When I heard this I had to think twice. Seriously? Am I the only one who sees the irony in this? Mentally disturbed young people and Big Day Out going hand in hand for a joint venture? They are joking right?
I'm not sure how many people know what goes on at a Big Day Out - but I've been there before I became a Christian and let me just say that the Big Day Out does more damage to the mental health of the youth of Australia than helping it. The amount of illicit substances I was offered at Big Day Out and the amount of people that go there to get whacked out of their minds should be a little more well-known than it is.
Chris Tanti, the chief executive of Headspace said (about the event): "We've been involved with the Big Day Out for the last few years. That primarily has involved us having a presence at the Big Day Out and distributing information, so this is a bit of a step up."
Information? Like perhaps information about links between illicit drugs and becoming mentally disturbed? Including links between something as simple as marijuana and mental issues? Somehow I sincerely doubt that.
Silence on the link between drugs and the mind
Apparently since 2006, the Australian Government announced a funding package to improve services for those with a mental illness which included the 'Alerting the Community to the Links Between Illicit Drugs and Mental Illness' initiative. But what happened to it? Has anyone really been alerted that this is an issue? And who is telling those drug-using teens at Big Day Out that if they ingest that stuff that they'll be on a one way path to mental psychosis?
It would seem to me that the Australian Government is more concerned with keeping everyone happy than they are about really taking the message to the people. Let everyone party it up and who cares if half of them need to check into institutions and the other half go insane and shoot up their families? Oh irony of ironies. What is our world coming to?
The thing is that most of the mass shootings that have happened recently have been by people who have either smoked marijuana, taken anti-depressants (which shouldn't even be a legal drug) or taken another hard substance. But this is not publicized because people are so afraid of telling others what to do and because drugs are really seen more and more as 'not a big deal'.
So what do we do?
We as Christians should be the ones to get the message out if the Government are failing us. Why does it matter? Because if you have mental problems from drug abuse then your understand of God and the Gospel will be darkened. I urge people not to support Rock N Ride until they actually care about getting kids off drugs at events like Big Day Out.
There is a bigger issue at play than riding around on motorbikes and giving people support after you've given them free access to drugs and alcohol in the first place.
It should be exposed for the joke that it is.
Bridget Brenton currently lives on the Gold Coast with her new baby, Gabrielle. She has started 101 Arguments an apologetic effort to compile the largest number of arguments for God's existence as possible. After researching apologetics, philosophy and the paranormal for years, she is ready to fight the good fight where it counts the most.
Bridget Brenton's previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/bridget-brenton.html