Dear colleagues and friends,
Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we are at the end of our summer, with schools and universities starting the autumn term and most people going back to work after their summer vacations. After returning to work, I have had opportunities to be in contact with colleagues and friends across the globe, and one topic came up in each of the discussions I had. Can you guess what it was? I will come back to it later in my text.
I also had the opportunity to go and see Christopher Nolan’s movie The Odyssey, his version of Homer’s famous story. (If you haven’t seen the film yet and wish to do so, stop reading now so that I won’t spoil it for you!) While the film is somewhat simplified, and many say it is “Americanized”, there were several things that resonated with me. First of all, the theme of “Zeus’s law is broken” – the familiar or golden principle that we should treat foreigners as we would wish to be treated ourselves – is actually being violated in many ways in the political ethos of several countries. Xenophobia and outright racism have increased in what I would almost say is every corner of the world, and particularly vulnerable minorities have reported feeling more insecure and threatened in today’s world than they did ten years ago. Zeus’s law is indeed broken.
The second theme was Odysseus’s realization of how he had brought such cruel devastation upon Troy’s innocent citizens, all for poor reasons such as Agamemnon’s greed. (Helen was merely an excuse for starting the war.) And how all wars, in the end, bring only suffering to ordinary people.
The third theme was more hopeful. In the end, Odysseus and Penelope discuss how civilization has experienced a downfall, but that it will rise again and better times will come. I am inclined to think, as some film critics have suggested, that Nolan wanted to make The Odyssey an allegory for our current times. It is also, in many ways, a statement against war, greed, and unkindness and ends with a hopeful note.
Many of the friends I mentioned earlier live in countries where politicians want us to believe that unkindness and selfishness have become virtues to be celebrated rather than problems to be remedied. So, what was the one theme that came up in our discussions? It was the sense of being alone and feeling ashamed of what is going on in our countries and in the world. Sharing these feelings was a relief. We also realized that we are not alone in our thoughts, since there are people everywhere who want change.
We are now about four weeks away from the start of the WAIMH 19th World Congress in Toronto, and the journey there has not been smooth. Yet I am happy to tell you that the Congress will be a success, as there are so many of you who believe in the work we do and are willing and able to devote your time and resources to meeting colleagues from other parts of the world. The number of registrations exceeded 1,300 this week, and it will probably continue to rise during the remaining weeks before the Congress begins.
The Congress theme, “Harmony in Diversity”, and the content of the program will address many of the hardships that infants, young children, and their families are facing. One of the symposia will focus on ethical issues in infant mental health, and three symposia will deal with infants experiencing different types of crises. As always, approximately half of the presentations will provide insights into current research in the field. The other half will be dedicated to clinical practice in infant and early childhood mental health. There will be many opportunities to learn and to share knowledge with colleagues from 61 different countries. For those of you who are not able to attend in person this time, I can recommend the virtual registration option that has just opened. You will be able to view all the presentations from the main auditorium.
The Toronto Congress will be an opportunity for us to experience that we are many, our work does matter and that we can be generous and kind towards one another – live by the golden principle. It will also give us an opportunity to enjoy good Canadian food and share many moments of joy and fun while meeting old and new friends and colleagues.
Warmly,
Kaija
Authors
Prof Kaija Puura
WAIMH Executive Director
Tampere, Finland
