Second Quarter 2002 Newsletter (Last Updated On: ) My dear readers, Folk sayings are wise – sometimes wiser than experts. Many countries have popular sayings based on the wisdom acquired by the people from their own experience, over many years. Here are some examples from Europe which have lessons for mental health. 1) As you shout in the forest, the forest will answer (this is a Finnish saying, which means treat other persons as you want to be treated). Being different can be understood from the standpoint of culture, occupation and point of view. Being different can bring richness into life; this can be respected by a mature person who listens, understands and walks by ones side. When mental health is interpreted in different parts of the world, it gets a lot of shading that we do not necessarily recognize everywhere. We may share a common language and a common phraseology, but what we say can be understood differently by others. To accept differences should be, however, a part of us, the whole group of people working in the field of mental health – consumers and former consumers, relatives and others. We should not be concerned about the differences but take it as part of human nature. As you shout in the forest, the forest will answer. On the other hand, if you are preoccupied with the differences among people, the differences will grow. 2) Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. In my home I have paintings from China, Taiwan, Peru, Madagascar, Romania, Chile and Finland on one of the walls. The paintings are nave in style, by so-called self-taught artists. In my own country, there was recently an exhibition of work by self-taught artists, presenting hundreds of paintings and art objects. We could spend a long time discussing the question what is art? From these artists, however, I realized that the joy and pleasure of creating the work itself is enough to constitute an artistic experience. It is also amazing how close to each other colors, outlines and themes are in popular art from different countries. Anyone with a sense of beauty can appreciate the everyday skills of ordinary people and the pleasure these skills give to those who use them. It means that each of us has a chance to create something of value. 3) A calm sea does not need a skillful sailor (another Finnish saying). The sea is a demanding element. In bad weather a sailor has to show that he knows the harbor, can get into it and out of it, can navigate safely through the rocks in the sea of life, and find the way back to port safely. In many ways this is like mental health work. How we succeed depends on how well we present our knowledge, make people truly interested in the welfare of the mind, and encourage them to help themselves and support other people. Each of us is a novice at this work, but each of us is also an expert, because we can draw on our own experience. The worst thing is if we drift into competition about which of us knows more about mental health. Each of us has a chance to learn every day, especially from those who have experiences that we have not had. The challenge is whether we walk on or whether we stop and listen, learn and accept. The latter leads to a safer life, better welfare and good mental health for everyone. There is much work to be done, in a world full of poverty, war and social exclusion. At the present time the welfare of children is raising special concern. I wish we could collect in our Newsletter examples of the folk wisdom of different countries, and spread these sayings around the world as a way of interpreting the message of mental health. Summer here in the far North is different from summer in most countries. We have short nights now, and for a few weeks we have sunshine twenty-four hours a day. We are enjoying it, and wish those of you who are also enjoying this season a good summer too! Pirkko Lahti President