Blushing Repetition

Despite my so-called sabbatical I will admit that my themes certainly hit the same targets (am I mixing metaphors)!

A little while ago I used the phrase “there is nothing new under the sun” and my sister immediately jumped to refute it. The quote originates in Ecclesiastes 1:9 which says

“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.”

I have discussed before the concept of infinity, the universe, spirituality and how all questions seem to have been addressed from the earliest days of recorded human history. Yes we have new inventions all the time but my understanding is that anything the human mind conceives is somehow paralleled in the natural universe (I may be wrong, but I don’t think so, quoting Mr. Monk). When people come up with ideas, fantastic ideas, it is great. But one can argue that others may have thought of these ideas anytime, anywhere but because they aren’t famous who knows about them?

What I was trying to get across at the time, and today as my excuse for repeating myself, is that there are recurring themes in philosophy or in discussions (in any realm). When one reads a lot it isn’t long before “there is nothing new under the sun”.  One can refer to an analysis of fiction that posits the idea that there are only 7 basic plots.

The bottom line, for this mea culpa moment is that I am going to repeat myself!

https://www.cairn.info/revue-journal-of-innovation-economics-2014-3-page-11.htm#

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universe

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Basic_Plots

Climate Change - It's Real

Below I have put up a few links (there are 100’s) on climate change in the hopes that I may sway doubters to a more logical frame of mind. People are allowed to have their beliefs but I think they should take the time to understand what they refer to as “main stream media” actually says about climate change rather than listen to a bunch of pundits who hide their identities or make false claims about their education. In reality 97% of scientists (regardless of their speciality and including climatologists) support the FACT of climate change.

Why do I care about the deniers? Because I believe it behooves all people in all countries to do their part in reducing carbon emissions, cutting down forests and basically polluting our planet in sundry ways. It includes corporations as well as individuals. Instead of driving a 4-door dually truck (with one person in the vehicle) get a fuel efficient vehicle, preferably a car and not even an SUV. This is particularly important for city dwellers. I can remember when our family first moved to Calgary in 1976, the first thing we wondered was “why all the pickup trucks”? That was before any DIY hardware stores and at that time Sears, Eaton’s and Hudson Bay all had mail order catalogues that delivered directly to your home. We thought it beyond strange and I personally still think it is strange (and selfish) for people to drive trucks in the city. I don’t understand the rational except “me heap big man” syndrome.

I’ve been recycling, composting and doing my part for decades (not years) and I don’t find it difficult to do. When people complain about the carbon tax they are not paying attention to the rationale behind the tax. It is NOT a tax grab but a method of encouraging people to be more efficient with their usage of natural gas.

People need to listen more and research more and lastly care more about their planet.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marshallshepherd/2019/02/16/11-things-climate-change-dismissive-people-say-on-social-media/#48fa093a15e4

https://davidsuzuki.org/our-work/climate-solutions/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Rees  THE MOST EMINENT SCIENTIST OF OUR TIME – Martin Rees

https://www.njtvonline.org/programs/amanpour-and-company/astronomer-royal-lord-martin-rees-climate-change-y6japt/  Martin Rees on Amanpour & Co – what he says about climate change and how many scientists are on the believing side.

Sleepless Nights

I don’t count sheep when I wake up in the middle of the night and can’ fall back to sleep right away. Instead I think about how I will handle the winnings of a 6/49 draw!  I laugh at my brother Peter when he says “well don’t ruin my life by giving me any money” loaded with sarcasm and humour. I guess that is what a lot of folks who win say “I don’t want to ruin your life by giving you money”, meanwhile they are blowing the money left, right and centre.  It’s fun to dream about winning but I think if I ever did win I wouldn’t tell anyone just to avoid the stress!

The next phase is to get up if I still can’t fall asleep and catch up on emails and Facebook comments which can take about an hour. After that then it’s time to blog (which is what I am doing right now). Finally there is chocolate milk and chocolate milk powder on some bread and butter. Usually after that I am able to fall back asleep.

So here’s for the final step – chocolate here I come!

You Can't Fix Stupid . . . You Have to Walk Around It

I am sure there are many people who are extremely annoyed by the amount of absurd posts that occur on social media. As Proverbs says “against a fool even a wise man fights in vain”. I thought I would venture into the world of Google to try to discover if indeed this is so. I have been stopped in my tracks by the remarkable article in Wikipedia which is both funny and dismal at the same time. I attach the link at the bottom of the blog, I think you will find it interesting to say the least and let me say a certain person in a big white house crossed my mind as I read it!

Along with the legions of stupid people we also have an alarming number of sociopaths who are manipulating our world. In particular I refer to the creator of Facebook who is defying social order deliberately and helping to create a world of chaos and hatred. I do not say this lightly but following the news closely in recent months I find myself puzzled as to why Zuckerberg refused to attend various inquiries and even more puzzling why the authorities did not insist on that attendance. A simple correction in algorithms would prevent people from going down dark gopher holes into a world of misinformation and malevolence.

I am an optimist in the long run but in the short term I am a worrier and it is very concerning that the world is racing along willy-nilly without remembering 2 axioms from 2 world wars “lest we forget” and “never again”.

This blog is written to the readers who are bright, have common sense and perhaps can make their world positive and strong by their own initiatives. Little circles eddy outwards. We can always hope.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stupidity

Hazing is just another word for Bullying

I don’t know if my readers are following the story about St. Michael’s College, the private boys’ school currently in the news due to sexual assault by students on other students but I must say that I am profoundly shocked on a few different levels.

First of all I noticed the slogan on the outside of the school “Teach me Goodness, Discipline and Knowledge” and thought “That deliverable isn’t going so well”.

Second I was shocked to hear a middle-aged alumnae say that this culture of hazing and sexual assault was around in his day. And nothing was done?

Third I am stunned that a parent was asked by someone from the media if she was going to be taking her son out of the school and she said “no”. Good Lord in Heaven, my kid would have been out of there so fast the wind couldn’t keep up!

Fourth I am astounded that the principal is still there given that he did not report other incidents until 48 hours after learning about them. At the same time I wonder “How can any adult working in that school not have been aware of what was going on? What sort of supervision is being done in that school?”

Fifth I wonder how can a religious school have such a disgusting culture? Are they being groomed for the priesthood and further pedophilia? (Sorry, that is said in irony --- I hope).

Lastly why on earth are private schools not governed under the same rules and regulations as public schools?

I have a lot of questions and a whole lot of disgust for this. The male culture of hazing and bullying is archaic and it is absurd to say it is necessary so that they can have team spirit.  Are you F’ing kidding me? We women don’t need to bully or haze each other to have common goals and work as a team. What are you talking about? It is all about male aggression and it should have been stopped decades ago.

I remember as a 14 year old Freshman in high school the first week “Freshie Week” a senior was supposed to make us do all kinds of stupid, silly things including dressing up as something or other. I had never heard of such a thing and I looked at the person who was my senior and thought ‘what an idiot’ and then went about my business the whole week oblivious to the nuttiness of those who fell into that “game”. But of course, at 7 years old I was too mature to go out for Halloween so why would I be any different at 14?

Maybe because I had a brain. It appears to be sadly lacking even in adults.

Political Correctness

Last week the American Library Association changed its Laura Ingalls Wilder Award to something else due to suddenly discovering that Ingalls’ books did not represent their core values.  The books were published in the 1930’s and 40’s so I am not quite sure why they only now have discovered something inappropriate (to them) in these books on Ingalls’ personal family experiences.

It is ridiculous really.  Below I send some links which outline the stories so called inappropriateness.  I am not alone in finding this particular case especially annoying, even outrageous. 

I have googled various banned and censored book lists but found it so dysfunctional and mind blogging to realize how absolutely unreasonable some people are that I felt my best course is to ask readers, if they are interested in pursuing this, to do their own looking.

Which now leads me to the main purpose of this article.  Questioning people’s common sense in their assessment of what one ought to do about a book that is objectionable to them.  To my mind, if you don’t like the book, stop reading it.  It’s not your business to stop other people from reading it by getting the book banned from their public library.  We are adults, we ought to know what is good reading and what is questionable. We all have our own standards and we don’t need Mrs. Smith to tell us what we are allowed to read.  Furthermore we are (generally speaking) quite capable of recognizing inappropriate words or themes but sometimes, just maybe, that is the whole point of the book.

One community banned “Charlotte’s Web” because the animals were talking.  Are you seriously upset about a children’s book where animals talk?  Is your little Susie so stupid she doesn’t understand fantasy?  And yet I bet you let her watch “The Simpsons” because it is so alright to listen to that family.  That community would probably have a heart attack if they read “Animal Farm”; in fact they would die before they got through the first chapter.  Heaven help them if they got to the final chapter.  They would likely ban glue from their schools and make sure every child ate a lot of ham sandwiches.  J

I have trouble with censorship and I have even more trouble with society flipping out about things that actually happened in history and somehow trying to make out like it wasn’t real.  There are plenty of events that get altered, ignored or are tiptoed around in history.  I have to give my Grade 11 history teacher credit for having her students’ enact the Louis Riel trial with a very different outcome at the end of it.  Living in Winnipeg we were close to where it all happened.  Canada has its share of rotten history but it is not taught very well (if at all) in schools.  I know my younger siblings did not even learn about Louis Riel because they were mostly taught in Alberta or Ontario.  I wonder if students in B.C. get a different version of history with respect to the Japanese internment in WWII.  Or Italians in Toronto or Germans in Kitchener may get some other lessons that we wouldn’t get. 

Sadly Canada’s history is not written in a very exciting way so we yawn our way through our courses and then we miss out on the inequities and outrage we ought to be experiencing.  But later on we can find books that recount the stories in a more honest way.

It’s not good censoring books – that’s how we learn. 

http://thefederalist.com/2018/07/02/not-laura-ingalls-wilder-prejudiced-librarians-smearing-legacy/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/06/27/laura-ingalls-wilder-book-award-little-house-prairie-racist-column/734103002/

Fixed vs Growth Mindset

Yesterday I wrote about open minds and I had added a link to Carol Dweck’s blog on Mindsets.  She has written a book (also found on that page) which researches how brains function.  The good news is that a person can alter their way of thinking.  And now you may be asking “why should I alter my way of thinking?”

Dweck found in her research that those who had a “fixed mindset” felt they needed to prove themselves over and over again.  Happily one can alter their mindset by first of all recognizing what type of mindset they currently has and then taking steps to change. 

I know that the majority of people are influenced by their parents’ thinking which is perfectly normal.  However, as one matures it is incumbent on thoughtful persons to question their beliefs and examine why they believe what they do.  As I observed many years ago, thinking can be painful and most people would sooner stick a needle in their eye than think about thinking.  But think about this for one minute --- why is the world in the shape that it is in?  My answer --- because too many people are on auto pilot not only in their daily lives but when they go to vote they have no true understanding of what they are actually voting for.  Using politics as an example of fixed mindset, if you vote for a party that gets the majority of their funding from corporations you ought to know that they now are under obligation to listen to what those corporations lobby for.  And what do they lobby for?  Lower corporate taxes, less “entitlements” for the people, corporate “welfare” for themselves and so on and so forth.  Nothing that is good for you.  Think about it – yes, think about it seriously.

(Politics was used here as an example only but there are many areas in which a person may simply be stuck without reflection).

John Maxwell’s workbook “Jumpstart your Thinking” is an amazing tool to get you motivated to think.

“For the flower to blossom you need the right soil as well as the right seed.  The same is true to cultivate good thinking.”  William Bernbach

Knock Back

I spoke little bit about social courtesy yesterday but I think it might be a good time to go deeper into the whole social media obsession.  I think we can safely say that people like the idea of being able to express themselves, air their opinions and so forth and what better way than through this phenomena that has grown over the last 15 years to be something that is so invasive in our lives that untold millions cannot live without having their telephone or tablet at the ready every moment day or night.  I’ve spoken against this for years, ad nauseum.  

Now I want to talk a little bit about the security breaches and invasion of privacy which Facebook is guilty of.  I had not realized until perhaps 6 or 8 months ago that those quizzes people send out are part of the problem in analyzing us and potentially making us victims of trolls of all sorts.  If we cannot disconnect from Facebook (and although I don’t believe I am an addict I see the value of staying connected with friends) I do think it behooves me (and others) to be more aware and to stop sending out a lot of the posters, quizzes and things we are not so sure about.  Caution is the better part of valour, as they say.

Nothing new or startling in this observation, but I do share it with my readers in the hopes of curbing some of our habits which may not be for our good.

Lastly, let us always remember to be kind, to give the benefit of the doubt to our Friends and not to jump to negative conclusions.  Take a few minutes to respond if you are disturbed or offended.  And when you do respond, sometimes sending a private message is much better than posting it on the public forum.  Just a tip that I have found very valuable.

I welcome additional suggestion and insights.

Around the Topics

As my readers know by now I enjoy watching The View every morning.  I find a get an idea of what is going on in the USA in a stimulating way.  Today my big laugh came from Joy (she always gives me a kick) a she spoke about the sex lives of various animals.  Apparently this is actually a big hobby of hers.  It came up as they talked about the death of the last white rhino yesterday.  It’s sad to see species going extinct due to bad management and rogue hunting.  On the other hand a couple of months ago I saw a spot on Focus in Europe where in Germany they had 3 different types or scenarios of people who were concerned about a wolf species coming back into the forest.  There was the farmers whose livestock was being eaten (but they had so much land that they could not afford to put up proper fences), the environmentalists and the hunters.   Right off the bat I think hunters’ should not have a say in a scenario where we are talking about extinction. 

I think in terms of safety and livelihood that the farmers’ concerns should be addressed first.  The devastation of the livestock appeared quite significant so pending more information my thought would be that perhaps the environmentalists and government need to look at how they can best assist in saving the wolf without cost to the farmers.

As human beings, however disappointing we may be, our “needs” should trump anything else (within reason) including the environment.  I know this opinion upsets environmentalists a great deal but as human beings who else really can do anything?  Again, I am talking about simple economics, jobs and livelihoods; I am not advocating the desecration that big business has done in the past without checks and balances.  That needs to continue, but again, within bounds, within reason and not at cost of essential jobs. 

Here we go – should the B.C. and USA pipelines go ahead?  In my opinion, if the original assessments were legitimate and the provisos are kept, then yes.  I think that the pipelines are much safer than railways to get the oil to markets.  I also think that Canadians should use some common sense in their debates over this question.  Which currently I do not think is happening.  I think most people who enter the debate have not done their research but are just on bandwagons because they think its “politically correct”.

But this is just one person’s opinion – I get to say what I like on my blog.  And as Sarah Haynes said today on The View – responses should extend the courtesy of appreciating “nuances” in opinions.  Remember I have a sustainable farm, I have long done recycling, not using Styrofoam cups, driving a green car and myriad other environmental forms of helping our planet. 

Quotable Woman

One book about womanly comes around to us in decade cycles.  This book is “Gift from the Sea” by Anne Morrow Lindbergh which centres on woman’s need for solitary time in order to be herself but also to be filled up with the emotional tools to fulfill her family obligations.  At one point she speaks to what we today call multi-tasking; “This is not the life of simplicity but the life of multiplicity that the wise men warn us of.  It leads not to unification but to fragmentation.  It does not bring grace, it destroys the soul.”  Sitting in my home and enjoying the quiet life in retirement I do contemplate the words of “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation” something which is also true of women today.

Despite the concerns about women working long hours, often as single parents, there is now a possible turning point in women taking a huge step in changing the world.  The madness that has been going on in the United States this past year has really magnified the troubles not only in America but around the global (to a greater or lesser degree).  The “strides” women took in the late 1960’s when entering the workforce in huge numbers, the Woman’s Movement, Women’s Liberation, Human Rights all these things seem to have waned with younger women not understanding what their mothers had to go through just to get a job much less a job with “equal pay for equal work”.  Change is fleeting in this man’s world and women always seem to end up with the short end of the stick.  And this is where we started, women are nurturers at heart and this causes them to stumble in righting the wrongs of the world.

But there is hope as more women take leads in governing.  Still baby steps but the movement is rising.  This is now about power.  Awaken ladies.  Feel it and own it.  Don’t wait for it to be given to you.

 

Normal Thinking vs Backward Thinking

I was going to post my Christmas story today but I thought better of it and instead though I would lead in the new year with my thoughts on thinking.  As you will recall I did a whole 90 minute course on improving thinking which was geared towards achieving goals in life, big, small, creative or routine.  This in turn lead to all kinds of humorous ways of perverting my thinking or making fun of said thinking.  But there was an awful lot of “thinking” going on in 2016 which disturbed many people, myself included.

As chance would have it the PBS ran two interesting programs in the last couple of months, one on the Reformation and one on Early Christianity.  Both programs invoked my thinking beyond religion into the trap groups of people can fall into by charismatic leaders.  Some may not even be true leaders but instead just good speakers and what might have been a good idea, thought or movement rapidly sinks into a morass of personal agendas and ideas that were never intended by the originator.  Part of the Early Christianity program dealt with the conflict of various followers of Jesus and then the various apostles in what they thought was the “right” way of thinking about Jesus.  Some felt that the teachings of Jesus was the key to Christianity while others thought his end was the most important basis of Christianity.  Now that is a fundamental difference in thinking.  From there it was not hard to see how the diversity of religion occurred.  Again the same thing started over with the Reformation as others thought Luther was not drastic enough in his returning to teachings of the holy scripture.

I take that as the example as I look at the current mode of thinking declines into degrading lies, hatred, racism and so much that is unworthy of humanity.  How did all of this type of thinking get so much traction?  Furthermore how did viewers, listeners and readers fall into the trap of countenancing this type of rhetoric and allowing it into our homes via television, radio and computers?  How can it be that such a large number of the population has lost their sense of discernment, their core values or the ability to think for themselves in a way that is uplifting not only for themselves but towards all of humanity?  Forgive the worn out comparison of the Romans feeding the mass frenzy in the coliseum but is this where we are being herded?

So when I title this normal thinking vs. backward thinking I hope my readers can appreciate that I am not wanting to disparage anyone but rather get them to pause at the politeness of the mirror.

The Pursuit of Knowledge - You

This past week the world was rocked, shocked, incredulous or bewildered after the remarkable American election win of Donald Trump.  I don’t want to write about how I feel as it is only more of what has already been posted on Facebook or elsewhere.  Let’s give the man a chance to prove that he is worthy of the position that people have elected him to and move on.

What I will say about the general state of the world is that many factors are moving us inexorable to a day of reckoning.  I am not talking about a religious apocalypse but rather I am talking about a push from people who are feeling marginalized economically, politically and socially.  Danish clergyman and philosopher Kaj Munk said that the branch is supple and can be pulled back, further and further, but eventually it will slap back and beware it doesn’t hit you in the face (I paraphrase).  I learned this as a little child and it struck me forcibly as an excellent description of how people can rise up and protest.  In history we have seen many rebellions and revolutions around the globe and there is one thing that they all have in common, the hunger and suppression of the “common man” causes an uproar at last.

Today the world has the potential to provide for the whole of humanity with complete sustenance; food, shelter and warmth.  The world has the knowledge and the means but the few who actually control the distribution of the means do not have the will to do so.  Shame on them.  For some people, these people, enough is never enough.  They do not understand the meaning of “making a living, not a killing”.  They do not appreciate the words of wisdom “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.  These people consider themselves smart because they avoid having to give, they pride themselves on not doing their fair share.  They have contempt for the meaning of fair.

This is the world that we live in today but what is even worse is that the tendency of the world is moving even further in that same direction.  People take a narrow and egotistically view of where our world is going.  They seem to think that if it is not affecting them directly it doesn’t matter.  Or they believe that their vote doesn’t matter, nothing will change anyway.  The world will definitely change no matter what you think or how little you do and in the end those who do nothing are as culpable as those who perpetrate the ill of this world.

It matters whether you vote, it matters whether you inform yourself, it matters whether you stand by as wrong is being done.  You matter.  Never forget, each person makes a ripple in the world.  You matter.

Retaliation - Does It Work?

I have been watching the world reaction to the Paris tragedy with growing consternation.  While I understand how people can react in the heat of the moment I question the severe, retaliatory rhetoric that politicians are using across the globe.  In particular I feel that Prime Minister Cameron in the UK and President Hollande in France are being extremely forceful in their demands for “bombing the bejezus out of Syria”.  I can understand it when a layman would say something like this, particularly in the early days after the event, but I question the wisdom of a leader of a nation to speak in such a way.

I just want to compare their reactions to how President Bush retaliated after 9/11.  Did that work?  I think not, rather it seems to be giving the world more blowback.  At the same time, President Obama seems to be using very measured words and taking a different approach to what is happening on the terrorist front.  I am not expert and I also am not following these events closely but I have to wonder what history will say about the first decades of the 21^st century.  Reflecting on the last century I think we are heading in the same pathetic direction and ask the now proverbial question “when will we learn”?

I think Prime Minister J. Trudeau is taking the correct approach in withdrawing our bombers although I don’t know if putting more boots on the ground, even if it is in an instructional capacity is useful.  I simply don’t know.  Canada is a small country in terms of population and wealth and it is neither our heritage nor experience to get involved in war.  Do we want to consider this war in Syria as World War III?  Are we being hysterical about what is happening in the Middle East?  Can anyone tell me that there will be a solution or resolution to the discontent that has been happening in the Middle East for centuries?  Wiser heads than mine have said there will never be peace in the Middle East and I am pretty darn sure that bombing the crap out of Syria is not going to fix anything.

Meanwhile we have millions of people who are fleeing the horrific consequences of this war.  On the one hand the Western world is participating in bombing these people out of their homes and on the other hand they are holding out a hand to bring them into their countries, giving them aid in various forms.  It seems to me a contradiction to wreak havoc and then pat them on the head and say “there, there, everything will be alright”.   Of course we have a duty to provide solace to people in despair but it would make a whole lot more sense if we weren’t the ones causing the despair in the first place.

There’s been four years of upheaval since the Arab Spring and before that we have seen two decades of growing unrest in the Middle East, much of it causes by blowback from Western interference and exploitation.  I am not an expert but it seems to me that talks, education and avoiding exploitation may be a much easier way to resolve matters.  And maybe for non-Middle East countries to keep their noses out of other people’s affairs.

I’m just saying . . . .

Marching Time

When one crosses the threshold of 60 years of age the trembling heart may expect bugles, trumpets and drum rolls if only in the silence of the blood stream.  6 decades is quite a lot of living regardless of what century we are talking about.  Many changes occur in those 6 decades but it does seem that in the last century changes seem to have happened with increasing rapidity and it is little wonder that it is hard for any human to keep pace with the changes.

I recently watched a news bite that indicated the medical profession was looking into changing their recommendations on how early a child should be allowed to have a cellphone.  They were looking at three years of age being acceptable and I thought “I give up”.  Who am I to object to cellphones when doctors think it’s alright for an infant to have a cellphone?  It’s time to surrender to the 21^st century.

Or is it?

Don’t laugh but that is a cheesy line from the new show “The Grinder” starring Rob Lowe.  But I digress.

The reality of the world today is that it moves so quickly, technology changes our reality almost daily and those who are older find it increasingly difficult to keep up.  But even young folks have difficulty keeping pace simply because their lifestyle is so hectic.  Before the advent of cellphones and apps people could concentrate on their commute; you know, actually watching the traffic around them.  Today on the news they mentioned the double-decker bus accident that happened in Ontario two years ago; the driver was apparently watching the video screen that monitored the rest of the bus and so “wham”, his bus was hit and people died.  But he was doing what he had been told to do – watch his passengers.  People walk down the street and get hit by buses, cars and trains almost weekly.

It could be worse though, we could be living in the United States where people get shot in mass on a daily basis.  But hey, let’s not consider gun control because we all need to protect ourselves, right?

Evolution - Weird and Wonderful

Did you know that chicks can survive without a mother hen?  They can pop out of their eggshell and begin to drink and feed within the day.  In four days they begin to sprout their wing feathers which become full wings in less than 2 weeks.  By that time they are also sprouting their tail feathers and feather begin to emerge on their backs.  The miracle of life is truly amazing when watching the rapid growth of a bird.  Pups, kittens, calves and fouls are much slower to get into their growth and their evolution is not as dramatic as that of a chicken to a hen.  Changing from yellow fuzz to feathers is so dramatic, visually altering the appearance of the bird.

The nature of an animal, however, is similar from birth to death.  They grow, they eat, they hunt or peck and basically they act like a chicken, a cat, dog or horse.  Despite our belief in human superiority man also does not alter much from birth to death, from century to century.  Some are workers, some are leaders, some are generous and some are cruel.  Through all our learning, discovery and inventions we humans have still not learned how to change the rise and fall of nations.  We haven’t learned how to get along with differences; we still attack the painted bird.

Why is that?

Global Warming and My Questions

I thought I would participate a little bit on this subject accepting the overwhelming majority of the scientific community’s belief that there is global warming and that it is at least partially caused by humans.

My first solution is for individuals to review their use of personal vehicles and find ways to reduce consumption of gas.  Wherever possible one should walk, ride a bike, use public transit or travel efficiently.  If you can car pool that is terrific, if you can’t then declare a car free day once a week (more if you can).  There are dozens of other suggestions with respect to household use of electricity and gas, recycling and so on that I don’t need to regurgitate here.

One other aspect that I really believe needs more attention is the potential for people to assist in generating clean power by way of solar panels and windmills.  The trouble with this is that the cost is extremely high for what the power they are collecting can produce without first putting it into the grid.  The problem here is that the grid is privately owned by greedy utility companies who refuse to fairly compensate these individuals for the power they can put back into the grid.  The bottom line is that government allows private enterprise to be unconscionably greedy to the detriment of the greater good.

It seems incredible that human greed can ultimately be the cause of destroying a planet.  Despite some 5 billion people on this earth the mass cannot stop the 1% of 1% going towards destruction.  How strange is that?  And when earth is desolate who will be left to ask “was it worth it”?

Peculiar Weekend

This has been a strange weekend with extremely cold temperatures that that are keeping families home which makes it nice for bonding, housekeeping and simply putzing about.  However, one look at the world news has sent everything sideways, wondering if we are perilously close to another war.  How does Russia go from hosting the world with the Olympic Games, supposedly creating goodwill, to mobilizing their army to invade a country?

This evening a good part of the world will be watching the Oscars but I find myself disturbed and wondering what I will be waking up to tomorrow morning.  I cannot seriously think about who had the prettiest dress on the red carpet or who was the better actor when what I am really thinking is that there are so many pockets of war around the world that it is only a matter of time before some lunatic lights the keg of dynamite.

The face of war is nothing like what you see in the movies, and it’s not even what you read in books.  War is more horrible than anything one can possibly imagine and most horrifying of all is how quickly one’s neighbour can change from an ordinary citizen to someone you neither recognize nor understand.  My parents lived through World War II in an occupied country and some of the graphic stories my father told strikes utter fear in my heart should something like that happen again.  Once fighting starts in Europe who knows where it will lead.

I am extremely concerned.

Language and Technology

Understanding the quirks of foreign languages is a true art as I am discovering as I study the Spanish language.  It is not just a matter of obtaining a vocabulary but of understanding how the verbs change and how extremely important it is to enunciate all the vowels in a word since it can completely alter the meaning of the word.  While Spanish is supposed to be an easy language to learn it still takes a lot of concentrated effort to retain the vocabulary and all of the rules of grammar which I found out simply by trying to study as the house was invaded by family.

I am actually enjoying learning this new language despite all the challenges of missing time and not studying nearly as much as I ought to be.  I am delighted every time I recognize a Latin word and I can travel down the language route to discover other language roots.  Despite not learning the spoken language as quickly as I would like I am still discovering so many other things through the study.  For instance how words like Jugo are being doubled up with a company brand name like Jugo Juice (basically saying juice juice).  In Denmark formal nouns have been eliminated to a large extent but Spanish still retains the formal and informal just as French.

As a language is revealed the people are also revealed, and that is a very fun experience.  I listen to the CD we received and still find it hard to recognize the words if I am not following along with the book and then even though I recognize the words I forget the meaning.  Oh yes, it’s going to take a while to master the language but meanwhile I am learning a lot simply about language in general.

Seguing into something else by way of language, how can a government analyse an individual through a SIM card?  How can they say that a person is guilty of treason by tracking what that person has researched on line?  If I were Jessica Fletcher of yore and searching for various ways to kill a person, or make a bomb (yes I dare to use the word on a blog) how could they discern however many hits that might be to mean that Jessica was a terrorist?  And then, willy nilly, make a drone hit?  This is what I am understanding may be happening in America today. How can a supposedly righteous democratic nation kill someone because a SIM card has identified that individual as a threat to America?  How many international laws does this action break?   Who made America the decider of what is right for them and what the rules are for everybody else?

Didn’t the founding fathers advocate the Freedom of Speech?  Didn’t they advocate trial by jury?  Aren’t you innocent until proven guilty?  Has technology taken over and usurped the power of speech?  In other words, has the power of language disappeared?

Are we on the verge of The Terminator’s world?

Yes and No - Feel the Power

I’ve been thinking quite a lot about how my generation was raised.  In today’s world I supposed it would be called “tough love” but I think in the 1960’s (and before) it was called Upbringing.  I suspect that I was a particularly easy child to raise as the idea of rebellion never crossed my mind.  Now it is just possible that I have selected memory here but as I recall, without even really thinking about it, I knew that my parents’ word was law so what was the point in arguing.  It was a Win-Lose situation, they would win and I would lose so why put effort into something like that? 

I have written about this before so I apologize for repeating myself but my parents had no trouble whatsoever in saying no to us and I don’t feel that I have been scarred by that word.  In fact I rather enjoy the power of it when I can say no and not feel guilty.  You should not feel guilty about saying no to things that you truly don’t want to do since this is this is Your Life and your precious time.  On the other hand it also feels great to say Yes to the things that you want to do so there is power in that word as well.  It’s all about knowing what you really want and using the right word in response to the question.

Whether one is raising a family or deciding on what to do with one’s time consider that you have only One Life to Live as you make your choices on how to dispose of your time.  As I wrote yesterday while there is nothing wrong with chilling out with a game or two, sleeping in a hammock (or bed), and otherwise “wasting your time” keep things in moderation in order not to miss out on the valuable things that truly make you happy and are not just mind numbing.  We all have something in us to make our lives richer whether it be in creativity, volunteering, mentoring, working out, socializing and so on.  Don’t sit through life, live it.

I have a dear colleague fighting with cancer right now and how she is living her life with grace and energy is a true inspiration on Living.  She is not sitting Life out and nor will I. 

Nothing but the Truth

“What is truth”, asked Pontius Pilate.

In one sense the world is simple and transparent.  When one is out in nature, enjoying the sight and sounds of the natural world everything can seem wonderful, simple and true.  Then when we go into our work a day world we can also find comfort and simplicity in the known actions of daily routine.  When we look at a newspaper, pick up a book, listen to the radio or television, we can dull our minds into believing all is as it appears at first sight.

So when I began watching Moyers & Co. yesterday I was expecting something predictable, I would be incensed but on the same page with the guest.  But that was not the case at all and I was startled.  The topic was the Keystone Pipeline and the guest was Bill McKibben who I have listened to before.  He seems like a straightforward, honest type of guy but I became somewhat doubting as I listened.  He said Nebraska was the most fertile farm land in the world.  Nebraska?  Okay, I am not a farmer but somehow that did not sound correct to me.  Later he said something that sort of sailed by but I went “whoa, what was that”?  What he said was that only 3% of oil sands had as yet been exploited and there was still time to stop it.  Excuse me, but what was that again?  The reason he doesn’t want the pipeline to be made is not because of what disturbance it will have running along American land but because he wants to stop the growth of oil sands in Canada?  Nothing was said or expanded upon there but I had heard it and was disturbed by it.

Why?  I like transparency; I like advocates to say the whole story and not to have hidden agendas.  I also think that Americans have no business trying to stop Canadian industry.  I think Canada should take care of its own business, problems, concerns, whatever you want to call it.  When it comes to fossil fuels and alternatives I think that we are approaching a complex issue.  Living in Alberta and working in the oil and gas industry could make my opinion biased, I’m human after all, however common sense ought to tell anyone that you cannot simply shutdown a whole industry that employs more than 100,000 people!  Indeed, with spinoff jobs it is probably closer to 500,000 and perhaps even more than that.  A more rational way to stop addiction of fossil fuel is to take a balanced approach, with incentives for companies and individuals to use alternatives.  Unfortunately the appetite of industry to make a killing rather than a living constantly and one would assume, inevitably, destroys that alternative.  What do I mean?  As in other industries, the energy industry wants only a chosen few to reap the big rewards.  What incentive is there for me as a country dweller to set up an expensive windmill or solar panel system to harness energy when I have no financial incentive to have it go into the grid with a decent payback?  How can ordinary citizens be weaned off their polluting vehicles when there is little or no alternative transportation provided for them?

What is truth?  It’s simple really.  Cupidity.