There are Things That I Know, and There are Things That I Don't

So here I shall post my rambling, though this may or may not be the best venue in which to present my thoughts... but it's better than facebook.

I don't feel I'm particularly unique or smart or all too talented but I'm not too dumb, I'm good at some things, and you didn't pass 20 of me on the way to work this morning. Furthermore, I DO have a combination of experiences that are definitely unique to me. This being the case, I feel I have some sort of perspective that I can lend to society (in one form or another)and not only does it have a voice-- it has undeniable value. Therefore, presenting what I have learned from my set of experiences is a worthwhile endeavor.

Religion is not a substitute for mental health. While religion accomplishes many purposes, including helping people cope with whatever life brings their way, it is not something that heals the mind. I'm unsure why so many people in our society are under the ruse that their religion is a fix-all for dark times and troubled places when it includes an ill-working mind. It's as if these people suggest that one should give starving children a box of band-aids and send them on their way. So many examples of this situation can be provided from my sphere of experience alone. No amount of praying stopped that woman from cutting her wrists time and time again. Having an unshakable belief of a god who loved her unconditionally did not relieve her of her despair. Two armfuls of solid scarring tell her story. No matter how much that young man understands that he has agency and believes he must make the right decisions, he will have a lengthy history of horrible 'mistakes' and seemingly hundreds of broken relationships because of his bipolarism. No matter how hard that girl tries to see her god as a 'light in the darkness' she still sinks deeper into despair and has more mood swings. In no way am I discounting ANY religion, but prayer and religion are NOT substitutes for treatment. Therefore, you will not hear me tell a suicidal person to kneel down and pray or think about Jesus. You WILL hear about me getting the suicidal person treatment and immediately help them in a manner that I have been somewhat trained to do. So yeah... lets not give the starving children a box of band-aids and send them on their way.