SOCIAL STUDIES - Published Monday September 29th, 2008
Nothing brings out opinions like driving. Each of us, for some strange reason, feels that we are the best driver on the road; the only driver that knows the right way to do things.
Consider for a second that the last time you or I ever actually studied the rules of driving we were 15 and focused not on learning to drive, but on getting the parents' car. I have forgotten more than I ever knew about those rules.
I have also lived and driven in some of the worst places. Boston, Montreal, New York and Toronto come immediately to mind. I drove for at least a decade on the highways and byways of Montreal, so if nothing else, I am a survivor.
Back to the opinions, what makes driving very difficult is that each of us is an expert in our own mind and can justify anything. I clearly have the driving skills to type this article while on a cell phone and in a merge lane. Everyone else I see on the phone while driving is clearly less capable than I am. That's how we all feel.
Moncton has a bad reputation though. Look back at how many times driving has come up in this paper alone. Everyone seems to feel that we are terrible drivers. I have even written about my failure to understand what the hurry is. We live and work less than 15 minutes away from anything and drive it like we are two hours late.
I don't think drivers have to take all the blame. I also blame the engineers. Take merge lanes for example. Our merge lanes were designed by people with attention deficit disorder.
On Vaughan Harvey alone you find two completely different examples. If you go south and turn on to St. George you find yourself in a decent enough merge lane that lasts about 10 car lengths and merges into two lanes of traffic. It is easy. Go North and turn on to Mountain Road and the merge lane ends at the corner and hurls you into oncoming traffic if you don't stop and look over your shoulder.
Can we really be blamed for not knowing whether to speed up or slow down when we go around a corner? Add to that the exponential growth in traffic our city has experienced as it bursts its seams.
Our engineers did get one thing right though, roundabouts. Love them or hate them the truth is that the roundabout reduces delays by up to 65 per cent over a traditional intersection. It may seem you are waiting longer if you happen to be one of those lucky individuals who normally get to sail through green lights at every corner. Roughly half the time, however, the light will not be green. Done properly roundabouts force you to slow down but almost never stop.
Roundabouts are also safer. Almost 50 per cent of all traffic accidents occur at intersections; and although I cannot figure the math, experts insist there are 56 different ways to have an accident in an intersection and only 16 in a roundabout.
I have also learned two surprising things. First off, tailgaters are less likely to have accidents, especially during highway driving. Consider this, all of us reach for something while driving, the Tim Horton's, the cell phone, the radio knob, a Kleenex; and for the most part these interruptions take us less than two seconds to complete.
It happens a lot. The average driver adjusts the radio 7.4 times per hour of driving and searches for something 1.8 times per hour.
When we are following closely behind another car we do it quickly and effectively. When we increase our distance to about three seconds apart we start to get over-confident. We spend too much time adjusting the volume, looking at the map, or staring at the text message. All of a sudden we are ploughing into the car in front of us.
Don't try this at home as my tailgating expertise comes from decades of practice.
The second thing I learned is about merging. Yes, merging, that bane of most Monctonians. Think about this, if you were driving and saw the sign, "Merge Right" what would you do?
Most of us do consider ourselves polite, and rule abiding, and so we would pull into the right lane at the first available opportunity. Then we would curse those people who speed right by until the last possible second and squeeze in. There is actually an engineering term for all of this, the "early and late merge".
Believe it or not, the late merge seems to work better. If you put up signs encouraging the late merge, like "Use both lanes until merge point" and everyone gets what you are trying to do; you first of all eliminate road rage, because you do not get angry with the "cheating" driver; secondly you compress what could be thousands of feet of potential merge, and accident, space down to a single point. This increases traffic flow by over 15 per cent.
Now don't get me wrong. I don't want to get a call when everyone tailgates, merges, and crashes.
I am just talking about statistics; which depending on your perspective either lie, or tell the absolute truth.
Either way there are more effective ways of driving, and most of them stem from paying more attention. Attention to the drivers around you as well as the way the road was built.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Faith provides source of love
RELIGION TODAY - Published Saturday September 27th, 2008
What does faith mean to you? I used to have people tell me it was personal confession of faith in the saving power of Jesus Christ. But that never made a whole lot of sense to me. Faith to me has nothing to do with getting into heaven.
Let me tell you a story. It is about what might have been the scariest moment of my life. The birth of our first child went beyond the usual fear to downright panic. She was born immobile, blue, not breathing or moving. My wife asked me if she was okay, and I did not have any way to respond -- fear had paralyzed me. One gruff nurse almost seemed to yell, "She will be," and all hell broke loose.
Positions shifted as cords were cut, chairs pushed aside, and machines kicked into overdrive. They lifted her away to the other side of the room and started suctioning her lungs. Horrible sounds, when all we wanted to hear was a cry. Almost before we knew it she was gone, down the hall to the cavernous, dimly lit reality of Natal Intensive Care. For the first time in my life I felt lost and alone; I was out of place with nothing to do; and powerless -- and I need to be in charge.
By 4 a.m., some three hours later, we still had no idea how she was doing, and were told we should get some sleep. It had now been just about 24 hours since the last time we had closed our eyes and reluctantly we made our way down to the room to wait.
God takes care of people -- that is what I have always thought. Yet here we were as far away from being cared for as I can possibly imagine. The room was dark and I lay on my back seething with anger, at the hospital, at life, at God -- springs of the cot cutting into my back, dry air of the hospital taking its toll on my lungs and eyes. Finally I got the courage to cry.
That is when it happened. The silence deepened. The darkness closed in. God was there. I have always been a religious person of sorts; and have certainly always tried to do the right thing by God. I had never, however, felt anything like this. I could actually feel God hugging me. It was not so much that the arms were wrapped around me, just a pressure open me that somehow whispered into my soul "I am here."
Almost immediately another thought came unbidden into my mind, "It will be all right." Now I knew in my head that this was no guarantee of health; it might very well be God telling me that even if she dies, it will be all right, somehow. But with that thought came such a moment of peace, such an overwhelming understanding that I need not be in control, that I fell instantly asleep.
My daughter is now three. She doesn't eat her vegetables and she talks back to her mother like you would not believe. But she was born dead -- and is now alive. God told me it would be okay. Although I have never before nor since felt the presence of God in that way, nothing will ever separate me from the very real knowledge that God is not abstract. Rather, God shows up in unexpected ways at unexpected times and reminds us that no matter what happens, it will be okay.
It has very little to do with whether I confess faith in one dogma or another, whether I am of one faith or another. The power behind the universe is love. And because of that there is hope. That is faith.
What does faith mean to you? I used to have people tell me it was personal confession of faith in the saving power of Jesus Christ. But that never made a whole lot of sense to me. Faith to me has nothing to do with getting into heaven.
Let me tell you a story. It is about what might have been the scariest moment of my life. The birth of our first child went beyond the usual fear to downright panic. She was born immobile, blue, not breathing or moving. My wife asked me if she was okay, and I did not have any way to respond -- fear had paralyzed me. One gruff nurse almost seemed to yell, "She will be," and all hell broke loose.
Positions shifted as cords were cut, chairs pushed aside, and machines kicked into overdrive. They lifted her away to the other side of the room and started suctioning her lungs. Horrible sounds, when all we wanted to hear was a cry. Almost before we knew it she was gone, down the hall to the cavernous, dimly lit reality of Natal Intensive Care. For the first time in my life I felt lost and alone; I was out of place with nothing to do; and powerless -- and I need to be in charge.
By 4 a.m., some three hours later, we still had no idea how she was doing, and were told we should get some sleep. It had now been just about 24 hours since the last time we had closed our eyes and reluctantly we made our way down to the room to wait.
God takes care of people -- that is what I have always thought. Yet here we were as far away from being cared for as I can possibly imagine. The room was dark and I lay on my back seething with anger, at the hospital, at life, at God -- springs of the cot cutting into my back, dry air of the hospital taking its toll on my lungs and eyes. Finally I got the courage to cry.
That is when it happened. The silence deepened. The darkness closed in. God was there. I have always been a religious person of sorts; and have certainly always tried to do the right thing by God. I had never, however, felt anything like this. I could actually feel God hugging me. It was not so much that the arms were wrapped around me, just a pressure open me that somehow whispered into my soul "I am here."
Almost immediately another thought came unbidden into my mind, "It will be all right." Now I knew in my head that this was no guarantee of health; it might very well be God telling me that even if she dies, it will be all right, somehow. But with that thought came such a moment of peace, such an overwhelming understanding that I need not be in control, that I fell instantly asleep.
My daughter is now three. She doesn't eat her vegetables and she talks back to her mother like you would not believe. But she was born dead -- and is now alive. God told me it would be okay. Although I have never before nor since felt the presence of God in that way, nothing will ever separate me from the very real knowledge that God is not abstract. Rather, God shows up in unexpected ways at unexpected times and reminds us that no matter what happens, it will be okay.
It has very little to do with whether I confess faith in one dogma or another, whether I am of one faith or another. The power behind the universe is love. And because of that there is hope. That is faith.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
What we can do to lessen violence, abuse
SOCIAL STUDIES - Published Monday September 22nd, 2008
In my university locker room there was a sticker. Someone had pasted it onto the side of a row of lockers in such an obtrusive way that every time you walked in you saw it glaring at you: "one out of every three women will be raped in their lifetime."
I was in a presentation the other day where the statistics were that one out of every four women will be abused.
Although the hardened professionals in the room just nodded their heads sagely, it was evident that most of us would like not to believe in this statistic. At the very least we wanted to say that we don't fit the norm.
I live in a house with three women. I did the math.
How about this: 33 per cent of all murders of women are committed by their "intimate partner". In case you are wondering only seven per cent of men are raped and only four per cent are killed by their spouses.
Or this, 40 per cent of all abuse cases start with the first pregnancy, and a pregnant woman is twice as likely to be abused as a non-pregnant woman.
We spend billions of dollars in terms of lost wages, mental health care, and emergency room trauma care every year as a result of abuse.
None of this takes into account the secret cost of depression, of fear, of pain. This does not look at the fact that abused children are more likely to abuse their children.
I am throwing out these statistics to make it seem a little more real.
This is one of those hidden problems of society; although given the prevalence it is hard to imagine we do not see it. And like it or not, it is a hidden problem because it is a woman's problem. Most men have absolutely no idea just how violent the world is for women -- simply because we do not experience it.
When I walk through a park at night I know that there are only a certain percentage of people in the world who are bigger and stronger than me -- a small percentage at that. I also know that unless they had a gun and were seriously intent on using it, I might be able to take them. I don't really worry too much about being alone.
My wife, for example, is half my size, and most men are physically larger than she is. That simple fact alone leads to a massive difference in how we experience the night.
But why is violence such a part of everything?
One reason might be the change of status that has affected almost everyone in society. In one generation we have gone from families where the husband was the bread winner and the wife took care of the children, to two parents working straight out while strangers care for the children; or many one parent families struggling to make ends meet.
We have struggled with gender roles to the extent that while I was growing up the only thing expected of me was that I would play sports, drink heavily, hunt and hang out with the guys. Everything else would be her problem. Now we realize that life is a struggle for everyone and we try to be equal partners.
But no one taught me how to be any different, and the role models on television and the movies don't always exhibit the best behaviour, although most of them are pretty good, come to think of it.
We have been brought up in a world that is changing so rapidly that we often no longer know our place in it. At the same time, that change makes us uncomfortable and we often feel powerless. We owe too much money, other people decide so much about what is going to happen to us, sickness and death are uncontrollable. In a world that seems so unstable and in which we seem so powerless, we want control.
Psychologists would tell you that abuse is almost always based on control. That the violator acts out because they are seeking to retain control. This is not simply control of the victim. It could be that their work life is out of control, or the finances, or the children, or an aging parent. . . and because you feel powerless to change those other things -- you act out in the one place that you do have power.
The scary thing is that this seems to be getting more and more common for younger and younger people. Teenagers are more likely to be abused in relationships than adults. Given the reasons I have been explaining this makes total sense. How many young people feel in control of their future, or their present for that matter?
So what can we do?
First we must recognize this is a real problem. It is not going away, and the world is not getting any less violent anytime soon.
Secondly we have to urge people to take it seriously. This is a billion dollar problem that affects a significant portion of our population and never makes it onto the campaign trail, for example.
Lastly, we have to pledge to live differently. Each of us has the ability to recognize our own power, in the workplace, in society, and in our individual home. Each of us has the responsibility to use that power in constructive ways.
To use a quote by Ghandi in a different context, we need to be the change we wish to see in the world.
In my university locker room there was a sticker. Someone had pasted it onto the side of a row of lockers in such an obtrusive way that every time you walked in you saw it glaring at you: "one out of every three women will be raped in their lifetime."
I was in a presentation the other day where the statistics were that one out of every four women will be abused.
Although the hardened professionals in the room just nodded their heads sagely, it was evident that most of us would like not to believe in this statistic. At the very least we wanted to say that we don't fit the norm.
I live in a house with three women. I did the math.
How about this: 33 per cent of all murders of women are committed by their "intimate partner". In case you are wondering only seven per cent of men are raped and only four per cent are killed by their spouses.
Or this, 40 per cent of all abuse cases start with the first pregnancy, and a pregnant woman is twice as likely to be abused as a non-pregnant woman.
We spend billions of dollars in terms of lost wages, mental health care, and emergency room trauma care every year as a result of abuse.
None of this takes into account the secret cost of depression, of fear, of pain. This does not look at the fact that abused children are more likely to abuse their children.
I am throwing out these statistics to make it seem a little more real.
This is one of those hidden problems of society; although given the prevalence it is hard to imagine we do not see it. And like it or not, it is a hidden problem because it is a woman's problem. Most men have absolutely no idea just how violent the world is for women -- simply because we do not experience it.
When I walk through a park at night I know that there are only a certain percentage of people in the world who are bigger and stronger than me -- a small percentage at that. I also know that unless they had a gun and were seriously intent on using it, I might be able to take them. I don't really worry too much about being alone.
My wife, for example, is half my size, and most men are physically larger than she is. That simple fact alone leads to a massive difference in how we experience the night.
But why is violence such a part of everything?
One reason might be the change of status that has affected almost everyone in society. In one generation we have gone from families where the husband was the bread winner and the wife took care of the children, to two parents working straight out while strangers care for the children; or many one parent families struggling to make ends meet.
We have struggled with gender roles to the extent that while I was growing up the only thing expected of me was that I would play sports, drink heavily, hunt and hang out with the guys. Everything else would be her problem. Now we realize that life is a struggle for everyone and we try to be equal partners.
But no one taught me how to be any different, and the role models on television and the movies don't always exhibit the best behaviour, although most of them are pretty good, come to think of it.
We have been brought up in a world that is changing so rapidly that we often no longer know our place in it. At the same time, that change makes us uncomfortable and we often feel powerless. We owe too much money, other people decide so much about what is going to happen to us, sickness and death are uncontrollable. In a world that seems so unstable and in which we seem so powerless, we want control.
Psychologists would tell you that abuse is almost always based on control. That the violator acts out because they are seeking to retain control. This is not simply control of the victim. It could be that their work life is out of control, or the finances, or the children, or an aging parent. . . and because you feel powerless to change those other things -- you act out in the one place that you do have power.
The scary thing is that this seems to be getting more and more common for younger and younger people. Teenagers are more likely to be abused in relationships than adults. Given the reasons I have been explaining this makes total sense. How many young people feel in control of their future, or their present for that matter?
So what can we do?
First we must recognize this is a real problem. It is not going away, and the world is not getting any less violent anytime soon.
Secondly we have to urge people to take it seriously. This is a billion dollar problem that affects a significant portion of our population and never makes it onto the campaign trail, for example.
Lastly, we have to pledge to live differently. Each of us has the ability to recognize our own power, in the workplace, in society, and in our individual home. Each of us has the responsibility to use that power in constructive ways.
To use a quote by Ghandi in a different context, we need to be the change we wish to see in the world.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Stand up, demand more from politicians
SOCIAL STUDIES - Published Monday September 15th, 2008
There are over 11,000 millionaires in Atlantic Canada.
I realize there is a lot of poverty out there as well. But even if we take our "average" household income, we are looking at the $63,000 range.
I have to admit to being surprised by the number of people who have a million dollars. Apparently there are even a few billionaires out there. It is not, however, what I have been led to believe for my entire life.
We are all poor, aren't we? This is the end of the Earth. In some sadistic way I think we New Brunswickers actually revel in the idea that we have it bad. After all we are all illiterate, we are all uneducated, the only thing we know how to do well is hunt and drink beer; right?
Our frontier attitude to poverty is one of the things that keep us from embracing New Brunswick as one of the best places in the world. We have natural beauty, we have world class industry, we have U.S. fashion stores, and we even have good sushi.
I have often wondered as I drive around Moncton how we keep this illusion of our poverty as a province in place.
First off, it seems to me that everyone else owns a Lexus. Those that don't go in for the Land Rover that is.
Secondly, every house being built in this city seems to be in the half a million dollar range. Don't get me started on why a two bedroom, two bath house costs $400,000, which is another story.
One of my family members, I don't know who, maybe they all said it, would always talk about the fact that if you say it enough, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. I totally believe that this is true.
To put it in this context we will never rise above as a province until we accept the fact that we really are as good as anyone else.
If you doubt this, take Newfoundland as an example. For most of the last century Newfoundland believed itself to be the worst place in the world in terms of poverty, education, and perhaps "awkwardness". Somehow over the last decade they have turned that around, elected charismatic leadership, and are poised to become the richest province in the country.
Another thing we used to say in my family was that if you don't want to start fights, don't talk about religion, politics, or money. But really, there is nothing more important to us than those three things. Religion is about what we believe in our hearts. Politics is about what we want the world to be like. Money is about our place in the world and how we survive.
I may be trying to pick a fight. But I think we need to talk about this.
First off because of what I have already said, our thought that we are a "have not" province keeps us from celebrating who we are.
Secondly, however, and I realize this is a bit of a contradiction, even while we are rich; we are not able to live well.
You can go online and check your household income against the world. There is a site called the Global Rich List to help you put some perspective on your salary. I am the 36,690,488th richest person in the world! Which may not seem all that great at first, but consider, there are a little over six and a half billion people in the world, which makes me in the richest 0.6 per cent; almost everyone is poorer than I am.
Why does this matter? Because I am an upper middle class Canadian with the requisite two kids and two jobs, house, car and dog and am really well off. But I still have to think twice about whether to spend the gas to drive to Saint John to visit my in-laws, and I wonder whether or not to buy fresh vegetables at the supermarket. The cost of living is going up so fast that even when you used to have enough money it seems tight all of a sudden.
I guess what I am trying to balance is the idea that being proud of your accomplishments allows you to have the confidence to do more with the fact that realistically appraising the poverty level of the average middle class family can almost instantly overturn that confidence.
Not to say that I don't count myself lucky not to be one of those six and half billion who have to scrape by with less. I cannot even imagine how most Canadians can balance car, food, house and child care. . . let alone how people living below the poverty line can do it.
Someone has to talk about this stuff in their political campaign if they want my attention. Cutting diesel fuel so that some manufacturers can stay afloat is not a campaign promise aimed at the majority of people who wonder whether or not they can drive to grandma's house. Adding a ridiculously low level of new day care spots when people wish they did not have to work two jobs just to afford day care does not buy my vote.
You see, I think we have everything we need to succeed as a province and individuals -- but I think we dole it out wrong. Or perhaps we use it wrong.
Whatever the case, it is time for us to realize just what we have here in New Brunswick and to seize the momentum of the current election to actually stand up and say -- we expect better.
There are over 11,000 millionaires in Atlantic Canada.
I realize there is a lot of poverty out there as well. But even if we take our "average" household income, we are looking at the $63,000 range.
I have to admit to being surprised by the number of people who have a million dollars. Apparently there are even a few billionaires out there. It is not, however, what I have been led to believe for my entire life.
We are all poor, aren't we? This is the end of the Earth. In some sadistic way I think we New Brunswickers actually revel in the idea that we have it bad. After all we are all illiterate, we are all uneducated, the only thing we know how to do well is hunt and drink beer; right?
Our frontier attitude to poverty is one of the things that keep us from embracing New Brunswick as one of the best places in the world. We have natural beauty, we have world class industry, we have U.S. fashion stores, and we even have good sushi.
I have often wondered as I drive around Moncton how we keep this illusion of our poverty as a province in place.
First off, it seems to me that everyone else owns a Lexus. Those that don't go in for the Land Rover that is.
Secondly, every house being built in this city seems to be in the half a million dollar range. Don't get me started on why a two bedroom, two bath house costs $400,000, which is another story.
One of my family members, I don't know who, maybe they all said it, would always talk about the fact that if you say it enough, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. I totally believe that this is true.
To put it in this context we will never rise above as a province until we accept the fact that we really are as good as anyone else.
If you doubt this, take Newfoundland as an example. For most of the last century Newfoundland believed itself to be the worst place in the world in terms of poverty, education, and perhaps "awkwardness". Somehow over the last decade they have turned that around, elected charismatic leadership, and are poised to become the richest province in the country.
Another thing we used to say in my family was that if you don't want to start fights, don't talk about religion, politics, or money. But really, there is nothing more important to us than those three things. Religion is about what we believe in our hearts. Politics is about what we want the world to be like. Money is about our place in the world and how we survive.
I may be trying to pick a fight. But I think we need to talk about this.
First off because of what I have already said, our thought that we are a "have not" province keeps us from celebrating who we are.
Secondly, however, and I realize this is a bit of a contradiction, even while we are rich; we are not able to live well.
You can go online and check your household income against the world. There is a site called the Global Rich List to help you put some perspective on your salary. I am the 36,690,488th richest person in the world! Which may not seem all that great at first, but consider, there are a little over six and a half billion people in the world, which makes me in the richest 0.6 per cent; almost everyone is poorer than I am.
Why does this matter? Because I am an upper middle class Canadian with the requisite two kids and two jobs, house, car and dog and am really well off. But I still have to think twice about whether to spend the gas to drive to Saint John to visit my in-laws, and I wonder whether or not to buy fresh vegetables at the supermarket. The cost of living is going up so fast that even when you used to have enough money it seems tight all of a sudden.
I guess what I am trying to balance is the idea that being proud of your accomplishments allows you to have the confidence to do more with the fact that realistically appraising the poverty level of the average middle class family can almost instantly overturn that confidence.
Not to say that I don't count myself lucky not to be one of those six and half billion who have to scrape by with less. I cannot even imagine how most Canadians can balance car, food, house and child care. . . let alone how people living below the poverty line can do it.
Someone has to talk about this stuff in their political campaign if they want my attention. Cutting diesel fuel so that some manufacturers can stay afloat is not a campaign promise aimed at the majority of people who wonder whether or not they can drive to grandma's house. Adding a ridiculously low level of new day care spots when people wish they did not have to work two jobs just to afford day care does not buy my vote.
You see, I think we have everything we need to succeed as a province and individuals -- but I think we dole it out wrong. Or perhaps we use it wrong.
Whatever the case, it is time for us to realize just what we have here in New Brunswick and to seize the momentum of the current election to actually stand up and say -- we expect better.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
What people are looking for in leaders
SOCIAL STUDIES - Published Monday September 8th, 2008
I wish I was my father. Not necessarily for most of the reasons you might suspect. He is a permanent alien in the grand old United States of America; and I wish I could cast a vote down there. Not since John Kennedy became the most quoted politician ever have we seen such great speech writing from an American politician.
I would vote for Barack Obama just because of this line from his keynote speech to the Democratic National Convention, "There is not a liberal America and a conservative America -- there is the United States of America. There is not a black America and a white America and Latino America and Asian America -- there's the United States of America."
You can even buy a coffee mug with this question from one of his addresses, "Do we participate in a politics of cynicism, or a politics of hope?"
You have to admit, these are the types of rallying cries that make you want to see that person in charge. I do not think we have the same level of passion in our politics north of the border.
What we do have, is a system based on seeing what you can get away with before you are voted out of power.
It is unfortunate for the Conservatives that during the last election they hitched their wagon to the idea of moral superiority. One should never shine a spotlight on others unless you are absolutely certain no one is going to accuse you of leaking state secrets, hanging out with biker chicks, and bribing government officials. You just can't recover if you have already said you are beyond reproach.
That's what I remember liking about Chrétien and Trudeau. They played politics but they never claimed to be outstandingly ethical, always doing the right thing, sort of people; which is as it should be.
I want my politicians to be politicians. I want them to know how to run the country, to gamble in international politics, to manage vast quantities of money, and to make things happen in whatever way is necessary.
We have teachers, philosophers, poets and priests to help us see the other parts of the "big picture" and we need politicians to be the ones who know how to get the job done.
Don't get me wrong, the reason I like Obama is that he seems to be capable of maintaining the balance between working a system and still having dreams, vision, and most of all hope about the future. That is the type of person I would elect.
Do you remember the campaign slogans from the last election? The Conservatives asked us to "Stand up for Canada" while the Liberals said, "Choose your Canada"; the NDP were "Getting results for people". The two strangest slogans were the Bloq Quebecois stating "Thankfully, the Bloc is here!" and the Green Party simply saying "We can".
Obama campaigned on the slogan "Change we can believe in!" It might just be me, but these seem to elicit a lot more excitement about the prospects of the future than our parties manage to do.
But then again, despite the fact that so many of us complain about them, there are not that many of us who actually go out there and elect politicians no matter what the slogan. 64 per cent turned out the last time according to Elections Canada. Not bad I suppose, but consider this, first time voters are four times more likely to vote in an election than people eligible to vote a second time, and it continues to decline.
I suspect cynicism again.
Jean Ralston Saul wrote in Voltaire's Bastards about how the people that really run governments are the civil servants. Elected officials are more like movie stars, subject to a cult of personality and there mostly for show. I am not sure he is right, but the cynical side of me says that whether we elect Liberals or Conservatives not much is different.
So why do we vote one way or another? Sometimes it is to punish the party in power. But most times I suspect it is because we always have. You vote Conservative because you always have, because your parents always did, because you are Conservative.
Of course, that is not true.
Not many of us actually belong to political parties, those of us who do vote because of ideology I suppose.
But for most of the population we would be better off to forget about how we voted last time, how our parents voted, or even the current "promise of the day" of those hoping to be elected.
What we should do is look at the overall philosophy of the party involved. Historically what do they believe and how have they made it happen? How is that party going to make this country what it is supposed to be -- the best country in the world -- over the long haul?
We need to ask these sorts of questions because most of the election platforms we vote for don't really pan out.
Vote for me and I will lower the GST is great unless it means cutting social aid programs so we pay out even more money to the government in a different way.
We need to divorce ourselves from knee-jerk reactions to promises, and from the cult of personality of individuals. I don't care whether Stéphane Dion, Jack Layton, Stephen Harper or Elizabeth May were to become our next Prime Minister. I would have some questions if Gilles Duceppe made it. And even though I don't care which one is in charge, I do care very much which party wins.
Like Obama, I want "Change I can believe in."
I wish I was my father. Not necessarily for most of the reasons you might suspect. He is a permanent alien in the grand old United States of America; and I wish I could cast a vote down there. Not since John Kennedy became the most quoted politician ever have we seen such great speech writing from an American politician.
I would vote for Barack Obama just because of this line from his keynote speech to the Democratic National Convention, "There is not a liberal America and a conservative America -- there is the United States of America. There is not a black America and a white America and Latino America and Asian America -- there's the United States of America."
You can even buy a coffee mug with this question from one of his addresses, "Do we participate in a politics of cynicism, or a politics of hope?"
You have to admit, these are the types of rallying cries that make you want to see that person in charge. I do not think we have the same level of passion in our politics north of the border.
What we do have, is a system based on seeing what you can get away with before you are voted out of power.
It is unfortunate for the Conservatives that during the last election they hitched their wagon to the idea of moral superiority. One should never shine a spotlight on others unless you are absolutely certain no one is going to accuse you of leaking state secrets, hanging out with biker chicks, and bribing government officials. You just can't recover if you have already said you are beyond reproach.
That's what I remember liking about Chrétien and Trudeau. They played politics but they never claimed to be outstandingly ethical, always doing the right thing, sort of people; which is as it should be.
I want my politicians to be politicians. I want them to know how to run the country, to gamble in international politics, to manage vast quantities of money, and to make things happen in whatever way is necessary.
We have teachers, philosophers, poets and priests to help us see the other parts of the "big picture" and we need politicians to be the ones who know how to get the job done.
Don't get me wrong, the reason I like Obama is that he seems to be capable of maintaining the balance between working a system and still having dreams, vision, and most of all hope about the future. That is the type of person I would elect.
Do you remember the campaign slogans from the last election? The Conservatives asked us to "Stand up for Canada" while the Liberals said, "Choose your Canada"; the NDP were "Getting results for people". The two strangest slogans were the Bloq Quebecois stating "Thankfully, the Bloc is here!" and the Green Party simply saying "We can".
Obama campaigned on the slogan "Change we can believe in!" It might just be me, but these seem to elicit a lot more excitement about the prospects of the future than our parties manage to do.
But then again, despite the fact that so many of us complain about them, there are not that many of us who actually go out there and elect politicians no matter what the slogan. 64 per cent turned out the last time according to Elections Canada. Not bad I suppose, but consider this, first time voters are four times more likely to vote in an election than people eligible to vote a second time, and it continues to decline.
I suspect cynicism again.
Jean Ralston Saul wrote in Voltaire's Bastards about how the people that really run governments are the civil servants. Elected officials are more like movie stars, subject to a cult of personality and there mostly for show. I am not sure he is right, but the cynical side of me says that whether we elect Liberals or Conservatives not much is different.
So why do we vote one way or another? Sometimes it is to punish the party in power. But most times I suspect it is because we always have. You vote Conservative because you always have, because your parents always did, because you are Conservative.
Of course, that is not true.
Not many of us actually belong to political parties, those of us who do vote because of ideology I suppose.
But for most of the population we would be better off to forget about how we voted last time, how our parents voted, or even the current "promise of the day" of those hoping to be elected.
What we should do is look at the overall philosophy of the party involved. Historically what do they believe and how have they made it happen? How is that party going to make this country what it is supposed to be -- the best country in the world -- over the long haul?
We need to ask these sorts of questions because most of the election platforms we vote for don't really pan out.
Vote for me and I will lower the GST is great unless it means cutting social aid programs so we pay out even more money to the government in a different way.
We need to divorce ourselves from knee-jerk reactions to promises, and from the cult of personality of individuals. I don't care whether Stéphane Dion, Jack Layton, Stephen Harper or Elizabeth May were to become our next Prime Minister. I would have some questions if Gilles Duceppe made it. And even though I don't care which one is in charge, I do care very much which party wins.
Like Obama, I want "Change I can believe in."
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Change and differences bring opportunities
SOCIAL STUDIES - Published Monday September 1st, 2008
I realize that Labour Day symbolizes a lot of things, but if we are honest, the end of summer weighs heaviest on our minds.
In deciding to create a holiday to honour men and women who work to keep our country running, the powers that be could not have chosen a more ironic time of year. Those last golden rays of sunshine are easy to dismiss as the nights turn frosty cold. Leisure gives way to hardship as the seasons change.
I think most of us feel this way because of how closely we are tied to the educational system.
For a minimum of 13 years we follow an artificial rhythm of working from September to June and playing for July and August. Some of us carry this through to university. Most of us feel it again as our own children enter into the same system.
Even without school the seasons matter when you live in a Northern climate like we do. Summer is so short and winter so harsh that you really try to take advantage of it.
Everyone flees the normal life heading for the cottage, the lake, the relations, vacations, or just down to Centennial Park. There are festivals and fairs galore. Barbecues and lobster boils last deep into the night.
It is over.
Did I already say that? Sorry. I guess I am just reeling with my own pain.
And why not feel a sense of loss? Whenever things change in our lives it means letting go of something we valued, something that made us who we are. As the seasons change we inevitably have to put things back on the shelf and change how we dress, how we feel, who we are.
There is a deeper metaphor at work in all of this; but let me, for a moment, imagine an enemy to rail against. The enemy is the modern conception that we should not feel pain.
Seasonal Affective Disorder, or aptly enough, SAD; is actually a psychological ailment that says it is somehow unnatural to feel blue when it is raining. There is another one; Social Anxiety Disorder, or, curiously, SAD; where we are told it is unnatural to be shy.
It is almost as if pharmaceutical corporate executives are sitting in their offices and inventing ways to get us to think life is not normal.
The Earth rotates around the Sun. It has for millions of years. You cannot get much more normal than that. So there are seasons. It is hot and it is cold. It has been that way for tens of thousands of years. Again, this is pretty normal.
And those shy people? I notice that most of the ones I knew about in High School would go home and sit in front of their television, or play Colecovision, or do calculus. They are not nearly so shy now as they drive home to their mansions in the Lexus. Can you imagine where the computer industry would be if we had medicated everyone who wanted to play video games instead of go to the prom?
People have different interests. I hate hockey. Should I be medicated as "un-Canadian"?
Of course, there are also those people who are affected more deeply than most. There are also times when things affect us more deeply; the first Christmas after a loss for example. And those are the times when we really do need help -- professional and pharmaceutical help.
It is also as natural for us to go through seasonal changes as it is for all of us to have moments of shyness. It is natural that each stage of our life, from baby right through to senior, causes us to be fearful, sad, apprehensive, and overjoyed.
Sometimes the help we need is simpler; a day off, a weekend away with a loved one, or a party. What we do not need is people telling us it is unnatural to feel that way.
It bothers me to no end that there seems to be a worldwide movement to say that stable and uniform is the only right way to be.
Van Gogh produced amazing art, arguably because he was certifiable. Mozart seems to have had real issues. Mark Twain was an ornery old cuss. Ghandi refused to play by the rules. The Dalai Lama likewise does not always seem to be the way we expect.
It is the differences of this world that make it a beautiful thing. It is the fact that there is swimming in the sunshine and skiing in the snow that makes us the type of adaptable, hard working and friendly people we are.
Our youth make our middle years which in turn make our older years what they are as well.
The loss of a girlfriend, a best friend, a parent or a pet helps make our appreciation of life that much better.
The shyness that kept me from having too many girlfriends in those early school days helped me learn about myself enough to become pretty open and interactive.
The summer has given me new energy to realize that each year brings new changes and opportunities.
I wish I was freer of the influences around me that keep me feeling like I should want to be young, and strong, and rich, and happy at every moment of my life. It is simply not possible. And the sooner we come to terms with that the more content we can be with who we have become.
Bring on the fall.
I realize that Labour Day symbolizes a lot of things, but if we are honest, the end of summer weighs heaviest on our minds.
In deciding to create a holiday to honour men and women who work to keep our country running, the powers that be could not have chosen a more ironic time of year. Those last golden rays of sunshine are easy to dismiss as the nights turn frosty cold. Leisure gives way to hardship as the seasons change.
I think most of us feel this way because of how closely we are tied to the educational system.
For a minimum of 13 years we follow an artificial rhythm of working from September to June and playing for July and August. Some of us carry this through to university. Most of us feel it again as our own children enter into the same system.
Even without school the seasons matter when you live in a Northern climate like we do. Summer is so short and winter so harsh that you really try to take advantage of it.
Everyone flees the normal life heading for the cottage, the lake, the relations, vacations, or just down to Centennial Park. There are festivals and fairs galore. Barbecues and lobster boils last deep into the night.
It is over.
Did I already say that? Sorry. I guess I am just reeling with my own pain.
And why not feel a sense of loss? Whenever things change in our lives it means letting go of something we valued, something that made us who we are. As the seasons change we inevitably have to put things back on the shelf and change how we dress, how we feel, who we are.
There is a deeper metaphor at work in all of this; but let me, for a moment, imagine an enemy to rail against. The enemy is the modern conception that we should not feel pain.
Seasonal Affective Disorder, or aptly enough, SAD; is actually a psychological ailment that says it is somehow unnatural to feel blue when it is raining. There is another one; Social Anxiety Disorder, or, curiously, SAD; where we are told it is unnatural to be shy.
It is almost as if pharmaceutical corporate executives are sitting in their offices and inventing ways to get us to think life is not normal.
The Earth rotates around the Sun. It has for millions of years. You cannot get much more normal than that. So there are seasons. It is hot and it is cold. It has been that way for tens of thousands of years. Again, this is pretty normal.
And those shy people? I notice that most of the ones I knew about in High School would go home and sit in front of their television, or play Colecovision, or do calculus. They are not nearly so shy now as they drive home to their mansions in the Lexus. Can you imagine where the computer industry would be if we had medicated everyone who wanted to play video games instead of go to the prom?
People have different interests. I hate hockey. Should I be medicated as "un-Canadian"?
Of course, there are also those people who are affected more deeply than most. There are also times when things affect us more deeply; the first Christmas after a loss for example. And those are the times when we really do need help -- professional and pharmaceutical help.
It is also as natural for us to go through seasonal changes as it is for all of us to have moments of shyness. It is natural that each stage of our life, from baby right through to senior, causes us to be fearful, sad, apprehensive, and overjoyed.
Sometimes the help we need is simpler; a day off, a weekend away with a loved one, or a party. What we do not need is people telling us it is unnatural to feel that way.
It bothers me to no end that there seems to be a worldwide movement to say that stable and uniform is the only right way to be.
Van Gogh produced amazing art, arguably because he was certifiable. Mozart seems to have had real issues. Mark Twain was an ornery old cuss. Ghandi refused to play by the rules. The Dalai Lama likewise does not always seem to be the way we expect.
It is the differences of this world that make it a beautiful thing. It is the fact that there is swimming in the sunshine and skiing in the snow that makes us the type of adaptable, hard working and friendly people we are.
Our youth make our middle years which in turn make our older years what they are as well.
The loss of a girlfriend, a best friend, a parent or a pet helps make our appreciation of life that much better.
The shyness that kept me from having too many girlfriends in those early school days helped me learn about myself enough to become pretty open and interactive.
The summer has given me new energy to realize that each year brings new changes and opportunities.
I wish I was freer of the influences around me that keep me feeling like I should want to be young, and strong, and rich, and happy at every moment of my life. It is simply not possible. And the sooner we come to terms with that the more content we can be with who we have become.
Bring on the fall.
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