Since we launched our website, we have kept a policy of not expressing our own personal political or religious views….there are lots of other venues for that. And we’ve tried to focus on the positive side of things. Occasionally I will write a blog about tragedies, not to try to get my personal opinions out there, but rather, to try and present another view, or to just get a conversation started. Because I believe that the more we can discuss topics that affect us all in some way, the closer we might come to finding solutions to difficult challenges.
Yesterday we posted a story on the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Now I know that there are a lot of people out there who have never personally had to deal with someone who has a mental illness….but it still, in some way, touches us all. And yes, our site is about saving money but it’s also about topics that we, as women, might face. (Men face a lot of these too…there are a lot of men raising families by themselves).
photo credit: ephotography via photopin cc
I believe that when we discuss, in a civil way, even when we don’t agree, it’s a good thing. I read this article yesterday and thought it was one of the most insightful pieces concerning mental illness and the challenges the families face. I don’t believe the author was trying to make excuses, but rather to point out the challenges, especially when it comes to navigating through the mental health care system. She mentions the fact that her son has had numerous and different diagnosis….if even professional doctors and therapists have a difficult time determining the best way to treat a mentally ill child….well, that underlines some of the problems our country is facing when it comes to treatment and how to prevent these horrendous tragedies that occur when our mentally ill citizens don’t have the proper treatment.
I’m not going to belabor this topic but I do want to share her story because when I went on to read the comments, well, I was appalled. First of all, I believe we can make comments and/or disagree without calling people names and using vile language, which I believe is common courtesy. And second of all, the comments show how a lot of people perceive mental illness.
In my own humble and personal opinion, I believe this tragedy touched all of our lives in some way. And until we can discuss in a civilized way and try to come up with solutions, we will continue to see horrific tragedies like this one.