I'll keep it short: DU SAVES LIVES!

[vickitulsa]

...and for certain DU saves a lot of folks' SANITY!

:woohoo: :applause:

I'll try not to be too sentimental, so even GUYS might read all of this one. <wink>

First I should mention that some very kind person here at DU donated for me last November so I got a donor star, but because I'm legally blind and miss a lot of things, I didn't notice it until last month. It touched me so much that a friend I've made here would do that for me; however, since I noticed it so late, I haven't figured out a way to thank whoever did that!

Hopefully this post will cover that too. I truly cannot afford to donate, but with all my heart I've wished that I could, so this meant a lot to me.

Mainly I just wanted to say that I really do think this place called DU saves lives.

I've been an active participant in quite a few groups online since 1998, and I've grown pretty close to people that I've never met face to face. But of all the groups I've been in and eventually left for one reason or another, after long stays and short, I have to say that DU is unique. I understand this forum wasn't actually even geared to be a "support group," since our founders began it at around the time of the 2000 (stolen) election and intended it to help Democrats unite at a grassroots level to take our country back from the criminals who are in charge of it right now.

One would expect here the sorts of "lively" arguments and intense discussions that many times might not even be thought of as conducive to an aura of "supportiveness." Rather the purpose here is to discuss politics, which means the problems our society faces, informing each other as thoroughly as we can, and hopefully agreeing on some positive steps we can take to achieve our goals. Discussing problems frequently means having arguments or at least "heated" discussions.

Still, somehow, and in spite of the "heat" that gets generated around here sometimes, this is the one group I've been in which I can't seem to really drop out of -- even when I'm depressed and withdrawn. I'm not under pressure here to post if I don't feel like it, but when I do want to, I can always find here a few folks who want to discuss what's on my mind and heart. That alone can mean the difference between life or death, truly, for some of us who have occasional problems with depression. Our reasons for having to fight this oppressive emotional state certainly must vary widely. But if you know depression, you know depression. And sometimes having no one to turn to for encouragement can make a depressed person lose all hope. We all know how serious it can get if one gives up.

I just feel sure that others have experienced this effect from being here at DU, the way we can always find friends and hope here. I just wanted to voice it even though I know it may have been discussed here before or in fact may well be a foregone conclusion about DU! :)

So that's it. I know it's saved my sanity that I have this place and you people to come to! Knowing I have my fellow DUers to talk to and listen to at any time, day or night, can make all the difference to me. If I'm troubled and struggling, I can find people here -- I call them FRIENDS -- who care enough to reach out and offer support and encouragement ... and even give me sound and intelligent reasons WHY I should take hope! ;)

That can save people from going crazy; and it just shows me how honestly caring we Democrats really are! We're the party that CARES, dammit, and I'm very proud of that!

So thanks, DUers, I really do appreciate you. And the founders and mods and other helpers who no doubt have put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into creating this place and keeping it healthy and on track for all this time -- you've done a great job, and I thank you for that. I'm sure I'm not the only one whose life has been affected by DU in some very big ways. Guess I figure I'm saying it for everybody, in a way.

Or we can all argue about that, too, if you like! :rofl:

Love you guys! Thanks for being you and being here.

:toast: :yourock: :blush: :applause:

[classof56]

1. You about summed it up for me, Vicki. Thanks and glad you're on the board!

I never expect to agree with everyone in any group I belong to, but DU truly has been my source of truth and justice and my refuge in this INsane world.

Thanks to you, Vicki, for being here, and to all my fellow DUers.

Tired Old Cynic

[acmejack]

2. Yes you are!

For those of us that have no words. Thanx.

[datadiva]

3. Well said

You can speak for me anytime vickitulsa. :hug:

[NMDemDist2]

4. K&N

so glad you are here!

:hi:

[Maraya1969]

5. Thanks Vicki. You said a lot.

And I am thankful of the support I have received here also. People truly do care. :grouphug:

[Hell Hath No Fury]

6. Glad you (and so many others)...

have found a home here!


:hi: :toast: :loveya: :party:

[Dhalgren]

7. Sounds to me like you "see" things pretty damned clearly!

It is good that you are here, vicki...

[Philosoraptor]

8. SHARE THE LOVE!

[Nothing Without Hope]

9. Glad to have you in our community, vickitulsa! I think another thing we

need to keep reminding ourselves of - and we see it at DU repeatedly - is how much difference just ONE COMMITTED PERSON can make, even against seemingly impossible odds.

One example that is a recent one for me: the true story behind the documentary "Emmanuel's Gift," about a life-long disabled (one leg) man from Ghana who overcame truly "impossible" obstacles to become an athlete and much, much more. I highly recommend the movie, which has been out in DVD for some time. Here's a site with some of this man's story:
http://www.freewheelchairmission.org/travellog-ghana.html

And for you, my favorite Schweitzer quote:

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit. -–Albert Schweitzer, philosopher, physician, and musician (1875-1965)

A P.S. added in editing: if you do check out the "Emmanuel's Gift" film, be sure to watch/listen throughout the final credits. Some lovely surprise updates that are not to be missed are interspersed.

[vickitulsa]

10. So glad you mentioned that.

A VERY important point, for sure!

I remember once in my early 20's when a lot of major things had gone wrong in my life and I was feeling like I had nothing to offer or contribute any more. Therefore, I had nothing to really live for -- except to suffer, maybe, and I couldn't see the point in more of that! I didn't feel sorry for myself, but I did feel useless.

Then a friend pointed out to me that she thought I had a special gift, a good "use" -- that of simply being there to listen and care when anyone I knew turned to me for an encouraging word or a hug. She said, "You never know ... your encouragement at a critical time in someone else's life could give them what they need to go on when they were giving up, and then they might end up making a huge difference in all our lives....

I thought, "Yeah, what if, for example, Ghandi were depressed and giving up hope as a young man, but someone was there for him, offering him love and good reasons to keep hope alive and keep going when he would have languished and died."

I mean, we never know what others we touch may end up contributing, so any of us can be a part of something bigger that way, very easily and many times in our lives!

I'll check out "Emmanuel's Gift," NWH, and thanks for that and for the Schweitzer quote, too. I collect quotes, have for a long time, and that's one of my favorites that I hadn't yet saved to my quotes doc.

That's just another of the many ways DU is so great: the siglines of the members here, so worth reading, so many good quotes and original bits of writing that's well worth saving and pondering. Even the usernames you guys pick are often brilliant! "Nothing Without Hope" sure says a lot, for instance, and I so agree with ya.... ;)

The heat here in Oklahoma is about to shut my PC down until evening, so I might not be able to respond in this thread again for awhile, but I wanted to say THANK YOU to all who have posted here and to those who bumped it to the Greatest page so, as Philosoraptor noted, we can SHARE THE LOVE more widely. :blush: First time, I think, I've ever had a thread make it so far!

You all are the BEST! :hi:

[Nothing Without Hope]

11. You are so very right. It's all about ripples, one to another, spreading

to where we cannot predict and may never know. We at DU understand the ripple effect but still need to be reminded sometimes. Here is a famous post which first (to my knowlege) named the ripple effect in this community:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=1768573&mesg_id=1768573

It works in spreading political awareness and it also works in spreading hope and renewed purpose. That's why the neocons, like other fascists, try to rachet up the fear and isolation: to generate the sense of helpless despair in which we believe we can do nothing and must give them all power to "protect" us from the "enemies" they name. We have to counter that.

I'm betting the friend who pointed out to you how important your "being there" was also realized the importance and power of the ripple effect and had good reason to believe that you have strong effects on the people around you. When you start hearing that inner voice saying "you're worthless, the world wouldn't even notice if you disappeared," you have to realize that it's a lie. In my own experience with depression, I've learned that while that voice may still whisper, I CAN control my response and vulnerability to it by knowing it for what it is and taking steps that I know will counter it. If communicating with the DU community can be one of those steps for you, then it has served a vital purpose indeed. We're here for you.

:grouphug:

[freedomfries]

12. the party that cares

good line, vicki!

[roguevalley]

13. this place saved me from depression after the 2000 elections.

I agree. I love it here.

[ninkasi]

14. What a truly beautiful

and gracious post. I feel like you do, that sometimes DU keeps me going in spite of the insanity that is the Bush/Cheney regime. As long as there are people like those here on DU willing to do all we can to restore America to sanity, there is still hope. :grouphug: