I love TED Talks. These “ideas worth spreading” are a series of intellectually awesome speeches and blogs started in 1984. TED stands for technology, entertainment, and design. These talks were started as a way to create conversation and stimulate ideas toward chaining the world with new, fresh ideas.

Countless scientists, business people, philosophers, artists, athletes, and great thinkers of our current time have written blogs and given speeches in order to throw out ideas and foster communication in order to get things done. Work-life balance, dealing with depression, advancing in science where it was never thought to grow. Countless amounts of really smart people creating really smart ideas to change society for the better.

Throughout the history of these talks, the subject of self-harm has never been brought to light. Countless speeches on suicide, depression, and addiction. But not one speech was designed around self-harm. The consequences of the physical act of harming one’s self to the overall effect on the family and friends of those who harm. What it feels like to feel steel slice through the skin…watching the blood flow. Letting go of the pain and agony of being bullied, raped, molested, or staying in the closet.

Maybe it’s time to have this conversation openly, instead of the leaving this in the dark shadows of our culture. Maybe it’s time to eradicate the perceived shame and ignorant ideas of personal weakness that is associated with self-harm. Maybe someone, much smarter than I, can come up with a better way to help treat those who harm. Maybe someone, much richer than I, can leads the way with money to research and help those struggling. Maybe someone, on a much larger global scale, could hear the pleas of groups such as The Official Semicolon Project for help spreading a healthy world-wide virus of love and support for those who harm.

Maybe it’s just finally time to honestly talk about self-harm.
Maybe it’s just time.