Worth contemplating doing differently

I was up this morning (!) and perhaps unfortunately watched some of the news, and saw the blurry footage of the woman having a small conniption in the airport and being taken Down in custody, which I think most of us are aware eventually ended somewhat mysteriously with her death in the holding cell.

I have thought a lot about it today. I was so proud of the words her husband said of his wife. I am very heartened that he spoke frankly of her illness of alcoholism and how she was embarrassed to get help, and how wrong that was.

For people to even speak of our illnesses, mental illnesses, is such a wonderful step in the right direction, that people, it makes the Tart cry.

I would be lying if I said that I hadn't been at odds with the idea of alcoholism as an illness before, but I really should say I have been so blessed to only experience the horrible and nasty bipolar that I'm too familiar with, sans the alcohol problem, and it is not up to me to designate what someone else's horror is.

Many times I have come across the users of alcohol and drugs while in my various hospital stays, and in exactly that same place I have had anorexic roomates, all of us to go to our separate meetings and Dr. visits. We were all in the same hospital.

Well, that is all a tangent, an explanation of previous things said on the blog and an admitted retraction, as I come to understand how diabilitating bipolar is on its own, alcoholism is on its own, and the two combined together is most likely a tornado of hurt that I do not want to ever minimize for anyone.

But my thoughts about what I really feel is just a terrible situation, and bizarre ending, for this poor woman go further. It's something else her husband said. What if this situation could have been turned around, if she could have been calmed down, if just one person would have took it upon themselves to put an arm around her shoulder, or just spoke to her kindly, instead of say, taking her down like an animal, like she was screaming, "I'm ready to lob a bomb!" instead of the exact freakin' opposite!?

Would you have the courage to do that? Would I?

Would we be able to see that this lady was unstable and needed us? Would any of us, because it is obvious no one did that day, be able to get over the apparent innate belief we have that it is 'inappropriate' to get involved with another person's life? And, here's the worst question of all, but similar to the last: "Has this society gone so far in supposed individualism; a 'don't bother others, they probably won't bother me; take care of your own sh_t; it's clearly not my problem - attitude" that it is beyond us to comfort another?

I mull these thoughts in my mind, and they concern me. I know that empathy is not everyone's forte, but I just think a change must take place, if simply in the individual heart, and I'm willing to work with just mine, here.

Having been a person who HAS flipped out, and not just once in my life, I'm grateful for the small kindnesses given me, often by EMT workers, eventually nurses, and the like, not to mention my family and my bitty tight core of real friends.

I admit sometimes I am so anti-people and convinced they'd probably slit my throat when I'm not looking that I may not be one to make such a pledge as this and truly pull it off: But I don't want another one to die on my watch, you know what I'm saying? May I, just like everyone else, stop being a hypocrite for even a moment and really practice the beautiful, "Love One Another As I Have Loved You."

Additionally, and this thought Can Not have come to me first ('cause it's brilliant!), since the entire flying deal has become so stressful for Everyone, why not have sensitivity training and put special emphasis on this for a person in charge of security and do this in all of our nation's airports?

Also, I find it odd that they left this woman alone. My days working in the Men's Department of Sears taught me that Security would never leave a female suspect alone. (For some reason I got pegged as the 'female associate' to assure everything was on the up and up.) This woman at the airport only had an outburst, not completed a true criminal act, and was obviously mentally unstable - why did they leave her alone? These are all good reasons to have female staff on your security and treat everyone on the up and up.

America are you listening?!?


(additionally, not enough of you are checking out Jungetart's Good Stuff www.jungletartsgoodstuff.blogspot.com , my sister blog! Go ahead, I put some new Good stuff up! You can look:)