a champion of every cause?

while eating breakfast this morning, i started perusing several of the articles in the Guelph Tribune. i'm not usually a newspaper reader, and i shock myself and how infrequently i revisit world issues and current events. sometimes i get overwhelmed between knowing when to focus on global affairs and when to stay local. at any rate, i was touched by three different articles. in my opinion these pieces were well written in the sense that all three riled me up and made me want to get involved. since i recognize the opportunity to use this medium as a tool to that end, i thought i would mention them.

the first - "making guelph a better place"

this was an editorial written concerning the incidence of accidental death and increasing neglect of residents in nursing homes in ontario. as a priveleged canadian, i have known all four of my grandparents as well as one great-grandmother. i am grateful every day at the opportunity to have been exposed to such a wealth of knowledge and experience, and a font of wisdom and courage. i cherish the time i have spent with all of them. despite the fact that my two remaining grandmothers still live on their own, i take this issue to heart.

it is unfortunate that some people treat their elderly as past-their-prime. i know individuals who literally only see their grandparents at christmas. what a shame. you must not realise what a beautiful relationship you are missing out on. but, i cannot underestimate how difficult it might be to see grandparents who don't know who you are due to age or disease related memory loss. i don't know how it feels to watch grandparents that must be on oxygen tanks, or move in wheelchairs, or live without site. many elderly who are in this position are placed in nursing homes for the care and compassion that we expect that they will receive. and that is the issue at hand - are they getting it.

apparently one of the big obstacles to providing standardized care to patients in these facilities is the increasing prevalence of mental health issues and severe physical limitations. we need more staff to care for residents. we need better training for staff. we need more money for both.

i hope people start realising that when we invest in our past we are actually investing in our own future. we set the precedent for our own treatment. don't you hope to receive the proper attention, medical care, respect, and dignity?

note: i have a special place in my heart for mental health issues. as an aspiring doctor i find that health encompasses total wellness, which can be affected by physical and psychological well-being. i see the stigma of mental health issues, and i am even still fighting my own prejudices. it is not a simple matter, but one i think deserves attention.

the second - "fairness the reason"

another editorial. this time, about why guelph greens are going door to door right now. apparently green party of canada leader elizabeth may is currently not seated as a member of the televised leaders debates. i'm not usually that interested in politics, especially canadian politics, but since my excitement about the 2008 presidential race in the usa, i've become more aware of just how odd our politics are.

how can we possibly justify not giving the green party leader, who is a viable option in every province, an opportunity to speak in a national forum but we give that opportunity to the bloc quebecois leader, who only speaks to the residents of one province. i don't get it. but maybe i just don't understand these issues. nevertheless, i think this is an injustice, and a smack in the face for anyone who believes in the idea of a democratic society.

the third - "no easy way out of the energy crisis"

a column article this time. alan pickersgill addresses our half-committment to making changes concerning our energy usage today. he identifies current affairs at GM in detroit, the UN conference in rome, and discussions about improvements to the hanlon in guelph and a GTA west transportation corridor. the part that stood out the most to me, as being effective in pursuit of communicating a message, was:

"Everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die. Lots of people want to save the environment without giving up the creature comforts that are killing it. We can't have it both ways."

obviously the health of the environment has always been a concern, but it seems to be getting more and more attention with the energy efficent appliances, hybrid cars, concentrated laundry detergent (that allegedly make their contribution by using less plastic for packaging), and earth hour lights off projects. but, i have noticed that many of the people getting environmental consciences are realising how much poor management of our resources is finally costing us. at the same time, they don't understand that sometimes you need to spend a lot to get a lot, as with retrofitting of campus buildings with high efficiency insulation and ventilation systems that reduce energy usage and cost over the long term. i admire the bull ring pub who uses recycled paper products, encourages reusable mugs, buys much of their produce locally, and powers the building solely on wind energy. i've seen some of the wind fields going up in huron and bruce counties. i think they're beautiful. but even if i didn't, i could deal with their addition to the landscape if it meant my children won't all get melanoma before the age of 12 due to overexposure to damaging UV light.


anyways, my long post was more an appeasement of my own thoughts i suppose. it's nice to have someone to discuss with, but sometimes you're sans companion at the most inopportune times.