MENTAL HEALTH VERSUS INTELLECTUAL HEALTH?

On occasion when things have looked bleak in regards to making any progress on the Elmira cleanup of the aquifers and the Canagagigue Creek I have searched for a reason to keep fighting. Only somewhat jokingly I have suggested that all the reading, all the research, all the writing of letters to politicians, TAG, Ministry of Environment, media people, this Blog etc. has kept my brain exercised. If that's all there was to it however I probably would not have kept going. It sounds corny but there are two other elements: One is a search for the truth versus the pre-digested puffery and pablum presented to the public and two is the wish to leave an honest and fairly comprehensive record of the "cleanup" including successes (some) and failures (far too many). Again that record lies here in the Elmira Advocate as well as in my 2019 on-line book titled "The Elmira Water Crisis: The Triumph of Corruption, Deceit and Citizen Betrayal". ........................................................................................................................ The title above refers not to just myself but to citizens at large. I understand how much stress and pressure we have in this world today. Money, jobs, housing, children, their education, Covid-19, the cancer epidemic, climate change, racial inequity, overpopulation, water shortages (quality & quantity). Then we have the ongoing onslaught of bad news in our print and television media. Lately it's been police abuse of minorities including here in Waterloo Region. Far too many police officers are assaulting and shooting local citizens, whether black, brown or white. Indigenous abuses such as the federal government/Catholic Church residential schools system is front page news yet again with the discoveru of 215 childrens' bodies in unmarked graves. ............................................................................................................................. For far too long I was constantly shocked and angered by the amount of public apathy and ignorance on so many important topics. For example today's Waterloo Region Record has a headline titled "Most Canadians are ignorant to nation's residential school history". True and so unfortunate. Again the same paper today has the following FRONT PAGE headline namely :"Officer's abuse hidden for decades". Good God but that was about a police officer in Listowel in the 1970s assaulting young boys. The first sentence states: "It was a dirty little secret in this small town - a police officer sexually abusing young boys in the 1970s.". Allegedly other officers and adults either knew or suspected and did nothing until the officer was charged and convicted in 2013, decades later. ................................................................................................................................... Combine the daily and personal stresses and pressures we all face with the sheer volume of bad news in our media (war, famines, genocide, crime) on a daily basis and now I understand why people tune out. They simply can't stand it anymore. I will give you a likely poor metaphor but here it is. The recent seventh game of the Montreal Canadians versus the Toronto Maple leafs. I am a Leafs fan since childhood. I watched them win three Stanley Cups in the 1960s. After blowing a 3-1 series lead I simply could not watch Game 7. Too much pain and disappointment over the last five decades such that I was afraid of what watching a Game 7 loss would do to me. Maybe it's the same with millions upon millions of people tuning out to far more important events as well. Way too painful on top of the daily grind for most.