A Thousand Miles Away: I Never Really Got Off That Bike

Sometimes you're in a room full of people you love — and all you can hear is the wind. May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This episode is a solo one — no guest, no debate, no conversation across political or religious difference. Just Corey, a piece he wrote in the middle of some darkness, and the motorcycle he never really got off. "A Thousand Miles Away" is an essay about Bipolar disorder, about the particular loneliness of being a million miles from the world even when your body is present in it, and about the cultural and religious messages that told him to keep his mouth shut about all of it. It's also about what has helped — meditation, neuroplasticity, and the odd grace of still being on the road. The full essay is on Corey's Substack. If it lands for you — or for someone you love — he'd be glad to hear from you. Calls to Action ✅ If this conversation resonates, consider sharing it with someone who believes connection across difference still matters. ✅ If you or someone you know is struggling, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7. Call or text 988. ✅ Subscribe to Corey’s Substack: coreysnathan.substack.com ✅ Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen: ratethispodcast.com/goodfaithpolitics ✅ Subscribe to Talkin’ Politics & Religion Without Killin’ Each Other on your favorite podcast platform. ✅ Watch the full conversation and subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@politicsandreligion Key Takeaways The aloneness isn't metaphor. Being a thousand miles away while your body moves through an ordinary day — brushing teeth, running meetings, cleaning the kitchen — is a specific, describable experience. Naming it matters. "What do you have to be depressed about?" is the wrong question. Suffering doesn't have an income threshold. The cultural reflex of tallying someone's blessings in response to their pain doesn't help. It silences. Religious communities can do real harm here. The diagnosis of "a sin issue, not a depression issue" is a failure of pastoral care with real consequences. Faith and mental health are not competing explanations. Practices matter. Meditation, neuroplasticity, building new neural pathways — these aren't cures, but they shift the ratio. More good seasons than bad is worth something. Shared memory runs deep. The weight of inherited trauma — pogroms, displacement, the unspoken cost of survival — shapes how families receive (or refuse to receive) a descendant's pain. That inheritance is real, even when it's used against you. Thanks to our Sponsors and Partners Thanks to Pew Research Center (pewresearch.org) for our ongoing partnership. Proud members of The Democracy Group Connect on Social Media Corey is @coreysnathan on all the socials… Substack LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Threads Bluesky TikTok Civic life starts with showing up. Sometimes that's enough — just staying on the road.