Damn. I recently started following you because I'm interested in giving up my smartphone. I had NO IDEA you were living with an invisible illness. I'm also a young disabled person, and this post means so much to me. Thank you for so elegantly verbalizing the struggle of making decisions around self disclosure.
Thank you, August, once more. One of the hardest things I am concentrating on lately is deconstructing the negative experiences of my life that I have always defaulted to for self-identification/description. Your clarity & honesty re: your own situation affirms the rightness of the work I am doing. Again: your generosity is as appreciated as it is humbling. ❤️ 🙏🏼 ❤️🩹 🙏🏼 ❤️
You absolutely are not privileged. (You’ve known what it’s like to not have enough money, and you’ve supported yourself through your own hard work for SO long.)
Hypothetically, even if you were privileged, you’re so down-to-earth that you would recognize your blessings and express gratitude for them.
I think all of your critics (except you) don’t really know your personality or your story and are just grasping for something to denounce because they’re intimidated by your power. (I know, I sound cliché.)
Your successes are powerful. Your artwork and your writing are powerful. Even this post is so punchy. You caught me immediately with the first line of this blog post, and everything through to the last line left me impressed.
Yes, you bring up an excellent point that people struggling with illnesses are completely free to decide whether to communicate their illness or not. And further, that it’s not some kind of virtue signal to have an illness.
I think one of the many lessons here in your post, which the “unwashed masses” online usually fail to recognize (hell, *I* fail to remember it most days) is that most people are struggling with something, or multiple things, and they often don’t talk about their struggles. We are all of us too quick to judge. Especially stupid people. And most people are going to be stupider than you, August.
I’ve been following you for years, but because you stopped publishing about your degenerative spine, I began to think the symptoms were improving. (Oops.) I hope, in whatever way possible, that your situation only improves.
Hmm, I could learn a thing or two from you about brevity.
I think one option might simply be to share the logistics story. How does someone manage drs and insurance abroad with a disability? Sharing knowledge is solidarity.
I'm curious: why is ignoring the comments and writing what you want not an option? Genuine question.
I loved the last lines of this essay even though I think it sounds good but it's inaccurate: physical health is so marvelous and I'd take emotional suffering over physical pain any day.
I admire you for living through this so courageously.
You're being generous. The title of their pain is 'jealousy' and perhaps, delusion. Privilege police are terrified to live their own lives. Being called out in the way that happened to you is never informative, never healing or redemptive, and always, always, rooted in fear.
I adore your writing for its commitment to self-honesty. And that kind of thing always feels threatening to people who are afraid to look at their own lives with the same honesty. So I say option #5, just keep up the good work. You don’t owe anyone an explanation
Having the benefit of being subscribed around that time ‘til I couldn’t seem to reliably hang onto so much as my digital pocket change—your resilience / the will of whatever creative thing won’t lay down inside you has remained part of my awareness. Your artistry in drawing was so different / beautiful and then you’d blow in with aptitude in a whole new medium—then another and another. I have done and deeply admire your attitude. If it’s from your perspective, I feel like I’ll enjoy any medium transition and that’s such a rare thing. Anyway, I see you. Eugh, I’d probably be irked by somebody saying that to me tho… alas
this is deep! this is real. i will be thinking about this for so long. i too am starting to see myself only through one struggle that i tell people, and i need to learn to stop defining myself through that one aspect- but i know that some people will feel lied to if i don’t mention it and others will assume that i don’t understand because it will not be something i point out about myself anymore. it’s freeing to be able to talk about silent struggles, but it’s almost more freeing to be able to forget for a little while.
everyday I look for a new post from you, and had become frustrated waiting for something new. I feel embarrassed now that I know how you have suffered. I admire your work and hope you feel better
So many of us are privileged in one way or another. It just depends on how you look at the word privilege. I think accusing someone of being privileged is just their jealousy speaking. Jealousy has a very very low vibrational frequency. One of the lowest, in fact. And low frequency emotions will eat away at you.
So, if anyone is on here experiencing feelings of jealousy towards someone else: Acknowledge the jealousy, thank it for showing you what you want more of in life(i.e. travel, money, happiness, whatever), and then RELEASE THAT SHIT. Because you do not know that persons whole story and the pains they are silently struggling with. And furthermore, degenerative spine disease or not, you are allowed to live your life without feeling shame for living. Sheesh.
"Pity the healthy. They have no title for their pain." love this!
Damn. I recently started following you because I'm interested in giving up my smartphone. I had NO IDEA you were living with an invisible illness. I'm also a young disabled person, and this post means so much to me. Thank you for so elegantly verbalizing the struggle of making decisions around self disclosure.
Thank you, August, once more. One of the hardest things I am concentrating on lately is deconstructing the negative experiences of my life that I have always defaulted to for self-identification/description. Your clarity & honesty re: your own situation affirms the rightness of the work I am doing. Again: your generosity is as appreciated as it is humbling. ❤️ 🙏🏼 ❤️🩹 🙏🏼 ❤️
Well said!
You absolutely are not privileged. (You’ve known what it’s like to not have enough money, and you’ve supported yourself through your own hard work for SO long.)
Hypothetically, even if you were privileged, you’re so down-to-earth that you would recognize your blessings and express gratitude for them.
I think all of your critics (except you) don’t really know your personality or your story and are just grasping for something to denounce because they’re intimidated by your power. (I know, I sound cliché.)
Your successes are powerful. Your artwork and your writing are powerful. Even this post is so punchy. You caught me immediately with the first line of this blog post, and everything through to the last line left me impressed.
Yes, you bring up an excellent point that people struggling with illnesses are completely free to decide whether to communicate their illness or not. And further, that it’s not some kind of virtue signal to have an illness.
I think one of the many lessons here in your post, which the “unwashed masses” online usually fail to recognize (hell, *I* fail to remember it most days) is that most people are struggling with something, or multiple things, and they often don’t talk about their struggles. We are all of us too quick to judge. Especially stupid people. And most people are going to be stupider than you, August.
I’ve been following you for years, but because you stopped publishing about your degenerative spine, I began to think the symptoms were improving. (Oops.) I hope, in whatever way possible, that your situation only improves.
Hmm, I could learn a thing or two from you about brevity.
-Hope
I think one option might simply be to share the logistics story. How does someone manage drs and insurance abroad with a disability? Sharing knowledge is solidarity.
Oh my god, this line :
“Though I appeared to live on, to experience new things, none of it was real in the way my pain was real.”
This was so visceral, such a great read, and that quote made me feel so connected to your writing.
I'm curious: why is ignoring the comments and writing what you want not an option? Genuine question.
I loved the last lines of this essay even though I think it sounds good but it's inaccurate: physical health is so marvelous and I'd take emotional suffering over physical pain any day.
I admire you for living through this so courageously.
You're being generous. The title of their pain is 'jealousy' and perhaps, delusion. Privilege police are terrified to live their own lives. Being called out in the way that happened to you is never informative, never healing or redemptive, and always, always, rooted in fear.
Love reading your stuff
I adore your writing for its commitment to self-honesty. And that kind of thing always feels threatening to people who are afraid to look at their own lives with the same honesty. So I say option #5, just keep up the good work. You don’t owe anyone an explanation
Having the benefit of being subscribed around that time ‘til I couldn’t seem to reliably hang onto so much as my digital pocket change—your resilience / the will of whatever creative thing won’t lay down inside you has remained part of my awareness. Your artistry in drawing was so different / beautiful and then you’d blow in with aptitude in a whole new medium—then another and another. I have done and deeply admire your attitude. If it’s from your perspective, I feel like I’ll enjoy any medium transition and that’s such a rare thing. Anyway, I see you. Eugh, I’d probably be irked by somebody saying that to me tho… alas
I'm nearly certain it's the pastries
this is deep! this is real. i will be thinking about this for so long. i too am starting to see myself only through one struggle that i tell people, and i need to learn to stop defining myself through that one aspect- but i know that some people will feel lied to if i don’t mention it and others will assume that i don’t understand because it will not be something i point out about myself anymore. it’s freeing to be able to talk about silent struggles, but it’s almost more freeing to be able to forget for a little while.
everyday I look for a new post from you, and had become frustrated waiting for something new. I feel embarrassed now that I know how you have suffered. I admire your work and hope you feel better
unique & beautiful.
So many of us are privileged in one way or another. It just depends on how you look at the word privilege. I think accusing someone of being privileged is just their jealousy speaking. Jealousy has a very very low vibrational frequency. One of the lowest, in fact. And low frequency emotions will eat away at you.
So, if anyone is on here experiencing feelings of jealousy towards someone else: Acknowledge the jealousy, thank it for showing you what you want more of in life(i.e. travel, money, happiness, whatever), and then RELEASE THAT SHIT. Because you do not know that persons whole story and the pains they are silently struggling with. And furthermore, degenerative spine disease or not, you are allowed to live your life without feeling shame for living. Sheesh.