The truth is under attack. In the chaotic midst of such attacks, how do we know what the truth is? The short answer is that you need to turn to those you can trust.
The truth is under attack. From fringe and even some mainstream media outlets forwarding their own agenda, to bogus claims of health benefits by unscrupulous companies pushing a staggering variety of snake oil, and autocratic (and wannabe autocratic) world leaders seeking absolute power, the attack on truth is coming on many different fronts. The damage from these attacks isn’t limited to truth; they take a toll on truth’s close ally, trust.
Truth and trust are foundations of civil society and democracy. They are foundations of constructive public discourse, public and private partnerships, and, more fundamentally, healthy relationships. When truth and trust are undermined, as we are witnessing on a global scale today, the pillars of our civil and progressive society are steadily eroded.
In the chaotic midst of such attacks, how do we know what the truth is? The short answer is that you need to turn to those you can trust.
At this point, I could take this editorial in many directions, but I’m going to veer to the positive and highlight a small example of resistance, where truth and trust have fortified a partnership resulting in a credible, validated, and invaluable resource for people with SCI, their families, and clinicians alike: the new LivingwithSCI.ca website.
LivingwithSCI.ca represents a partnership between SCI BC, GF Strong Rehab Centre, and peers like you. All have a long history of working together in trusting relationships, and we are all inspired to present factual, validated, and truthful information about how your body works after SCI, the rehab
processes one goes through after injury, and the shared wisdom and experience of Peers who have gone through the challenges others are currently facing.
The project got its start when GF Strong identified a need to revamp its patient information resource binder. SCI BC and our Peers confirmed the need to update the binder and provide it in a more modern, user-friendly way. We all wanted to develop a resource that would be useful for people with SCI, their families, and health professionals anywhere in the province—and beyond. We all agreed that a new, web-based resource was the way to go.
Together, we developed the website, with SCI BC taking on the design and hosting roles, GF Strong clinicians reviewing and validating the information resources, and SCI BC Peers providing the stories and context upon which the site was built around.
In truth, the project took much longer to complete than any of us anticipated, but trust and a common motivation to provide credible information from trusted sources allowed us to work through the challenges we faced along the way.
The end result is what we believe to be an invaluable new resource for anyone with lived SCI experience and health professionals alike.
The website is and always will be a living entity that will be updated as new information is made available and new stories and experiences are added. Although I hope you trust me, I strongly encourage you to check out the site for yourself and to provide us with your honest feedback, truthful stories, and constructive suggestions for how we can improve the site.
When truth and trust win, we all win.
This article first appeared in our Winter 2018 issue of The Spin, alongside other stories including:
- Calorie Crunch: Healthy Eating and SCI
- It’s All Downhill From Here: aMBT with Cole
- Moving Matters: Moving with a SCI
- Bacteria Beater: Research
- and more!
Read the full Winter 2018 issue of The Spin online!
