It’s sad. So sad. That in a country that allegedly celebrates
diversity – and it’s “cool” to be different…when people really are different
from the majority…if they are children they are rushed to the doctor…if they
are an adult…they make an appointment with the doctor.
Let me remind you, people, that if someone had rushed
Stephen King to a doctor because he had horrific thoughts in his head…he would
have been medicated and we would not have books and movies like Carrie (the
classic and the new).
Let’s not forget Galileo! As the Indigo Girls remind us: Galileo’s head was on the block…his crime was
looking up for truth.” was an Italian physicist, astronomer, astrologer, and
philosopher , often referred to as the "father of modern astronomy,"
and "father of modern physics", and "father of science". In
1616, Galileo tried to convince the Roman Church not to ban his ideas. He laid
low for a while, but somehow managed to alienate Pope Urban VIII by citing the
Pope's words as someone else's.
Galileo was placed on trial for suspected heresy in 1633, was
found guilty, and had a "reduced" sentence of house arrest until the
day he died on January 8, 1642.
We can’t all be fascinated by Food Network TV, Bravo Shows, Shoe shopping, Video Games, and sports.
I’m becoming increasingly pissed at the “diagnosis” of “different”
thinking is “must be a disorder – here’s a pill to numb you.”
When the diagnosis should be a celebration that you are one
of the rare people that actually DOES think different (news flash – driving around
with an Obama sticker on your car doesn’t make you “forward thinking” – it signifies
that you think along with the crowd. Wearing thick black nerdy glasses doesn’t
make you stand out, it makes you the same as all the other people trying to
prove how trendy and utterly cool they are.
And while I’m writing my 3a.m. memo – let me include
something called once used to be called life. Now, it’s referred to as a “condition.”
Audrey Hepburn referred to it as a case of the “mean reds”
in Breakfast At Tiffany’s. Had Audrey had Blue Cross Blue Shield, she would
have been sent to the doctor and he would have diagnosed her with depression
and put her on some drug that would cure her of “depression.”
Guess what people? There are good days, there are bad days.
Bad things happen to good people. A tornado doesn’t destroy a whole town
because they all have “bad karma.” A tornado destroys a small town because that’s
called fucking nature.
Don’t be fooled by society telling you it’s not normal to
have highs and lows, anger and sadness.
We all suffer from “I’m not good enough” syndrome- except
for John Thompson – he really doesn’t give a shit what people think about him.
And if you ever saw him walking though Lowes wearing cut off BDU’s and slippers
you’d know what I mean.
It’s normal to think, “Man, I suck!” some days and some days
to think “Everyone BUT ME sucks.”
I’ll tell you what IS’NT
NORMAL – popping a tablet so that you walk around like a zombie.
When bad things happen, and they will happen, no matter how
wonderful and kind you might be, what I would prescribe for you is to feel the
sadness/anger/loss/hurt/pain – that is normal. Look for the silver lining (there
always is one – sometimes you just have to really search for it, and sometimes
it takes awhile for you to see it) .
And those stories you tell yourself in your head about…ghosts,
or angles, or death, or spirituality, or ravens…doesn’t mean you’re foolish –
it means you have a gift and it’s how you use that gift that makes the
difference. Stories? Movies? Songs? Teaching? Painting? Photography? Making
T-shirts? Preaching?
Oh, and one more think. Quit worrying about what people
think about you. Easier said than done, right? I know. For someone that often
speaks her mind I’ve been on the receiving end of much hate/gossip, eye
rolling. Good. It simply means I AM different. I am not a zombie following
blindly. And if I can even cause one other person to crawl out of their shell
and raise their voice or bring their talent to life, then it’s worth the names
I’m called.
Your true friends and family will remain and you will find
new friends (and maybe even family!). But even if they all disappeared…it
wouldn’t matter as long as you love yourself.
Guess what…we are all human.
Some people might say we’re all crazy…but maybe we should start thinking
of it as we’re all gifted – and why on earth would you ever seek out a pill to
push your gift into a fog. Gifts are meant to be shared. But sometimes, the key
is to figure out how best to share that gift.
Whatever is going on in your life – if you’re ecstatic and
happy and in loveeeeeeeeeeeee…wait. There will come a time that ecstasy fades
and contentment slides in. There may come a day that love turns to indifference.
And then there’s sadness. And then guess
what? You can choose to start all over again! Everything you need to know in
life you don’t need a doctor to tell you – you simply look out your door. Ah,
it’s raining, storming. It will pass. Ah – it’s a gorgeous day, flowers are
waving, the sun is warm, the ocean is calm.
Somewhere right now, a doctor is prescribing a pill to numb
life – to tamp down emotions, instead of recognizing that emotions are part of
life. People who think differently are considered “abnormal” instead of GIFTED
(artists, teachers, scientists, writers).
Those people are there to help you, I do believe they
believe that, but they are also making money by putting you on drugs. The “easy
fix.” Nothing worth having in life is
easy. Everyone fails. Everyone learns. The trick is to get back on your feet,
give the finger to those who laugh at you, and rise up and be better the
second, third, fourth, however many times you try and fall. Because I’ll tell
you something, I’d much rather have
scars of my knees from daring to live fully than sores on my ass from sitting
in front of a TV or computer screen watching, making fun of other people who
dare to actually LIVE their life.
You can be 1 of 3 people in life. The person who reads the
book. The person who writes the book. Or the person who lives the book and then
writes the book (or the song or the movie or the lecture or…)
And this concludes my 3a.m. lecture.
