Why YOUR VOICE Matters... A PLEA for PTSD!
My favorite passage from a movie is in "A River Runs Through It". At the end of the movie and after Paul McClean (Brad Pitt...oh no....NOT BRAD!) dies, his minister father is giving a sermon and he says the following passage:
"Each one of us here today will at one time in our lives look upon a loved one who is in need and ask the same question: We are willing help, Lord, but what, if anything, is needed? For it is true, we can seldom help those closest to us. Either we don't know what part of ourselves to give or, more often than not, the part we have to give is not wanted. And so it those we live with and should know who elude us. But we can still love them - we can love completely without complete understanding."
Personally, I think this is so true. WE CAN love someone with all of our hearts yet have little to no idea of what to do with them in their times of need. As the partner of a Combat Vet, I know that I often don't have the words to say to him when he gets down. However, if you have ever read my writing or have talked to me on Twitter, you know I'm rarely at a loss when it comes to my mouth (or my fingers). Yet, when dealing with PTSD, there's times where I KNOW that I DON'T KNOW the right things to say because I have never experienced what my Warrior has. In one of my books I wrote "We, as civilians, only have a very vague concept of war". I think that both Warriors and civilians alike can agree to this statement.
Although we cannot understand what our Warriors have been through, it still doesn't make us powerless. What we can do is simple - provide the support and awareness that our Vets need so they don't feel that they are fighting this battle alone. A common theme in the minds of Combat Vets is guilt over what they've done in the war. Even more frightening though is the way that they feel when they come back home. As a veteran told me "We do unthinkable things for an ungrateful nation." I hate to say it, but this is true. I don't see how any Combat Vet can NOT think that way. Especially the way that they've been treated in the last 40 years. However, many of them are afraid to admit it and moreso - AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP!
If you think about almost anything that's gone viral on the internet in the last 10 years, most of them are pretty useless and have absolutely no redeeming qualities for humanity. What comes to mind immediately is that little kid that's arguing with his mom over cupcakes:
"But Linda, listen, listen honey"
Sure, it was cute. It was even not that annoying after the first twenty times that I saw it. However, besides the amusement factor, it had no redeeming value for society. Yes, not everything we do as human beings have to have a positive impact on society. However if we spend more time sharing things that make a difference in the world, don't we have a better chance of living in a better world?
Which brings me to the point of this blog: What can YOU do to help our Wounded Warriors. Let's be frank here (and no, I'm not asking you to be my rabbit - his name is Frank though... lol), the cost of becoming popular in anything is in the tens of thousands of dollars - unless you're a 3 year old wanting cupcakes and talking to your mom like she's your wife. However, the people that are fighting the good fight for whatever charity or cause that they believe in are often times left with great words and actions yet no money to spread them. This is quite a problem.
One thing that I've done in regards to my book selling is that I will ask ANYBODY to spread my word and Tweet or share my books. I'm not shy about this at all. "Please" and "Thank You" are always free. What isn't free is marketing, advertising and promotions. Or time. I know SEVERAL people that are running fundraisers, charities and donating their talents in an effort to make the world a better place. However, they are often times "going in the hole" because although they are employing the same tactics for tangible items, the customer gets nothing in return for their money than good feelings. Apparently most people would rather trade their money for a Coach purse than a feeling that they've made the world a better place.
"Not me! I just bought Girl Scout Cookies" you cry. Yes, you may have contributed to the Girl Scouts and gotten cookies in return but you DID get something in return for your dollars. Charities often times don't have the resources to provide ANYTHING in return for the donation - besides good feelings.
How does this apply to Combat PTSD? Very simple. As a Patriot and a supporter of the Warriors, I ask one SIMPLE thing of you. That you think about the quote from the Minister at the beginning of this blog and you try and apply it to your life.
We are willing help, Lord, but what, if anything, is needed?
I'm here to tell you what is needed in regards to our Warriors. Number one is AWARENESS. We need people to understand this this is a REAL illness and that our Veterans aren't "faking it". I call it "the Monster" and there's a reason for that. It comes out of no where and it attacks when you're least expecting it. It also can make the afflicted act like a Monster. Ask any Combat Vet's partner and she (or he) will attest to this fact.
Secondly, we need to SPREAD THE WORD. It always amazes me that negativity spreads like wild fire. Yet for things that matter, people like me have to BEG, STEAL (ok, well not maybe steal) and BORROW to get people to share something that is of use and of value. Why is it that a posting about some idiot looking at Hentai porn gets a bazillion retweets yet charities have to BEG to have their postings shared? Even if they're giving away something for free - like a song about PTSD or a book. Don't believe me? Just ask @tomcottar how much money he and his investors have poured into marketing his country song about PTSD. You read that right - he needed INVESTORS to be able to help spread his song. This should give you more than a fair idea of HOW MUCH it costs to be able to get your word heard - even if it's for a good cause. However, Tom didn't let that dissuade him and produced his song anyways - even though he needed investors to help him get the song out. It's called "On the Inside" and is available for download here.
The same goes for 18 year old Hunter Melson. He started a charity that produces t-shirts and decals to spread awareness about PTSD and had to start a kickstarter campaign to launch his charity. Someone anonymously donated a large sum of money so Hunter's dream could come true. You see, Hunter had a dream to help Combat PTSD because his brother has it. Fortunately, someone believed in his dream and helped him. Not everyone is that lucky. Yet, if you check out Hunter's webpage, you will see that whoever invested in him, didn't spend their money foolishly. You can check out Hunter's charity here.
Finally, we need to change how we think about what is important to us. I do this daily. I'm a professional shopper by interest. I LOVE to go shopping. But do you know what I like even more? To feel like I've done something that will help enrich someone's life - even if it's someone that I've never met. Lately, I've been trading my "shopping money" for advertising funds. I know that I can go without a new pair of sandals if I help JUST ONE PERSON to save their relationship with a Warrior. That's worth all the cute pairs of shoes in the world to me. Fortunately, I know it. Many do not.
Having said all of this, let's get back to business - the business that this post was originally about. How can YOU help people that only want to help themselves? Remember when I said that "Please" and "Thank You" are always free? Well, they are. Every time that someone posts a song, link, book, article or ANYTHING that is of a charitable nature, be a good lil Christian and do what Reverend McClean would like you to do. SHARE IT. Even if the post doesn't say "retweet" or "please share", they want you to anyway or they wouldn't have posted it. I'll even say "Please".
