Well, it's sad it had to come to this but I feel there's no alternative. I came here to connect with fellow survivors, those who've lived with the effects of brain injury for a considerable amount of time and understand me.
I've encountered some great people on this site who I'd say I could truly relate with. In the very least I realised that I'm not crazy, that there were people out there suffering through similar ordeals as me. I'll really miss the invaluable exchange of information that only this site could provide.
What I won't miss, is the general ignorance of brain injuries and more specifically what frontal lobe injuries do to people.
I'll share my thoughts on what I wish others without frontal damage would understand, if I have any lasting impact, I hope it's this. We are not children or animals, we're not stupid, usually we're quite intelligent, we might be naive through sheer lack of opportunity to engage in every human endevour others take for granted, but many of us still retain at least a shread of our former personalities that noone but ourselves can see. Please don't patronize us, we're not insolent children, we're in many ways more genuine beings than those with intact frontal lobes. Yes, we sometimes say things that others living in their own little social context find inappropriate, but it's because that filter everyone else has doesn't work in us and we shouldn't be reprimanded for expressing our feelings, the same feelings that others have but may choose to ignore for the sake of deceptive social contexts.
The other reason I'm leaving because of what I call "infighting" going on amongst those even with similar injuries to myself. I thought in very least that others with frontal damage would understand, but some people are eager to distance themselves from me, deleting their responses to my comments all for the sake of maintaing their social position and I can't help but think there's a tinge of insecurity I seem to bring out in others. All I can say is that it's sad that instead of helping others in a similar state, they prefer to please the masses, the "normal" people that they want to be considered as. It's a predicament that many of us face with brain injuries and especially frontal injuries, 99.9% of people we encouter don't have our injuries and don't like the idea of associating with brain injured/disabled people, so that stupid concept of peer-pressure forces people to behave in ingenuine ways, these people face two unfortunate choices, either accept the individuality of what the brain injury has given you or try to fit into the masses, it's an either-or situation. Survival instincts tell them to do the later despite their heart wanting the former. Tragic. But I know there are some here who are true to themselves, accept and acknowledge their individuality and it shines through in their posts, you are the reason I kept coming back, I just wish more were as genuine as you were.
Finally, the catalyst, a member calling me narrow-minded (comment delelted) and republishing a portion of my "About me" without permission together with a condescending tone. To that person, I say that not everyone had to agree with your views, if it causes you to feel insecure, don't shoot the messenger. I'm not here to gain enemies, that's a pointless activity. I'm strongly opinionated and don't want to necessarily please the crowd, I give my honest opinion that may sometimes cause others think outside of the paradigm they inhabit. It's sad that you can't take on board another perspective, acknowledge it and move on. How naive was I to have offered you my own book and then have this happen?
So I leave a little more informed on the full spectrum of people with brain injuries, their carers and I hope it helps me in future.
Hello I'm new here
To all brain injury specialists...
Good people
New member- don't know what's going on right now!
