The Orchestra Should be on the Stage

I went to see an opera yesterday, an occasional activity that I usually enjoy. I didn’t pay attention to what we were going to see when some friends gave us a last minute invitation to join them. The opera is entitled Pelléas and Mélisande by Claude Debussy. Debussy famously wrote Clair de lune , a beautiful piano piece and La Mer a majestic orchestral composition. I figured that at a minimum the musical score would be great.

I was correct, the music was wonderful, even the interludes between the set changes were in the style of some of Debussy’s other popular pieces. The only problem with this opera was the story and the libretto (the script). For me, the casual opera viewer, it was really boring. Missing were the interesting stories and incredible solos, duets and chorus songs like those found in La traviata and Carmen. At the end I felt like the orchestra should have been on the stage and the players and their boring libretto in the orchestra pit!

It reminded me about how peer support in some ways is reversing how we think about helping with behavioral health and other life issues. There’s been a trend over the last 50 years to increasingly medicalize how we deal with a lot of common life problems. The growing role of peer support is helping to counterbalance an overreliance on medications and use of scarce licensed practitioners. Peer support wants to be “on the stage” when someone feels alone, that their problems are unique or when other help is hard to find or afford.

On HeyPeers, peer support is at the center of our attention. Obviously each person is different and will require a different set of approaches to deal with their problem. But social support and the opportunity to learn from others on a similar journey can be a powerful option. We provide peer support options to hundreds of individuals every day. Learn more at www.heypeerswelcome.com.