Hey guys, soooooo I decided for my post to take an approach that has not been discussed. Not frequently. Maybe some of you reading this may not even know that these types of issues even exist. However, I would like to take my opportunity and share with all of you something that really has an effect on me, poetry. Poetry is a great way to express emotions and get thoughts down on paper and then into pictures for those who are listening.
Now you may be saying to yourself
"pshhh poetry isn't violent! It doesn't belong in this class!"
well, you're kind of right, but it's what stands behind the poetry, the person sharing their lives to others, that can relate to the topic of this course.
This man, his name is Neil Hilborn, is presenting a poem of his own.
Before I give you more details I'd like you to watch his presentation.
*Disclaimer: One F Bomb is dropped*
So hopefully, his presentation has given you some type of feels. ya' know, pathos and such. As you have observed from Neil's poem... he is living with OCD... and he has some obsessive ticks that he tries desperately to control. Now this women that he had the privilege of having in his life walked out on him because she did not have the patience for Neil's ticks any longer.
Most,not all, of these posts are the blunt, easy to see, media influenced violent topics. I can not turn on the news with out hearing about a shooting, a rape, a murder or a drunk driver. All of the negatives in society are just thrown through that magic photo box that we spend hours in front of.
The point of this post is to get you all to think about this: What about Neil? What about those who live with OCD, ADHD, Eating Disorders, Depression and other mental illnesses? What about the ignorance given to those surviving with these situations in their lives? Are their stories not as important? They are humans too. We are all equal, aren't we ?
The you tube group for Button Poetry is a great inspiration to those with issues in their lives that they deal with every day. If you would like to check it out I'd recommend any of their videos and I suggest exploring their channel. These individuals poems really have an effect on me and I hope you enjoy them as well.
In a final thought: You never know how much a smile can change a strangers life.
- Darrin J Mayotte
This is interesting. I obviously knew what OCD was beforehand but now, after that poem, I have a better grasp on how it affects people in their day-to-day lives. It is a struggle that goes under the radar yet it has a crippling affect on how people live. It was apparent in the video of the poem that this man had found a girl he loved and one who loved him back, in part from his habits caused from OCD. However, these habits soon grew old and she ran out of patience for the man she once loved. It is sad that one can develop such a great relationship with someone only to have it fall apart because of someone simply being who they are. It makes me realize that even if someone is getting on my nerves with something they do, I must overcome that and appreciate the person for who they truly are.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this, Darrin - it's absolutely relevant to this class, and something more people should be aware of. (OF COURSE poetry can be violent - look at all the war poetry alone, from The Iliad to Vietnam (and probably since then). And what is music if not poetry? Humans need artistic expression to process their experiences, and there's a reason a lot of poetry deals with dark themes - in many ways, negative experiences inspire us more than positive ones. Neil NEEDS to get this out, and preferably to a public audience. I'm glad he and others have the courage to raise their voices to make everyone aware that we all have our own kind of pain that shapes how we deal with the world.
ReplyDeletethat video really put everything into perspective. its one thing to listen to someone talking about a particular, its a totally different experience to actually see it. seeing literally is believing. i couldn't imagine going through my day having these constant compulsions and having to live with them day in and day out. that video was really powerful, its crazy how one person could change all that and the poem had true meaning behind it.
ReplyDeleteThat was really cool. Poetry is often undersold or passed by. But when dealing with violence it can be a powerful way for victims to express their experiences or feelings on a matter. Sometimes it's the only way people can convey their message. I never knew how controlling OCD could be in peoples lives and how it can drive the people they love away. I have ADHD and working on assignments can be rather difficult. For a while I had to take medication until I decided that I could fight it and force myself to stay concentrated. I can somewhat understand what it's like to beat yourself to achieve something. I hop he gets his girl back.
ReplyDeleteI have seen this before and enjoy it every time that I watch it. It gives a good perspective into how someone with ocd thinks.
ReplyDeleteOMG! I actually really enjoyed this. That was the first time I have listened to poetry and actually got something out of it. Neil was an amazing speaker, and shows such emotion through out his performance. It's amazing to see how emotional someone can get about something they truly love. It's hard for people with these types of disorders to live like a regular human, many people get to annoyed with the persons disorder and end up leaving them, which is completely the opposite of what they need. After watching this I hope Neil's girl see's this because he deserves to have her, or maybe she deserves to have him.
ReplyDeletei totally agree. there needs to be a better awareness for those who have mental illnesses and that they matter too. one type of person should not be over another, we are all equal. everyone deserves the same kind of respect and when it comes down to it, how would we feel if we were treated lesser to someone else?
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, this was absolutely amazing. We all need to be more aware of the people around us. we all get so caught up in our own lives that we forget to just take a moment and really pay attention to our surroundings and i think this video really shows us that. AND I JUST LOVED IT
ReplyDeletewow that video was really good it makes you think about all the times that you walk by oblivious to the other people around us because we do not know them. The people that suffer from mental illness due tend to be pushed to the side in our society because many do not view them as truly sick which is unbelievable to me. I liked that he gave his message in poetry it really made an impact on me.
ReplyDeleteThat video was moving. My mom always jokes how I have some OCD issues because I like things done and organized a certain way. I just never realized the extent to how badly OCD issues affected before. Those people earn more respect because they know how to deal with their lives and still live and not worry about others.
ReplyDelete