The more time you spend on social media, the angrier everyone seems. No matter which platform you use, people appear to be in a state of perpetual outrage.

Whether it’s personal attacks made against politicians, criticisms of long-established businesses, or drive-by smears against churches, there’s no shortage of negativity online. If this truly reflected how most people felt about those around them, it would be a depressing state of affairs indeed.

Perhaps this is why people who spend most of their time on social media are more likely to be depressed than those who don’t.

Fortunately, the real world is quite different from social media. I was reminded of this fact when hanging out at Summer in the City this past weekend.

Opponents of an Ile des Chenes AI date centre were elated at the start of June when plans for the facility in their community were shelved. Concerns over noise, energy needs and water consumption were all factors for people living in the area to be squarely against the proposal.

But the battle against such facilities may be far from over.

Local activist Christie Little said she knows there’s more to do.

“I was elated when the project here got squashed, but I’m not naive. This isn’t over. We need governments and regulators to seriously reconsider what they’re doing. We can’t have these things in Manitoba. We need to be smart about this,” she said.

At first blush the decision by Hanover School Division to pass a policy that would see parents exercise their control over their children’s health and counselling in school, despite them being of mature minor status, seems like a positive.

It’s also being applauded by many who see any relinquishment of control of their child as a takeover by somebody else.

Unfortunately, those in favour of the decision and the trustees themselves have entirely missed the point.

Mature minor designation is commonly applied to those 16 and over and is meant to apply to someone who has the mental capacity to make their own decisions.

“Beauty is truth, truth beauty, - that is all

Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”

-John Keats

Have you heard the following statement? ‘All truth is God’s truth’. How about this? ‘All beauty is God’s beauty’. And finally, what about further yet the idea that ‘beauty is truth’? This concept that “beauty is truth” points out how aesthetic qualities like elegance, symmetry, and simplicity can be indicators of fundamental reality and truth. This guiding principle can be found in diverse groups like philosophy, physics, and literature. Physicists and mathematicians often argue that if a mathematical equation or physical theory is beautiful, elegant, and simple, it is likely to be true. Albert Einstein famously stated that the only physical theories he was willing to accept were the “beautiful ones”.

As has become tradition at the annual Summer in the City celebration in Steinbach, time was taken to recognize several families who had obtained their Canadian citizenship over the past year. Each had the opportunity to address those in attendance and to tell them how special it was to be a Canadian citizen, citing the opportunities and quality of life they enjoy in Canada and Manitoba specifically.

For those of us who have been fortunate enough to call Canada our home our entire lives, it is always an important reminder of just how valued our country is by many around the world. It’s easy to take many of those advantages for granted. Not that Canada is a perfect country or one without its challenges. It can easily be argued and backed up by data, that over the past many years the country has fallen behind in efficiency, affordability and economically when measured against other similar nations. This is something that all federal political parties seem to agree on, even if they differ on who should shoulder the blame.

But the fact that there are past missed opportunities or current challenges should not hide the fact that Canada still enjoys the freedoms, lifestyle and opportunities that make it a great place to live. And the reality that more can be done to enhance each of those attributes is more of a challenge than a rebuke.

Canadians largely understand this. It was only a year ago that Canadians were demonstrating a renewed patriotism in response to comments from the U.S. President that he desired to make the country the 51st state. I had the opportunity to attend Canada Day ceremonies in Ottawa last July 1 and without question patriotism was running high. And while some of the rhetoric coming from the U.S. has diminished over the past year, there remains a strong sense among the majority of Canadians that what we have in Canada is worth keeping. Even in the face of another question on provincial sovereignty (this time from Alberta not Quebec) there remains many more people who believe in a strong and united Canada than do not.