Cory Richardsさんのインスタグラム写真 - (Cory RichardsInstagram)「February 4th, 2011. // A lot changed after this photo. And if I’m honest, its taken 12 years to gratefully embrace the radical shifts. On one hand, the climb and avalanche launched a long and meaningful career with @natgeo I did 12 feature assignments for the magazine that affected policy and conservation. The the world opened up. I also took a lot of it for granted, often missing the moment, blinded by an onslaught of opportunity and arrogance. Just now am I really feeling the gravity of what I was offered. But the avalanche also led me into a long and often dark journey with complex post traumatic stress and acute PTSD, unraveling much of my inner world, influencing my actions, leading me to behave out of alignment with my values and virtue. All of that led me into my advocacy around mental health. I discovered that feigned vulnerability was a way to mask the inner turmoil. I had all the words, but none of the feelings. Speaking to it drove disconnection because I was was using vulnerability to hijack connection which drove isolation. By being “honest” and “authentic”, I could escape real accountability. I needed to go through it to understand. I was disconnected not only with the world around me, but with myself. In time, I learned what real authenticity looks and feels like. I learned that I can know it all, but knowledge isn’t healing. In fact, the knowing is often a trap, leading us into stories that hold us captive. Healing happens when we drop the story, stop hiding behind it to justify all the bullshit, and transcend the narrative. I see this a lot these days. One of the issues with the broader and much needed conversation around mental health is it gets used not to understand but excuse poor behavior. Choices are still ours. Stories are chosen. And even if actions feel out of our control, addressing the root issues is not. The work of mental health is not leveraging brokenness to sidestep responsibility. Brokenness itself is a story. Yes, things happen. Yes, they can change our brains. Our job is to care for and heal those wounds, understand our stories but not be defined by them, and bring us into alignment with ourselves.」2月5日 3時06分