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"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” -Mother Teresa
If someone took an x-ray of your emotional terrain, what would they see? Would it match the image you project on the outside?
In preparation for a mental health advocacy event we are planning, the Ambrosians for Peace & Justice went to see the new film version of the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen. It basically gives an x-ray view into an extremely vulnerable high school student, who has mental health problems and virtually no social support system. It is a brilliant glimpse into the fragility of our human condition and essential need for human connection, kindness, empathy, love and true belonging.
Though some of us have pain that runs deeper than others and some of us manage to hide our struggles better than others, I think on some level we can all relate to Evan’s interior life. Have you ever felt invisible, awkward and excluded like he did - I know I have! I think the movie perfectly illustrates our need to be honest with ourselves and to be seen, heard and valued by others for who we really are deep down. It also speaks to the vast potential we all have in our giftedness, whether people around us recognize it or not.
If you had an x-ray that could see into the emotional and mental terrain of those around you, what would you do when you clearly saw someone’s loneliness, fear, grief and trauma hiding just under the surface of their persona? Would you run in the opposite direction or would you reach out through the awkward vulnerability of true caring and be brave enough to ask how they’re really doing?
We don’t have the capacity to pick up on everything everyone around us is going through - and that’s probably for the best! But when you do get the sense something’s off with someone you care about, I encourage you to reach out. A willingness to listen with an open heart, provide encouragement and remind someone they are not alone can rekindle hope in a broken soul. The smallest kindness can truly be a powerful force of healing.
“Vulnerability is the path back to each other, but we are so afraid to get on it.” - Brene Brown
Have a question about a program or event going on in Campus Ministry? Got an idea for something you'd like to see happen? EMAIL US at ministry@sau.edu.
