As a final requirement for my course on Assessment & Initial Intervention of Individual & Relationship Disorder, I joined a field trip at the National Center for Mental Health.  It was an opportunity to encounter people who are objects of our discussion in the classroom.  The first thing that caught my attention was the condition of the patients in the male ward.  The ventilation was poor.  I can smell the sweat and human odor in the air.  The lecturer-guide began to take his cue.  I purposedly slipped out of the crowd and focused my attention to the patients in the male ward.  I wanted to see and observe what was going on inside the ward.  I carefully observed their movements as they interact with each other.  Some watchers were there.  Some patients acted strangely, murmuring while lying, some were tied on their beds while others were walking here and there with blank looks.  I took the opportunity to chat with a staff and found out that majority of the cases are schizophrenia, some bipolars and mentally retarded ones.  As we passed through the corridor, I noticed a young lady in her early twenties, singing and reciting incoherent words.  She was restless.  In short, I saw people, young and old living in their own imaginary worlds.

Having seen these people in their pitiable state, I wonder how in the world do they come to this condition.  Perhaps their personal problem and concerns or maybe the circumstances in which they find themselves were too overwhelming for them to bear.  I felt pity for these people who gave up their sanity and living like moving objects who in one way or another lose some qualities of being a human person.  I also realized how inadequate the facilities and services our government is giving to the patients and the institution.  Seeing these people living a "sub-human" state, losing their sense of reality and connection to their families and the rest of the human community is what affected me most in this experience.

Those moments of encounter with the patients gave me a sense of awareness to the other side of the reality of our existential condition.  This strengthens my conviction about the fragility of the human psyche.  It made me think and feel the need for LOVE and COMPASSION in our human relationship.  I am inclined to believe that somewhere along the way, these individuals did not experience enough love and compassion as they carry their own “burden”.  Perhaps, they felt alone and uncared for or felt that they have nobody to turn to or to talk with about what’s going on inside them.

As a way of realization, I feel the invitation to do something for the welfare of others.  There is so much hurt in other peoples’ lives. I can speak from my own experience of hurts and burdens.  I have to do something to lessen the pains and loneliness that are pervading in our human community, however little.  Perhaps a gentle smile, a tap on the shoulder, a kind word of comfort, a warm hug, or an empathic listening to a friend's burden.  Spreading seeds of kindness and scattering sunshines need not be in heroic, extraordinary manner . Through this course in CEFAM I will be equipped to help myself and others in my own little ways, to listen and perhaps to “journey” with them as we move forward to our quest for meaning, joy, wholeness and healing.