Imagine Dragon’s song “Demons” came on the other day, and, in the aftermath of recent hurricanes, its opening lines struck me differently than they had before. Before I explain, I would first like to clarify that I am not speaking to the victims of the hurricanes, nor am I proposing an interpretation of the song. These lyrics merely started my reflections.
“When the days are cold
And the cards all fold
And the saints we see are all made of gold…”
I would like to propose that the “saints we see” are not “all made of gold.” Interpreting the word “saints” in a more colloquial sense, we have only to open our eyes to see them walking among us. Every so often, a historical event occurs that illuminates these saints—these good people—for us to see more clearly.
Natural disasters are such historical events. Neighbors pull together and assist each other however they can. Food relief organizations, and people belonging to crisis aid groups such as Operation Airdrop, the Mountain Mule Packers, and the Cajun Navy (to name only a few) deploy to the affected area to provide their services. These are not gold statues. They are ordinary humans who’ve chosen to dedicate their time and talents out of the love of their fellow man.
From a mental health perspective, it is all too easy to slip into the cynical belief that there are no good people anymore. Or, if there are, they only show up when disaster has struck. While it is true that people tend to come together after a disaster, it is untrue to say that the goodness aroused in such a time exists only within that context. That goodness exists in ordinary people. The problem is that we do not look for it in our day-to-day lives.
The more we train ourselves to look for the “saints” walking among us, the more we will find them. It may not be heroic. The “saint” on a given day may be the stranger who smiles at us when we were feeling invisible. They may be the person who stops to assist an elderly person with an item in the grocery store. It may be a small act of kindness, but it is important to remember that it could just as easily not have been done at all.
As a mental health exercise this week, I propose we challenge ourselves to:
- Try to do at least one kind act for another.
- Try to notice someone else’s kind act—no matter how small it may seem.
Begin rewriting the belief that the “saints we see are all made of gold.” Let’s become living, breathing “saints” in our ordinary lives.
About Ann-Marie Wingerter:
Ann-Marie is a Licensed Professional Counselor at Healthy Minds Therapy. She earned her Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Franciscan University of Steubenville, with a concentration in Crisis Intervention and Trauma Counseling. Ann-Marie takes an integrative and client-centered approach to therapy, drawing from cognitive behavioral (CBT) and dialectical behavioral (DBT) techniques to support her clients. She enjoys working with individuals navigating life transitions, anxiety, depression, interpersonal challenges, behavioral concerns, trauma, and obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Learn more about Ann-Marie HERE!