If you hurt yourself now, if you give up right now, Im sorry to say that it wont change the minds of those who are currently making decisions about whether sick and mentally people ill live or die in this country. These people dont give a damn - or at very least, they do a good job of acting like they dont give a damn. If any persons unnecessary death were enough to sway this governments mind, it would have been swayed before now.
Even one death is too many. There are other, better ways to make a difference.
This is the point at which Im supposed to give you the routine about how It Gets Better. But you and I both know that that would be a lie. We both know that right now, for anyone who is disabled, or mentally ill, or unemployed, or a single parent, or a young person, or a student, or simply poor and struggling, a lot of things are getting actively worse. So no - sometimes it doesnt get better. What happens instead, as a friend of mine told me recently, is that you get stronger.
Choosing to live doesnt have to mean choosing to accept the ugly reality that those in power are creating for us. By coming together and working to create change, by building each other up and getting smarter and more adept, you get stronger, we get stronger, people who care enough to resist and fight back and create a different reality get stronger together. You dont need to be well to be involved in the fightback. The internet has enabled people with all kinds of different experiences of physical and mental health to make their voices heard and join in the struggle against shame and despair as public policy.
I know that right now you probably arent feeling very strong and powerful. Thats understandable. But please believe me: you are powerful, and important, and special, and stronger than you know. Weve never shared a cup of tea together, or laughed together, or hugged each other. I dont even know what you look like. But I feel like I know you, because I know you feel the same way I feel about whats going on in this country right now. What I want you to try to understand, if you can just hold on to one thing, is this: you are not a burden.
No human being is "just a burden". You are not a burden on the state, and you are not a burden on your family, who, much as you might find this hard to believe, would be devastated to lose you. Your presence makes this country and your family a better place.
