It always struck me,
as strange,
not,
to say,
a little bit,
sick.
That we use,
the same word,
for something,
as noble,
as the protection,
and harbouring,
of the persecuted,
and,
for institutions,
that represent,
the opposite,
of freedom.
Here in Québec,
we have,
a dark past,
as far as mental,
hospitals and institutions,
are concerned,
the Allan Memorial,
was a place were,
CIA,
experiments,
were conducted,
on the mentally ill.
In the state mental hospitals,
many orphans,
tens of thousands,
over the decades,
were kept,
with the mentally ill,
and used as,
slave labour,
their only,
crime or illness,
being,
born out of wedlock,
or being orphans.
There was collusion,
between,
the state,
and the once,
all powerful,
Catholic church.
The state officially,
apologised a few years ago,
the symbolism,
is important,
to the people,
who were wronged,
and for healing,
as a society,
if you do not acknowledge,
your wrongs,
how do you heel,
if you do not acknowledge,
your past,
perhaps,
you are destined to repeat it.
The Catholic church,
has never apologised,
it never will,
they could be sued,
in civil court,
and have to give,
back,
some of the millions,
they squeezed out of,
generations,
of hardworking,
men and women.
So much for,
Christian charity.
I don’t have a problem with people’s faith, I have a problem with organised religion:-)
Are the mentally ill,
better off,
today?
Sent on their way,
with prescriptions,
and a lack of professional treatment?
Not so sure.
But what,
bothers me,
most,
is the anonymity,
of it all,
people are,
no longer,
people,
they are,
the homeless,
the crazy,
the insane.
When they lived,
and died,
in insane asylums,
they were numbers,
even their,
grave markers,
were identified,
with numbers,
and sometimes,
I wonder has it really,
changed?
In twenty years,
will we look,
at anti-depressants,
and anti-psychotics,
as we now do,
blood letting,
electro-shock,
and lobotomies?
I don’t know,
probably not.
This book made me,
sad and angry,
and made me think,
and reflect,
books can do that.
Sorry to be so heavy,
but, I feel better now:-)
Later girls,
BB
