Last week, two prominent names in the media, ended their lives of their own choice and accord. There have been a plethora of prominent people who have chosen to leave in such shocking ways that we, the on-looking and starstruck masses gasp with shock and disbelief.

We gasped collectively on why and how this can be. We try to rationalise that they were the poster people for success, its accoutrements and dreams come true and yet we see people like us making decisions that are informed by many factors. I wonder too. I also think that I understand why.

It's a human phenomenon.

Whoever we are and in whatever aquarium we choose to swim, we are dealing with some harsh and strong currents that are beneath the seeming glassy exterior that we portray to others. We hide our true feelings and share insipid factoids to ease the pain and expectations of others. We hold back our light and let the shade that systems throw stick to us as real.

I am not certain what pushed Kate Spade and Anthony  Bourdain and Robin Williams and the many others in the limelight to choose to end their journeys but I completely understand the premise. I feel on the edge at times. It's a fact of life that our culture is hiding behind its hands in denial and so buries its head in the sand. Mental health issues are a fact of modern living as it has always been in times past but moreso in our overstretched modern culture. And yet, there is a hush about the fragility of the human mind. There is a taboo that shuts off many who are in that shaky place. It disregards fame, fortune or personality. Life is not cruel, conversely, we are not listening to the loving guidance that is in the Universe as us.

I struggle often with trying to keep it together in ways that slip from from my hands. There are a smorgasbord of triggers that present other mind games that are sure to lead to dark and depressive episodes or fully fledged depression. No one can tell when the crack happened. No one can see the train coming on the track that isn't there. No one can predict who is frail or strong. Especially the so-called strong. The lid must be lifted from this shadowy part of our lives and allow the light of truth to shine. We do better in the sun. We suffer in the dark.

When celebrities are cracking before our eyes, what must we do to assist them lovingly? Are we not on the same team called humanity? Are we not made of hair and skin and hopes and dreams? Do we think poverty kills more than affluence? Or is it a racial problem of a human issue?

I know that I, as a person with no grand clout, influence and relative power, I struggle with the market forces that squeeze beyond my abilities of course correction, the intentions of others when gentrification is the darling of the government and the theft of livelihoods by nefarious measures plus the impact on relationships, family, faith and fortune, it's a perfect recipe for fractured people to fall apart. The stigma attached to mental health problems is making it difficult to rise again. If those with all the bells and whistles are checking out suddenly as we are witnessing, what hope is there for those of us who are as common as muck, so to speak?

We are in danger.

We are custodians and not owners. We are relationship wired beings. We came with nothing and will take nothing with us when we transition out of here. What is it that is so important than life lived with purpose, joy, love and generosity cannot fill?

Is bigger, better, more really enhancing our lives or is it simply diminishing the flavour of our individuality and our collective consciousness? I am for openness in recognising, assisting and healing all kinds of mental health problems. Hiding never solved anything.

Can we start by owning up to the fact that most of us are closer to cracking than we care to admit? Can we open to the possibilities that are creating an imbalance in our engagement with life? Can we just fess up and tell our trusted ones that we are overwhelmed? Can we find our strength in what we think is a weakness? Can we listen to each other between the lines first and then speak truthfully in a safe space? Can we realise that everyone on earth is beleaguered with modern life and the cultural demands that we create?

Can we talk honestly?

Can we?

©zari alexxanderr-caine 2018
#blackpoetboy