Your story about Nick could perhaps be a perfect literary parable for our whole society, culture and country.

My son died at 39 years of age from severe schizophrenia. A full autopsy was completed I still have it, have taken it out and reread it several times in the two years since his death.

My son’s name was Jack, he did not have health insurance and I don’t believe he was ever correctly diagnosed or treated even though I paid over $30,000 for the involuntary lock up psychiatric hospitals.

America, it seems to me, has some deep seated delusions abetted by our large areas of cultural arrogance and ignorance. We worship the idols of self will, will power, the western myths of the self made man and the Lone Ranger. We want spirituality coded into a doctrinal book of does and do nots. We want black and white, the good guy kills the bad guy dead, everything fixed and under control. It served us pretty well as a developing nation of immigrants exploiting an untamed wilderness rich in natural resources.

We, America, now perhaps much resemble our president. Overweight, puffy and orange soft skinned egomaniac bellowing grandiosity, threats and divisive demagoguery. We refuse to look at ourselves, we mimic and ridicule the disabled, poor, broken and struggling members of our disposable minded society.

Our current cultural cannot address mental health issues, healthcare in general, environmental issues, systemic immigration reform, bi-lateral relations with other countries, the global economic realities, education or common infrastructure strategy because we refuse to calmly gaze on ourselves and reflectively inventory our own patterns. Admitting we have a problem comes first and we, it seems to me, are more interested in slogans and left vs right than a fearlessly honest self assessment.

Nick has suffered as have all around him. The love of his mother was the grace to keep trying. There was no “good-bad”, “right-wring” exactly — most of the teachers and doctors were probably well intended. It took perseverance of a creative woman to stay with the sick patient until she found with Nick an answer. Our whole society needs a “Nick Experience”, maybe when our head can no longer be picked up we will seek honesty.