It used to be a pretty big deal to have a photocopier and share jokes with friends. Now much of this sharing activity is just a simple click with a mouse on a computer.
We have thought about one such joke, a cartoon that hung at the old office downtown, many times over the years. It was a stork trying to swallow a frog. The frog is holding the stork by the throat, making it impossible to be swallowed. The caption reads “Don’t ever give up.”
This was pre-colour, probably 30 years ago at least. The image was reproduced many times and ironically, it served as a forerunner to the current inspirational photography many offices decorate with today. It was black-and-white encouragement to keep going.
The memory of that tattered photocopy flashed back earlier this week during a phone call from a reader we considered in distress. As we listened, all we could muster was a variation of that phrase “please don’t give up,” along with an “I’m sorry”.
Over the years we have had the opportunity to rub shoulders with a wide variety of people, from wealthy multi-millionaires to people barely scraping by. We’ve known people in good health and others struggling for life in their final hours. Similarly, we have shared a beer or two with people that have the luck of the Irish, and others who could never catch a break.
All those acquaintances shared one characteristic: regardless of their station, they had pride. Often it was those who struggled hardest who took great pride in being self-reliant and independent.
The person who called was having a tough day and we suspect from the conversation there have been many days like that for her recently. Unable to find work, recovering from cancer, living with the many challenges all families face, she came up with an idea. She bagged up apples picked on the road side and attempted to peddle her wares door to door. Not that long ago, this entrepreneurial spirit might be celebrated as a resourceful use of time.
There were bright spots along the way, like the family that bought four bags worth of apples for $15. Eighty stops later, over five hours in the intermittent rain, her sales were complete. She was physically spent, but she was also very angry – angry for her lot in life, angry for being made to feel a beggar, but most angry that people who easily could have purchased – often in a large home replete with worldly possessions – sent her packing. We listened for the longest time and promised not to break her confidence, which we won’t, but there is a message here.
There remains a convenient cluelessness when it comes to the plight of others. We may wish to pretend there are government programs that cover every potential problem. People may even believe the loonies and toonies tossed into the United Way campaign or other donation boxes at church or elsewhere absolve them from paying attention to hardships others face. Examples abound of people that have fallen through the cracks of systems expanded at great cost to assist those in need – whether financial, medical or on the mental health front. Ironically, help is often only available to this type of candidate after the situation has become tragic or desperate.
In the coming weeks there are some important events that might shed light on the disparity within a county as rich as ours. The problems of course know no border, but it’s up to us to make our community of interest stronger and more inclusive to all residents.
In early October, the Centre Wellington Community Foundation will be releasing its Vital Signs report, which offers a snapshot of the overall health of Centre Wellington. A few days later, World Mental Health Day will be recognized in Guelph at the mayor’s 16th annual event.
Any effort to ease the worries of the less advantaged and raise awareness gets our support. On that score, we too have no plans to ever give up, championing those who need a voice.
