On Sunday in an adult forum at church we were talking about diversity. A woman whose brain does not function the same as the brain's of the other people present claimed, "I'm mentally ill, but I'm still a good person." Never before had I heard someone identify their self as "mentally ill." She was stating who she is, and she is proud of who she is. On the one hand, I'm glad that she is proud of who she is despite the label society has given her. On the other hand, the hand that moved me to write this blogpost, society has convinced this woman that their is something wrong with her, something that makes her one of "them" and not one of "us;" someone who because of the way she was created, has to defend the goodness of her being. There is nothing positive about the word "ill." I've searched dictionaries and scoured the thesaurus, but everything about the word ill suggests that "ill" suggests something evil, not right. Ill is bad. The woman who identified herself as mentally ill is not. So why does society as a whole refer to those whose brains are gifted in ways that vary from the majority as "ill?" The woman in church is perfectly capable of understanding that being mentally ill meant that there was something wrong with her. Even if she didn't the labels we give to people shape our own perspectives of the person and when we deem someone as "ill" we are implying that something is wrong with them.
In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I read one of his speeches in which the scenario of Sunday morning kept coming to my mind, we have come a long way in terms of celebrating the dignity of people whose dignity was once lost, but we've got a long way to go. There are still too many people who cannot function within our society, and rather than adapting society to be welcoming for all people, we quarantine them in group homes or hospitals. Yes, there are many services that allow people whose minds work differently to live a fairly stable life, but too many people deemed "mentally ill" are left homeless. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration-25% of people who are homeless are deemed "mentally ill." Only 6% of the U.S. population is deemed "mentally ill."
If people continue to deem those whose minds function in ways different than the majority to be "ill" the problem will continue. Nobody should have to defend their goodness because of a label they have been given that deems them as not right. So, Ms. church-lady, you are a human being created with dignity by the God of us all and, yes, you are good.
