The new Humanist Symposium blog carnival is out, including a post contributed by myself. It’s all about life from a humanist perspective. You can find it at:
http://lfab-uvm.blogspot.com/2008/05/humanist-symposium-19.html
Well done, L.C.
No time to write because I have to do my taxes. In the meantime, the new Carnival of the Godless is out, including a post by yours truly. You can find it at:
http://www.nmmng.co.uk/4814e44f
Great job, No More Mr. Nice Guy.
I find it embarrassing that many Canadians know more about the American political system and landscape than their own. Even worse, and what makes me mad, is that many – maybe most – Canadians apply American politics to their own country. They associate certain Canadian parties or candidates with American parties or candidates they like or dislike and, based on a perceived similarity, choose who or what to support accordingly. They don’t think in terms of Canada, and what’s good for it. They don’t think about what we are or what we need. They assume a direct correlation and don’t stop to think that we are a completely different country with different political problems to solve, different priorities, and a different outlook.
This is influenced by, among other things, the fact that we are at different stages of development, or political and economic maturity. The U.S. is at its zenith. They are the only superpower in the world, at the moment. Canada is still in its ascendancy, or adolescence. Obviously, a superpower at its zenith and an up and comer have different needs, outlooks, and priorities. For one thing, when you’re on top it can seem that the only way is down, so you act to prevent or delay the inevitable downfall. You tend to look at the world in terms of perceived threats. You look over your shoulder. Right now, China’s ascendancy is looking like a threat to American dominance. By contrast, when you’re growing and developing you tend to look to the future, and new goals and opportunities. This outlook could be seen by a superpower as not being in line with their interests, especially if you happen to share a continent with them. By assuming and applying American views, we often work against our own ambitions.
The U.S. became independent about ninety years before us and in a completely different manner. They fought a revolution, striking out on their own immediately. Canadian independence came in stages, starting with Confederation in 1867, then our first independent declaration of war in WW1, then the Statute of Westminster in 1931, the first Canadian passports in the 1940s, and repatriation of the Constitution in the 1980s. The final step of letting go of the apron strings and ending the symbolic relationship with the British monarchy to establish a Canadian republic – specifically, a secular republic – is one I’m looking forward to.
Here again, however, perceptions of American parallels interfere with true perceptions of Canadian realities. Historically, any movement in Canada for full independence has been called a republican movement because the result will be a Canadian republic. Unfortunately, when most Canadians hear the word ‘republican’, they think they hear ‘Republican’. They apply American politics to Canadian politics and think a movement for a fully independent Canada would lead to Prime Minister George W. Bush – or something like that. Most Canadians tend to dislike the American Republican party and its policies. That probably explains why the American right wing media often portrays us negatively. Those same Canadians tend to associate the Conservative party with American Republicans. However, it is the Conservatives who are most commited to maintaining the links with the monarchy. So, Canadians’ perceptions of the possibilities for their own country, and desirability of them, are skewed by inappropriate and inaccurate application of American models to Canada.
Canada is not at its zenith. At times, though, it seems like we’re not even trying to get there. We aren’t planning for our own future success. No one seems to have a vision for the future beyond selling raw materials to the Americans and, now, the Chinese. If we’re going to think like Americans, why don’t we think about building our own successful nation? Why don’t we become a powerhouse? If, as a certain book store chain said, the world needs more Canada, shouldn’t we let it know we’re here? To do that, shouldn’t we be a bit more proactive? Wouldn’t we then stand a better chance of having a positive influence in the world?
How’s this for a start – if the world needs more Canada, doesn’t it need more Canadians? Then we’ll be a bigger market. Bigger markets can produce bigger companies. Bigger companies are more visible and have a better chance of expanding to other countries rather than being acquired by foreign companies. They can become global players, creating wealth at home and spreading Canadian values abroad.
We need leaders who are bold enough to move us forward. That may mean choosing a more difficult path. It may mean standing up to those who may think our own path is not in their interest. Unfortunately, our political leaders follow public opinion and tell people what they think they want to hear, regardless of whether the public’s opinion is an informed one or not. I haven’t heard of a really fresh idea in Ottawa in about forty years. And, where do the public get their opinions? Very often from American media. Just as unfortunate is the fact that our business leaders tend to be market followers rather than market makers. The easy money is in exporting logs and oil and metals – let the Americans do the hard part. Leaders are supposed to lead.
American socio-political models just don’t apply to Canada. They debate whether to have a national healthcare system. We’ve had one for decades. Yet, many Canadians vote for the Canadian party they associate with the American struggle to get what we already have, when what we really need is a few of those big companies that keep buying us up.
We won’t realize our full potential until we stop applying current American views to current Canadian situations and Canadian goals. We have to start thinking of, for, and about ourselves.
The pope is in North America on his latest concert tour. This is one tour I won’t complain about not coming to Vancouver, as it covers the U.S. only. The easily impressed flock to see him so that they may feel graced by his presence. They buy up all the souvenirs and concert T-shirts and hold up their lighters shouting, “Yaaaaahhhh!”
Seriously, this is big business. A papal tour is worth hundreds of millions. I mean, $695 for a porcelain statue of the guy? The mark up on these mass produced mementos is – dare I say it – a sin. Well, it would be if there was a god for it to qualify as a crime against, but, you get the idea. The pope has criticized Canada in the recent past for not doing enough to narrow the gap between rich and poor. Then the church gouges its own followers like this? Talk about excessive profits. Is a ‘toy pope with your Happy Meal’ McDonald’s deal next?
Ever since they were introduced by his predecessor, papal tours have been a nice little earner for the Catholic church. Souvenirs of all kinds have been sold at extortionate prices to the suckers – I mean, faithful. Remember the famous John Paul II pope-on-a-rope soap? I wonder if it washed away sins. His tours turned him into a larger than life personality – rivaling Jesus, himself – that the church capitalized on. Well, who could blame them? There was a lot of money to be made.
But, what about all that money? Couldn’t all those good Catholics have used it to feed hungry people instead of the church and their own pride? Let’s face it, those souvenirs will be shown off as proof that they’ve seen the pope. Bragging rights will be theirs. Bragging will ensue. Some might say the profits are used to feed the hungry. Are they? I’m not so certain of that. The Catholic church is a large organisation with broad financial interests. They invest on the stock market and are probably one of the great institutional investors of the world. At one point, I believe, they were the largest – possibly the majority – shareholder of Coca Cola. That’s pretty big.
They know how to market the pope like a rock star. Pretty savvy. They know how to exploit their star to turn a healthy profit. That’s entertainment. They know how to invest and manage huge sums of money. That’s rich. And, they don’t pay a penny in taxes. That’s really rich. Even Hollywood couldn’t hide profits that well.
I’ve written before about how the church doesn’t use nearly all the money it takes in for charity. In fact, the crumbs they give out to the truly needy along with their prayers are probably nothing compared to what they have available to them. This is a very large corporation with vast assets that generates huge revenues and profits, but doesn’t pay tax. It’s time that came to an end.
In addition to the European Travel Blog Carnival mentioned in my previous post, I’ve also recently had posts included in several other carnivals, including:
The Carnival of Ethics, Values, and Personal Finance
The Carnival of Observations on Life
The Carnival of Consumer Focused Real Estate
The Carnival of the Godless #87
Check them out.
I haven’t written much lately. In fact, aside from yesterday’s brief observation of global conquest, it’s been a week. I’ve been feeling a kind of malaise, a lack of motivation to write posts even though I’ve commented on a few other people’s. I just haven’t felt like writing.
I couldn’t even be bothered to finish any of the partially written posts I have saved just for such occasions. Yes, I’m familiar with the concepts of forward planning, putting some away for a rainy day, and having a ‘Plan B’ in your pocket. Imagine you’ve been putting money in the bank just in case you ever need it one day. Then, when that day comes, you can’t be bothered to go to the bank to get it. That’s how I’ve been feeling about blogging this past week.
There could be other explanations. As my blogroll grows, I find myself reading other people’s work more, leaving less time to write. I’ve also been trying to teach more online. Since the students are in Korea, the classes are late at night and in the early morning hours. That means I’ve been sleeping well into the day. When I can fill the whole night, and I’m told it will get busy in April, it’ll pay off. Right now, I’m just tired. Then there’s the fact that my mind drifts to what I’d like to do. Torn between what I want to do and what I have to do, I don’t put enough time or energy into either.
But, I’ve also been procrastinating. I sometimes wonder if the time of year has something to do with it. As far as I can remember, March has always been a slow month for me. Even in my senior executive level negotiation days with an international publisher, I don’t think I ever closed a deal in March. Budget and fiscal issues may have played into it because April was usually good, but I still feel below par in March.
I started to feel this way about the middle of the month. Now, I even have a mild cold or flu to recover from. Beware the ides of March, indeed. Maybe its the darkness before the dawn – the final days of winter just before spring, the time of renewal or return to life. Most cultures celebrate this time of year for that purpose. Easter was actually hijacked from an earlier pagan celebration, Eastre, as many religious holidays are. Of course, some will say that is not true – Easter is a unique celebration of the rejuvenation of a corpse and its ascent to heaven. If this be true, I be Caesar.
As I look around my one bedroom East Van apartment it’s apparent that, not only am I not Caesar, it’s also in need of a spring cleanout and renewal. Whatever. I’m just waiting for April to roll around.
I arrived at my aunt’s house in Glasgow for a family reunion, of sorts. The whole family wasn’t there, but it was crowded enough. My brother had found me in London and told me about it. I’d been working on a movie, which was exhausting, so I figured I could use a getaway and some relaxation. I must have been exhausted, because I’d forgotten that the words ‘family’ and ‘relaxation’ were incongruous.
Besides my brother, there was my sister and her husband, their daughter, a couple of cousins and their spouses, their mother, and my older cousin’s daughter. Those were just the ones visiting from Canada. We were all staying in my aunt and uncle’s house. Then there was all of their children and grandchildren who were there most of the time, as well as other occasional visitors that weekend. I’d have left the keys with someone and told them to call me when they’re clearing out.
Despite the chaos, it was nice to see my siblings and cousins after many years. We talked and filled in some of the gap. At some point on the first day, we Canadians were on our own and somebody told me that one of my Scottish cousins’ son, whom I had met for the first time a little earlier, was basically a sociopath. His mother took a liking to me that weekend, and it was mutual. I would have found it difficult to not like her. Although she appeared to suffer from low self-esteem and, possibly, occasional depression, she had a lovable quality about her. Maybe a need to be loved, too.
I thought back to the last time I had been in that house. I recalled a late night conversation with my aunt years earlier. She talked about her pregnant teenage daughter. There are some words spoken that you just never forget. They leave a mark. They affect you. They inform you about the world around you and become integral to who you are. She said, “She made a mistake and now she has to pay for it.” I grew at that moment. If that’s the way that kid is going to be raised, I thought, what chance does he have? If he’s going to be treated or made to feel like a punishment from god, what hope is there for him?
Now, I remembered why I hadn’t been back up to Glasgow since then. I also remembered why I hadn’t been back to Canada to see my family. This Catholic christian attitude that seemed to come with the territory was annoying, off-putting, and even offensive. This kid, who was raised in an environment that considered him something dirty, was now being described as a sociopath and the description did seem to fit.
If he didn’t seem to care about other people, I was told there was one exception. Before returning to London, I had another one on one talk with my aunt. This time, she talked about her grandson, the sociopath. She said that only she could get to him or tell him what to do. She is the only one he’ll listen to. Only she could teach him right from wrong. The same person who created the idea that he was a punishment from god was now his only salvation.
My aunt can be a nice lady, but she is a personification and microcosm of her faith. By being that, she seems to have undermined her own daughter’s self-worth and manipulated her grandson. It’s no wonder my very likeable cousin seemed to need love.
