Speech at Sixteen

My Speech of Choice
At the Age of Sixteen
Was that Everyone
Should have Right
to Euthanasia
You see
I was Young
Clever
And My Poor
Dear Mother
Had Lost Her Mind
I wanted
And still
Sometimes
Feel that
Having Right
to Euthanasia
Would make
Us Change the way
That We treat Our Invalided
If instead of having
to Commit Suicide
We could
Demand Euthanasia
It would be
Embarrassing 
We would Immediately
Take Action
I have Lived
Since I was Sixteen
Entirely
Traumatized
And then I Fell
Having a Mental Illness
Is like falling
Into Personal Hell
I had the Great Privilege
Of Giving Birth
And for that
For my Sun
I must go on……..
When little is left
Of what was
Once a Clever Mind
I have to Settle for 
Simple Pleasures
Like Watching
The Clouds go by
It is Deep Winter
Here in Paeroa
Please treat Us All
As Equals
As Brothers
+ Sisters
Before God
We have to Get
Away from Judgment
And Help
Our Fellow Man
For aren't those
The Values
Of a Democracy
Be Kind

I Guess I was too Stoned to finish what I had begun………..
There needs to be a Radical Shift in Our Society's Focus on the Mentally Ill.  There is an invisible Barrier set in the way of the Mentally Ill.  And that is Universal Condemnation.  The Psychiatrists Condemn You.  The family You Live in Condemns You and so does the Majority of Society.  If We are to Allow Our Mentally Disabled People to Live Wholesome, uncomplicated Lives We need to Shift the Focus on the Patients Strengths PLEASE.  Too many are Falling by the way side with Psychiatric Diagnosis.   As a World and as a Country and as a Community We must Shield and Protect Identity Factors in Dysfunctional Families.  First terrified and now Disillusioned I think We need to Change the Focus of Care PLEASE.

So I Wanted Death if I was Mentally Ill.  I carried on in that vein for All my Adult Life.  It is only because I Lacked Courage that I am Alive and Perhaps to Honour my Son.  Suicide is Destructive but if We don't want People to Kill themselves they must be Included in the Fabric of Humanity.  Not just cast Out of Society.  I've Lived it and I know the Pitfalls and the Pain of Isolation and Judgement.  In the New Era PLEASE look at People Strengths rather than merely focus on their Weaknesses and Condemn.  The Commissioner for Mental Health Services Herself Acknowledges that We need to Change the Focus.  Insanity becomes a Self fulfilling Prognosis and Isolation breeds Dissidence.  When all They want is a Place to Stand and Contribute alongside their Fellow Man all We do is Dis Them.  No Wonder their behaviour becomes more and more Extreme.  Work, Security, Pay Rises are Every one's Dream.  Let's Help it to Happen for the Mentally Ill and Ex-Prisoners so they can think of Better things to do than take Out their Angst on their Fellow Man. We need a Huge Shift and it must Happen because the Psychiatric System, for all it's apparent Concern, doesn't attack the Problem with enough Vigor.