I’ve been so sick for the past week, and as I clutch a tissue to my mouth with a deep and biting cough, you can tell that I am still crook as a chook. I went to the doctor and burst into tears while talking to the receptionist about how my credit union doesn’t invest in fossil fuels. Being sick sucks. Between afternoon naps and sipping tea out of my Tigers mug while staring into space, I read Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. I know it was probably written as a personal attack on his family, showing that they didn’t appreciate him (Kafka really hated his father), but it made me think of how society treats the ill. If you don’t know The Metamorphosis, it’s the story of Gregor Sansa, who wakes up one morning literally having turned into a giant insect. His immediate thoughts are of getting to work rather than the amazing occasion of actually turning into a bug, before being rejected by his work and family. Of course, this is totally representative of how we view illness, as a distraction from our day-to-day lives. When people define themselves by what they do and something bad happens to stop their routines, they lose all sense of self. Does that seem right to you? It would be great if we defined ourselves by our inner thoughts and personalities, that illness wouldn’t delay us from our pursuits of happiness. It would be wonderful if our pursuits of happiness were defined by living happily rather than necessary accomplishment and pleasing those around us. The ill face such discrimination in our world already, and deserve to pursue happiness. When Joe Hockey says that we need to pass his GP Tax to pay to bomb people in the Middle East, listen to what he is saying. He is saying that he wants to deny the sick and vulnerable access to medical help. Medicine doesn’t only affect you physically. It affects you financially. It affects the people around you, who rely on you. It affects your mental health. Last week was Mental Health Week. Be good to sick people. Being sick sucks.
Posted on: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 06:04:17 +0000
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