2:26 a.m. - 2003-06-08
Parallel Dimensions
Carifest started today, with the big party on the island downtown next weekend. Like the french speaking community, the black community in Calgary draws from all over the world. Each group has it's own history, values and culture. The Caribbean community has had a strong presence here since the 70's and they like to play. A, my supervisor, and the mom that I spoke of before Christmas, dear diary, who was my counterpart as a volunteer in the Catholic school system are from two different islands. They've both shared stories about their lives there. It is obvious that the values and lessons they learned there are ones that contribute greatly to our community. I feel lucky to have worked with both of them; they both have a lot to teach.
Good news for our university today. There was a donation of a virtual lab for the science programs. I had the privilege of seeing one in action in a company I worked for. It was right across from my office. 3 dimensional imaging with the parameters determined by the scientists using it. It really did feel like you could walk through the holographs that were projected. Everyone was encouraged to use it and I did get the chance when we had to train the staff to use the system we had set up for their data mangement. No 3D stuff of course, just used the computer to generate the visuals. The manager of the department was quite musical, and occasionally my whole office vibrated to rock from the 60's and 70's - the sound system was great too. The karaoke practices? Well, each to their own.
Interesting ruling in the courts today too. A Canadian physicist who is described as brilliant, has also been described as having a mental illness, not unlike the Nobel mathematician, John Nash, whose life was dramatized in the movie "A Beautiful Mind". Like Dr. Nash, he was placed on anti-psychotic drugs. He appealed to the courts to have the treatment stopped, because it severely impairs his ability to think and therefore do the work he has undertaken. He was able to demonstrate that he understood the consequences of his actions, so the court ruled in his favour. The psychologist I worked with as a volunteer, who I really respect, and I had a long discussion about the perception of mental illness in others by the general population. A lot of it is culturally driven. Someone deemed mentally ill, is someone whose behaviour is so far out of the socially determined and accepted parameters of the larger group that they appear frightening or dangerous. Often they are - to themselves, as the isolation from others and the constant denial of the reality they perceive draws them deeper into depression. I wonder what would happen if we just accepted people for what they are, instead of insisting that they be just like us. In cases where the "mentally ill or retarded" person is not a danger to the rest of the population why do we treat them so badly.
"When I was young, I was put in a school for retarded kids for two years before they realized I actually had a hearing loss. And they called ME slow!" -- Kathy Buckley
"I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb..and I'm also not blonde." -- Dolly Parton
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