We’re the phone company. We care.* (*today only)
It’s that day in Canada when the phone company decides that we should talk about mental health. That’s all fine and good and they can use their considerable resources to further the conversation today. It’s obviously a step in the right direction, and if they want to donate some money to causes that actually do the work of helping people, that’s great.
But what about tomorrow? Who’s going to be talking tomorrow?
Well, Fly with your Shadow is, because that’s when you’ll get to hear the debut episode of this show.
The conversation can’t happen in one day. I think the phone company’s effort could potentially create a little more awareness and help the situation, but by doing it as such a clear and annoying public relations exercise/tax write off, it just doesn’t look like the kind of thing that’s actually going to make any kind of meaningful difference.
The day (and I’m not going to use the gimmicky name or mention the evil empire) are tailor-made for social media slactivism. A whole bunch of people send their text or change their profile picture so that the phone company will donate a shiny (Canadian) nickel in their name, and they feel like they’re part of the solution.
What we really need, though, are people like you, who are willing to read this post and (hopefully) think about the issue a little further and for more than just one day. Along with millions of others, I struggle with my mental health absolutely every day, and let me tell you, the phone company hasn’t done a damn thing for me.
All of this is to further explain why I thought this show was so important. I hope that you find it helpful and interesting today, tomorrow, and in the weeks and months to come. I hope that you’ll feel free to ask questions and provide your honest feedback, and I hope that you’ll consider sharing the show with others to help spread the word.
Most importantly, I hope you’ll be more aware of the seriousness of mental illness and help with education and understanding, even on days when the phone company doesn’t tell you to.