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It Doesn't Get Better
14 years ago
HEALTH █████
ENERGY █████ Somber
█ The title is a bit of a mockery of the "It Gets Better" slogan, but in the end that's how I feel. I feel this way because I read about the story of James Hubley. I look at his story, and I see much of myself in what he went through; too much of myself personally.
He found something he loved to do, and did it up till grade seven till he was bullied over his championship level figure skating abilities. He had a dream, and it was crushed, snuffed out; something that had been a source of joy turned into something for torment. Thank you society for crushing a dream, it's good to see that bullying has lasted forever, and will continue to last forever; no one gives a damn.
Though that wasn't the part that I related to, it was Jame's attitude towards life: He wanted everyone to be happy, but he was picked on and made to feel horrible for no justifiable reason. This was something I never could come to terms with myself, and I don't think James did either since even after he figured out that he was gay that he would do his best to help other gays get support in being open about themselves. Course that only added more fuel to the bullying fire, just making him a bigger target for insults and attacks on him as a person. So once again, thank you society for crushing a spirit; the displays of empathy and tolerance is simply astoundingly pathetic.
James said before he took his life that he simply could not wait another three years, adding that he didn't know if it would even get better after that. I don't blame him. Even in the end he forgave those who tormented him to the point in where life simply was not worth living in. I can understand that point because for a person who wants nothing but happiness for others, only to be presented with people who want nothing but his suffering; then suffering wins. This is the core reason why I have no stake in humanity or society: I surrendered to the reality that people just want to spread suffering, and that empathy and compassion is simply not the norm.
In another life I'd be dead. In another life I would be James. Though in the end I did die: My hopes, dreams, good-will, humanity were crushed under the weight of countless barbs and ill-will towards my person. What's left is a broken, mostly empty shell; persisting in a near constant state of soft agony and bitterness. The warmth of happiness was long ago consumed by the darkness of bitterness and resentment of the tapestry that we call society and humanity.
I can't escape this reality as much as I want to ignore and deny it's existence. FA is inherently more tolerant simply because everyone has to be at least a little bit 'off' to be a part of the fandom, and I'm grateful for that; but I can't help but think about the souls who are trapped out there in the 'real' suffering because they see what I see: A world in were selfishness and pain is the rule. That the only escape is to stop caring and shut down, or to kill yourself.
James smiled, from start to finished; because he didn't want to cause other people pain, because he didn't want others to worry. He had a huge heart, and it was stepped on; probably every day. It's little wonder why empathy is hard to find. I smiled too, till there was nothing left inside.
It might get better for individuals once they get out of high school, maybe it doesn't; but in the end so many kids out there have to face the gauntlet of junior and high school; to look down the path of six years of potential emotional and physical torment. I didn't come out of it unscathed, and many people don't either; they just suppress the experience and move on with their lives.
No one is going to save us from ourselves, and all we can do it seems is offer a near meaningless shoulder after the damage has long been done.
In the end, I still try to do what James wanted to do: Make people happy. It gets hard sometimes... a lot of times... when the world is full of so many people who do nothing but add to suffering and misery to the lives of others. The world needs more people like James, who want to make others happy; but instead society has killed off yet another compassionate, empathic soul. So no it's not going to get better, and I honestly have my doubts that it ever will.
█ I suppose for myself, in the end... such thoughts is what impacts my ability to create. That when I look out there at how horrible things are for some people, that I should be here drawing... A part of me wants to go out there and... talk to those being crushed by an cynical, callous, uncaring world. To be a psychiatrist, or councilor; to try and be there for these individuals who are having the life squeezed out of them day by day. I feel ultimately that all the love and care (and medication) that some people get, that it's simply not enough because it only serves as a distraction from what truly bothers them. That when the all the distractions are done and in a moment of somber thought everything comes crashing down and crushes the heart and soul.
What can I say? I'm damaged goods.
ENERGY █████ Somber
█ The title is a bit of a mockery of the "It Gets Better" slogan, but in the end that's how I feel. I feel this way because I read about the story of James Hubley. I look at his story, and I see much of myself in what he went through; too much of myself personally.
He found something he loved to do, and did it up till grade seven till he was bullied over his championship level figure skating abilities. He had a dream, and it was crushed, snuffed out; something that had been a source of joy turned into something for torment. Thank you society for crushing a dream, it's good to see that bullying has lasted forever, and will continue to last forever; no one gives a damn.
Though that wasn't the part that I related to, it was Jame's attitude towards life: He wanted everyone to be happy, but he was picked on and made to feel horrible for no justifiable reason. This was something I never could come to terms with myself, and I don't think James did either since even after he figured out that he was gay that he would do his best to help other gays get support in being open about themselves. Course that only added more fuel to the bullying fire, just making him a bigger target for insults and attacks on him as a person. So once again, thank you society for crushing a spirit; the displays of empathy and tolerance is simply astoundingly pathetic.
James said before he took his life that he simply could not wait another three years, adding that he didn't know if it would even get better after that. I don't blame him. Even in the end he forgave those who tormented him to the point in where life simply was not worth living in. I can understand that point because for a person who wants nothing but happiness for others, only to be presented with people who want nothing but his suffering; then suffering wins. This is the core reason why I have no stake in humanity or society: I surrendered to the reality that people just want to spread suffering, and that empathy and compassion is simply not the norm.
In another life I'd be dead. In another life I would be James. Though in the end I did die: My hopes, dreams, good-will, humanity were crushed under the weight of countless barbs and ill-will towards my person. What's left is a broken, mostly empty shell; persisting in a near constant state of soft agony and bitterness. The warmth of happiness was long ago consumed by the darkness of bitterness and resentment of the tapestry that we call society and humanity.
I can't escape this reality as much as I want to ignore and deny it's existence. FA is inherently more tolerant simply because everyone has to be at least a little bit 'off' to be a part of the fandom, and I'm grateful for that; but I can't help but think about the souls who are trapped out there in the 'real' suffering because they see what I see: A world in were selfishness and pain is the rule. That the only escape is to stop caring and shut down, or to kill yourself.
James smiled, from start to finished; because he didn't want to cause other people pain, because he didn't want others to worry. He had a huge heart, and it was stepped on; probably every day. It's little wonder why empathy is hard to find. I smiled too, till there was nothing left inside.
It might get better for individuals once they get out of high school, maybe it doesn't; but in the end so many kids out there have to face the gauntlet of junior and high school; to look down the path of six years of potential emotional and physical torment. I didn't come out of it unscathed, and many people don't either; they just suppress the experience and move on with their lives.
No one is going to save us from ourselves, and all we can do it seems is offer a near meaningless shoulder after the damage has long been done.
In the end, I still try to do what James wanted to do: Make people happy. It gets hard sometimes... a lot of times... when the world is full of so many people who do nothing but add to suffering and misery to the lives of others. The world needs more people like James, who want to make others happy; but instead society has killed off yet another compassionate, empathic soul. So no it's not going to get better, and I honestly have my doubts that it ever will.
█ I suppose for myself, in the end... such thoughts is what impacts my ability to create. That when I look out there at how horrible things are for some people, that I should be here drawing... A part of me wants to go out there and... talk to those being crushed by an cynical, callous, uncaring world. To be a psychiatrist, or councilor; to try and be there for these individuals who are having the life squeezed out of them day by day. I feel ultimately that all the love and care (and medication) that some people get, that it's simply not enough because it only serves as a distraction from what truly bothers them. That when the all the distractions are done and in a moment of somber thought everything comes crashing down and crushes the heart and soul.
What can I say? I'm damaged goods.
and if I can do or say anything to help you in anyway, let me know!!
There are so many people that just give in and don't want to fight! I'll fight till the day I die and not a second less, it's worth it. For all the people that have yet to be born in the future to grow up and face these problems... Gaining equal rights and equality isn't going to be easy, its not going to magically happen, we have to EARN it just like everybody else, do you think it was easy for blacks? Do you think it was easy for mexicans?
Everyone suffers in a different way, everyone.. Its about reaching out and helping each other, it's about sticking to those people who want to fight back and be happy.
Everytime I hear one of these stories it makes me wanna fight more, all I want to do is protect people..
For me it was about the kind of world I wanted to live in, the kind of world I thought I was living in till I grew older. Really that's how it was, when you're a kid, most other kids don't judge you. You're a kid, they're a kid it's all good, but as kids grow they pressured into cliques and groups. They are taught that other kids aren't kids, but that they are different.
That all these groups exist is just all the more reason why I simply don't care. We all belong to the group that are supposedly called 'human' but instead of embracing that which makes us the same we set out to find that's different, and then ostracize those who are different. We wouldn't have a need for 'equal' rights if that simple reality was embraced, but it never is.
But yes, I know what your saying and its just horrible, I wonder where it comes from.. if they could just find out psycologically what makes people do that.. I wonder what kind of place this could be.
I have a huge problem with the "it gets better" project too. Why would they tell us it will get better in the far future? Why can't it be better now? Why can't we make it better?
Its all a fucking lie. We have to live with the bullying and oppression on a daily basis, in school, and in adult life. It never ends. Even people like me, I live in a very liberal and diverse place. My high school is better than others, but I still get called a fag all the time, and am faced with ignorance way too much.
Overall in a school of 3,000 there are 7 openly gay people that I know of, including myself. There are few recourses I seem to have. A majority of the people at my school are dumb and insulting. It hurts.
:/
Equality has never existed.
You're only free if you conform to the heteronormativity of our society
And yet, you're quite right. Saying it gets better in future just isn't enough - we should strive to make things better now, instead of throwing up our hands and saying "Highschool is hell and kids will be kids."
I wish I had (or could have) done more, but at least I came out to my friends, opened their minds a little, and they became more tolerant. A generation before me that wouldn't have been possible. Now the weirdos are much better tolerated. You're able to be out without getting beaten. It's progressing.
"Why can't we make it better?" You ARE. I know it hurts, but by being out, you're making the world better. Immediately you're making it better for the other six, plus however many haven't come out yet - they're starting to get confidence because of you. In the near future there will be 8, then 10... I know I'm a big softie, but I'm misty-eyed right now, one part in sympathy for your pain, but mostly because I'm so thankful for what you're doing and accomplishing.
And for you, yes, it does change in adult life, a lot of it does end. Once I got to college and could start choosing who my friends were and I wasn't forced to interact with bigots at lunch and on the bus every day, things suddenly got a whole lot better. I came out, only lost a couple friends, and now everyone knows (including my family, who are completely supportive) and it's just not a big deal any more.
I'm still pretty damaged from the hell I took in grade school and junior high, and I hate that it's made me such a cynic at times. But I'm doing so much better now than I was then... Very slowly, I'm healing.
I know, my school is a lot better than others, but problems still exist. Thankfully, I have a teacher who is openly gay and runs a Gay-Straight Alliance. That helps somewhat, and we get to work with other schools in the area too, to create a safe learning experience for all LGBTQ students.
I'm not too optimistic about change, but maybe things will change eventually.
In the 70s we came out en masse, and institutional change started to happen in a big way. Harvey Milk was a huge win for legitimacy in 1978.
In the 80s anti-discrimination laws began to be passed, but you don't want to come out in school unless you're prepared to get slammed around and left in a can a few times... A few brave souls do.
In the 90s the balance of opinion went against homophobia - which is not to say that homophobia was gone, but if you polled 10 people, 6 of them were on our side; it was now politically unpopular on a national level to hate gays... That was a huge tipping point, because now coming out as a bigot could bring a negative reaction. You can come out in school if you can handle being an instant outcast. Violence and systematic abuse became rare, though hate and machismo still persist.
In the 2000s even that starts to change. People start coming out in school and people who befriend them aren't lepers-by-association. Bigots are still everywhere, but they no longer have the upper hand. LGBT clubs are forming in high schools! With faculty support! That was unimaginable in my time - they would have been fired after the parents got wind of it. PS - Same-sex marriages!
The 2010s? I can only see it continuing to grow. More students are going to keep coming out, and with each one that does you will be singled out ever less, and the straight crowd will be ever less afraid to support you. If you even have a couple more years left you will see the GSA grow before you graduate.
It's not changing eventually. It's changing now. It won't be overnight but with each tipping point it gets faster. The next big one for students is when the bigots are afraid to say something hateful because they will become the outcasts in high school. I don't know when it will happen... Perhaps it will be the 2020s' milestone.
And it's all much better after school. I'm on the west coast and certainly we have it easier than a lot of places... but I can honestly say that other than a couple no-longer-friends from my teenage years, no one has said anything hateful to me, ever, despite being out to friends, family and work, kissing my boyfriend in the sports pub, and holding hands wherever we go. It really does get better.
*nuzzles*
Anyway, I don't think life stomped me enough to feel that way. And I must say, that the recent deaths from this month (yes, I even lost a friend last week, right before Athus left, but this one, I never met him), I feel a bit more positive. I feel happy to be alive and healthy. I wish everyone around me to be alive and healthy... I'm even thinking to wish it to my ennemies. To wish them a good and long life, to them and their relatives.
Anyway...
*hugs and puffkisses*
"we vacariusly try to watch the whole world die"
~tool
However, i dont think thats really the message. The message is more so meant for kids, not adults. Adults have to live with the troubles of life, and some times those troubles are very dramatic and can lead to loosing any ties with previous loved ones. But its something we as adults will have to live with unfortunately.
But the message is for kids. Its to give them hope, and more importantly show them that the bullies arent right. Its also to bring light to the bullies, to show that this sort of thing is happening and hopefully fix it.
Its very unlikely the world will every be a better place to live in, but life is way to awesome to through it away. Simply think of all the things you love and enjoy, fuck thinking about anyone else. You gotta have a good egotistical look on life to really enjoy it. XD
But i do hope you dont get your spirits to down.
The reality is that no matter where you go or what you do you will always find someone that has a black heart.
This amount vary sadly seems to be increasing with the times.
Why has the world come to this?
what kept me alive was wondering how my life would end if I kept going, but eventually I just started getting at the world, and werewolves just became that rage in physical form. all that sadness and loneliness just boiled inside inside me constantly that I could explode at any time.
I still feel it all build up and bubble over today. Those wounds just dont ever go away. Its sad that people dont understand the damage they cause....and essentially write their own tragedies through the people they hurt.
Bullies do what they do for the following reasons:
Lack-of identity of self.
Lack-of identity of others.
Encouragement.
Bullies put down others to make themselves feel better, simple as that.
Around middle school, late elementary and early high school is where most bullying happens, around that age kids are being more abstract minded and more open to topics. It's the reason why pre-algebra is tough for some middle schoolers, for example, X isn't a number, how can it be any number? It's a freaking letter etc. Once a child gets beyond that stage, the world is no longer a simple black and white. The grey area is massive between those, X just became any number, holy crap!
Finally, your no longer John Smith, your John Smith that plays baseball, loves video games, playing with friends so on and so on.
John Smith seems cool, but what if you where Bill Lynch only have one friend that barely hangs out? You don't play any sports. You argue with your parents. Bill sees himself as a nobody, or does he? He goes to school sees kids talking aboutt World of Warcraft well, Bill doesn't play that, that game is lame, what does he do? Point it out to them, calls them nerds, tell them how lame they are. Bill is higher on his scale than those kids.
Encouragement is the final thing needed in the bully formula, someone reacts positively to Bills mocking other than the bullied or the bullied react back to Bill is all bullying needs to fuel the fire. If someone calls out Bill other than the bullied or or if everyone ignores Bill, he'll stop.
Sadly it's not human nature, especially at that age, to ignore or tell others what to do.
From a hilarious personal experience, I was supervising at a rec-center art studio. By supervising I mean playing video games because I'm literally paid to be there so I can pretty much do whatever I want and get paid 8 bucks a hour. One of the regular artists brings her kid and I play video games with him, another artist decides to bring her child as well. The new kid asks what we were playing, I said Pokemon. Then next thing he asks is if we were nerds. Well, I'm a 2nd degree black belt, fought in Nationals and State championships, silver and gold medals in both, I love writing, I create games as a hobby, I love making short parodies, I go snowboarding with my friends and I'm an avid video game player. Nerd? Not really, I don't fall under a single category.
As an adult, I did the best thing to a question like that, "What games do you like?"
He replies "Minecraft." I almost snickered. I loaded up Minecraft on my computer and we all got along wonderfully.
Until recently, while chit-chatting with his mom I've founded out he's been having a lot of peer trouble at school and we seem to be his best friends now. That doesn't surprise me, he called us nerds yet I haven't seen him play any other video game than Minecraft. His response to what we were doing is obviously the wrong one. Next time I'm working I'll get a full update.
WALL OF TEXT ATTACK!
I have to think that bullies, and others who feel the need to drain and destroy others, do it only because they don't understand their own needs. If only there were some way to make people understand what they truly are, what they truly want from the world, what will truly make them happy.
But that degree of self-knowledge is the goal of several major religions. It isn't easy. And part of the reason is that to attain it, you have to reject everything the world is telling you about what should be important to you.
"But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life; and few find it." I know the Bible is perhaps a silly thing to quote here, but I think on this issue, it hits it dead on the nail...
For me did it get better? Well the bullying stopped woo hoo, but the damage had already long been done. So what was there to celebrate? That I got out of high school still alive? Yeah that's something, but as an individual? Yeah a wreck. If I was growing up in today's digital age and going through high school I probably would have killed myself too.
What "It Gets Better" doesn't talk about is how if you don't find your own group later on in life then you still become just as miserable as you were in school. There isn't anyone to reinforce the idea that your thoughts of the world were correct. If you don't have that feeling of belonging to something, anything, as you go on in life your view of humanity grows more cynical.
>.> My thoughts are way to jumbled to come up with anything regarding how humanity in general sucks.
Those in power probably where the ones who harrased and hurt others.
The world practically worships those who can kill without mercy or remorse and call them heroes.
Do you think the elite will lift a finger against school bullies when that what produces "future leaders?"
Also, people are going to be assholes until one day we as a species go extinct or we finally write it out of our genes (which wont happen until after we're dead, fat lot of good that does anyone)
Our median for aggression has evolved.
In a society where we are taught from birth to shun physical violence with such intensity, we are forced to act on base instinct of establishing alphas and omegas like any pack of apes in other ways. namely through ridicule, bullying and so on. using verbal communication. which is proving to be even worse than physical assertion. It's an unavoidable thing for us to have aggression or 'drama' toward one another, because as a social species, we have been hardwired to accept different roles in a pack. 'being stupid' is less one of the whole of humanity and more of that a person can try and view a situation objectively. but put him in a crowd, and it's likely he might end up siding with the loudest, and quite possibly the dumbest of the group. think about the bullies most kids have to deal with, you find them as expressing the angers, hatreds, or frustration they have to deal with at home. or you find them competing for top status by breaking down the esteem of those around him. It's very similar to, as you say, apes fighting for the right to be valued by those around them. it's always been about ego and esteem, if not finding outlets to express such impulses. and in a cultured society that finds even the slightest bit of violence unacceptable, what better way to prove your victory than to convince even your opponent that he's nothing? It's sad. but to some, it's better than having bruised children in schools. we just need to find an outlet for this old, outdated instinct to be expressed without destroying someone's esteem.
The problem with high school and middle school is that kids are still trapped in the influence of their parents, who may or may not have a bigoted view or aggressive view on the world around them, they're smart enough to act out accordingly, but not yet developed enough to understand the hypocrisy and hatred of past generations. we're finding racism against blacks and other ethnic spheres in schools steadily lessening over time. perhaps in time it may happen with other groups as well.
All of that destruction has provided me with a broad and heavy foundation, deeply rooted, on which I have built my empire. It is so deep and so wide in fact, that one doesn't even realize one is standing on a pile of rubble left from years past. But it is also unshakable, and the pillars of strength I have built upon it now are dominant spires upon which I stand confidently and strive to build higher. I am a dragon for many reasons, not least of which is the drive I have found, the motivation and spiration to excel in my life, to overcome all of that destruction and hate.
I am very happy with my life now, I love where I am, what I do, where I am going, and how I am getting there. By definition, I must love and appreciate every step I have taken to get where I am. So, I openly thank those people who provided all of that wreckage for me to build on. Without them, I would not be who I am today, and that is far more catastrophic than anything that could ever hope to have accomplished by bullying and picking on me.
For one, I lost track of what you saying about half way through when you started getting poetic. I can't read poetry for various reasons.
I will say that I have a different experience than most it seems. "School is the best time of your life" wasn't true, as well as the idea that once you get into the 'real world' everything changes, but I see the same bullies and social groups as when I was in school.
The bit that confuses me is justice. Simply put, bullies get away with everything, whereas anyone innocent steps outside of the law even slightly, the police swoop in.
Where I live, being gay is a big none issue, but bullies find other reasons. I was mocked the other day by a couple of furries for playing a card game. I think most people are bullies, they just don't have an acceptible target.
One of the things the youth need is someone to talk with whose been through it, and its not always a professional they need. Thats one thing i do, whenever someone needs an open ear (or someone to chat with on the net) I open up and listen.
Im saddened to hear that he was pushed to that point like so many others, Just because he did not fit into the so called "Normal"... I have one thing that i always tell people whenever something like this comes up...
"There is no Normal"... What is considered the Normal has been twisted by many of the ancient/old religions and rulers.
The people of the current society sicken me with how little intelligence and empathy exist. The ignorance of those who find it enjoyable sickens me the most.
If all you look for is the negative in the world, well, you will find it, but eventually that's all you'll see and you'll gloss over all of the positives out there. Let it go on too much longer and all of that 'negative energy' will weigh you down little by little and it will consume you. I would suggest as a friend over FA that if you do wish to pursue such goals you take a look at your thought process and how you perceive life to be. Again, if all you see is the negative or focus too much on it, then you won't be in a position to help others out even when you see them in trouble, for you yourself will need the same help. ...My two shiny copper on the subject. :)
But seriously, it's easy to see the negative, but look for the positives, too. Might have to go out of your way, but then again, when you want the good stuff, you usually have to do so, but it's worth it.
I just don't know what to do anymore, I don't want to hate everyone but sometimes it seems like everyone deserves it because of how they are towards others that are different.
In the end, I don't think it's really that the people who are negative are really the majority, so much as they are the vocal majority. The polite and well-mannered people tend to be the quieter ones. The internet outlines that even more so. After all, the real mature act there is to walk away from the comment wars and flame-trading. I personally find it's best to rather than be depressed about the state of the people you hear from, but instead treat them with the disdain that their comments earn.
None of these people are worth a dark spot on your day, let alone a fully-depressed mood. Their actions speak of that. No matter what other aspects of their person there is, if they're willing to treat a person like that as a matter of course, then their other accomplishments don't mean anything. And they as a person don't, and that's how I'm going to treat them, myself.
Caring too much is the sign of a gentle person, and a good trait. The problem is, some people are unworthy of that care, and you need to build the proper degree of separation from those who are worth your time, and those who aren't.
I think a lot of people forget how much progress has been made. Life is better today than it has been at any time in the past, at least if you look at industrialized nations. No matter what problems there are today, if the recent past is any indication, I don't see why it won't get better in the future for society as a whole.
I'm in the same boat when it comes to being damaged goods, probably worse. I'm not very strong in the way of morals: I've never committed any major criminal acts or anything and I treat people decently, but I've seen and heard people doing hurtful things to others (shoplifting, fighting, etc), and just stood by like a coward... :( Still, I'd rather at the very least, admit I'm damaged and try to do something about it, than go through life denying something's wrong with me.
The world isn't perfect, probably never will be. I know I can't understand the kind of pain you've gone through growing up in the world, and I probably can't change your view of it either. But regardless, for all the work you do, and all the people that you help, and inspire with your work, I hope you can find something that lifts all that hurt, if only a little, in return in life.
P.S. Sorry for any over-babbling and cheesiness.
What struck me as being of more interest is just how people almost always resort to "it's going to be ok," or "it'll be over soon," or "it will get better," when someone is having a problem. Sometimes it is what I want to hear, but that's mainly if I'm sick or frightened or something like that...basically like what you would do for a child. But when I'm depressed or overwhelmed, being told those things is, to me, like being told, "I don't want to hear about it." As if my problems can be simply dismissed with a wave of a hand or a magical phrase. Whether or not my problems are actually that big, they're having a big impact on me. I know very well at this point that my depression doesn't last...I eventually pull out of it. I know the overwhelming things that come up will go away eventually. Of course, I also know that both will probably come back eventually, too.
I think this is part of the same problem that results in bullying: the lack of someone's ability to empathize, or even just sympathize. We are not taught to put ourselves in someone else's shoes, to really think about things from their perspective, and try to feel what they do. We might be told that occasionally as children when we hurt someone else, but that's about it. If you cannot feel that other person's feelings, you won't want to hear about their problems, lest you feel crappy yourself, and you won't know or care about the damage you do to someone when you harm them with words or physical actions.
I believe our shunning of things--people--who are different is a societal construct. While our evolutionary background may teach us to be wary--the person with mottled, discolored skin may carry a deadly disease--our minds give us the ability to evaluate, consider, and make a decision, rather than just a reaction. That person may well have a disease, but may be someone we want to help. The person who behaves strangely may also be greatly gifted in some way. How many people who have advanced our society in science and technology have been a bit "strange" in their ways? Let's not forget the artists, too, the people who enrich our lives. That insight that allows someone to think in different or new ways, advancing science or technology, or to create works of art, is always there, and often sets these people apart in ordinary circumstances. I wonder how many great minds we've lost because someone else decided that being a little different was bad and evil, and killed outright, drove them to suicide, or tormented them to the point that their brilliance was extinguished or locked away so tightly that it was never seen again?