Loss.
It’s a word that represents a deficit to something; a defeat. The letters
assemble and at the sound of it we feel an emptiness swell at the pit of our
inner being. Most individuals face a loss at one point or another, trickling
down into the abyss of sadness that surrounds the very name. In the wake of
seeing a loss in terms of a person, any and everything else seems tainted by
mediocrity. We are the living, circumstances be damned.
A dear
person to my friend family lost the battle to depression. He left to the world younger siblings and
family members who are not quite able to fathom what this particular loss
means. This isn’t an ailment or accident. It’s not something that comes with a
cure. You can’t summarize the feeling in a chart or a graph. He was battling
his mind, and it is the cruelest sickness of them all.
As
someone who has fought the battle with depression for almost fifteen years, I
look at this young man and see valor in his fight. If you have never
experienced a sadness in yourself so twisted, it alienates you from your own
self into feeling like the true person you are, it is not easy to understand.
The sadness can trample swiftly over the feelings of pleasure you once had. It
clogs your very soul.
One
day, I hope we begin to treat depression like we do cancer. In today’s age, we
still perceive it as mind over matter, when it is in fact yourself against your
own self. You aren’t battling antibodies, you are battling brain wires that
cannot be rewired alone. It is a war without an end date, and it is certainly
not selfish when a person can no longer fight.
So,
today, if you are fighting, I urge you to, “Keep On.” Give it one more go.
Write one more story. Paint one more picture. Talk to one more friend. See one
more sunrise. And, if you can, if you need it; seek help.
For
those now grieving, remember the victory. Keep on with the memory of an
individual who gave a valiant stride into this murky and dismal world. The loss is beyond any phrasing or words.
Keep On, Lovelies, Keep on.
