Think Pieces; maybe we need to just listen

think piece

/THiNGk pēs/

noun

an article in a newspaper, magazine, or journal presenting personal opinions, analysis, or discussion, rather than bare facts.

“Think Pieces” can irk me at times. Think pieces also are good to spark discussion; sometimes.

This past week there have been so many think pieces about the Olympics and mental health. Let me say I know that mental health MUST be discussed. However, I have seen lots of folks this past week give opinions that are not helpful at all to the betterment of our mental health situation in the world.

Yes, we want to see the Olympics and be entertained. We want to see records broken, our favorites up on the podium, we want to Monday morning quarterback about what we would have done if it was us out there swimming for gold. That is human nature right.

What should not be human nature but has become human nature is folks giving opinions about how mental health is “not a big deal” or how an athlete has “let us down” because the athlete made a choice to not compete but instead to take care of their mental wellness.

Are we really at this low of a point that we care more about someone entertaining us than we do about them being mentally well? Yes, some…