The things that keep me up at night these days aren’t what you might think. I’m not worried about losing money, or a particular investment failing. Instead, it just dawned on me the last couple of weeks what would likely happen if ATYR does succeed. And it’s absolutely terrifying for a guy whose whole investment thesis is about taking a cellphone into the woods and finding financial freedom and peace of mind in a place where there’s no concrete, honking horns, or the putrid aroma of raw sewage.
But big dummy me started this mess, and I’m crazy enough to finish it.
All I ever wanted to do was build an investment how-to guide for my boys, that way if I got hit by a bus or lost my mind completely, the blog would always be here to help them.
That was the first goal, and the other was to somehow use my journalism background to build a story that would be big enough to challenge the stigma surrounding mental health.
I mean, why is the stigma so bad? Why can’t people just see mental health like a broken arm or leg that requires treatment and a little medicine? Why do people think all things “mental health” are permanent? And why does half my family, much less society, still treat me like a branded man who’s doomed to serve a life sentence without parole?
It pisses me off enough that if I’m ever given the opportunity, I hope each of you will help me shine a light on this community. And if you don’t know what I’m talking about, according to the latest poll, CountryDumbs own at least 10M shares of ATYR. And if the investment succeeds, the realized gains of this community could exceed $200M.
Now imagine how much good could be achieved through charity with 1% of that, or even a quarter of 1%....
Seems like that would be a mental-health story worth telling, not to mention, a polite and positive way to completely flabbergast all the neigh sayers. But isn’t it about time?
I’m all about stirring up some good trouble, no matter how uncomfortable it might be for me to return to a city. But the truth is, this blog wouldn’t even exist had it not been for a journalism mentor in college who gave me his own scholarship to come to Western Kentucky University and work on the student newspaper there.
And boy, how I’d love to flood that scholarship fund with stupid money now that the national government is defunding a lot of federal grants to institutions who teach true journalism.
Probably sounds stupid, but that’s my dream. And I hope you’ll begin to look around for ways you can “Pass It On” in your own community. Because making a truckload of money is pointless unless a portion of it is given back in an effort to lift someone else up. And I really hope, if you do hit a lick because of information you found on this blog, you’ll pay it forward as soon as you get the chance.
Pass It On,
Tweedle
