If you could do one thing to make a difference in the world, I think something really achievable would be … .to be kinder to others … and kinder to ourselves. And maybe if bullying and abuse and neglect and things like that still went on, kindness might be the one thing that makes those suffering feel more hopeful about their future - and feel less alone in the world.
Previous posts on Black Dog about about the role of kindness in society here …..and teaching children about kindness here. What would it be like if we were kinder to our children here. A story about a boy who changed with world with the simple idea, ‘Pay it forward’, here. And how Clunk & Jam notes you can collect and share from the Black Dog website might be able to make a difference here. And passing this on to others could quite possibly make a difference too….
“On average we lose 1 young Western Australian to suicide each week.” (WA State Coroner). ”More people die as a result of suicide each year in Australia than there are fatalities on our roads.” (Australian Bureau of Statistics). You can support The Black Dog Project and those who may be struggling by simply passing on this ‘Dear Me’ note, and the related articles that follow, through your email and Face Book contacts. If you need to talk, Lifeline offers a 24/7 phone service 13 11 14. Or see Black Dog’s links webpage.
‘Dear Me’ …..
There is a book out that poses the question…if you could write a letter to your 16 year old self, what would you say? Considering, at 15, I tried to take my own life, this is what I’d say….
….. You’ll still be here. You’ll survive way beyond things you believed you couldn’t. And there will be many more times when you can’t bear the thought of living another day. Another moment. But know that it is but a moment. A moment in which you have only this desperate thought. But moments come – and they go. Tomorrow may not feel a whole lot better but it can be a starting point – not the end. You’ll need to take some seemingly impossible steps. Every day. Day in and day out to get to wherever it is you’ll eventually find a sense of place. A sense of purpose and meaning. And you don’t necessarily have to know exactly where or when that will be. You just need to maintain the drive and determination to find it. Keep putting one foot in front of the other ……and thoughts of not making it behind.
And you’ll have some massive spills along the way that will lay you flat for varying lengths of time – but you’ll get up. Eventually. Every time. You’ll get up. You must. And you’ll go another round so you can at the very least, prove to yourself you can. Your weakest point will be to rely on someone else to do this work for you…
We shall bake a black promise. One that rises to fill every soul, leaving no room for sticks and stones. We shall sit at a table round and bare, with no heads, no wooden spoons or cups to fill. We’ll play games for no prizes, make rainbows without green and red, black and blue. We’ll shed tears and fears into a well so full it forever flowed into holding hands, as trees grew back tall around us and grass reached out lush and long, holding us so high in endless respite – there would be no end or beginning. Click on typewriter for Clunk & Jam note you can print and keep close. Photo of a group of young people who came up with this symbol of shared strength.
“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes, the ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them, because they change things, they push the human race forward.”
Early Apple ad, as crafted by the late Steve Jobs, referenced at his October memorial service (found in Financial Review’s Boss magazine. Image from book ‘World of Wonder’ – recognise the guy in the tights?) Another one from Steve Jobs here. And movie , Pay It Forward about a boy with a great global idea here. The Gruen Transfer article is for thinkers too - here.
Click on the typewriter for your Clunk and Jam print and stick on noticeboards, walls, classroom doors etc to shine a different light on those who are often deemed ‘crazy’ (among other things) just because they’re different -and to champion for all the thinkers out there. Pass it on…
The clip is from a movie called ‘Doubt’. Be warned, it’s intense and it’s topic is child abuse. For those of us who have experienced abuse however, the driving voice of the ‘Sister’, along with her determination to go with ‘gut feelings’, packs a punch we may wish someone had thrown for us. The greatest victory however, is not just to survive the experience, but to not turn the abuse onto ourselves. To mend - not self destruct. Army of Ink troop related to this on the way… in the meantime check out Shaun Tan’s story in previous post … Revenge By Lifing Leg .
Image and story by Shaun Tan called ‘Wake’, from book ‘Tales of Outer Suburbia’ (filed under Bullying) …
On a cold night last winter there was a fire at the house of a man who only days before had beaten his dog to death. Being a strong man, he was able to rescue all his belongings single-handedly, carrying them out of the buringing building and onto the front lawn. As soon as he had finished, a hundred dogs of every shape and size trotted into the flickering light from the surrounding shadows and promptly sat on top of every appliance and piece of furniture as if it were their own. They would not let the man come close and snapped at him viciously when he tried to hit them, but otherwise remained still, staring impassively at the flames.
