Member-only story
Anything That Is Mentionable Is Manageable
The Danger of Blanketing “Shameful Subjects”
I met with a therapist named Dan for close to a decade who had this excellent Mr. Rogers quote framed on his wall:
“Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important talk can help us know that we are not alone.”
-Fred Rogers
[Non-members can read this piece for free by clicking here!]
Although Dan was himself a Christian, and worked for a Christian mental health organization, this was a stark contrast for me from the religiosity in which I was raised (arguably more influenced by Paul than by Christ):
“It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret.”
— Ephesians 5:12
Well, that clears things up. And then we have…
“For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I…
