Brave New Year — Not Everyone Has It as Good as You, So Be Kind

  People are dying in systems that congratulate themselves.

A new year arrives loudly.
Applause, resolutions, optimism on display.

But not everyone is celebrating.
Some enter the year already exhausted. Already surviving rather than living. That reality is easy to miss when encouragement becomes a performance.

I don't like making predictions. Still, it's difficult to ignore what is happening. Mental health is discussed more than ever, yet the sense of crisis deepens. We raise awareness, share messages, and applaud honesty — but very little actually changes. There is nothing new in that.

If I'm honest, I don't believe we truly understand the brain. Not in any deep or reliable way. Compared to what we pretend to know, it may as well be almost nothing. I include myself in that uncertainty. And that matters, because humility should be the starting point, not a weakness.

Many people who struggle were never invisible. They had treatment. They had appointments. They followed plans. They did what they were told. And still, they fell through. That should disturb us far more than it does.

In systems like those we rely on, many professionals are capable. But not all are competent enough to make a real difference. For some, the work becomes routine. The income stable. The methods familiar. Curiosity fades. Meanwhile, people deteriorate quietly within the system.

Sometimes what is offered isn't treatment at all.
It is structure.
It is company.
It is time passing.

And for some people, that is not enough to stay alive.

We have reached a point where procedure is confused with care, and language with understanding. Applause replaces responsibility. Kindness is talked about endlessly, but practiced rarely — especially when it costs something.

Not everyone has it as good as you.
This is not a metaphor.
People are dying in systems that congratulate themselves.
If that does not change how you act, then nothing we say about mental health really matters.

Before we end here, remember this: be kind.
It may help someone more than you realise.
Be good — and have a great 2026.

Best wishes,
Raymond and Ken