“How have I come to this?
How did I slip and fall?
How did I throw half a lifetime away
Without any thought at all?

This should have been my time
It’s over, it never began
I closed my eyes to so much for so long
and I no longer can…“

In 2000, Sir Elton John’s and Tim’s Rice’s Aida premiered on Broadway. Its run lasted four (4) years.

One of the more powerful songs in Aida was entitled, “I Know the Truth.” A haunting yet beautiful aria sung by Sherie Renee Scott as Amneris [the daughter of the pharaoh] when she discovers that her betrothed is in love with another woman. The heartache and pain in her voice is gut wrenching.

A future she assured herself would happen was spirited away. She realized that the future she imagined, as well as her past and present were mirages, they never existed, and she did not have the insight, compassion or wisdom to understand since she was caught up with by own life, selfishness and perceived needs.

With that mindset, I can’t help but wonder how have we come to this, how the eating disorder community became so caught up in not just politics, but the intransigent, tribal mentality which defines the two major political parties today. Instead of looking at the substance of a message, how did the eating disorder community get to a point where it immediately closes its ears and eyes to any message being conveyed by certain people? How did we become so divisive?

How did so many in the community come to believe that a deadly mental illness is mainly a social justice condition and presumably can be treated by addressing universal social justice issues? Especially, since no credible facts, reason or logic support the hypothesis that eating disorders are social justice issues. That is a mirage conjured by persons with their own social agendas. How have we come to this?

However, if a person wishes to assert “… the mental health of American society, particularly its marginalized members, is ravaged by the intentional, avoidable, inequitable distribution of resources, opportunities and basic protections. The most valuable framework for understanding the poor mental health outcomes and mental health inequities in this country is one of social injustice.”

NOW you’re talking.

And you would be hard pressed to find a stronger ally than me on that issue.

The choices available to people with disabilities, or minorities, or ethnic communities or the disenfranchised get clouded by the reality that they have more limited access to medical care and support.

It is not really a choice when society makes it incredibly difficult to access health care support. It is not really a choice when a treatment center does not accept any type of health insurance. It is not a choice when a treatment center does not accept Medicare or Medicaid. It is not really a choice when the eating disorder treatment industry makes it incredibly difficult to access health care support. Or in some cases, perpetuates this inequitable system.

But that is not an eating disorder issue. The inequitable system is a broad based, societal dysfunction which impacts medical and mental health care across a vast spectrum. To limit broad based lack of access to medical and mental health care support as an “eating disorder issue” cruelly minimizes the crippling national impact resulting from the inequities in our health care system.

With all of the perceived differences within the community, the tribal mentality, the incredibly naïve and flawed view that research and treatment are a zero-sum game, one fundamental commonality, one inalienable truth exists … that is, all persons, regardless of status, race, gender, socioeconomic or any other status are entitled to the very best of mental health care.

Perhaps another foundational building block is that we must emphasize the needs of our families who are suffering from eating disorders today, at this time. We must have a triage mentality. Those who are the most ill will receive priority of treatment.

Those are the rallying points. Those are THE goals common to us all. That is the bedrock upon which we can build.

So, how does the eating disorder community effectively address an inequitable healthcare system? How does it provide collaborative real, workable solutions?

The most common proposition set forth by activists is to “begin to make progress, the mental health system must transform to dismantle the underlying structural forces of racism, sexism, oppression and discrimination, and must support the advancement of policies and practices that promote justice and equity in mental health access and care.”

This in essence calls for abolishing fear, self-loathing, lack of wisdom, ego and insecurities which exist within individuals while at the same time, dismantling the Constitutional Republic known as the United States.

So, assuming we cannot dismantle the Republic in a January 6^th manner, or wave a magic wand and make everyone’s negative qualities disappear, how best can we start to come together and rid ourselves of our divisiveness? How can we build upon the few, self-evident fundamental truths so that we can start to address inequities?

Perhaps to start with, we must first find a way to look past our own individual weaknesses and foibles, admit our egos have lead us astray, admit we do not have all of the answers. We must get past the insipid tribal mentality. We must be willing to openly admit, “I was wrong.” We must stop focusing on our differences and start the building process be embracing our common goals. And we must become not so frightened that we cannot look to those with whom we disagree and simply say, “Let’s talk.”

One small step at a time. It’s a start. And it’s not too late.

The common good. That which we have in common, that which we share. Embrace that. Then start to build.

The song, “I Know the Truth,” ends with the following lines:

I try to blame it on fortune
Some kind of twist in my fate
But I know the truth and it haunts me
I learned it a little too late

Oh, I know the truth and it mocks me
I know the truth and it shocks me
I learned it a little too late
Too late.

This aria can be found here: