Random Thoughts

Why are Americans so reluctant to talk about mental illness?   Why is it kept a secret?   Why is it most people’s first reaction to look away quickly when confronted with someone exhibiting behaviors that appear like symptoms of mental illness (or worse yet, stare…)? I wonder if it is because we know that we, too , are mentally ill. I mean, aren’t we all?   Don’t we all experience depression, anxiety, racing minds, isolation, suspicion, or “different-ness”?   Maybe not to the point of diagnosis or medication, but if we do a thorough, honest self-assessment I tend to think that the vast majority of us would find things in ourselves that concern or embarrass us. This is not to downplay the seriousness of mental illness.   Someone who talks out loud to themselves but recognizes it is their voice and not that of a stranger (me) has a much simpler row to hoe than a person diagnosed with schizophrenia who hears and speaks to voices often.   Rather, thinking...

We went to Philadelphia recently, and in looking online for things to do before the trip I found THE MAGIC GARDENS.   It is a space filled to the brim with mosaics and art by Isaiah Zagar.   I like mosaic – always love visiting the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore with its mosaic egg and walls. And we visited a space mosaic-ed by Niki de Saint Phalle, Queen Califia’s Magic Circle, in Escondido, California once that fascinated me, so I knew I would enjoy the Magic Gardens. But honestly, I was not prepared for the sensations that overcame me.   Every inch of the space – the walls, the stairs, the columns, the floors, was covered in ART .   Most was mosaic made from tiles, glass, ceramic, bits and pieces of life, all grouted together.   The artist seemed to have expressed his innermost thoughts, himself , and glued bits and pieces of it everywhere.   It was as if he was showing himself to the world, but only the attentive few would fin...