Bing Me
Considering just the small amount of anecdotal evidence I’ve amassed in the past several years of doing what I can to be a part of the issue of surviving trauma, it’s becoming sort of clear that we are a downtrodden and beaten down lot of folk. This really hit home the other night when I decided to turn to the new search engine Microsoft has put together called "Bing". I started off searching my favorite search term "trauma survivor". As the results came up, I was first delighted to see that on page one two sites that I own and operate, and a site that has my fingerprint on it which also has two entries on page one… so that’s 4 out of 10 entries on page ONE of an international top runner search engine was either my work or had my fingerprint on it:
Results for a search using bing.com for "trauma survivor"
At first I was delighted! For just a moment, pride began to seep in.
Soon pride turned to sorrow as I began to realize how this simply should not be so. There are what? 10 million? 15 million? 25 million of us in the US alone? And you’re telling me that I crowd page one of a Bing search in that way?
Something is terribly terribly wrong and completely broken. I should not even be on page one. I would be much happier if I was trumped by several hundred far more furvent far more capable champions of the cause than I. The potential for such is certainly there, but it’s just not happening.
Reasons? Anybody?
My summation is as its been for several years now. As I’ve said before, I chalk it up to the "deserted island" syndrome. We are all; each of us survivors on our own individual deserted island. Alone to our thoughts, alone in figuring all this out. It is that way (in my humble opinion) again, because of the very nature of trauma injury. It’s a very ugly thing. The very thought of trauma injury strikes at the deepest, most primal fears of most everyone on the planet, save those that have actually suffered it.
Because of this, very few of us ever get the support, the ear that the vast majority have earned and deserve.
I’ve yet to have someone strike up a conversation: "So Steve; I understand you’ve been cut out of a car… what’s that like?". When I wrote the article "Sick of the GodDamned Outline", I meant it. Some articles I may delete over time, but that one will stay, because it’s the heart of truth for me. The "outline" is all it takes for me to summize that a person would really prefer to change the subject or do what ever is required to get off that topic.
This is what the vast majority of us face (again, based on anecdotal information). That is a clue that things are broken.
We are very good at treating trauma in this nation, amazingly so. Very poor at giving survivors a second shot at a fulfulled life.
So how do we fix that?
Well, if we are as I put it; each on our own deserted island, what we need to do is to start a massive bridge building program. Those bridges would connect each of the deserted islands one to another. I think that’s the perfect metaphor to demonstrate both the problem and the solution.
So how do we get to the solution?
We build?
The Trauma Survivors Network is an awesome start. I wish it was further along than it is. What I think we need is a grass roots organization. I have a picture in my own mind what that should look like, but I need to kick the can a little further down the road before I can do anything to affect change. Rest assured I’m kicking as hard as I can, but these things do take time.
I’ve gotten back into talks with the Ryder Trauma Center about the possibility of starting a trauma survivor group there. Even after just an initial conversation, I’m now very hopeful that will happen. The group will happen regardless, but I really would like to hold it at Ryder, because that will hasten the convincing, acceptance and building of the Trauma Survivors Network in that trauma center, which as anyone that’s followed me knows has been a desire of mine long before the program was initiated.
Can you build bridges where you are? This is something that all survivors need to think about. Anyone that’s interested, PLEASE contact me. I would be thrilled to speak with you and work with you and offer some guidance.