Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: pensive

Why I Light a Candle in the Darkness

Someone I know recently lost a relative to suicide. The implications included depression exacerbated by the dire economic slump. I can understand being desperate enough to chew off one's leg to escape a trap, which is what suicide sometimes is. But it's a bitter and miserable thing to be left behind, because the survivors are the ones who have to clean up the mess, emotional and otherwise. So I sympathize with them too.

If you wonder why I write about some of the things I do -- about gender studies and identity and equality, about spirituality and tolerance, about economics and environment and saving the world, about family skills and communication and community -- it's because of things like this. Because I want the world to be a challenging but ultimately worthwhile place to live, that rewards honest work better than chicanery or indolence. Because I don't want it to be a place so devoid of hope and opportunity that desperate people in increasing numbers feel driven to smash the windows of their souls and crawl out through the shards into the everyonder.

We're working on it. Even if I have to walk into the wind with a hand cupped around my little candleflame, I would rather do that than merely sit and curse the dark, because even if it doesn't work, I'll be able to say I tried. And now and then, someone pauses to light a candle from mine ... or relight mine when it's gone out. We are sparks in the darkness. See how we shine.
Tags: community, economics, life lessons, moment of silence, writing
Subscribe

  • Fieldhaven as Habitat

    If you follow my posts on gardening, birdfeeding, and photos, then you know that I garden for wildlife. Looking at the YardMap parameters, here…

  • A Little Slice of Terramagne: YardMap

    Sadly the main program is dormant, but the YardMap concept is awesome, and many of its informative articles remain. YardMap was a citizen science…

  • Winterfest in July Bingo Card 7-1-21

    Here is my card for the Winterfest in July Bingo fest. It runs from July 1-30. Celebrate all the holidays and traditions of winter! ( See all my…

  • Post a new comment

    Error

    switch
    default userpic

    Your IP address will be recorded 

    When you submit the form an invisible reCAPTCHA check will be performed.
    You must follow the Privacy Policy and Google Terms of use.
    Help
  • 29 comments
...go 4 levels up... Expand
ideealisme

Re: Hmm...

ideealisme

March 4 2009, 03:01:03 UTC 12 years ago

If someone has recently lost a relative, or a job, or a home, or some other calamity -- of course they're going to feel horrible for a while. Wait a few weeks or months and see what happens; normally, they'll start to bounce back.

While I take your point I will also add: grief and depression are very different animals. Very different.
ysabetwordsmith

Re: Hmm...

ysabetwordsmith

March 4 2009, 03:06:41 UTC 12 years ago

They're not the same thing, but they're related negative emotions, often triggered by the same circumstances. One of the more dangerous kinds of chronic depression is the spiral-of-doom kind where any significant life setback tends to trigger a plummet from which the person does not recover normally. In between those times, they're okay; but when they're hit, they can't get up on their own. What starts as grief or disappointment or regret quickly grows into depression, and bystanders tend to be not very sympathetic about that. I've known several folks like this; it's a nasty handicap.
ditenebre

Re: Hmm...

ditenebre

March 4 2009, 05:22:54 UTC 12 years ago

And there are other losses, besides death, which evoke a grief response.
ysabetwordsmith

Re: Hmm...

ysabetwordsmith

March 4 2009, 05:31:35 UTC 12 years ago

Indeed.

Not long ago, I read an article about a study which found that involuntary job loss creates a substantial permanent reduction in people's community involvement. They were less likely to join churches or clubs, to volunteer, to donate to charities, etc.

  • Fieldhaven as Habitat

    If you follow my posts on gardening, birdfeeding, and photos, then you know that I garden for wildlife. Looking at the YardMap parameters, here…

  • A Little Slice of Terramagne: YardMap

    Sadly the main program is dormant, but the YardMap concept is awesome, and many of its informative articles remain. YardMap was a citizen science…

  • Winterfest in July Bingo Card 7-1-21

    Here is my card for the Winterfest in July Bingo fest. It runs from July 1-30. Celebrate all the holidays and traditions of winter! ( See all my…