"THIS IS REAL"

Sam was an ordinary boy at the age of 15. Not but 1 year ago he was living an ordinary life, with ordinary friends, living in a minuscule town in Mississippi. And now he was backstage in Washington DC, invited there by the president himself about to make his voice known to millions all over the country. For years he had been struggling with depression because of a difficult family situation, but he never really said anything about it except to a few really close friends, but one day when things got particularly hard he decided not to rant to his friends anymore because he felt like a burden. So one day he decided to write down his feelings of depression and family on a piece of paper and when he was finished with it, he threw it away, buried in the depths of the trash can forever, never to see the light of day again. Or so he had thought.

 What he was told was that apparently, his piece of paper had flown out of the trash bag in the process of it getting thrown into the back of the trash truck. The driver had read it and was deeply touched by it. When he got home he shared it with his wife (who also deeply enjoyed it) and she posted it on social media. His letter soon went viral and when it did the governor of Mississippi soon saw it and when he did he had the owner of the letter (yup that’s sam!) found. Before he knew it Sam was soon brought to the capital of the United States to meet with the president himself.

“My boy,” the president had said to him upon his arrival. “You may be wondering why I have asked you here today.” “Not really.” I had begun to say but was quickly interrupted. “It’s about that heart to heart you wrote on this here piece of paper .” He said slapping the paper down on the table. “The words on this here piece of paper have gotten so popular that it has been demanded by the people of these here united states to hear the talented young author read it aloud be broadcasted nationwide on the telly and in front of the press for millions to hear across the nation.” he was (of course) in shock. If he were to do this then he would be exposing himself (and technically his family too) to the entire country! Although in the end it was decided that he should do it. He would stand up in front of millions and share his delicate story of hurt, so here he is standing at the podium reading the words from this life-changing piece of paper. And this is what it said…

Depression is a little demon that lives inside of your soul. It is a little voice that whispers in your mind in your worst moments and tells you of the appeal of just giving up. It is the part of you that screams at you in your most doubtful moments and tells you that you are a terrible Christian because you are worn out and tired of trying and fighting. It is that little spark of irrational fear that reminds you of the bad things in your worst moments so you feel like giving up. It is the fear of those you love and those who love you but have hurt you. Those terrible flashes of memories that keep you awake at night until you eventually cry yourself to sleep. Why am I expected to deal with this on my own? I am told that I am just a kid but I know that is not true! I was forced to grow up at a young age! I did not choose that! That choice was bestowed upon me! I am told by the ones closest to me that I am still just a kid and that they are there for me, But if that is so true how come I am hurt the most by those who are closest to me? When you told me you didn’t like my clothes, it hurt me. Yes, I realize now that they were stupid and my style was nonexistent, but you were supposed to be there to support me! Not bring me down. when you told me my clothes were ugly and I was stupid and yet you told me to be kind it built up an invisible wall inside of me. You tell me I am mean, rebellious, stupid, that I need to be kinder to people, but you did this to me! You tore down my sense of self - I became rebellious. You told me I was stupid - I became stubborn. You told me I just needed to shut-up - I became bold, probably a little too bold. I saw other kids whose parents were their role models, I read the bible which said the parents are to be the examples, a friend, a guideline, a leader. The worst part of it all is that these things that were causing my anxiety and depression, the words that were said, the deeds that were done. It all came from my parents. And so as a result… You told me I was mean, discarded my trust - I became guarded. Depression is not simply being unmotivated. That would be laziness caused by hormones and stress. Depression is more than that. It is caused by something, or someone though what that thing is usually is not clear. At least not at first. Depression is the overwhelming sense of defeat that comes from weeks, months, or years of fear, anger, loneliness, and betrayal, all in one. Thank you for your time.

And then the defining applause began. Now years later thousands, upon thousands of parents had heard this message and sat down with their children to see if this is how they felt. In the end, depression rates rapidly decreased while happy families increased!

This is my dream.