Man Up Yours

OK...if I judge your feedback correctly, then it would appear I am to be a mental health advocate. Funny how we are often forced into these kinds of roles. Reminds me of Larry Kramer, possibly the most vocal anti AIDS activist. No one would choose such a thing...hell, I would much rather be living normally. But I am not. I seem to have been chosen by some divine force to speak up about something that is killing us. Not just those with mental health issues, but everyone else as well. This might be a question not only of the survival of the sufferers of mental illness, but the entire human race.

So...I guess...this is my destiny, & I might as well embrace it. Because fighting it has not worked! So...if you're on board, I hope there is something here and in my subsequent work that will shine a light on the affliction, and offer some solutions for surviving it. If not, I wish you well in your travels, and hope you never have to hear the words 'mental illness' ever again. However, let me just warn you...all of you...you have not heard the end of it. Not by a long stroke. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. Mental illness does exist, and business is booming. If it continues the way it is...there will be no humans left. If you think that is a good thing...then ignore the problem and carry on. If it bothers you that we might become extinct...then come with me, and let's see if we can't find a way out.

Gus Worland is the man behind a new documentary series on the ABC, called "MAN UP", which purports to tackle the issue of male suicide. 

There is a crises; & the phenomenon is reaching epidemic proportions.  The facts and stats are out there..read at your leisure, should you be so inclined.  

Attached is a link below, dealing with the program, which screened for the first time last night.

http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/mind/how-a-mates-suicide-changed-everything-for-gus-worland/news-story/fcd42bac3760eb41fc53a6f121c1105a


It's a noble effort. trying to understand mental illness among men. However...the title really doesn't help. 'Man Up' is a close relative of 'snap out of it'.  

& we already know that this doesn't help.  

If you want a more balanced view of mental illness, take a look at the doco 'Sunnyboy', about the member of the band the Sunnyboys who had schizophrenia...I think it's a more sober, compassionate portrait of mental illness. Not a 'man up' in sight; only compassion, tolerance, understanding. & even a few suggestions for recovery.  

I'm not even going to watch the rest of 'Man Up', because the title already exhibits a lack of compassion for the subject.  

FACT: people who have not had a mental illness, or have never been touched by it, will NEVER understand.  

FACT: of these, most do not want to understand. & I don't blame them; who wants to be around a sufferer, especially when you have your own shit to do. Who needs it. Unless the sufferer is a spectacular one, gifted with all sorts of good shit, like music, art, writing, film, etc; people will tolerate all sorts of mad bullshit from a person if they are a talented artist. Damn, most people forgave Michael Jackson his pedophilia because he could sing and dance! Human nature, I guess...  

FACT: as long as the popular treatment for mental illness is to 'Man the Fuck Up' or whatever the latest Hollywood hero Bruce Willis think fast look alive Die Hard inspired gee-up is...

more men will be killing themselves.  

FACT: the medical profession, for the most part, hasn't a clue what to do about all this mental illness nonsense. It's the chemical and neurological equivalent of Vegas.  

It's a roll of the dice; whether you get it, how it affects your life, and whether or not you recover.  

It really is about luck.  


You might argue, 'isn't it about whether a person wants to get well or not'??

That might work if you have a cold, or flu, or some virus or other, etc...but mental illness? Just as an virus infected computer doesn't know it has anything wrong with it...same with a mentally ill human brain. And even when it does...the causes, and the cure are so 'shot in the dark'...

it literally is a roll of the dice. 


If you are mentally well...you are NEVER going to get this.

Indeed...I would be amazed if you have even read this far.  

If you have come this far with me...then you are already on my side. 



So...who am I talking to?

Preaching to the acquired?

Not so much...although it is lovely to know you are there.  

Trying to convert the perpetually intolerant? Not really; most of these people have already made up their minds, and they will no more be shifted than those who believe in god.

belief in god is narrow, superstitious, immature bullshit. relinquishing control of the uncontrollable, trying to manage the unmanageable, trying to understand the un-understandble.,..by laying it all at the feet of an omnipotent one...is simple laziness.  

there is no god...& if there were...he is a lover of torture porn. he sits and watches us suffer, and laughs. but does nothing.

leaves us to it,...with illnesses we don't understand, and no cures.

except death.

very funny, you evil bastard. If there is a devil...he is this 'god' people talk about.

if you wish to be an adult...accept there is no one up there who cares about us. 


accept...that we have a virus.

accept...that we might as a species BE a virus. & mother nature is getting rid of us, one malfunctioning unit at a time.  

You know my thoughts on this; mental illness is simply a matter of brain malfunction. If your computer picks up a virus...you can either take it somewhere to be cleaned out...or get rid of it, and get a new one. My book deals with all this, so I won't elaborate further, but I will say this; a malfunctioning mechanism generally does not know there is something wrong with it...until it is too late.  

If you must say something about people who commit suicide...then try to say something compassionate, like 'what a shame'. 'how sad'. 'never mind'.  

pretend, if you need to.  


But let's can the 'COWARD' stuff, or 'HE SHOULD HAVE MANNED THE FUCK UP'!

Most people who top themselves are NOT sick of hurting themselves...they are sick of hurting OTHERS!! Can you imagine what it is like, having an illness that makes you so selfish you hurt others indiscriminately, don't know why, and often don't even tremewmber doing it? All you are left with, is a lot of mess to clean up- like coming home to the consequences of an all night party hosted by your evil twin brother, who has torn the joint up and ecamped?

That is what it is like.  

Suicide...is NOT SELFISH.  

It is the ULTIMATE ACT OF COMPASSION!

Of COURSE we don''t want to suffer any longer...but more importantly, we DON'T WANT TO BE THE CAUSE OF OTHER PEOPLE'S SUFFERING ANY LONGER, EITHER!

I hope you get it.  

or at least...try to.  


We would LOVE to be like you.  

We would LOVE to function normally.  

Sadly we don't.  

We cannot 'man up', whatever the fuck that means; for we have been toughing it out for a LIFETIME!

We cannot even 'human up'.  

We...
Our brains simply don't work.


Sorry about that.

Sad, but true.  

Now...you can whip a malfunctioning brain all you like; but it won't help. 

All you can do...is try to be tolerant. 


If you care about human beings...

If you think we the sufferers have something to contribute...are somehow worth saving...may have to potential to heal, and grow, and contribute, despite our illness...

then you might have the capacity for compassion.

& I applaud you for that.

But if we are lost causes...

then walk away. save yourself.

life is tough...& your own survival is a noble cause.



All we can really do...is keep on choogling the best we can, & HOPE something changes.

Or shut the mechanism down.  

It's a shitty situation all around...& there is no point bitching about it to a god that doesn't exist, or if he does, has a terrible sense of humour even allowing such an illness.  


what purpose does it serve?

why does it even exist?


we don't know yet.  

my view is...the human race is doing so much damage to the environment, and to each other...the fact is. our species might be mentally ill, and this...all this suicide...is just natures way of getting rid of us.  



So...if this is the case...might as well 'rage against the dying of the light.  



Which is why I am having my say.  


Because if I can save one life, telling it like it is- whether that be mine or someone else reading this...


then it is worth it.  it has to be.

that is the only meaning i can think of.



& for those who are getting tired of it...


join the club. I don't know a single person suffering a mental illness who isn't perpetually exhausted.  

Life is suffering.  


if you don't understand people who suffer differently to you...

then thank the gods or the omnipotent being of your choice for the mental health that allows you to think that way...& go and read something else.


you will never understand, and you can sit and hunker down in your bunker, and watch as the human race slowly destroys itself.  
 

& for those who understand...bless you. 


For in that understanding...


you save lives.  


just by listening...

caring.  


you save not only my life, but the lives of all humans.  


& this is what it boils down to.  


if you want a future...you will understand, and be compassionate.  

if not...


then our manifest destiny will be complete.



we will all...ALL of us...do what we were put here for.


To Go.


the entire species.  


forever...