“MY FIRESTORM OF FRUSTRATION”

Human rights for people with mental health issues are almost non-existent. This is shameful and beyond the basic understanding of what I had thought it meant to be considered human. I know what it feels like to be thus treated, and can truly say that I, and others like me, don’t deserve it. And I am angry about it.

If you are lucky enough not to have a mental illness:

Think of what it would mean not to be considered having credibility. Not to be believed when you tell how you’ve been mistreated. Not to be believed when you tell how you’re not to blame. Think of what it would mean for your voice not to be heard, no matter how truthfully you speak.

Whether you’re a person who has done good things, or a bad person—none of that matters in this world we live in. We’re all treated the same. We have mental health issues, and so we’re not worth listening to. We don’t count.

In years gone by I was a sought-after speaker and writer on issues faced by people with mental health issues. Around 2015, through no fault of my own, I started being persecuted and discriminated against—treated without respect. What I had to say no longer listened to. I lost my good reputation. But I never stopped working for the good of people with mental health issues.

The back cover of Bill Hybels’ little book called Holy Discontent says:

“What is the one aspect of this broken world that, when you see it, touch it, or get near it, you just can’t stand? What reality is so troubling that it thrusts you off the couch and into action? This is what Bill Hybels refers to as a holy discontent: a personal ‘firestorm of frustration’ that, although sparked by that which is terribly wrong, can catalyze fierce determination to set things right.”

This is exactly how I feel. And this is how all people with a sense of justice should feel about the injustices dealt out to people, especially those living with mental health issues.

Are you, like me, outraged at the unfairness?

Before long, my new book, Justice for All: The Courage to Overcome, will be released. It is my hope that those who follow me will be strong and not have to experience such injustice. It is my hope and prayer that those living with low self-esteem will have the confidence to stand up for themselves.

marja