What Hacksaw Ridge can teach us about mental health

As another Memorial Day approaches, I think about how this month of mental health awareness has such an impact not only on our veterans but our society as a whole. One film which carries significant meaning to me and overlaps both of those points is Hacksaw Ridge. It is the story of a medic who refused to bear arms and was bullied and punished as a result, yet still found the courage to do the unthinkable in the most difficult circumstances we could imagine. Desmond Doss single-handedly saved seventy-five men in a World War II battlefield that was known as Hacksaw Ridge, because people looked like they had gone through a hacksaw when they came down. Even while battered and injured, with each person he saved, he would say to himself “Let me get one more, Lord let me get one more.”

If we look at the causes of mental turbulence, often times it is because we are overwhelmed with the tasks at hand or stress in life. Yet if we look at these challenges with a different angle, just as Desmond, and we are able to tackle one task at a time, it makes them much easier to handle. When I go through difficulties in life and sometimes it feels like it’s too much, I think back about Desmond and how he handled it so gracefully, and one at a time saved all those men.

As difficult as things might appear, you just have to try and handle one thing at a time. As a healthcare worker, I’ve incorporated this into my work ethic every day. How can you change the world? One act of kindness at a time. The impact you can make is tremendous.

This Memorial Day, I will remember Desmond and all those men who gave their lives so that we can live ours. And remember, it just takes one.

https://youtu.be/5pBEnaBYwFI