Today, we talk about it. Tomorrow… nothing changes

🖤 Today, we talk about it. Tomorrow… nothing changes.

Today is International Mental Health Day and Homelessness Awareness Day, but what does that really mean when the world around us seems to ignore the suffering happening every day? I saw the news today: someone jumped onto the SkyTrain tracks and was hit by a train. Another person was stabbing people in Yaletown. We are heading into winter, with little sunshine, when depression often deepens—and yet, society carries on as if nothing is happening.

Look around: people dressed in black, walking through the darkness, waiting for the SkyTrain. Creepy lights from Fright Nights glowing in the night. A display meant to scare for fun—but outside, real horror is unfolding.

Yesterday, I was on a bus and had to call it in. There was a man in a wheelchair at Davie and Burrard, bent over with his jacket covering his head. I couldn’t see if he was breathing. The bus driver did nothing. Everyone else walked by. I had to phone it in, because someone needed to check—but nobody else did.

And this is why groups like V.A.N.I.S.H.E.D exist. They are searching for missing and lost loved ones—because the cops often do nothing. People vanish, children go missing, elders are forgotten, and families are left with silence. These disappearances often happen around specific dates, times, and places—but if you don’t know where to look, or who to call, it can feel impossible.

We rarely talk about the hidden suffering: children who won’t speak about what they’re going through, youth silently struggling, elders isolated with no one checking in, animals sensing stress and illness in their families. And the ones who vanish—so often, society simply looks the other way.

So today, I want to ask the questions that no one else is asking:

1. How are children silently affected when adults around them struggle with mental illness or addiction?
2. What happens to elders who live alone or are isolated, when their health declines and no one intervenes?
3. How do animals in homes or shelters feel when their caregivers are unwell or overwhelmed?
4. Why do so many youth and children choose not to talk about what’s happening to them?
5. How do society and communities fail those who disappear or go “vanished” without trace?
6. What is the psychological impact on someone witnessing suffering in public but feeling powerless to act?
7. How do repeated small tragedies—like seeing a person in distress ignored—affect our collective empathy over time?
8. What systems or supports are missing that would allow families to safely find and help lost or isolated loved ones?
9. How does the darkness of winter and lack of sunshine amplify unnoticed suffering for humans and animals alike?
10. When no one talks about the hidden struggles around us, what does that silence cost communities and individuals?

Today is not just another headline. Today is not just another statistic. Today is a reminder: we cannot ignore the darkness, in the city or in people’s lives. Mental illness, homelessness, isolation, and despair are happening right here, right now—and often, we walk by without noticing.

💡 Reflection: What can we do as a community to actually see people who are struggling? How do we hold ourselves accountable when we witness suffering? How do we build systems that protect, support, and save lives—before it’s too late?

We talk today. Tomorrow, we must act. Otherwise, the darkness will only grow—and the ones who are suffering will continue to vanish into it.

📢 If you know someone missing, or see someone in danger, don’t wait. Reach out. Groups like V.A.N.I.S.H.E.D are actively searching because too often, the authorities don’t.

#MentalHealth #Homelessness #WinterBlues #Accountability #CommunityCare #EndStigma #SupportEachOther #Vanished #ChildrenInCrisis #ElderCare #AnimalWellbeing #InvisibleStruggles