Crutches

A few months ago, I was in the Eccles Building at the University of Utah listening to a student speech competition.The maturity, authenticity, and presentation skills of the young speakers took me by surprise. Knowledge and passion was revealed as each discussed topics ranging from dog ears to suicide.

Of the 30 or so student speakers, one caught my attention. Her remarks were dubbed, “Crutches.” In essence, she spoke about a loved one suffering through drug addiction, a problem that far too many (more than 20 million Americans) face.

Midway into the speech, this young woman began to explain that this person was afraid to ask for help. She followed by asking sincerely: “ Why? What’s wrong with crutches?”

Her inquiry displayed a flawed type of thinking that purveys and hurts our society.

Stigma

There is definitely a stigma associated with crutches. And I’m not just talking about the types used for leg injuries.

To be frank, most of us (including myself) see someone with crutches as having an obvious weakness. And if someone has a weakness inferiority must follow, right?

Assuming inferiority is where misconstrued thinking starts. It’s also where our thinking needs to change. Frankly, as a society, we should applaud those who seek aid.

Instead of believing that a crutch signifies weakness, we should say, “Folks with aids are strong for having the courage to seek healing.”

Community Support Heals

When we point out crutches we do something cruel. We make the healing process more lengthy and remind the recoverer that something is wrong with them; that they’re weak.

Interestingly, communities can also have a very real effect in helping to heal those seeking succor. A recent study about mass shootings has show that an “increase in community solidarity 'can be enormously beneficial following a tragedy.’”

That’s important.

If people in a community react by supporting - by being a crutch themselves - those suffering through physical or psychological damage there is a greater likelihood that people who are struggling will find help and be more resilient.

This life is about people. To borrow a phrase, the happiest way to live is to “love people and use things, not to love things and use people.”

I wanted to say to that young woman at the speech competition that there wasn’t anything wrong with crutches. But I don’t think I can say that until society shifts. Stigma is very real. It can be as damaging as the physical or mental anguish that is already hurting people. Changing this issue won’t be easy, but like most cultural shifts it has to start at the individual level.

In that spirit, let’s not mock crutches. Let’s be crutches.