I’ve recently become reacquainted with my niece through Facebook and saw a post from her saying she won tickets to Disturbed. Now I’m an 80’s guy and although I know a lot of songs on the radio, I typically cannot name the various bands or musicians. Recently, I was shocked to learn that the death of Nipsey Hussle, who I’ve never heard of in my life, drew thousands for his memorial after being gunned down by supposed gang members. Hussle was an advocate to stop gang violence and paid the ultimate price for believing in making a difference in the hearts and minds of America.
So I went online to see what all her excitement was about and came across the video they did a cover on called The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel. I saw this video a few months ago and liked it right off the bat but I never pursued listening to the rest of their music. I just knew I liked what they did and it reminded me of the days of my youth. So tonight I went an extra step and was pleasantly surprised to find the band reaching out to their audience and making a connection with people facing their mental illness. Now mental illness to me initially would have meant people who are not sane. But as I learn more and more about drug addiction, alcohol abuse, suicidal tendencies or other aspects challenging the mind, I realize there is so much more to this crisis than I believed. After all, my own brother was diagnosed with Schizophrenia. I’ve witnessed him both on meds and off and I thank God he has continued to maintain taking his medication as I feel he would not be here today without them. But that is the difference between a need for drugs and an unnecessary drug addiction.
In future blogs, I plan to examine these struggles with opioid addiction and post traumatic stress disorder as both have taken the lives of so many young people. My daughter is 9 now and in time she will be faced with making difficult decisions in her life that perhaps are encouraged by her friends. My job is to inform her of those tragedies and hopefully keep her on the straight and narrow path of a good life. I’m hoping my niece, who is 27 now, will help me understand this new generation and will be a great mentor for my daughter. But for now, please enjoy these 2 videos below as I have and God Bless those who are struggling.