17 Comments
User's avatar
Laurel Krause's avatar

Dear Carne, Such a brave and revealing essay that may help many. Wishing you and your family love, peace and comfort in this lifetime. 🌺☮️

Carne Ross's avatar

Thanks Laurel. I appreciate that coming from you, having walked the road you have walked.

Bernard Nolan's avatar

Thanks for sharing this Carne. Your openness & courage is inspirational.

Carne Ross's avatar

Thanks Bernard. I appreciate that.

Panthea Lee 李佩珊's avatar

Thank you for writing and sharing this, and for your openness about what you're moving through. Sending care for this episode and for the path through it.

The shedding of our masks to leave behind a more connected, albeit more vulnerable, self deeply resonated. I admire the courage of your shedding, and am grateful for such an honest glimpse into terrain that many people rarely see and often struggle to understand.

Carne Ross's avatar

Thank you Panthea. Your point crystallizes better than I can why I wrote the post. I am desperate to see a society where we are unmasked to one another.

Joe Taylor's avatar

Thank you for writing this Carne. A bipolar friend of mine died by suicide and is sadly missed - she was an amazing person. The section about Jung spoke to me also, and I wanted to say how much your work and principles have inspired me - on Iraq, on Rojava, on the Green Party, and on assemblies.

Carne Ross's avatar

Thanks Joe. I appreciate that and I'm sorry about your friend. That's so so sad.

Nicole Wyrsch's avatar

Carne, I am so touched by this account, which goes straight to my heart. Thanks for being the wonderful person you are.

Carne Ross's avatar

Thanks Nicole. That's very kind.

Laila's avatar

This is very powerful and poignant Carne. And brave. As your friend for almost 40 years now (although we have fallen out of touch lately -- we need to fix this), I remember you before the medication. But I was too inexperienced myself to understand the implications of your intense swings between states of mind. I am so glad that you went to that psychiatrist all those years ago and got the help you needed. Sending you love from Canada, Laila

Carne Ross's avatar

Thanks Laila. I'm glad to get your message. When are we going to chat? Love to you and R.

Gail Pellett's avatar

Carne. Thank you for this. I encountered my first wildly bipolar friend in the 70s...a great education and frightening, worrying. But your words here pull us deeper into a more nuanced understanding. And help us all be a bit more observant and patient, and kind. Much love, Gail

Carne Ross's avatar

Thanks Gail. That's very kind of you to say. Thank you and love to you and S.

Libby Hudson/Kerensky's avatar

Very helpful, thank you.

Clare Patey's avatar

Thank you for writing this Carne, I keep thinking about it as I'm going about my day. It is brave and honest and I've found it both incredibly useful and profoundly moving.

Stephan Van Dam's avatar

Carne, I admire your courage and hope the book can be a katharsis…can’t wait to read it.