Thank you so much for writing this incredibly powerful piece. Your words are haunting and brilliant and rip the facades of our society to shreds. I feel so sad that ‘Jeremy’ went through this. And that so many other others are too. You are doing important work. ✨
Thank you so much. “Jeremy” is very important to me.
He started as a boy who did not really have a name. Then one day I put Jeremy into an essay as a placeholder, and the name stayed. I think he needed a name. I am really glad he resonated with you.
And please know, while it is right to feel sad for what he went through, Jeremy is 37 now and doing well for himself.
I high functioned until I became a mother, then I was just another parent looking for help and getting laughed at. Not the violence people immediately think of, but I’m not laughing.
A powerful and deeply moving piece. It strikes at the most vulnerable truth: 'high-functioning' is often not a sign of strength, but the ultimate state of forced survival. Society welcomes people who suffer in silence without disrupting the schedule. Jeremy’s story is a vital reminder to us all: just because someone doesn't ask for help and seems to manage everything, it doesn't mean they aren't hurting. It might just mean they have lost all faith in being heard.
Thank you so much for writing this incredibly powerful piece. Your words are haunting and brilliant and rip the facades of our society to shreds. I feel so sad that ‘Jeremy’ went through this. And that so many other others are too. You are doing important work. ✨
Tahnee,
Thank you so much. “Jeremy” is very important to me.
He started as a boy who did not really have a name. Then one day I put Jeremy into an essay as a placeholder, and the name stayed. I think he needed a name. I am really glad he resonated with you.
And please know, while it is right to feel sad for what he went through, Jeremy is 37 now and doing well for himself.
He made it.
With humility, Josh
I high functioned until I became a mother, then I was just another parent looking for help and getting laughed at. Not the violence people immediately think of, but I’m not laughing.
A powerful and deeply moving piece. It strikes at the most vulnerable truth: 'high-functioning' is often not a sign of strength, but the ultimate state of forced survival. Society welcomes people who suffer in silence without disrupting the schedule. Jeremy’s story is a vital reminder to us all: just because someone doesn't ask for help and seems to manage everything, it doesn't mean they aren't hurting. It might just mean they have lost all faith in being heard.
Violence. That is a terribly apt description. Treated worse for the very fact of being more verbal, more able to mask, easier to bully.