By James Welsh
Are you today’s date? Because you are a 10 out of 10! Ha-ha. Funny how a quirky yet positive line can spark that smile in someone’s face. Positivity. Smiles. Mental Health. Woah. That day, 10/10, is Mental Health Day. A day when someone can speak up, when they can be recognized in a way in which people can see them for them. Sharing the thoughts of the mental mind and health is very scary, and this day provides the support one may need to break the shell of themselves and reveal themselves to the dark and ugly world around them.
Yet, I forgot about it. My mind was investing in two specific horrors within my world. The first, a very sad individual trauma, involves the death of a girl from my hometown. I did not know her, but many people I know did. Many people’s lives were affected, as they lost a daughter, sister, friend, student and teammate. Posts and stories were everywhere. From town-run accounts to alumni, everyone was supporting those who had lost a loved one. I saw the memories of my friends who had been around the girl and who had close relationships with her.
The town held a candlelight service for her. I honestly do wish that I attended. I wanted to support my community in a time of pain. I wanted to support the people I knew, while also honoring the life of an individual and her family. Those people, the family, friends , and closest ones, their world had been broken. The pain in their eyes, I could see it. The tears, the worriedness of what life will be like now. The old memories flood their minds. Their ears are filled with the most horrific sound around them. That pain, that specific pain, destroys a part of the mind where nothing can repair it. It is horrifying to watch up close, but even more horrific as I watch from far away. I hate that I couldn’t be there. I hate the fact that someone else’s life was crushed. It sucks that I wish it was me because it seems easier that way. I don’t know. Seeing something like that in my community, in the friends I know, in the family, it breaks my soul. The simple piece of me breaks, and I don’t like it. I just don’t.
Hamas attacked the Israelis with the intention to demolish the Jewish community and its religion out of the face of history. The horrific acts that they have already done to the Jews is a shadow to what has already happened to Jews within history. It is another slaughter where the goal is to wipe out an innocent group of people. Nothing will stop a group from forcing their anti-semitism upon the world as time progresses. At every turn there is some form of attack on a racial group for just existing. Realistically, it never goes away, it only covers itself up in the pitch black of history. It pounces on life and the world at a time where peace seems reasonable. It attacks with such a force, causing thousands to die within a matter of what feels like seconds. The reality changes, and the path of history stops to focus on the terror at hand.
Jewish lives have been taken away, and the only thing I can do is watch. The whole world watches as the numbers climb even higher than emotions go. It breaks the scale of a scarring of lives within the presence of day. The news is showing footage of rallies in America and around the world. It shows the violence opposed on the Israelis. Body bags clog the background. Soldiers are seen running across the crumbled ground, with one goal: to stop the terrorism that faces them. It really is scary to watch. The fear I feel for those directly affected and effected by these aggressions towards a race. Their minds, watching the deaths and battles in front of them, will cloud their minds forever. Memories of loved ones and those closest to them fill a void that was never meant to be there. It’s a terror imposed on the realities of many. People near and far have shown their support today. Folks I know have voiced their opinions, showing disgust and anger. I can see the deep red flames within their retinas. A sense of a fight for justice has forced its way across the country. It forced itself into the minds of people who never knew of themselves. Their cry for peace has scattered the world of social media and politics. Everyone sees it, everyone knows it, everyone supports it. Supporting the Jewish community is what everyone needs to do. Pride must be put aside for those human lives at stake. It’s a god-damn life. Wake up people. Nothing is worse than allowing pride to barricade itself inside of an individual as a human being.
Humanity is a race and will be officially classified once other sets of life forms are found. Hello? Don’t we watch fake horrors happen within a heroic movie? I mean what the hell? Let’s wake up. Lives are at hand. People’s minds and health are on the brink of being shattered. We need to fix it all. It starts with helping a race who has fought for their lives forever.
Guess I forgot about my mental health. I’ll worry about it tomorrow.
PSA: If you or someone you know are struggling with mental health, remember that there are sources on campus such as the counseling and psychological services. Do what you need to take care of yourselves and others in this unknown and overwhelming world.
