"I was not born to be silenced or suppressed.
I was born to soar."
Anna Pereira
Family secrets impact the life of every family member. It is difficult for a child to grasp what the actual secret is and he or she becomes more conflicted when no one will speak of the matter. Unidentified fear holds us down, decreasing our ability to soar.
An interview with Patrick Kennedy disclosed the pressure of his family secrets. He took on the instant shame for behaviors of others without understanding why this would be so. His father, Senator Ted Kennedy, did not approve of his adult son's decision to disclose his personal addiction and mental health.
Why do we turn our eyes and ears away from our loved ones when they need intervention? How do we justify our denial and avoidance? The family member who is suffering will eventually act out, so what then? More fictional stories instead of the truth? Excuses and redirection? At what cost?
As a culture, we are in dire need to embrace mental health issues as a form of disease and invest in the lives of those who suffer. Ignoring this need, our culture will continue to experience violence on all levels.
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