I need your help to bring these issues to public attention.  You can tell people what I am doing, provide a link on your website, or offer other support.

1. Help inform the Public
2. Address the Government
3. Leave your opinion on my discussion, guestbook, forum
4. Are my efforts worth the risk?
5. A final thought
b. New Orleans is proving that "Society can not survive without compassion!"

Also see the page:  Help me start an organization to advocate for and support individuals.
 
 

If just one person could see the whole truth and tell it to me, I would have more hope.  Most of the responses are like these:  co-worker-1, co-worker-2, prosecutor-2-n-3, prosecutor-tape, hazing-1, vp-1-n-2, defendant-A-p1-5, and help-justice-reply.

People and government leaders should see what has happened to me.  From being successful in the army, diagnosed with mental illness, punished, and how I became known as a dangerous person.  I believe that other people with mental illness have suffered similar fates.  How do they find support?  This needs to change.

Now that I understand what happened to me, I can deal with the stigma that I have experienced.  However, the threats of putting me in jail or other harm is still real.  My name is also displayed by a court as a criminal on the internet (page-4, item 2.c.).  This is not simply a "personal legal problem".  The state accepted my mental illness as a sign of criminal behavior.  If people must fear being labeled with mental illness, will they seek help when they truly need it?

Is society or the mentally ill to blame for these problems?
People can not expect the mentally ill to serve all of society's needs on their own.  Instead of blaming the mentally ill for everything, they need support!

 

1. Help inform the Public

If people do not know that there is a problem then they are certain to ignore it.

a. Contact your local newspaper(s):
You can write a letter to the editor.  Feel free to mention this web site as an example.  If a reporter wished to do a story, I can provide more details.  It would also help to verify the claims that the plaintiff's  lawyer lied about his grandmother in the civil case.  How ethical was the plaintiff's lawyer in the civil case?

b. See if your local TV station will do a story:
It might be hard to address all the issues on TV because it may take too long.  However, the central issue of attacking the mentally ill could be addressed.

 

2. Address the Government

With your help government officials might listen.  It is clear from the responses on the previous page, item 2.d., that I failed to make a positive impression on my own.  What happened to me in the army should be a serious issue.  How the legal system treats the mentally ill is just as important.

Find out how to contact both state and federal officials in this link
http://firstgov.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
 

5.4 percent of adults (about 1 in 20) are considered to have a serious mental illness, from the Surgeon General website:
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter2/sec2_1.html

3. Leave your opinion on my discussion, guest book, forum

Please show your support or give comments in the following link:

Discussion - Guestbook - Forum for WhyHope.com on Yahoo! Groups

On January 20th, 2005, I listened to President Bush talk about freedom and liberty for the world.  When will the mentally ill in the United States see freedom and liberty from our own nation?

 

4. Are my efforts worth the risk?

I risk upsetting various people.  I could expect more of what I have documented on this website or worse.  It was suggested by the Veterans Administration that I avoid too much stress (page 4 - item 2.b.).  In order to bring attention to these issues I may be facing a lot more stress from anyone upset with my actions.

My mental illness is a problem even if I did not worry about other people.  It has been very hard to address these issues in making this website.  It helps to understand the truth of what went on and to separate the issues.  However, understanding does not erase the emotions and memories of what happened.

You would think that I am proud to prove that I am right, that I was being treated poorly or worse.  Proving that people are not humane is not something to inspire pride.  Is this the future of mankind?

If I do nothing then I am like everyone else who did nothing to help.

 

5. A Final Thought - Destructive and positive influences in society.

Aggression* and Compassion are how I now understand social and anti-social behavior.  Using these two concepts, I can understand the difference between terrorists, criminals, heroes, and "average people".  It was the experiences listed on this website which gave me this idea.

(*Note:  What I call aggression can be a motivated by fear, anger, desire, or combination of similar motivations.)
 

a. How I arrived at the idea

When the trouble with the civic group started, my worry about fear concerned Aggression* and/or Compassion (see fears).  I did not recognize it at the time.  One issue that I had with the civic group was that they both taught and used aggression (just like the army).  My normal nature was to live by compassion, to the point that I suffered from lacking aggression.  (I was called "courteous" and "intimidated" in the army, in army-89-0829.)

Stepping back, part of the focus of those fears was dating another member of the civic group (see hazing-1).  Compassion required me to attempt the date to help Lloyd.  A little Aggression was necessary to ask for a date and make it happen.  Dating is a balance between Aggression to pursue and Compassion to respect the other.

During this dating the question of my mental illness came up.  Members of the civic group found out.  The dynamic of this situation tested my desire to learn more aggression and limit it with compassion.  I was being asked to change my ingrained nature and trying to do so, in addition to attacks about my mental illness.  This became so confusing that I wrote exhibit-03-p11-to-14, p19-to-23, p01-to-05, and p06-to-09.  Explaining my motives at that time is like explaining the motives of society as a whole.

Compassion remains my focus.  I understand that aggression is a useful tool when tempered with compassion.  I wish that I did not have to go through hell to find it out.  However, emotional experience is a strong teacher.  Here is an example that I knew aggression was an issue but I did not know how to address it:

i. exhibit-28: (from 2.b. on page 3) - "I find it almost impossible to focus my thoughts around such an aggressive person..."

(*Note:  What I call aggression can be a motivated by fear, anger, desire, or combination of similar motivations.)
 
 

b. The Difference between Terrorists, Criminals, Heroes, and "average people"

New Orleans is proving that "Society can not survive without compassion!"

Some people may say an activist does not become a terrorist because of laws or threats of punishment.  People demonstrating great compassion have broken laws and risked punishment, and so have terrorists.  If  law and punishment does not make a difference, then this supports compassion as a reason.

If this simple logic is true then:

i.  A true, anti-social, psychopath has aggression without any real compassion for anyone, ever.

ii.  A terrorist has a lot of aggression with compassion only for those of their choice.  Remember Hitler?

iii.  Many criminals are like a terrorists, but with different goals.  There is more aggression with less compassion.

iv.  Heroes are harder to rate.  The traditional idea of a hero is driven by compassion.  However, many examples of heroes show compassion for one group and not for another.  Terrorists and criminals have been considered heroes to some people.  For me the ultimate heroes show compassion for all people.  Heroes use aggression and limit it with compassion, just like activists.

v.  "Average people" implies the average state of society to me.  Any person could be a hero, terrorist, or criminal at some point in time.  I do not believe in foolish ideas that human nature can not change.  I did not like being aggressive because of how I felt about compassion.  Yet I have learned to see aggression as a tool without giving up compassion.  I have changed part of my nature.

You might question if I generally live by compassion.  Since 1999 I have been helping to support a handicapped person.  It started as sharing the rent.  After being unable to work I was told that I should have kicked her out.  Instead I still help to support her.  If you look at it as charity then at least I know where 100% of my money and effort is going.  You can not say that about organizations that ask for money.

Note:  What is Compassion?  It can also be called "showing love for other people", the "love of mankind", and other variations of caring about others.  I was confused when I talked with my roommate about religion and compassion.  She did not seem to realize that spiritual love quoted in history was usually part of compassion.  Perhaps my efforts to understand things in their simplest forms gives me insight.

 

(*Note:  What I call aggression can be a motivated by fear, anger, desire, or combination of similar motivations.)
 

c. A prediction of doom

If there is any truth in my claims about aggression* and compassion, then I am afraid of the future.  I believe that the world is becoming more aggressive and less compassionate lately.  If this is true, then it is a breeding ground for more terrorists and criminals.  Examples of why I believe there is more aggression and less compassion are:

i.  Civic groups, a traditional outlet for compassion, have been shrinking a lot lately.

ii.  Terrorism seems to be increasing despite efforts to stop it with aggression.  Is the lack of compassion the cause?

iii.  I was shocked at how slow the initial efforts were to help the victims of the recent tidal wave disaster.  I seemed to be hearing excuses for waiting and taking time.  It does not take a rocket scientist to know that the first few days might make all the difference!  If we rushed there with aid and wasted some money at the start then it may have paid to do so in the long run.  I believe varying levels of compassion is what sets different views apart.

iv.  Annoyances in the name of business appear to be increasing lately.  Offers for credit, aggressive selling of products, and sometimes outright criminal fraud.  At the same time many of these businesses do not seem concerned about treating customers with good faith or compassion.  A good example is a monthly billing cycle giving you only a week to mail your payment after getting your bill - when they give themselves more time!.  I have mailed a payment that arrived in time to be on the next statement, but also was charged a late fee for being past the due date.

v.  My own efforts are my main clue.  I believe that I sent over 1000 letters looking for someone to support me during my troubles with the civic group.  There were less than 10 responses, and no strong responses for more information or offering support.  When I needed a lawyer I had contacted over 200 and did not find one able to represent me with less that $5000 to start with.  Society's views of mental illness may be to blame for this, so perhaps it was not a fair test for compassion.

So many people blame so many things for the troubles of the world.
Human actions begin in the mind.
The fate of our world is in the mind.
The ultimate war is in the mind.
 
 

*Note:  What I call aggression can be a motivated by fear, anger, desire, or combination of similar motivations.

Also note:  I believe that fear is the most dangerous motivator.  Fear can be blinding and automatic at its extreme (fight or flight).  In essence the outlets of fear are anger or more fear.  Fear can hide what a person is feeling until it explodes out in violent rage.  Compassion can fight fear.  Anything else may only make it worse (my evidence).

See next:  Help me start an organization to advocate for and support individuals.