Sunday, June 12, 2022

It’s Okay NOT to Know (Lessons from Pleasantville, Part 2 of 4)

You have to put up with the pain if you want the colour

By Quentin Steen, Representative

Last month, we looked at the first of four mental health themes stemming from the 1998 movie Pleasantville.

We considered the notion of how to face the sobering reality that our lives as we know them are not supposed to be like this. When we surrender to this reality, it is our willingness to work with the uncertainties that life brings us—whatever is in front of us—that makes all the difference.

Part of this work is connected to being okay with not knowing.

Meanwhile, back in the fictional TV world of Pleasantville, the citizens and Jennifer are enjoying their new freedoms and colours. Betty is seen sitting next to George on a park bench.

George asks what will happen next, and Betty admits incredulously that she doesn’t know. When she asks George, he laughs, realizing that he doesn’t know either.

The camera focuses on Betty for a second as she relaxes against the bench. Then she turns once more toward the other side of the bench.

Finally, the camera pans to the side to reveal Bill Johnson sitting where George had been. He says, “I guess I don’t know either,” and smiles.

For me, this scene demonstrates that nothing had been decided and that there was no right decision that could be made.

Meaning, when we choose to leave the grey world of certainty, we get colour. But we also get situations where there is no right choice.

In the movie Pleasantville, and in real life, colour is a metaphor, a reflection of our feelings and emotions that accompany us in our journey in the unexpected and unknown. You have to put up with the pain if you want the colour.

In next month’s Mental Health Moment, we will begin to unpack the significance that our feelings and emotions play in ordering our lives.

Quentin Steen is a certified mental health first aid instructor for the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

Get your BRAIN right and your MIND will follow!

4 Mental Health Resources to Help You

If you or someone you know is struggling with a mental health issue, CLAC has a number of resources and interactive tools available to help you at My Health and Wellness.
Stronger Minds features videos and quick reads from mental health experts, activities to help you gain resilience, and ask-an-expert videos in response to questions.
WellCan offers free well-being resources to help Canadians develop coping strategies and build resilience to help deal with uncertainty, mental health, and substance abuse concerns.
Wellness Together Canada: Mental Health and Substance Use Support provides free online resources, tools, apps, and connections to trained volunteers and qualified mental health professionals.

It’s Okay NOT to Know (Lessons from Pleasantville, Part 2 of 4)

4 Mental Health Resources to Help You

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