Be kind. Words to live by. A life philosophy perhaps. Then why do some people feel like they need to inspire with words of disparagement or hate? I saw a post on Facebook one day simply saying “if you are not running better than a 9 minute mile, you aren’t running.” What purpose does a comment like that serve? Is it supposed to inspire people to run faster and beat their best time? Am I supposed to read that and jump off my butt to go run an 8 minute mile? Or is that written just to try and impress the reader that the author of the post has such a good running pace that he can say something like that?

I started running 6 1/2 years ago from the date I am writing this. When I began running, I would run about 1 mile with a worse than 10 minute mile. This year I ran my first half marathon and I ran it with an 8 minute 17 second pace. Until that point my best pace for that distance was an 8 minute 53 second mile. I am not the kind of person to read a post like that and jump up to prove him wrong. But what would proving him wrong even look like. “I will show him! I will run with a 10 minute per mile pace, then laugh in his face!” If you run a better than 9 minute per mile pace, you aren’t really doing anything to prove him wrong. I am the kind of person who would read that and decide not to keep running because if I’m not running better than a 9 minute mile what is the point of trying. How many people reading that post would feel discouraged about any progress he or she is making running?

This same person always posts very negative statements about obese individuals. Doesn’t he realize he is defeating himself by saying in the same breath disparaging remarks about fat people and disparaging remarks about people who are running with worse than a 9 minute mile pace? How many individuals are trying to better themselves by running, only to be shot down by this jerk of a person who can’t keep his mouth shut about an idiotic idea?

Instead, be kind. Speak out of kindness. Kindly encourage people for running in the first place, instead of disparaging them for not running as fast as you think they should. Encourage people by speaking kind words.

One thing our country needs is a better mental health treatment system. In 2020, 21 million adults in the United States had at least one major depressive episode. That is 8.4% of all U.S. adults. And those are only the ones who admitted to it. There is still such a stigma around mental illness that many will not admit to it. I’d go so far as to say there is downright discrimination against people with mental illness, but that is for another post. With all of those needing mental health treatment, there is not enough help.

Someone close to me called to make an appointment to see a therapist, and he was told that they would have to put him on a “call back list” to call when an appointment could be made, and was informed that appointments being made are at least 6 months out. Can you imagine being desperate enough to need help but are told you have to wait at least 6 months? Imagine breaking a bone and being told you couldn’t see your doctor for 6 months. That bone isn’t going to heal correctly.

Why is there such a problem with the mental health system? Are there not enough therapists? Should we incentivize going to school to become a therapist? Maybe providers should be willing to pay higher salaries. Whatever the case may be, something needs to change. A person should not have to wait 6 months to see a mental health therapist.

Maybe this is a good call to action for us all to be more supportive of those with mental illness. They struggle getting professional help, so maybe we can at least provide a kind word and a caring heart to those in need.