Catching Idle Butterflies

Understand Me

How does one never having suffered from depression finally understand it's not something a person can shrug off by looking at all the positives in their life?

How can one never beaten time and again have sympathy for a man or woman who remains in an abusive relationship?

How can one never addicted to something that destroys themselves, and those they love understand it's not something a person can decide quit one day and never look back without toil?

We many times live in our own bubbles of perception, never allowing other perspectives to poke in and burst our singular view of the world. We think, "Well I'd never do that!" going on the assumption that because we wouldn't do or feel something, everyone else in this world has the same capacity. Or if we do, hell, all we need to do is stand up, move on, and get over it. No big deal.

“Bunch of whiny weaklings looking for pity is all they are,” the darker edge of our psyche thinks.

No wonder those I've mentioned above sink ever deeper into their hopelessness. The world at large will not listen, and they feel even more lost and alone.

As I live my predictable, mundane, yet can't-complain-about-much life, I forget the multitudes of people who struggle from day to day, uncertain and even fearful of what tomorrow may bring.

Some will say, "You can't understand what I'm going through. You've never been there."

Perhaps not, and beg I God I never do.

What, then, can I do to help? I can attempt to walk in their shoes for a while, whether by listening as they describe their lives, or with my imagination. While not exact, I can at least gain a measure of empathy for other people’s struggles, and in turn, have the compassion and the desire to lend a hand wherever I can. If enough people reach out to the hopeless, to provide them strength and real solutions to their torments, regardless of whether or not we know their lives on a personal level, perhaps then hope will squeeze out all the hopelessness in this world.

One person at a time.

I considered all this after reading jspinelli's blog entry "Invalid Entry" , receiving a group email for "Invalid Item"  from lethomson pertaining to depression, as well as being informed by shleprock I’ve been made a member of "Invalid Item"  at someone’s request.

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I typed up this entry right about the time shleprock sent me her email. What's a little strange is she requested I email her back with my birthday, and a link to an item in my port related to the subject of the group.

I have nothing.

Except this entry, so I used it to create an item in my port.

It’s not much, but we all have to start somewhere.