point fingers at everyone else. It's enough to drive MOST people to distraction of some sort.

I see things in the news every day that either makes me passionate about getting involved...makes me shake my head in disbelief for one reason or another...or just plain makes me laugh from the absurdity of it all. Just this week there has been a report that the TSA is thinking of easing the restrictions on what to allow as carry items for airlines. They are considering allowing scissors, ice picks, knives...as long as the blades aren't longer than 5" (of course the airlines will still have us pass out plastic utensils with snacks *sigh*) and even bow and arrows now pass through security checkpoints and onto planes...are they NUTS? I don't think that should have been allowed in a PRE-9/11 world, much less now. Are they serious? I know I have a bit of a bias on this subject (as some of you already know), but we'd start to have blue haired grannies packing "heat" in the form of box cutters just to make sure they could take down the bad guys if needed. Another part of the proposal included letting certain government officials such as members of Congress through without any screening at all. With the way they have all been acting and bickering lately, I think they should get EXTRA scrutiny to make sure they aren't going to go postal and take out an opponent...But I digress...maybe its a sign my mind is already slipping a bit!

Don't get me wrong, I have enormous compassion and respect for those legitmately living with a disability themselves or caring for someone with a mental illness. It takes patience, love, endurance and faith to do so. I am constantly in awe of those that dedicate their lives to helping improve others improve their standard of living or enable someone to stand on their own two feet and live independantly when possible. They are angels on earth and put here for a reason...as are the ones enduring the intolerance and impatience of humanity. Everyone is put on earth to serve a purpose, from the "perfect" among us, to those that have challenges to overcome...whether we discover what that purpose is or not.

What I don't have patience for is the lack of responsibility more and more of our society is using in order to dodge taking the blame or credit for their own actions. So many today have to place blame or take offense at every little thing said or done, instead of learning to cope with a different opinion and move on with their lives without suing someone over it. We are becoming a nation of whiney busybodies incapable of living with anyone else that has an opinion contrary to our own. GET OVER IT. I was raised with the belief that you have the freedom to believe as you wish or make the decision to do something. You know when you make that decision or belief if you think it's right or wrong one (or should know). Once you MAKE that decision however, stick by it and take whatever consequences..good or bad...that come from it. Don't expect there to be no fallout if you've decided to try and get by with a bad choice. Go into any situation knowing that whatever the outcome, you thought it out and won't be bailed out if it doesn't go the way you planned. This is all part of being an adult. I have raised my kids this way...many times they have made the poor choice and have been told they have no one to blame but themselves. My students over the years have also heard the same thing from me. If they decide to make the poor choices, there is a consistent unsurprising consequence waiting. It's how we all learn and mature.

So anyway, it's little wonder that more than half of us will be considered mentally ill one day. With the constant changing of lines to cross as to what is acceptable and not acceptable, it's like spinning on a merry-go-round and tends to make us all dizzy trying to keep up.

I've made plenty of both good decisions and ones I wish I would have made a little differently over the course of my lifetime. So far I have regretted few, but learned from most and hope that pattern won't change. I for one, will stay fiesty...probably get more looney (whether certifiably so or not) and go through life shaking my head, but also willing to accept my decisions and their outcomes as ones I made with good intentions or for reasons I needed to make...and also TRY to not go nuts over everything I can't control or the decisions I can't make for others. Perhaps if we all just develop a little thicker skin when it comes to other's comments or opinions and learn to cope and or ignore what we don't agree with, we'll all stay just a little more centered and dare I say it...happier?

Just a few thoughts...