SACS Literary Magazine.
By Students. For Students.
John
Vs.
RantyPants
Doe
John:
Problems. Everyone has them. For example, my left shoe is just a tad bit longer than my right, nd it annoys the hell out of me. There’s hardly a day that goes by where I don’t feel like taking my left shoe and sacrificing it to Satan. Because that way it’ll be in hell, where it belongs. But I digress. My problems are a big deal. For me, at least. And that brings me back to my original purpose for writing this. Problems. What constitutes one? Where do we draw the line with idiosyncrasies and an actual, threatening problem? Because certainly some problems are worse than others. But who’s to say that the ones that plague my neighbor are worse than what I have to deal with? The difference between a broken leg and a stubbed toe is plain for all the world to see. But who’s to tell me that my neighbor’s mental issue suffering is worse than when my hand caught in the door of my car? I couldn’t move my fingers for a total of six days, and yet a person who has depression evoked more sympathy than I did. It’s ridiculous that someone who has to deal with their own demons has it worse than someone who has to deal with a real, corporeal wound. If I’m having a bad day, then it’s something that I have to deal with, something that I myself have to get over. Mental injuries can’t affect you the same way a physical injury does. But I go online now, and I’m plagued with things of mental health, and how to take care of yourself spiritually and whatnot. Now look, I realize that the brain is a muscle, and just like any muscle, it can be working improperly and it can cause you pain. But this is the one time where the phrase, “It’s all in your head” is quite literal. Mind over matter, and you’ll be fine.
Doe:
Problems. Everyone has them. For example, there’s an uneducated and gormless muppet on my back telling me that my anxiety is comparable to a stubbed toe. And it annoys the hell out of me. There are an abundance of problems in this sad world; you cannot compare a broken leg to a broken heart. Can’t compare depression to a bad day, insomnia to no coffee in the house, or your ignorance to a concussion. Problems are a big deal. You don’t have panic attacks every day to brag to someone who has a mere papercut. When your poor hand couldn’t move, my mind was paralyzed with the thoughts of “what if.” And it may be hard to put it bluntly, but such temporary pain would be a relief in comparison to this constant demon in my head. Just because one can’t see this wound, doesn’t mean it gives less pain than your precious blister. After all, your idiocy is not tangible, but that doesn’t mean it’s not there, being a problem on its own.