I tried to write about Max tonight but it made me cry so I gave up. Instead, I made this suicide prevention poster. When my webmaster wakes up tomorrow, maybe he’ll help me to put it on that side panel on the right.
Suicide prevention should be a wider campaign, with more visibility. I’ve spend a lot of time reading about it here. I wish I had known more about it, especially risk assessment. More communities should make it a priority, like San Louis Obispo, which came up with this video to reduce the stigma of mental illness.
Watching events in Egypt, I’ve been aware of how petty most of our concerns are. But it’s so uplifting to see people exercising their power! Why didn’t that happen in the US when Bush was president?!
People DO have the power to make change. The least we bloggers and our readers can do is unite to boycott the website that is poaching on the-coveted. You can write to them at info@thecoveted.com and tell them what you think.
Freedom of speech is a huge issue for me. So is keeping people alive.
Let’s practice being Egyptian instead of rolling over or expecting someone else to take action! I’m ready to be of service to anyone I can help.
Wonderful post and the poster is brilliant. Can we have the poster as a widget for our blogs too!
I am totally moved (whatever I say will sound trite) by the Egyptians. I’m grateful for twitter so we can all exercise our support to them and ensure they determine their lives and no one (are you listening Obama, Cameron, western leaders et al) can stop them or impose a ‘solution’. I feel inspired by their revolution and when one man said I do this because I want to eat, I felt very tearful.
And our support to Jennine is without question!
This post touched my core.
I work with invalids, cancer patients and people with mental illnesses, that is my day job. It keeps me alive. I tell them your story often, just to remind them, and mostly myself, that there is something ahead worth continuing the struggle. Sometimes it feels like the Earth wants to throw me of its back, then I do this stupid banal thing, I put my favorite red lipstick, go to work and try to make somebodies day.
Revolution is such a romantic idea, brings back the memories of many student protests in Serbia. Only Serbians screw it up later, but I truly hope that Egyptians will stick to their ideals and won’t compromise when it’s all over. Europe needs some revolutions too, just look what Hungary is doing lately.
For us outside the battle fields, small revolutions! Selfless acts! Support! Tap on a shoulder! Critic in right direction! Reflection on our acts! Look in the eyes of injustice and prejudice and doing the right thing! Showing example! Say that we are sorry and really mean it! It’s a whole passage of bollocks with too many exclamation marks, but it really is that simple!
I love what’s been written here, especially your comment, dust. Here’s to small revolutions, and big ones too.
I saw this picture (http://yfrog.com/h7h2fwj) of people in Egypt defending their museum. Revolution is so often reported as destructive, but there’s so much more to it than that.
The poster is perfect.
Sister, are you aware of the work that Judy Collins has been doing for years around the issue of suicide after the death of her son? You may have seen this already but here is an interview she did. http://personallifemedia.com/podcasts/212-living-dialogues/episodes/2736-judy-collins-sanity
xoxo
Yes, people have the power; “Solidarity” actions in Poland started the fall of the Communist governments in all Soviet bloc. I lived through martial law, curfew, closed borders, tanks of the streets, empty stores, coupons for food, censored press, “monitored” phones, tear gas and so on. I certainly was better off than many – everyone I know survived, just a few went to prison, another few lost their jobs. It was the price to see the Communism fall, and for me – it was worth it. Unfortunately, as Dust said, we do tend to screw it up later – I SO hope the Egyptians will not allow some demagogue politician to hijack their revolution.
I LOVE the poster, SW.
Love you, Sister.
xoxo Janet
This is a great post. More of us really do need to practice being more active (myself not excluded) in changing situations around us. Things happen that we don’t like but too many of us sit on our asses and grumble about it in private. This does nothing. You should definitely create a widget, it would go on my blog for sure.
Thank you. I love your poster and I loved the link to SLO county’s website – I lived there, and my friend/boyfriend/roommate of 6 years, Curt, killed himself there 2 years ago. I miss him so bad and wish he had taken your advice to keep living. All this shit is so shitty. I do feel like rising up like Egypt and saying “STOP!”
Sister Wolf, I like your poster a lot. I have to say this about suicide: I still have thoughts about it because of the relationship I’m in and the abuse I endured as a child. What’s make me keep going is that I know my problems are nothing compared to people who suffer, such as those with physical desabilities or severely disabled due to schizoprenia…that makes me keep going but sometimes I want to give up, it’s so hard! I also am appalled by the injustice in this world, sometimes i ask “is this my world? do I really belong here?” (tears),I want to change it but I can’t. I don’t understand why kids suffer so much for example.
Brilliant post! Thank you!
girl, i second (or third, or fourth) your thoughts. fight the power. and live long and prosper.
Yes, please share widget. Also anyone who shares widget should post link to local number for talking your through a crisis like The Samaritans or in Ireland www. aware.ie
xxooxx
Stupid me, I keep wanting to contact some of the Egyptian friends I made at the World Summit Awards – but of course LinkedIn comes under the whole “lets cut off the internets” thing that Mubarak is up to. Hang in there !!
Thank you.
Thank you, Sis, for a thoughtful and informative post. I watched the SLO film, and feel better about going to my job tomorrow in another state and county mental health recovery program. Sometimes I go stale, and need a sister like you to shake me up! Or a dust! Love what dust said.
Candy – Don’t give up. Write to me instead, xo sisterwolf666@gmail.com
Suebob – I’m so sorry about Curt. Look, I made the widget.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1352041/The-gay-chicken-row-Chick-Fil-As-anti-gay-stance-sparks-protest-loyal-customers-turn-chain.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
I thought you might be interested in this. I definitely will not be eating there again.
SW? It would be so nice to simply place this in and exclaim, “All will be well.”
http://i.imgur.com/TCNOH.png
But such will not be the case.
Still. We must hope/wish/pray – it will be the case. But our folks in DC have these certain “habits of thinking.”
I didn’t take notice until I just posted – here from my local paper – thanks folks to all who participated – (thanks Taylor especially for having your comment in proximity):
http://www.baxterbulletin.com/article/20110128/NEWS01/101280345/Harps-takes-beating-over-magazine-shields-Mountain-Home-Tweets-go-viral-Internet?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
See Sister Wolf? Even [some] Arkies can meet your high standards for “Cunt of the Week” even though in this case, it wasn’t an individual.
JK – I just watched this video from Egypt ..I’m shattered. http://bit.ly/hGCqjM
Ah Sister, this isn’t gonna help (but you know how I keep up with stuff)… those “foggy streams rocketing into the air”?
Well, those are tear gas canisters being fired – and likely to be very helpful – since most of those canisters carry a printed label, in English –
“Produced in the USA.”
Peace on Earth – Good Will To Man (and ya’ll) in other words.
I can see how those sorts of labels are gonna be really helpful in the coming decades.
“Freedom of speech is a huge issue for me. So is keeping people alive.”
I love you. Thank you.
I like the poster. I will be co opting and spreading the word.
Siter, I emailed you, please check your spam folder because sometimes my email address get thrown in the spam. thank you!
What is going on in Egypt is not suprising since most arab countries don’t have a democracy and the religion and politics are tied together. See, in Tunisia, they didn’t allow women to be veiled, they called that an evolution along with other new reforms in favor of the women. That is a good point if you were supposed to live in a laic, democratic country, but Tunisia was not. They used this to take power and make people poor. In Tunisia, the women should have the right to wear a veil since it’s their country, they should have made it a choice: wear it or not wear it. In America and other developped countries, we also have corruption but our elected governments give us more advatnages: they fix our infrastructures, we have the right to vote etc… but don’t think that they don’t take money from us and use it for themselves. The only difference also is the constitution. The constitution protects the people. The problem is a few people take power and decide for a bunch.
Sister W – we need you xx
Very nice to see the unqualified support for the Egyptian people here. As a Muslim, I must say, it’s been a long time coming and I look forward to the day when Egyptians choose their own gov’t.. whatever that may be.
As an American, I hope all US citizens will not only show their support for the Egyptian people online. The US may be offering qualified support for the protestors’ right to speak publically, but the point is for the speech to lead to concrete political and social changes. We should all be making it clear to our representatives that not only do we support the right of the Egyptian people to speak, but we also support their right to govern themselves on their own terms. And, given the massive amount of aid we give the Egyptian MILITARY, I think it makes sense to conclude that the Egyptian military’s apparent ambivalence when it comes to the proests is because of the US’s public ambivalence about the situation. Call your representatives and tell them that you support the right of the Egyptian people to elect their own government unconditionally.
Oh fuck. The video just brought back memories from streets of Warsaw. Don’t be shattered, SW. Their water canons will eventually run out of water, tear gas is nasty but eventually you stop crying. I believe the tyranny will fall. The big question is – what’s next? That’s when the going gets tough.
Cricket … exactly.
Will a new regime be better?
That is the question.
Whether the new regime will be better is a question for the Egyptian people. Certainly it wont be better for the US in the short term. But then again, Bush wasnt better for the rest of the world (or the US) and no one attempted to make that decision for us.
Suicide prevention is becoming more & more important. In the last six months or so, SEVERAL high school students in my community have killed themselves. One was a boy who hung himself from a tree where his best friend found him, then ran to get the boy’s dad to try to save him. It makes me want to throw up, scream, & cry. UNACCEPTABLE!! These kids need someone to talk to! They need to know that they are loved. They need to know that many of the trials they face are temporary & that there is always something to live for. We should all do our best to help these kids make it through by volunteering at local schools & churches, or whatever is appropriate. Thanks for the reminder!!
Hi, i am appart of a group called Suicide Help for Teens by Teens. We would like to use your picture if you’d allow me.
Amber – Oh yes, use it, and thank you for the help you give, xoxo.