distractions

 There is a lot of talk these days about mental health. It's a booming business no doubt about that. Everything from self-help books to seminars and retreats. We even have mental health days at some of our jobs. Everyone laughs about that, knowing it is really just because you don't feel like working. Your job isn't your passion. There is much said, much theorizing and analyzing going on. Some are even calling it a crisis. But I believe I have the answer to it all. You just have to stay distracted. I say that because if you are really paying attention you will go nuts. And I didn't learn that in any university or from any book. I do suspect the people that wrote those books were paying attention though, that's why they wrote them. Fact is stranger than fiction. It's a fact that some people are just plain crazy. I grow more convinced everyday that it is the crazy ones running the circus. Just look at the mess we have today and try to deny that.
 I realize it is far easier to claim an illness that has no outward signs or symptoms. When I was in the service there were guys making a career out of that. Oh, my back hurts. But even the government would deny that to them after a series of tests and pictures. Something more was needed, something irrefutable. Mental health is the key. We have reached the point were even the " doctors " can't issue a diagnosis. All they can do is prescribe a series of medications and/or therapies. I do remember when they could lock you up in a state facility when you went nuts! You may or may not get cured. Some see that as a dark period in history, I see it as common sense. Yes there were abuses but on the whole it served the public well. You certainly didn't have all the crazy stuff happening that you hear about today. Is there a direct correlation between the two? Well, I'll leave that to some statistician to determine. We also didn't have all these " professionals " saying certain behaviors were perfectly fine and normal when in fact they aren't. Ah, but then again its' good for business isn't it? I don't have to cure you, just talk to you and tell you how you are alright, its' everyone else that is wrong. Biology is wrong, even nature is confused some times. It's alright.
 I listen to the commercials on the television about depressive episodes and the like. Yeah, everyone has those, nobody is happy all the time. I hear them talking about taking this pill or that pill to even things out. No more highs and lows, steady as she goes captain! Well let me tell you something, the sea ain't flat and the journey ain't smooth. There will be highs and lows, learn to deal with it, get your sea legs, as we used to say in the Navy. But even then they would prescribe Dramamine. It didn't smooth out the waves but kept you from throwing up. It isn't a cure, it's a cover. And I think a lot of this mental health stuff is just that, a cover. I know, I know, its' not the popular opinion right now. I'm supposed to be empathic. I can't see what you are going through. I am supposed to accept whatever it is you're selling sight unseen! If I'm the salesman that is exactly what I'm going to tell you.
 And so I do my best to stay distracted. I write my stories, read a good book or find something else to concentrate on. There was a day when I would use alcohol as a distraction, it always worked. It didn't always work out well, but it worked. Now we just get prescriptions that will serve the same purpose and aren't so frowned upon. That's what the push to legalize pot is all about. I really just want to be distracted. We'll call it medicating. It's an escape. The real trick is to avoid the distractions, " let your life be the distraction that interests you."  Lend a hand to others when you can, but don't be distracted. The storm will rage around you, but remain calm. Keep your bow into the wind and maintain steerage until the storm passes. You can always adjust your course during the calm that follows.