Dan, Bahaii

On Mental Health

The day before we sat down together, Dan helped his ex-wife move into her new place. As we discuss the dissolution of his marriage - “it’s good,” he says, exhausted -  we travel into discussions of mental health.

We swap stories of our own psychological struggles, as creative people moving through this world.

A graduate in theater from NYU, Dan is a musician, who toured with his punk rock band Dirt Bike Annie for 9 years. He now works as a freelance content producer for ad agencies and brands. 

Dan tells me about the Bahaii community, where every 19 days a gathering takes place before the next month. The Temple isn’t the main place of gathering, but rather individual get togethers at homes. Dan still gets together with his Bahaii friends and jams at these gatherings . “I get a bit manic from them,” he confesses. “All the interconnectedness of everything.”

Isn’t, I wonder, how it should be? Shouldn’t we all get a little manic from spiritual experiences? At least once in a while?