To sir, with love
Nearly one in ten individuals in America suffer from something called clinical depression. Clinical depression is characterized by a persistently sad or depressed mood and/or loss of interest in activities. Somebody reading this article likely suffers from depression.
Probably more than one person reading this article suffers from depression. Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman suffers from depression. Friends and readers, clinical depression is real. It’s deeply unpleasant to experience, and many Americans experience it.
He has checked into Walter Reed hospital and is expected to be there for several weeks. Fetterman has had bouts with depression all his life, but it is only recently that it got bad enough to require hospitalization.
Most are proud of him. I am proud of him. It takes an exceptional person to ask for help in this way. And yet some people are not proud—some people — almost all on the republican side — are questioning — is he OK to lead?
Abraham Lincoln suffered from depression. It’s OK to ask for help. It’s more than OK. It is courageous, bold, and intelligent. The only reason republicans would even dare to raise the “competence” question is that they try to politicize this as they do everything.
Winston Churchill suffered from depression. Even some pundits who insist they are fair are doing this. It matters, they insist. Ernest Hemingway suffered from depression. Astonishingly, we do not spend more time asking if pathological liars are fit for office. If we did, and the people said no, most of the whole of the republican party might have to resign.
Sigmund Freud suffered from depression. It is also astonishing that this condition to this day, is so very stigmatized. Courage is asking for help. John Fetterman is a well-loved senator who had an incredibly rough time. Already someone with a psyche that was prone to depression, he then suffered a stroke AND had his mental fitness questioned by politicians and scheming members of the media.
Franz Kafka suffered from depression. Depression is all around us. But because so many in this country have stigmatized it, many don’t seek help when they need it.
We need to talk about this issue more. As for Fetterman? He is getting the help he needs. And hopefully, he will be OK. We are all but butterflies, soaring through our own individual skies, creating our legacies and our memory collages, and doing the best we can.
Let’s all wish senator Fetterman luck. Send a tweet the next time you’re on Twitter thanking him for his strength and fortitude. Let him know he’s not alone. And thank him for his bravery in facing such challenges.
