Reflecting on Send Silence Packing by Active Minds

This past week, Active Minds presented the “Send Silence Packing” suicide awareness backpack display on campus. This display provides an opportunity for our campus to be touched by the stories of people affected by suicide. The purpose of this display is to make an effort to end the silence that surrounds the stigma around mental health and suicide. The backpacks that covered the outside of Campion Student Center represented each individual who had taken their life or attempted to. It also included a story of each person affected by each backpack. When I first saw the display, it left a pit in my stomach, and I was consumed with a wave of emotions. This visual put into perspective the multitude of people that have experienced this tragedy.

I appreciated this display because it highlights a topic I feel most schools fear discussing. Many institutes fall into the habit of disregarding mental health as a whole, which I think is a mistake. It is essential to call attention to this topic because many students, including myself, tend to push mental health aside and let it progress and worsen.

After walking around and reading some of the stories people had written about losing their loved one, I recognized a common theme: family members and friends wished their loved one would have sought help. It was hard for me to grasp that the people struggling the most can be the people that have a lot going for them, including valedictorian, team captain, college graduate, getting married, etc . . .

As I witnessed other people reading stories and walking through these backpacks, I saw the effect this display brought on campus. It brought awareness by putting the problem right in front of our faces. I saw some students walking past the display and ignoring it, most likely from being in a rush, or maybe just not interested, which is part of the problem. It seemed evident that some students did not want to engage, maybe because they were silenced and do not want to open up or accept that this is reality.

A couple of years ago, I was that person that did not want to accept mental health as a significant issue until I was impacted by it. It’s hard to comprehend the weight of mental health until you see it for yourself. This display changed my perspective on how precious life is. If you made it this far and are still reading, please check in on your friends and family. Even the happiest people are going through the toughest battles.