I quote from the book,
"The survivors of the Great Death had to face it alone."
The author mentions that no psychological or physical relief was available, and referenced to the "Red Cross" that is available today. He continues in the next passage to say that the survivors just held in their feelings and didn't choose to talk about them. The survivors were not alone...they had each other!!
Keeping feelings bottled up does NOT help in any situation. I definitely understand that the situation was unpleasant and hurtful, but talking about it seems to be a better solution than ignoring it. When people talk about things, they can find ways to overcome.
I would agree that talking about it is important but not everyone it comfortable talking about how they are feeling or what they are going through.
ReplyDeleteI agree too but think the way in which Native Alaskan are brought up through their culture, not all but some, like to forget about the bad things not bringing them up. I think he is saying they were alone because of how everything happened, their culture had always taught them if you don't talk about things you will forget. Which doesn't help, but is how certain people are raised.
ReplyDeleteYes I agree with casavel... I think because of their culture that isolated them very much. As a whole, they were alone, but then they had each other.
ReplyDeleteTalking about it is the solution Harold was working for through the people in community circles. Yes JR you got it, because of there culture they can work through there loss of a humbled culture. A overcome thier dependency and gain dignity of ones self and thier community.
ReplyDeleteYea, but not talking about things was also a way of life. And when the missionaries came they didn't stand a chance after the great death to recover on their own. As soon as the misisonaries said, oh, we'll take care of this, they lost even more of their independce and just let themselves be lead. They did this because everything they had known had just seemed to be proven wrong. Why had so many died from unkown diseases? They thought of these diseases as illness of the spirt, and when their medicine men couldn't fix it, it was as if the spirit world had turned on them. How can you talk to each other when you both feel the same way? Would it really have made their depression lessen, or would they have fallen even further when they realized no one else had any hope either?
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely possible to still talk to each other when you feel the same way! The more people agree, the more the tribe unites! This could have given hope to these people, but instead they chose to bottle up their feelings. Who knows what could've happened if they would have just let their feelings out?
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