By: Maggie Krueger, guest blog post
Recently, while helping our daughter
with her science homework, I was reminded of the simple equation for work done.
Work Done = Force X Distance.
If a force is exerted but no distance
moved then no work has been done.
We may feel very fatigued pushing
against that which we have tried to move, but energy was only expended within
our own bodies with no result.
This seems to sum up a lot of what I
have been feeling lately regarding my participation in various advocacy
activities. Much time is given (texting, phone calls, attending meetings,
driving great distances across the state, educating myself by reading articles,
serving on boards, etc.) But how do I determine if any work has been done? I
feel fatigued; as I'm sure most do in trying to move this mountain of prejudice
against our loved ones. Do I see results from this fatigue? How would I measure
it? In the number of Facebook groups I belong to or the friends I have? Should
I concentrate on the number of meetings I've attended, miles driven - all
measurable.
I think I need to measure with the end
in mind: what reduction has there been in police shootings of the seriously
mentally ill? What mental health treatment are prisoners given?
What is the reduction of people with mental illness in our court system? We can start by getting Crises Intervention Training, (CIT) training for our law enforcement officers — but how do we measure the results?
What is the reduction of people with mental illness in our court system? We can start by getting Crises Intervention Training, (CIT) training for our law enforcement officers — but how do we measure the results?
I need to look at numbers and feel
accomplishment in the fatigue I am feeling.
NOTE: Maggie is a tireless advocate for those with
brain diseases, we refer to as “the voiceless” – the ones who
often end up trapped in the justice system, in homeless shelters and abandoned
by the broken behavioral health system. Maggie is currently the President of
NAMI Somerset, volunteers for the Kentucky
State Interagency Council (SIAC); the Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities Planning and Advisory Council; serves on the Board of Directors for
Kentucky Partnership for Families and Children, is a certified Family Peer
Support Specialist, participant on the NAMI Kentucky Advocacy Advisory Committee and the
steering committee for the homeless initiative in Somerset. Wow, small wonder
Maggie is tired. If Kentucky had more advocates like Maggie, who actually walks the walk and not only talks the talk … we’d make changes in moving the mountain sooner. GG Burns
