Whenever plans for a new project are announced, e.g. a mine, whatever, there are always those (moi) who hope for the best, but expect the worst.
You know us as Negative Nellies, cynics, Citizens Against Virtually Everything, Treehuggers, etc. Well let me tell you something. We are not “against” anything.
We just want things to be “done right” (no cost saving shortcuts) so there aren’t any unexpected consequences nor nasty surprises when something goes wrong.
For NNs, no matter what the outcome, it has to be better than what we feared it might be.
All news is good news for us, there’s nowhere to go but up. Sometimes (even once is too often) NNs are right. When that happens we are as dismayed as anyone, but the rah rah people get caught off guard when things to go sideways.
If they were even a wee bit negative at the start, they would be better prepared to deal with disasters when they do happen. They might even have a contingency plan in place, or even a Plan B.
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The news has been dismal lately. At home we have the Mount Polley Mine spill, the teacher/government dispute, and nasty incidents on the police blotter.
Farther afield, this has been a record year for wildfires, and internationally, Canada now is Number One in the world for having the worst record for forest management.
We’ve done it with fires, logging and energy and industrial development.
So it’s time for some good news.
Awhile back, an anonymous someone paid the lunch bill at a local eatery for a friend and I, with the message to “pass it on,” so I’ve made sure to do at least one little extra act of kindness every day. What I’ve noticed though is that more strangers are doing little acts of kindness for me (opening doors, carrying things). It is catching? Or is it just an age thing?
Diana French is a freelance columnist for the Tribune. She is a former Tribune editor, retired teacher, historian, and book author.
