The World is Watching

 I think I see what’s been happening in the USA. Trump, the ultimate whiner and liar, has been telling his base that Kamala is a Marxist.  Not true. He claims this because she’s pro-union. She supports unions because she supports working people. She wants them to have living wages and job security. In Trump’s eyes, this is a bad thing, because he has a history of abusing and not paying workers. So he’s made her out to be a Marxist and strangely, his followers believe what this pathological liar says. Or is it strange? Maybe not if those followers are also racists and misogynists. It’s a matter of believing what one wants to believe, not necessarily what they are really convinced is true. 

So once again we see a nation torn apart by hate and fear. We witness the reason why much of the world thinks Americans are stupid. Makes me feel bad for all Americans... the half of them who aren’t stupid, but also the half who would destroy their democracy, their nation, just to keep a mixed race woman out of the White House. Trump does not have any respect from other world leaders, not even the dictators he’d love to emulate. He’s a foolish man with no redeeming qualities as a leader. But hey, he’s whyte. If he wins the election, or manages to cheat his way into the White House, it’ll be like watching a train wreck. And the whole world will be watching the fall of America.

Why, and Why Now?

Again and again it’s claimed that fake indigenous people are taking opportunity from real indigenous people. But there is no limitation on how much talent there can be and there should be room for all the talent that makes the effort. It was wrong of her to claim to be indigenous because it wasn’t true... she wasn’t being authentic in a world trying so hard to embrace authenticity. But she wouldn’t be the first non-native person to embrace an indigenous identity. Some of my favourite books in my youth were ones written by Grey Owl. Remember him? He grew up in England, raised by two of his aunts. He had a consuming interest in wildlife and always wanted to come to Canada and be an Indian. So he did. He even got to go back to England to meet a monarch because he was a native writer. One indigenous researcher estimates that a huge percentage of indigenous people are actually not. Why?

Should we actually ask ourselves what’s at the heart of this phenomena? Is it just trying to grab an unearned opportunity? Or is there more to it than that? When white Europeans came to North America (Turtle Island), they were often running away from some sort of persecution. Thing is, they brought the injustice they’d suffered with them and summarily used the same abusive tactics on the people they encountered here. Not only run-of-the-mill injustice, but diseases intentionally spread, bigotry, genocide, residential schools that attempted to beat the Indian out of the children, stealing the land, outlawing the languages and customs of indigenous people. And now some of these great conquerors are wanting to switch teams? Let’s see... who started both world wars? Was it indigenous people from here, or Asians, or Africans?  Oh wait, white Europeans again. Sure, they managed to involve others, but hey...  Is it possible we're witnessing the rejection of white European culture?

And then there’s the issue of mental health. At a time when we’re supposed to be more sensitive to the inner demons that drive some people, the decision is made to expose an obviously seriously delusional person in a program that’s aired publicly. Was that a good idea? Now? That program hasn’t just hurt her, it’s hurt a lot of people. Why? And does the truth negate all her accomplishments somehow? Do the songs disappear? She got one movie producer to hire only real indigenous actors for his film. (She may have been the only fake Indian in it.) Is that now a bad thing? She gave indigenous people a voice, writing and singing about Wounded Knee. Does that have to go away now too? Was someone else destined to write Universal Soldier? She made children aware of indigenous people with her role on Sesame St. Does that not count now? She immersed herself in a culture not her own and lived most of her life that way. Now that she’s an old lady, do we just disregard her life and everything she accomplished? Does she just disappear now?

The Fifth Estate could have investigated why the Doctrine of Discovery is still on the books in Canada. They could have investigated murdered and missing indigenous women. They could have investigated just how many ancient indigenous monuments are on “crown” land and how many of them actually cannot be accessed. But they chose to do this, to satisfy the vengeance of her niece. And who is the better for it? Don’t tell me it’s going to stop the wannabes, because I just don’t believe that.  

Small Joys

The world seems a little scary right now, doesn’t it? Wars, protests, political posturing, and the US on the cusp of collapse. The big news is a little eye-popping. Yet I woke up this morning thinking about how the smaller joys of life are too often overlooked.

We are told that the past is done and we should move on. Yet it’s in the past that many of our life lessons were presented to us, and remembering those can be very important indeed. Hence, todays’ story.

I used to participate in a small market once a week at an Inn that attracted travellers from all over. My products included my quilling art earrings. On this day, an older woman stood in front of my display admiring a pair of these earrings. She smiled at me and asked about them, and I chatted with her. But then she went and sat down at a picnic table under the pavilion that sheltered us. She kept looking up though during the hour or so she was sitting there chatting with others. And she got up and came over a couple of times when there was no one else at my display, and looked again at those earrings. She was clearly quite taken with them. Finally a younger woman joined her under the pavilion and the older woman almost immediately brought her daughter, as she turned out to be, over to my table to show her those earrings.

The joy in her eyes was clear. “I really like these,” she said simply.

The daughter just said, “but Mom, when would you wear them?”

The older woman held her ground in front of the earrings, and repeated her admiration of them, but the daughter just kept repeating, “but when would you wear them?” I was aghast. I was charging all of 15 dollars for those earrings, and the daughter was actually withholding her willingness to have her mom buy them… something that was apparently necessary.

For pity’s sake, I thought, even if she just wears them in her room dancing to music on the radio, they will bring her joy. She really likes them and it would bring her so much pleasure to have them. But the daughter held out longer than her mom could. Mom hung her head, all the joy gone from her eyes, and she wandered unhappily away, the victorious daughter right behind her.

Wow, I thought, the cheap young woman won. But what did she win? For a lousy 15 bucks she could have bought her mom some genuine joy, but she declined, so I guess there was no dent put in her inheritance that day.

We all have priorities. Too often the simple, little joys of life are not even on the list, much less at the top of it. Is it really any wonder the world is becoming so angry and mean? The little things are sometimes the big things and people need to hold little joys in higher regard, whether it’s stopping to smell those roses, listening to the birds sing, or springing for those beautiful earrings you have no formal plans to wear. I’ve always kind of regretted that I didn’t just give them to that woman. It probably would have started a whole “thing” with the daughter, but tough. It would have also put the joy back in that woman’s eyes. And that matters.

It's Time To End the Monarchy

 Opinion:

It’s time to end the monarchy. Of course, it was an archaic system during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, but since the monarch no longer had any actual political power, she wisely used her position to change an empire into a commonwealth of nations, to increase the charitable presence of the monarchy, and to influence those who did have political power. And because she was a deeply respected individual who did her work calmly and quietly, she was listened to by many of those in positions of responsibility. After she passed, for instance, I heard at least four politicians speak of her influence in defeating apartheid in South Africa. For someone who was not supposed to be seen as a political force, she certainly made herself heard, but did so discreetly.

The Queen’s passing has certainly signaled the end of an era and yes, things have changed. Had the monarchy passed to Princess Anne, for instance, who holds patronage over more than 300 charities and actively participates in several of them, including Save the Children, there may have been a smoother transition. But the position is hereditary to the eldest child and while Charles is also a huge charity patron and is expert on contemporary matters, such as climate change, he seems also to be a controversial figure. More controversy accompanies his heir, since difficult family matters are not being handled with grace and calm, but rather with competitive and rather unpleasant turmoil. It seems clear that influence has been abused to sic the twisted pseudo press onto some members of the family, with a small knot of active haters attempting to orchestrate their downfall. What has been happening is seen by some as shaming the memory of a decent, dignified and very private Queen.

So clearly, the monarchy has outlived its usefulness. It is an antiquated institution that, without the guidance of the Queen, is apparently destined to sink into a quagmire of toxic misuse. This is the stuff of ancient sovereigns and why power was gradually taken away over time. Tourism has been one reason to keep the institution alive, but those castles and palaces owned by the state can still be open for tourist traffic without any royals living there. The royals will just have to move into their own properties, such as Balmoral and Kensington Palace. And the red-coated guards with whom tourists like to be photographed can certainly be maintained in sufficient numbers to satisfy that need. Souvenir shops can continue to carry mementos of the Queen as the last and longest living monarch in British history. Tourist bus tours of castles and cathedrals need not stop.

Of course, the separation of state and monarchy still won’t be easy. There are properties and their incomes to be divided up in fairness to the people of Britain. Historically, many treasures were come by dishonestly and should be retained by the people. Similarly, the generous tax breaks accorded the royals need to be stopped so they pay the same taxes as everyone else. There will likely be long drawn-out litigation to divvy up the resources, and many of their PR duties will have to be dispensed with or assigned to non-royals in some juicy employment opportunities. Lawyers will no doubt do very well in all this. The Commonwealth, however, will best be served to start now to make the necessary political adjustments to facilitate the end of the monarchy and set us on a fresh path, with our head of government being elected by the people. It’s time.

A Matter of Perspective

Those of you who are so sure this is a hoax or a conspiracy, listen up, and then think.

Who’s at greatest financial risk from this virus.  Answer: the wealthy.  The stock market is crashing. American Senators dumped their stocks just prior to the fall after receiving confidential information about the seriousness of this virus. That’s illegal. Will they get away with it? Probably.

How many poor people do you know who give a shit about the stock market?  They don’t have stocks and bonds, do they? They are living paycheck to paycheck and still not making it.  Why?  Because they aren’t paid a living wage for their hard work, that’s why.

Those who imagine that the wealthy and powerful are faking this to get more power over us are missing the facts: we’re already enslaved to them. They already have us by the balls. The infrastructure they rely on to move their manufactured goods, for instance, was built by us, not just physically, but using our tax dollars. (The wealthy have ample loopholes to avoid paying taxes. Why do you think Trump won’t show us his tax returns? C’mon! Think!) So they use our roads and bridges to move their goods which were made and financed by poorly paid labour.  And you imagine they want more?  Fact is, they’re suffering financial losses from all this.

Who's getting preferential treatment in this?  Why, the wealthy and famous of course. There are tests a-plenty for them.  But if we go to the hospital with symptoms but haven’t traveled recently (where can we afford to go?) we don’t get a test. And yet who’s at greatest risk of human to human contact?  Why, we are. Because while the wealthy and well-known are safely sequestered in their lovely homes, who is out there in the world, taking care of business?  Stock people, clerks, site attendants, garbage collectors... all those “essential”services.  Not to mention doctors and nurses.

Let’s look at the overview now: who’s safe in their homes after having been tested?  The rich and famous. Who’s at the greater risk of exposure and can’t get a test? The working poor.

Well, that seems cushy, except for that falling stock market, eh?

So why are companies suddenly giving some of their workers raises?  Why are some landlords waiving immediate rent payments? Why are gov’ts giving the working class an allowance to help them get by? (Mnuchin thinks $1200. should last you 10 weeks.) Is it out of some genuine concern for us and some sudden benevolence or generosity on their part?

It’s because they need us.

The world turns on the backs of the underpaid, overworked and over-taxed. This is what you need to notice and understand. The rich and powerful aren’t faking this pandemic. It’s been thrust upon them, it’s lowering the value of their stocks, and it’s killing their workers. They very much want things back to normal where we’re increasing their wealth for them. They had it good already. Same goes for gov’t. We might grumble, but we pay those taxes, those rents, those prices for goods and services and for the most part, we obey those laws, even the stupid ones.  They all have us by the balls, no hoax needed.

Conspiracy theories are only going to distract people from the truth... that things need to change, and that maybe this pandemic will actually cause some change in favour of the working poor. The ones that don’t die that is.

I have one “friend” who is sure it’s a hoax. “Use your own brain,” he says.  Yeah. Use it.  Please. Take every precaution you can to protect yourself from this novel virus that comes to us from selfish human abuse of wild animals, and that’s killing us. Do not even imagine that you are invincible. Protect yourself, your families and your friends. Not just so you can go back to working hard for the man, but so you can live to help change our society.

We'll Be Fine!

"We’ll be fine," he said.

WE'LL be fine... meaning human beings I guess. Never mind all the species dying off. The rapid loss of species happening today is estimated to be between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate. A lot of leeway there, but apparently we're in the middle of a mass extinction according to scientists. As well, all these fires happening around the world have killed a lot of animals and destroyed their habitats too.

The ocean is warming, and the Great Barrier Reef is dying because of it, along with some ocean species. One respected biologist has said the oceans could be dead as soon as 2048. And as the ocean goes, so goes humanity. All manner of marine life is at risk from all the plastic we’ve dumped into the oceans as well. Whales are washing up on shore with bellies full of the stuff. All kinds of animals are at risk from our waste, including our shit from those floating toilets we call cruise ships and balloons released into the air.

 They do land somewhere, often where animals are at risk from what’s left of them. Then there’s melting glaciers and water rising over coastal cities and Pacific islands. And just for added fun, there’s glyphosate all over our food put there by the corporations that are actually running our world. I know, I know... little Mary Sunshine.

But take heart, WE’LL be fine, he said, with the calm assurance of an entitled old white man who doesn’t believe climate change is anything to be concerned about. He’s done the math. He says if the CO2 drops too low, all plant life will die. I have never heard anyone else point out the possibility of that before. I thought the problem was too much CO2, with more coming with the thawing of permafrost.

Anyway, there are quite a few of these creatures here on Earth... the old white men, I mean. Apparently they’re in no danger of extinction, especially to hear them tell it. You know the ones I mean. They don’t agree with the climate scientists. But most do not have the courage or integrity to criticize these scientists to their faces. Instead they go after those who believe the scientist’s predictions, the more vulnerable the better. Like school kids, for instance. They write open letters to a kid who’s been taught this science as fact in school. They don’t write to the scientists. They don’t write to the schools. They don’t go after the teachers and challenge them. Oh no, none of the people involved in teaching this science are approached. Nor do these climate change deniers hold a sign with their objections clearly stated outside the legislature, like the kids did. Nor did they have the gonads to go after the first messengers, Al Gore who produced a film on this, or Bill Nye, the Science Guy who also did a film on ice core research and climate change deniers.  No, they don't go after these people. Instead, school kids, and old ladies on Facebook, are fair game for the climate change deniers. And if you’re lucky enough to avoid the anger, accusations, threats, and the magnificent hyperbole, you get the old patronizing pat on the head from the all-knowing old man instead.

So no worries.  All those scientists are wrong. We’ll be fine.

Joie de Vivre

So I was listening to Michael A. Singer a couple of weeks ago. He was telling us how we needed to unburden ourselves from those less than happy memories because they really aren’t doing us any good hanging around.

Yesterday I was at the sink doing the dishes, just allowing my mind to meander as I scrubbed a pot, and suddenly, out of the depths came this memory of an older woman who’d really wanted to buy a set of my quilling art earrings.

This took place at an Inn where I used to sell my goods, and this woman was quite taken with this one pair of earrings. She went down the table and had a look at the other items, but came back to those earrings. Then she went and sat down with a couple of other seniors at a picnic table under the pavilion where we had our little market.

Other potential customers came and went, and then this woman came back again and stood in front of those earrings. I chatted with her about them, telling her how I made them, and that I laminate them to make them tough, and how they’re fitted with silver plate hooks, etc. She said she really liked them, and this was evident from her joyful smile. But she went back and sat down again.

After a while, a younger woman, who it became plain was her daughter, came in. The woman brought her daughter to show her the earrings she so liked. The daughter glanced at them and said, "but when would you ever wear them, Mom?"

The mom shrugged and said, "well, I don’t know, but they really are beautiful."

"But when would you ever wear them?" repeated the daughter.

After about the fourth time she said, "I just don’t know when you’d wear them," as if she was planning to keep Mom locked up in her room, my blood began to boil a little. I mean, why does anyone have to have a plan to wear something beautiful before buying it? You get it, then you work the thing into your life. Even confined to her room she could have put them on and danced around the room! And what difference did it make if she never got to wear them? They gave her pleasure and joy. They cost $15. for pitys sake. What’s the problem? But of course, it wasn’t my place to butt in, so I watched with interest as the younger woman talked her mother out of making this little purchase. And I watched as the mom walked away, glancing wistfully back at those earrings as they left the pavilion.

Well, I really scrubbed that pot, I tell you, and I wondered why, on a February afternoon, while doing dishes, all of this even occurred to me. It seemed an odd memory to dredge up out of the darker corners of my mind apropos of nothing. This, I thought, is the very sort of memory Michael Singer would encourage me to get rid of, since it was of little use.

Later the same afternoon, Bud, who was out shopping, called and asked if it was okay to buy a plush squeaky toy for the dog. It was really cute and Bud wanted to buy it for him, but wasn’t sure about it. The dog is old and has a heart condition, so we’re just loving him and taking care of him. He doesn’t play much anymore. But I instantly thought of the memory of the woman and the earrings and I said, "yes, buy him the toy. Even if he doesn’t play with it he’ll likely take great joy in just getting it."

So I’m not sure Michael Singer is quite right about these old, seemingly useless and negative memories. I mean, he says we’re supposed to ditch the memory and just keep the lesson, but there’s just something that seems a little incomplete about that, to me anyway. I’m thinking now that this experience came to my intuitive mind for a reason. The dog loved his new toy, and he even played with it a bit, even though it’s been a while since he "played." And then he snuggled down on his wee bed with it between his paws. 

It’s called joie de vivre. It matters people. Even if it takes the recollection of a challenging memory to get us there.

Sunshine and a Concept

I don’t know why, perhaps it’s a result of the sun shining this morning, but my mind migrated immediately to solving the problems of the world today. I tried to dismiss these notions with the old, "I’m just one person... can’t do a thing" thing. But of course, that’s a cop-out. Then the old jingle came to mind, which I guess dates me, "see the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet..."

 

along with pictures of people stampeding through store doors, crushing one another in an attempt to be among the lucky ones getting this new thing, or that fandangled what-have-you. 

And so it came to me what my subconscious was trying to tell me... almost time for Spring cleaning. I guess sunshine will do that.

So I allowed my thoughts to follow through on the whole thing. It’s time again to take a look around. I even did a Fall cleaning last year in an attempt to purge the house, but it didn’t get the job done. There’s still too much stuff in here. Time to look around and ask with brutal honestly, do I need this? And I’m not going to just send what I don’t need to landfill either... that’s not on.
Suddenly an image came to mind out of my past, an intellectually disabled person sitting in a corner of the thrift store gleefully cutting the buttons off old garments that no one would want and putting them into jars. These jars of buttons were then sold for sewing or crafting. And he created a lot of button bottles, so there’s a chap who went home at the end of the day feeling very productive indeed.

So for me, three piles: 1) legit garbage, 2) potential yard sale (one person’s trash and all that), 3) thrift shop give-aways. Okay, a small fourth pile... maybe I can sell this on Ebay? 

Maybe I can’t do much about all the conflict in the world except to speak the language of kindness, and I can't stop all the wars mostly waged against the dispossessed and helpless. And I guess all I can really do about all the refugees that result is support my government in their efforts to help as many as possible. But I *can* do something substantial about misguided consumerism in our society by simplifying my life, as many have already done. And by making sure that what I want and need is reasonable and will be used with satisfaction and joy, and what I get rid of doesn’t just burden the environment and finds as much useful new purpose as possible.

Mission impossible? Hehehe... we shall do it anyway.

Global Warming? Or Climate Change? Or...

It’s kind of amazing, to me, the number of people who are still arguing that "global warming" isn’t real. I’m wondering if where the scientists went wrong was to call it "global warming" rather than something easier to understand, like "climate change."
 
Of course, there is a warming trend, as evidenced by melting glaciers and the polar ice caps. But this does not mean it’s going to be steadily warmer where you live.... as in, giving those trousers to the local charity and stocking up on shorts for year-round wear. No, see, the "warming" in the warming trend is happening mostly to the oceans. When those great bodies of water get only a couple of degrees warmer, this is what starts melting ice at the poles. All that frozen water is fresh water too, which means when it melts, it changes the salinity of the oceans, in increasing amounts. All of this contributes to changes in currents and impacts on the worlds’ weather.
 
Warmer? Well yeah, some places, like where some glaciers hang out and where polar bears rely on ice floes to fish for food. But changes in the weather aren’t just about warmth. These changes are about weather extremes. That’s where hurricanes are more extreme and sometimes out of season, where more thunder storms result in tornadoes, where typhoons, like the one we just saw in the Philippines, are far more damaging than usual, where heat is hotter and dryer, as in drought, where cold is colder, and rains and winds far more damaging than they used to be. So no, "global warming" is not about just getting to rest longer into the season on the ol’ chaise lounge with that pina colada in hand.

But climate change is normal and natural, you say. And you’re right, it is. And if allowed to change at it’s own pace, we’d probably scarcely notice the changes happening around us and we’d have lots of time to make little adjustments over the longer term. As it is, mankind has accelerated the rate of climate change with our contribution of greenhouse gases, which means the weather is getting more extreme all around us... and it’s noticeable, especially to those whose homes have been washed or blown away by extreme weather and all those growers who’ve lost crops to unusual weather trends.

Of course, you don’t have much patience for those tree-huggers either ~ the ones who claim we’re damaging Mother Earth. And you’re probably right again. I mean, she has been a raging inferno and she has been a ball of ice, and everything in between. Species that can adapt do, and those that can’t are chewed up and spit out. There have even been mass extinctions as a matter of course on this planet and there no doubt will continue to be.

No, even though we’ve made several messes on her and continue to strip her method of breathing from her, Mother Earth is not really in trouble.


We are.


Hey, let’s face it, we’re kind of a precious namby-pamby bunch, making us NOT the most adaptable creatures on the face of this good Earth. And at the rate we’re going, we’re going to be among the many species that future creatures will only find traces of in fossils. If you think what we’ve built here will last once we’re gone, think again. Possibly the only sign we were ever here will be our untidy piles and ocean islands of discarded plastic, and who knows, perhaps Mother Earth will send magma bubbling up to swallow and reclaim it all, and make it back into fossil fuels for another species down the line.

If this doesn’t bother you, keep denying "global warming" and just keep doing what you’re doing. If you’re one of those hopeful, picky types who would object to having your home and other means of shelter destroyed and your food security threatened by extreme weather, you might give the matter some thought. But don’t be worrying about Mother Earth. You need to be worrying about your own butt instead. Because the floods, droughts, hurricanes, typhoons, and other forms of extreme weather aren’t figments of your imagination. Just sayin’.

Turtle Island and Cultural Diversity

Turtle Island is my home too. I call it that even though my ancestors are not first nations, because I like it. It speaks to me.

I have learned much of first nations traditions since my teen years, so I don’t appreciate it when I’m lumped in with others of my race or heritage who do not know or understand other cultures. In fact, I think it’s a bad idea to paint all people of any race or cultural heritage with the same wide brush, no matter who you or they are. 

If you wish to divide people, start by dividing them this way: there are those who seek knowledge, understanding and enlightenment amongst all peoples, and celebrate cultural diversity. Then there those who are ignorant and fearful of anything that differs from the narrow confines of the comfortable world with which they are intimately familiar. This division is not racial or cultural, it is spiritual.

There are many ways in which all peoples are the same: we all want peace, prosperity, and love. And there are many ways we differ, because we have grown up in different cultures, with different beliefs, different foods and habits because of differing climates and different life experiences. We do not need to be divided. This is a choice; most often the choice of those who fear differences.

There are good and bad people in every race and culture in the world. Racism is not the purview of one race.  I have heard it uttered from the mouths of haters of several races, including first nations people, like the ones who call those interested in their culture "wannabes." You know, just because someone tries to learn something about other cultures does not mean they are attempting to change who they are. As I said at the outset, I have learned a lot about native culture. It interests me because there are many similarities with the culture of my Celtic ancestors. I am proud of my heritage and I would trade it for no other. But see, the sacred circle isn’t unique to native American culture. Have you ever heard of Stonehenge? That was my people.

I don’t understand why some people guard their culture so jealously. Out of one side of their mouths, they may say they want people to learn more about them. But out of the other, they accuse people of plagiarism if they have learned something they wish to embrace in their own lives. Ok, I get how annoying it is when the important symbols of a culture are cheaply copied and misused, like those dream-catchers that are made in China and sold in dollar stores.  But see, neither the manufacturers of those, nor the people who buy those, have any spirit.  At least, they haven't found theirs.  And that is their problem.  The rest of us who know better need to keep moving ahead.  So really, you can’t have it both ways.  Either you want to be appreciated, or you want to hide yourself away.  Leadership is about sharing and guiding, not about controlling and dividing others.

I come from a culture that was doing very well until another culture invaded from the south. Adopting the ways of these new people was not a matter of learning and choice, it was forced upon my ancestors. And then along came a new religion, also from the south, and my ancestors were told that their beliefs, talismans, observance of the earth’s seasons, was somehow wrong. Bishop Desmond Tutu has been quoted as saying, "When the missionaries came to Africa, they had the Bible and we had the land. They said ‘let us pray.’ We closed our eyes. When we opened them, we had the Bible and they had the land."

The same thing happened to my ancestors too.  The first nations people of Turtle Island are not unique in this.  There has been much suffering all over the world because one culture has oppressed and/or enslaved others, sometimes in the name of prophets who were actually all about peace and love.

Choice. It’s something most of us have. We can embrace each other as brothers and sisters and celebrate our samenesses and our differences, or we can be ill-informed, fearful, jealous and hateful. Choice.

Leadership. It’s about caring. I would be living now near a great ugly garbage dump built on farm land over an aquifer of pure water, were it not for the leadership of the local first nations people who took up the fight against this travesty with spirit and determination and carried the protest to a successful conclusion. That’s leadership.

I choose the way of enlightenment. I do not fear other cultures. I learn all I can because there are many things the same that all our ancestors have gone through, and there are exciting, fascinating, and dare I say, delicious differences to celebrate. I do not care what other people believe or who or what they worship, it is their choice. But my choice is to go unlabelled through this life, unburdened by the yoke of a religion whose followers often twist the words and image of their prophets into something they were not, just to further their own selfish agendas. I take joy in observing the seasons of this great gift of Earth and I have a deep, unshakable faith that all things are possible. My spirit soars when I am in the moment of observing the beauty around me. I am saddened that some people are blind to it, or in fact, choose to spread ugliness.

The problem is not cultural diversity. The problem is ignorance. Only when we abandon that will people of all cultures rise to celebrate together.

Post Script: 
The above was written in response to a specific post, but while I'm on the subject of cultural diversity, I wish to express my sadness toward those who insist upon blaming all of Islam for the actions of a relative few Islamic terrorists.  Islamic terrorists are to Islam what the KKK is to Christianity.  Fear and hatred can only stop with YOU.  Credit to The West Wing for the analogy. 

On Stupidity

I think it’s just interesting the way this word gets used these days... as a weapon. Like the way one group of people will refer to another specific group of people, with whom they disagree, as being "stupid." 

Stupid, in the dictionary, means someone who is slow at learning or understanding/someone possibly incapable of learning/someone in a stupor. Ignorant, another fun word, means someone who is quite capable of learning, but really hasn’t bothered.

Newsflash: not agreeing with you does not make that other group of people stupid. Chances are they are just people with different points of view, experiences and concerns than you. Perhaps these are even agonizing concerns that have had them dealing with information, problems and worries about which you are completely ignorant.

If this is the case, the only stupid thing here is the intentional and mean-spirited misuse of the word, "stupid," especially when it comes out of people who should know better, but apparently don’t mind demonstrating that they do not know, and are indeed, not capable of better.

Another thing I’ve seen from some people, who are supposed to be intelligent, is intentionally posting very mean-spirited, uncomplimentary, accusatory pictures, targeting those with whom they disagree.

Does the personal attack of how someone looks, or what they do for a living, or what they believe in, add a convincing element to any argument, or to the issues at hand? I think not. Mean, is just mean. And bullying is just bullying. And yes, meanness is not just stupid, but downright mindless. And bullying is never justified.

So here’s an idea: before you lecture someone else on what’s what in your tiny, perfect world, step outside yourself enough to at least appreciate what the other person may be going for, or may even be going through. The former is called "grasp." That’s the ability to see what the other person is actually trying to say, not just what your narrow perceptions tell you they’re trying to say. The latter is about compassion. Ok, look that one up. You may indeed be ignorant, but we’re supposed to believe you aren’t actually stupid.

　

Scientific Priorities ~ Take a Wee Bite of This Apple, My Pretty

It’s funny how you can go online, research almost anything, and not only will there be information on the thing that interests you, there will be arguments pro and con, containing all kinds of accusations toward those arguing the other side. So it’s take your pick: squishy science, or ridiculous priorities.

Ridiculous? Well, yeah. See, right now someone is dying of pneumonia. Yeah, we used to be able to cure that with an advent known as antibiotics. But what happens when you invent a medicine that kills a germ, is that the germ gets stronger to the point where the medicine no longer works. So then you have to invent a stronger medicine, or you’re right back where you started.

Problem is, no pharmaceutical company is working on that stronger, better antibiotic right now. At least, this according to a news story I watched on television a few nights ago. Why? Because there’s no money in it. Wide-eyed, the reporter said, "you’d think someone would want to also consider the good of humanity, but it appears that the bottom line, is just about profit."

Yeah. But hey, take heart, because your apples will no longer turn brown when you cut them and leave them exposed to air. Of course, all you had to do to prevent this before was sprinkle them with a little lemon juice, but that’s too much like work, right? So now you don’t have to knock yourself out ~ you can leave that franken apple sit around as long as you like and it will remain pristine. And that’s important. Right?

I guess it must be. And I guess there’s money in that. It must seem awfully appetizing to somebody. Of course, I’m not one of the people who’ll be buying franken apples, because I keep lemon juice in my fridge. I’m also on a vegan diet, of necessity, so the prospect of eating fruit that’s been crossed with the DNA of a snake’s belly or something equally fun, is just not attractive to me. I’d also much rather see these scientists working on a better antibiotic, or trying to figure out how to get aluminum and formaldehyde out of vaccines. Alas, there’s no profit in that.

 

Enjoying good health? Good for you. Unafraid of GMO foods? Stick to your guns. And take a wee bite of this apple, my pretty.

On Love... The Rules and Regulations

Huh?

Someone on Facebook commented that they "loved" the food they’d created. One of their "friends" reprimanded her, telling her that you can’t "love" food. You love your lover and your family, but you can’t "love" food.

I wonder who died and put her in charge of love.

I don't know what that other person's motivation was for loving her food, but I'm going to respect her feelings.  See, I love my food too. I do.  I have auto-immune disease and can no longer have so many of the foods I grew up eating. They are simply off-limits. When I ate those old familiar foods, it wasn’t about love. It was about nourishment and getting on with things. Same old, same old, really. Oh, I enjoyed my food, but it just didn't loom large in my life.  And then came the day when food was about feeling sick.  

Since being denied the predictability of familiar foods, I’ve been on a journey of sorts, discovering different, speciality foods that I can have, learning about a greater range of foods from around the world to increase my options, and learning to create healthy, satisfying, delicious meals from them. This has often been a challenge with discoveries fraught with trial, error and failure. It’s also been a labour of love, since health and nourishment are important in life and deserve our attention and effort.  And I’m worth that effort. Do you not love yourself? If you don’t, you have a problem... particularly if you’re stuffing your face with unhealthy convenience foods.

And so, as with any challenge we might face in life, there’s a certain satisfaction that comes with mastering a skill. The failures teach us to appreciate all the more the successes, the sheer joy we feel from creating a culinary delight from few and different food choices. It’s a similar delight, satisfaction and gratification that comes with mastering a piece of music ~ a concerto on the piano, or a particularly difficult riff on a guitar ~ or creating a work of art, or growing that perfect orchid. Yes, Virginia, we LOVE the results because we worked hard and overcame much to realize them. Get over it.

I really don’t understand what makes people who have narrow parameters for everything tick, like those people who think those of us on special diets are doing it just to annoy or inconvenience them, or, yeah, those who think there are limitations to love.

What I do get is that there are many different kinds of love. The love one has for success after struggle. That love for simple things, like sunshine and twittering birds. The swelling of appreciation (a form of love) for that beautiful flower in the garden, and the sound of waves on the shore. And oh... all the musical groups I’ve loved... no, not physically. ;)  It doesn’t matter if it’s food, music, art, beauty or whatever... it’s love. I also love my friends, my dog, my cats and of course, last but certainly not least, and most obviously, my family.  I have room in my heart to love all of the beauty of life.

Simply put, life is all about love. If you don’t get that, and you have to set down rules and regulations about love, maybe you need to open your mind, and your heart.

Now.... here’s a meal I really love.

Then I have to do some planting, because man... I do love my garden.  It brings the birds, butterflies and bees and gives them food and a place to work, and yes, I love them too.

Falling into the Abyss ~ Earth (or parts of it) Down the Rabbit Hole

Facebook is changing again.

To some, this is a huge chunk of the cliff face falling off into the abyss. Some of us are clinging to that piece of rock, some are up top watching with fascination, and still others are below, watching in horror. All of us, Chicken Littles or no, will be convinced to some degree that the sky is falling... a disaster of dire social networking proportions. Oh fudge.

Of course, this is the age of communication. Yeah. It’s a time when we actually try to brain storm via the electronic media and wonder why the attempt isn’t quite satisfying. I mean, the fact remains, more than half of anything anyone is trying to convey to us is in their eyes, facial expression, tone, gestures, and general body language. Typed words, no matter how eloquent, do not completely convey the moment... unless you have Skype. Even then, it’s a little herky-jerky and not as reliable as the in-person meeting of the minds.

Ah, but it is nice to be able to keep in touch with friends and meet like-minded folk on Facebook. And it is annoying when the thing we’ve just gotten used to changes, again. It’s like the grocery store ~ just when you know where the products you use are located, they move them.

The social network inspires, amuses, informs and more. It makes us laugh. It sometimes infuriates us. Sometimes it does both at the same time. Like a natural disaster, it brings out the best and worst in people ~ even if we can’t see expression, or hear tone, and we actually have to tell people in words that we’re joking ~ something that apparently even winky guys don’t convey to some people. I mean, a fat lot of good it does to craft postings with great care, when they aren’t read with even similar care. People.

Ah yes, people. Those Earthly creatures who make over their gods into their own flawed images. A particular favourite of mine is the gun-totin’, ready-for-battle, dead set against peasants Jesus of American fame. The one who sure as hell isn’t going to humbly bend to bathe a beggar’s feet. This is the Jesus of those who keep their gun handy, right on top of their Bible. Of course, this isn’t the Jesus in the Bible, but apparently these people can ignore this in the fervour of their convictions.

Of course, what most people really worship, regardless of their protests to the contrary, is money. Yes, wealth and power, that’s the thing to have, preferably on the backs of millions of working-class heros who’ve been numbed into unknowing submissiveness with the very products of their industry, from fast foods to drugs. You know, like Walmart workers, many of whom qualify for food stamps while the corporate owners have become multi-millionaires. That’s the American Way, apparently. After all, the peasants will be too busy wondering why they’re so sick to notice the special status of the wealthy. But let’s be clear that I’m not painting every nation, or even every rich person, with the same wide brush. In the recent economic downturn, Iceland, for instance, punished its crooked bankers and helped its citizens whose futures had been compromised by corporate greed. It’s in America that they did the very opposite. American bankers were not punished. In fact, they were bailed out of their troubles by the government, with no penalty, while the people who suffered from the banks’ bad business practices have been left to founder on their own. No matter their contribution to their former jobs, their communities, or even to their country, they are left to struggle along without any "bail out," many community services, including schools broke and without the wherewithall to provide the services needed. These are schools without books, or in some cases, even teachers... too many for even Ellen DeGeneres to save. In fact, those people who have dared to accept government help of any kind are soundly denigrated by other Americans, particularly the ones with the gun-belt Jesus.... and all the money.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lKwXwU5iWs Working Class Hero, John Lennon

Oh well, as difficult as it is to watch the fall of the American empire, there’s nothing most of us can do about it, even though many Americans are armed to the teeth, and Canadians have their strongly-worded letters and blog posts. Fact remains, we’re all just visiting this planet, and we can’t take wealth with us when we go. Not a problem when it’s in the hands of so few, I guess. Although, I’ll bet some of those hearses will have luggage racks. Never say die and all that.

And this brings us to time. I mean, we do all run out of that at some point. And of course, time is money. Thing is, time is also an illusion ~ a warping of sidereal space by a mass that bends it. And on that mass, aka Earth, in this ungracious age, time is apparently a more precious commodity than kindness to so many. Like that rabbit in the story of Alice in Wonderland, who runs around with his clock in his hand saying, "No time...no time... I’m late, I’m late...." That’s who many humans have become in the quest for .... um... well, whatever that is they’re hurrying for. I mean, we’re all headed for the same fate, so sometimes I wonder why we’re running. But I guess some people are hurrying in their quest for.... um... wealth? They hurry so much toward the future they want, that they never notice, much less enjoy, the present. And of course, the present is all there actually is.

And this brings us back to Facebook, where people have time to schmooze, unless they’re busy trying to figure out the inevitable changes. It’s kind of too bad we can’t actually sell our Facebook time for money. Then we’d all have a little of that much-coveted wealth, though it would cost us our present, and even our future. Moreover, I just don’t know what we’d do with that wealth while we’re clinging to that chunk of rock falling into the abyss. Earth down the rabbit hole. Look out belooooowwww.