The most important invention in your lifetime is…

[I was writing a post yesterday but wasn’t sure if I should publish it. I was like, “Okay God, if the daily writing prompt has something to do with inventing something, then I’ll publish it.”

Well lo and behold, the prompt is about an invention. Now, I think that the prompt is about an invention that has already happened, but I shall go against the grain and take it my way. So here we go.]

Significant recent events (that have happened in my personal life) have led me to realize this:

Mental health needs to be addressed.

Now, I know that mental health is a huge topic in our world today, especially among teenagers, but it’s not being addressed correctly.

Twice I’ve had instances when someone (two different people) told me that they were either suicidal or cutting themselves. Both times they asked me not to tell anyone.

Both times I listened.

[Added note: both of these people are safe and have adults working with them.]

But the second time (when someone told me they were cutting themselves) I said to them, “You need to tell an adult.” I’d been through this before, with the friend who was suicidal and I’ve had people say, “Always tell an adult.” Half the time those people who say that have never been through that experience.

But the reasons no one tells an adult about their peer who is suicidal, cutting themselves, or in danger, is because of the following reasons:

1. Trust. We don’t want to break our friend’s trust, and sometimes we’re unsure if the adult we think we can trust to tell is actually trust worthy.

2. Fear. We don’t know how or when to bring it up to an adult. Scared that they’ll send the friend to a mental hospital or do something wrong.

3. Confusion. We’re unsure of what to do, how to tell adults, and how to help. So we obey our friend’s request: don’t tell anyone, leave it alone, and eventually forget until something dire happens and it’s too late to change anything.

Y’all, I believe that after going through this kind of experience twice, we (specifically teenagers) need a class on this.

We need to learn how to tell an adult, how to respect the other person’s request and privacy, how to let the person know we care about them and their health, and how to continue to be there for them in that time.

Why isn’t this a class at school?! Y’all, if it is a class, it’s clearly not at all successful, informative, or helpful! Suicide death rates are growing rapidly.

Teenagers and adults are constantly faced with peers who confide in them saying they consider killing themselves (or other harmful actions) and never tell anyone because of the previous reasons!

Obviously, a class wouldn’t take away all the problems, but it would at least prepare people in the slightest sense. You’ll still be faced with fear and questions and confusion if someone comes to you with a harmful secret, but at least we’d know how to react.

I have a friend who is an adult and she attempted suicide three times. Now, she’s a leader at youth group and helps other troubled teens. But she is okay only because someone intervened. A friend found out when she was trying to attempt the third time and told an adult.

My friend said, “I was so mad at them. But now I’m so grateful and owe my life to them.”

Even if it makes your peer mad, telling an adult is the best choice, really.

But we do need help on how to do so wisely.

So those are my thoughts on what could be the most important invention of our lifetime, and it is one that can easily be made happen and should be made happen.

Thanks for reading, have a great day.
~Willow