Selfinity
(Roberto Matta Echaurren, painting)
Selfinity, 1995
Infinity, self
the self in infinite shapes
of past, present and future selves
never quite themselves
yet always somehow
the same
as if the self = mc2
constant, eternal and infinite
as if there were only
a single time and space
in which the self
transcends its place
in the infinity of its time.
The Rude Mechs theater troupe
HEY AMERICA! STOP HITTING YOURSELF
Stop Hitting Yourself
Rude Mechs
Zellerbach Playhouse
November 19–22, 2015
A review by Christopher Bernard
Cal Performances brought Austin, Texas’s zany theater collective Rude Mechs to Berkeley for a weekend of their 2014 New York hit. And a hit it was, hitting me, at first silly, then awake, with its brainy provocations, savage wit, and the cruel tickle of truth.
The show is an inspired combination of a classic Hollywood musical, a pithy allegory on contemporary mores, sudden outbreaks of wacked-out dance routines, witty seductions into audience participation, moments of unexpected confessions by the cast, and a fable on the inner conflict, at the heart of American life, between today’s brutal culture of narcissism, rapacity and greed and ancient ideals of selfless love, kindness to neighbors, the sanctity of nature and the basic decency of the common man and woman.
Angels
Angels come to mind when I’m alone,
When something seems to have gone wrong in my life,
The words fold like a chair, and I whisper to God.
There’s something in the wind that gives me hope,
Perhaps it’s their wings that open and close,
Giving me comfort as I sleep.
Poet’s Life
I have to write,
Or I will die
A empty death,
A soulless death.
But when the words,
Come alive on the screen,
Rising from a deep sleep,
I’m rescued from a wasted life.
Continue reading
What can you say about a woman who was created to take the world by storm, but who was faced with family difficulties from her youth that plagued her through her teenage and adult years. Still, giving up on herself, her family, and her life never became an option for her.
Though affected by mental illness as a youth and into her young adulthood, Linda learned to advocate for herself in ways that not only made her feel like a whole human being, but also led to her becoming an overcomer and a strong advocate for others with mental illness. Through bouts with psychosis, the loss of love interests and close family members, including her own mother, she made sound decisions to keep herself surrounded with people who could help her fashion her mind into a healthy state in times of crisis.
For Linda, being dually diagnosed with more than one mental illness was in short a heavy blow. However, she relied on professional therapists and psychiatrists and medication to guide and heal her on her way to recovery. Recovery became possible for Linda and she found love and married someone who also lives with a mental illness. Her supportive marriage helped give her the strength to face death in her family, shame and loneliness. Linda used her intelligence and determination and what she had learned from certain life experiences to help her to overcome many of the mental illnesses that had plagued her thoughts for far too long. Due to Linda’s breakthrough with her mental illness, she is now able to give back to the world and to many others who are also suffering. She shows us in her memoir that mental illness is not a death sentence nor is a diagnosis a reason to crawl up in a hole and rot and die. Linda shows us that there are resources for those in that situation, as entire professions specialize in helping people with mental illness.
To every problem in life there is always a great resolution.
In this small read about two people battling two different mental illnesses, we can see that it’s not a death sentence and nothing to be ashamed of but it is a most common thing that occurs in many humans: men, women, boys and girls. I think that anyone who is suffering from a sick mind, unwanted feelings or thoughts but who is able to recognize these abnormal feelings and thoughts is already on the road to recovery.
Mental illness is something that many people are ashamed of. For many people mental illness can be apart of their genetic makeup, or developed during traumatic life events and occurrences, or through one’s environment and life experiences. This book shows us how two brave individuals had the courage to seek help after struggling with mood swings and sadness for long periods of time. After proper medical treatment these two characters in the book, Peter and Lisa, were able to live healthy and normal lives.
Through self-awareness and education, the battles that many humans face with mental illness can be won. People can go on to live healthy lifestyles with the support of medicine, family and supportive friends. People with mental illness or who have suffered from them in the past can go on to live productive and healthy lives.
Drawing from Tony Glamortramp LeTigre