espy extras

I had told someone I was sick, that i was nauseous and needed a break from school. Then they said:

"just stick it out" and "is this really physical sickness or just anxiety?"

their response upset me so much. I responded angrily, "anxieties in my head, and my heads in my body. Fuck you."

mental illness is physical illness. the "mind" is physical. when we mystify our brains into dualistic "mind-body" dichotomies we too often blame individual people for systemic problems.

Additionally, mental illness is a powerful label. It can be used to diminish the humanity of another, trans people are called mentally ill, historically women were accused of "hysteria" which was used to diminish them and view them as sub-human.

If the brain is just the seat of consciousness being piloted by something that we cant explain, and that consciousness can be ill? then it becomes much easier to blame and dehumanize someone, you can claim this illness is just caused by their nature, but everyone is responding to different stimuli, and its dangerous to associate a certain group with illness or any trait because people are complicated and react differently in different scenarios because everyone has experienced a near infinite number of different variables.

mental illness labels and categorizes an aspect of a person, they don't make up the persons entirety and yet it still isnt separate. The label of illness is prescriptive, to understand and sometimes control.

But we should understand people in their entirety, as body and mind are the same we should be open minded and respectful. We should be considerate of all aspects and stimuli before we judge someone's character or action. You cant imagine yourself in someone elses shoes, its more complicated than being able to drag and drop your soul into someone elses body. Because the identity of yourself could only be created by your body.

if you are poor, you dont get to choose your education, your healthcare or lack-there-of, where you have to work. you just have to come up with enough money to pay rent and buy groceries, and rent + groceries is the cost to keep living.

The only freedom of the poor is the choice to sell whatever you have to in order to meet the cost to keep living, your time, your body, or your soul.

Imagine if we charged disabled people extra to use elevators instead of stairs, or made wheelchair ramps have a toll fee.

my girlfriend cannot see 2 feet in front of her without glasses, we are very very poor so when her glasses broke and needed fixing, the only way we could afford them was because medicaid covered majority of the cost. (something they only did because she is younger than 21)

However, her glasses prescription was actually "too strong" for medicaid to cover the "thick lenses" fee. So we had to pay for that "luxury" although it was actually just a necessary requirement for her to be able to live.

why should those who are most vulnerable, and most in need of support, be charged extra as if permitting their continued existence is a privilege they are undeserving of and must "earn?"

shouldn't we support those who are most desperate and most in need?

Another example:

I have a friend who's mom has chronic pain, she works all day. Shes a very hard working person, and she does all she can to support her daughter as a single mother.

However, is it fair to suggest that she should be expected to drive to the store and prepare meals every night despite her exhaustion and chronic pain making this difficult?

It's definitely cruel to blame her for spending extra on delivery, because thats a necessity.

private business sees this as an untapped market, uber-eats takes advantage of the disabled person's challenges to get food, and offers the solution for a high cost, because the demand is higher, and that demand is just to keep existing despite all the challenges.

nobody should ever starve, and someones disabilities should never disadvantage their ability to eat. nobody ever deserves to starve. we are all struggling, we are all alive and we are all doing our best.