I have multiple sclerosis. It is a result of trying to meet the ailment proactively and as responsibly as I can, that I learnt about observing the energy space in me and others.
My brother has bipolar. Currently he is in one of his manic phases. His condition places acute strain on the family. It is all quite terrifying at times. In all this, I continue to try and observe the energy space, in him, in me, and in whatever is happening in the family -- in each individual and as a organism as a whole. I feel my only job here is to love. To love each and every person as best as I can. I feel, that to love a person is to see that person, and to see is to see beauty. All else is blindness. Of course in all this, the first thing is to love myself and to see beauty in myself. Whenever I am unable to see beauty in a person, to me that is an indication that I am not seeing correctly, and so I try as best as I can to further see my thoughts and emotions, trying to understand that person better, until I can see that same behavior of the person from another perspective which makes me feel I have a better understanding of where he/she is coming from. In the present configuration, I feel this is the only option available to me, the only job I can perform and doing so maybe is also in some subtle manner playing a positive role in the scheme of things. However, yes, it does get harrowing. It is not just my brother's behavior, but also what quirks each and every family member brings to the whole thing, my own quirks and vulnerabilities etc. etc. etc. Is there anyone else here whose family member has some mental illness, or who himself / herself is dealing with the challenge of having some mental illness? Would you like to share how you deal with it and what you have learnt so far from being in that experience? -- Vani Murarka * vani expressions - blog writings <http://manaskriti.com/vani-expressions/> * काव्यालय (Kaavyaalaya: House of Hindi Poetry) <http://kaavyaalaya.org> * गीत गतिरूप - कवि का अनोखा साथी <http://manaskriti.com/geet-gatiroop>
