"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the Gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through the prophets in the Holy Scriptures..."
When you hear the word "outcast", what images come to mind? For some people, they think of weirdos and freaks in society. They believe that outcasts are the refuse of the world. For other people, they think of outcasts as the rebellious among us. These people assume that outcasts are the people who are always in and out of jail because they keep committing crimes. What if I told you that being an outcast was not such a bad thing after all? As a matter of fact, it can be a good thing. All of my life I have felt like an outcast in both society and my own family. The reason I felt this way was because of my mental illness. People did not understand my mental illness and so they automatically rejected me. It was not until recently in the past few years that I began to think that being an outcast was not necessarily a bad thing. In this blog, I shall discuss some ways that mental illness causes us to be outcasts and then I will discuss how being an outcast does not have to be so negative. The apostle Paul was considered an outcast in the first century, as well as all the early Christians. In the first century, if you identified as a Christian, that was an immediate death sentence. Similarly, not too long ago in American history, the mentally ill were sentenced to insane asylums where they were experimented on in some of the most atrocious ways. As a result, those of us who have mental illnesses can really relate to the early Christians. Both them and us did not fit well with our societies. When I ponder the different ways that the mentally ill are considered outcasts, I think of three different ways: Increased Skepticism, More Compassion, and More Loyal. I will elaborate on each of these points, but first I'd like to say that these are not the only ways that we are outcasts, but these are the main reasons. If you can think of any more ways that we can be considered outcasts, please let me know in the comments below. I will now discuss my reasoning.
Increased Skepticism
The reason why I mention this as my first reason is because I have noticed that those of us with mental illness tend to have trust issues. Whether it is things we hear on the news or other people, we simply just have difficulty with trust. In a lot of ways, our trust issues do prevent us from being taken advantage of. However, at the same time, it does prevent us from getting close to other people. Our trust issues tend to make us really paranoid of either the news or of other people. When it comes to the news, it actually saves us from falling for all the narratives that the general public falls for. In this sense, it can be a good thing. This does not mean that all of us with mental illnesses have increased skepticism. Actually, some of us tend to be a little too trusting of the news and other people. However, as these people keep being victimized, they become more skeptical later on in life.
More Compassion
I have noticed that people with mental illnesses tend to have more compassion towards those who are suffering than the general public does. This is not to say that no regular person has compassion for those who are suffering. I would never make that claim. However, I have noticed that those of us who have mental illnesses tend to identify more easily with those who are suffering, whether physically or mentally ill. I think the reason for this because we truly understand what it is like to suffer daily. For this reason, we can truly understand what someone is going through. I know that in my experience, it really breaks my heart whenever I see a homeless person wandering the streets and talking to themselves. The reason for this is that I've been homeless numerous times so I can understand homelessness. But, also I know that that homeless mentally ill person is completely alone. He or she probably got rejected by their friends and family because of their illness, and so they really have no one and nothing. It is for this reason that I usually try to talk with them to show that someone cares for them. I believe that if I can show them that someone, besides their voices, is willing to talk to them, then maybe they will not feel so alone in this world. I admit that not all mentally ill people have more compassion, but for the most part, I have seen this to be the case.
More Loyal
I have noticed that when someone has a mental illness, they do in fact become more loyal to their friends and family members. The reason for this is because we truly understand what it is like to be alone or screwed over by other people. While we do tend to be more skeptical than the average person, our loyalty to others does increase once we learn that we can trust someone. I think that it is because of our increased compassion for others that we become more loyal as a result. We may not have many people that we associate with, but we tend to be close-knit with the few people we talk to and hang out with. I know that in my experience, I only have a few people in my life who I would consider my best friends and family, but I would be willing to take a bullet for them. I know that they would be willing to do the same for me also. This does not mean that all people are more loyal. Of course, some mentally ill people are backstabbers, but generally speaking, we do tend to be more loyal than the average person.
I hope that this helps you better understand those of us with mental illnesses better. If you are someone with a mental illness and you have felt like an outcast, I hope that you find this blog encouraging. Being an outcast does not necessarily have to be a bad thing. I believe that God makes every single one of us a separate individual with unique character traits and every one of us is fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). So, next time you start to feel like an outcast in society, just remember the things I said in this blog. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this and may the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all.
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
When you hear the word "outcast", what images come to mind? For some people, they think of weirdos and freaks in society. They believe that outcasts are the refuse of the world. For other people, they think of outcasts as the rebellious among us. These people assume that outcasts are the people who are always in and out of jail because they keep committing crimes. What if I told you that being an outcast was not such a bad thing after all? As a matter of fact, it can be a good thing. All of my life I have felt like an outcast in both society and my own family. The reason I felt this way was because of my mental illness. People did not understand my mental illness and so they automatically rejected me. It was not until recently in the past few years that I began to think that being an outcast was not necessarily a bad thing. In this blog, I shall discuss some ways that mental illness causes us to be outcasts and then I will discuss how being an outcast does not have to be so negative. The apostle Paul was considered an outcast in the first century, as well as all the early Christians. In the first century, if you identified as a Christian, that was an immediate death sentence. Similarly, not too long ago in American history, the mentally ill were sentenced to insane asylums where they were experimented on in some of the most atrocious ways. As a result, those of us who have mental illnesses can really relate to the early Christians. Both them and us did not fit well with our societies. When I ponder the different ways that the mentally ill are considered outcasts, I think of three different ways: Increased Skepticism, More Compassion, and More Loyal. I will elaborate on each of these points, but first I'd like to say that these are not the only ways that we are outcasts, but these are the main reasons. If you can think of any more ways that we can be considered outcasts, please let me know in the comments below. I will now discuss my reasoning.
Increased Skepticism
The reason why I mention this as my first reason is because I have noticed that those of us with mental illness tend to have trust issues. Whether it is things we hear on the news or other people, we simply just have difficulty with trust. In a lot of ways, our trust issues do prevent us from being taken advantage of. However, at the same time, it does prevent us from getting close to other people. Our trust issues tend to make us really paranoid of either the news or of other people. When it comes to the news, it actually saves us from falling for all the narratives that the general public falls for. In this sense, it can be a good thing. This does not mean that all of us with mental illnesses have increased skepticism. Actually, some of us tend to be a little too trusting of the news and other people. However, as these people keep being victimized, they become more skeptical later on in life.
More Compassion
I have noticed that people with mental illnesses tend to have more compassion towards those who are suffering than the general public does. This is not to say that no regular person has compassion for those who are suffering. I would never make that claim. However, I have noticed that those of us who have mental illnesses tend to identify more easily with those who are suffering, whether physically or mentally ill. I think the reason for this because we truly understand what it is like to suffer daily. For this reason, we can truly understand what someone is going through. I know that in my experience, it really breaks my heart whenever I see a homeless person wandering the streets and talking to themselves. The reason for this is that I've been homeless numerous times so I can understand homelessness. But, also I know that that homeless mentally ill person is completely alone. He or she probably got rejected by their friends and family because of their illness, and so they really have no one and nothing. It is for this reason that I usually try to talk with them to show that someone cares for them. I believe that if I can show them that someone, besides their voices, is willing to talk to them, then maybe they will not feel so alone in this world. I admit that not all mentally ill people have more compassion, but for the most part, I have seen this to be the case.
More Loyal
I have noticed that when someone has a mental illness, they do in fact become more loyal to their friends and family members. The reason for this is because we truly understand what it is like to be alone or screwed over by other people. While we do tend to be more skeptical than the average person, our loyalty to others does increase once we learn that we can trust someone. I think that it is because of our increased compassion for others that we become more loyal as a result. We may not have many people that we associate with, but we tend to be close-knit with the few people we talk to and hang out with. I know that in my experience, I only have a few people in my life who I would consider my best friends and family, but I would be willing to take a bullet for them. I know that they would be willing to do the same for me also. This does not mean that all people are more loyal. Of course, some mentally ill people are backstabbers, but generally speaking, we do tend to be more loyal than the average person.
I hope that this helps you better understand those of us with mental illnesses better. If you are someone with a mental illness and you have felt like an outcast, I hope that you find this blog encouraging. Being an outcast does not necessarily have to be a bad thing. I believe that God makes every single one of us a separate individual with unique character traits and every one of us is fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). So, next time you start to feel like an outcast in society, just remember the things I said in this blog. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this and may the grace of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ richly bless you all.
-David Lee Chu Sarchet
Christian Mental Health Advocate
Check out the Christ-Centered Mental Health Ministry Website
well said.
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