The Unseen Veil
In a little northern town, where life seems to go slowly, lived a young man. To the outside world he was a regular person, known for his vibrant and imaginative creativity. But inside, he was grappling with a silent struggle—derealization.
Every morning he would wake up to the familiar sight of his room, yet it felt like he was seeing it through a foggy lens. The colors seemed muted, the sounds distant. His own reflection in the mirror appeared like a stranger’s. He often wondered if he was trapped in a perpetual dream, unable to wake up.
One day, while working on story his hands trembled as he tried to write. The words blurred, and he felt a wave of panic. He stepped away from his desk, hoping a walk outside would clear his mind. As he wandered through the streets of his small town, the vibrant greenery and the laughter of children playing seemed surreal, like a scene from a movie.
His condition made it difficult to connect with others. Conversations felt like they were happening in a different dimension. His friends noticed his growing distance but didn’t understand the depth of his struggle. He felt isolated, trapped in a world that didn’t feel real.
It took years but he started coming up with ways to verify what was real and what was not. With great effort he began to be able to ground himself more and more in the real world and accept the real, physical world. He worked hard to create real relationships with people, even though he was never totally sure that the people cared about him...or that they were real people.
Slowly, he started to regain a sense of control. One evening, as he sat by his window, watching cars lights twinkle as they drove by, he felt a small shift. The lights seemed a bit brighter, the sounds a bit clearer. It wasn’t a complete transformation, but it was a start. He realized that while the journey ahead might be long, he wasn’t alone. He had the support of his friends, his family, and most importantly, his own resilience.
Despite the unseen veil of derealization, he continued to create, to connect, and to find moments of clarity. His journey reminds us that even in the midst of uncertainty, there is hope, and with perseverance, we can find our way back to reality.
We wish this young man well.
ReplyDeleteThe place of choice is certainly a different one if we think in terms of a world which is compulsively present to the will, and the discernment and exploration of which is a slow business. Moral change and moral achievement are slow; we are not free in the sense of being able suddenly to alter ourselves since we cannot suddenly alter what we can see and ergo what we desire and are compelled by.
ReplyDeleteIris Murdoch