What of Japan and Loss?

The enormous tragedy in Japan reverberates around the world. The loss of life is profound. The loss of comfort and safety is devastating. We can only imagine what each morning brings to these people now as the anchors of the life they were leading only a few days ago are gone.


What lessons can we learn from this tragedy? What can we take and use from this senseless devastation? Well the obvious is love. Love our family and friends today, for tomorrow they may be gone. Love not only the individuals but the pattern of the very place you live. For Many of these people who survive in Japan the very root of their sense of place is gone. We must appreciate not only the people close to us but the very social structure we exist within. For some of these citizens in Japan their entire social structure is uprooted and must be rebuilt from scratch. Love, maintain and build your sense of place it is very important.


What of the things we possess? The world of objects considered precious only a few days ago for many and now gone for the affected Japanese people. Further the loss of these things is now trivial compared to the loss of the entire roots of family, friends and community. What of our things, what can we now learn of the transient nature of wealth and possession? Are we not putting way to much energy into the collection of items that will someday seem trivial? Should we turn away from the waste of low quality trivial purchases in favour of those things that might have actual value now and in the future?


Today some in Japan are hungry and thirsty. Some will remain that way for many days, some who are trapped in the rubble or lost at sea will die hungry and thirsty. Will these people at moments remember the food they might have wasted or the water they just poured away? What about us, is there going to come a day when we will sit and remember the wealth of food we now enjoy and remember how much we threw away?

Some people of Japan in the long run will come to miss the great landmarks of their communities that are now gone. We here sometime seem bent on destroying these landmarks. We must come to revere our heritage builds and structures for they are the links to our character and community personality.


There has been a lot said about nuclear power in Canada and it cleanliness. It is being reported that nuclear is a reasonable alternative to coal. Even Greenpeace has come out in support of nuclear power as a lesser evil. After the events in Japan is it really? Are we really prepared to continue risking our lives for electricity? I hear a lot about wind generators giving some people a headache or causing ADHD and stress. Is it not possible that these people were already feeling these things and the windmills are the scapegoats? I think the only answer to coal fired electricity plants is a huge reduction in usage and as much renewable energy as possible. Japan is in deep trouble due to the volatile nature of nuclear power.

We have been pompous enough to believe that our society is strong and unmovable. We sit on our hands without protecting those things we see as important. Japan is a country like us, not a third world backwater without strong infrastructure; they are likely stronger that we are, yet they have been laid low by natural causes, we can be laid low by our own greed and waste. We rationalize our actions because it is easy to do so without yet feeling the consequences. If we do not adjust our actions to a sustainable level, we will lose our resources and crush our society and culture. What happened in Japan overnight will happen to us and our children in time.

The truth is we do not have to give up the world as we know it. We only need to change some of the things we do. We need to set our priorities. We need to come to learn what is important and cherish it. We do not need to tear down our society only tweak it to a sustainable level.


I think we have some time but not much.

Saving ourselves from ourselves is possible, where the people of Japan could not save themselves from the power of this earthquake and Tsunami.

Leaders

Is it up to the government to lead the way or is it up to us? Do we vote stand back and expect fair treatment or do we call the shots and the government writes the laws that make it happen? Corporations and special interest groups know that they must lead and the government must react, we the citizens need to do the same. We can lead by our actions, by taking part in events that matter to the community, by being compassionate. We can lead by our words be vocal about the things that matter. We can lead by supporting groups that are already pushing for a better Canada such as the Council of Canadians.

Canada is a great place to live and we need to be grateful for, and vigilant in protecting this great peaceful Dominion.

You and I are one small voice in the wilderness of Canadian politics but as we shout together we will be heard.

What is your Canada?

Are we free?

As Egypt fights for a free society and there is blood on the streets, I ask what about our free society?

We can take a look down to our south and see the USA struggle with it's freedom. Homeland Security, torture, a lack of full support for New Orleans years after Katrina? Is the USA still free?

What about Canada, we are comfortable and healthy but are we still free? Can we assume that warmth, full bellies and lots of money equals freedom?

If you were a trusted and well known voice could you speak out? Is protest still allowed? What did we see at the G20 in Toronto citizens abused and controlled by our police or lawbreakers being justly dealt with?

Is the citizen still represented by our elected officials and if not then who?

In the future do we want to have to fight for the democracy we already have?

What do You think?

My Rights

• Excitement and fun without harming the natural world humans are a part of.

• A life where media, art, literature and music inspire me

• Clean water

• Clean air

• quality shelter

• natural things in my everyday life

• quality products at good prices, not junk at cheap prices

• to work hard for fair compensation

• good public places to meet and discuss issues and ideas with other citizens

• to know that my future and the future of my children is bright and prosperous not dark and depleted

• low impact technology

• good food produced without stress on the land, animals or farmers involved in the process

• to live in a world where economic growth is only a by-product of a civil and just world

• A world where I know my life is not harming others.

What else? Let me know.

Trees

What is the value of a tree?

• provider of oxygen
• carbon capture (no new technology needed)
• stores sunlight for later use (lumber, energy from limb wood, leaves enrich soil)
• provides shade (less air conditioning)
• provides wind protection (less heating costs)
• purifies water (trees constantly cycle water, cleaning it)
• trees and green spaces lower stress and have a net result of increasing good health and lowering the strain on our health care system.

What is the monetary value of a single tree if it is allowed in an urban setting to grow to maturity? 

Trees are beautiful and that is reason enough to develop a conscious policy or a urban forest management plan, but we can get a real financial and health benefit from our trees.

Snow Day

No script

No map

Time without commitment

Toil in pursuit of fun

The Boys in the backyard

The Gift of leisure

Parasite

I suffer from the affliction of having too much. Poor Steve his biggest health problem is he eats too much food. Imagine I am unhealthy due to an abundance of good quality nutritious food. One of the flash points of in my marriage for arguments is the need to clean up because there is too much stuff lying around.



Now I am aware that it is not the abundance of food that is my issue but the ingestion of this food beyond what is strictly needed for me to survive. I am aware I have too much stuff because I bought it and left it lying around. I am a user of resources I am a consumer of goods and services, I am a parasite!



There is more, I understand the need for political action in our society, I understand that if we do not ask for a voice that we will not have one. I complain about the corporate takeover of our government, our culture, our very lives, but I do very little. I seek the spiritual awareness but do not actively seek this wisdom. I understand the need for action in a bruised and nearly broken world but do not take action. I am a parasite.

So what makes me a parasite:

• consumption of goods and services without thought for the quality
• consumption without thought of where it came from an who it is affecting
• consumption without thought of the need for disposal
• allowing systems and machines in my life to run less efficiently than they could
• not standing for something (putting action where our beliefs project)

So how to be less of a parasite? Well this is the question, first let me say that I am weak, very weak, I succumb to temptation very easily. Then I am also lazy and the easy way especially under stress is my MO in many situations. So how do I a lazy week pampered human change from being a parasite on this earth. I suck!

How the heck do I know, how the heck can I change when I am battling me and I have no more strength of resolve than myself. Well I have several ideas that I am going to develop as I move forward.

• small changes only (no huge goals that will overwhelm my spirit)
• quality (at all points consider the quality of the goods and services I am purchasing and there long term value)
• action (take the knowledge I have and convert it to actions not words)
• go outside (simply go outside as much as possible and enjoy or fine earth)
• in the three Rs of environmental protection employ reduce as much as is possible and use reuse and recycle as last ditch efforts

So what first, what will I do? What small changes can I set up and then accomplish? Well I am going to set 4 right now:

• litter-less lunch (buy some containers and user them daily)
• never turn on the TV (not sure how this will go but it is a simple restriction that does not require a schedule and may reduce my overall time watching)
• grazing (one sit down meal a day and the rest of the time small bits one hour or more apart)

OK there is no rocket science and more to come I hope.

I Will Get By

Zoom. How long have I gone what have I seen? This is it seems impossible for me to keep up. Why can't I write every day here why can't my writings be poignant and full of the Hope that I feel. Father, Husband, Brother, Freind, what is my role how can I contribute. I care not for my simple views but do not have the nerve to cut deep in this forum.

6:30

The land of ice and snow may be finally giving itself to spring. I anticipate the end of cold, the smell of the earth and the feeling of outer and inner warmth afforded by the end of winter. I give myself to the idea of new green, the new start. Oh Canada you are glorious in your glaring coat of winter white, but give me the joy of your green and your praise I will sing to the top of the world. Corny but nonetheless, This is a time of rebirth for all of nature and for my spirit. Our backyard is my utopia and is not far from perfect.

In Our Own Water

My Dad came out of the bathroom magazine in hand, "can you believe this, these people shit in there own drinking water" he said with dismayed disgust. As I recall it was a third world country that was embattled by an ever growing population and Dad was not getting the sympathy part. The society in question used the same river to wash, drink and excrete and of course the village upstream did the same. My question was innocent and poignant in the discussion, "Dad where does the water we drink come from?" Dad was quick to respond that our water comes from some of the best deep wells around and we enjoy delicious safe water. He had some civic pride in his voice and I felt good myself listening to his voice. "Where does our toilet water come from then Dad" I said with eager anticipation of an equally prideful response. This question of course stopped poor Dad dead in his tracks he hesitated for more then a second then in a low voice said, "we have a system" and left the room.
The real answer of course is that we shit in our drinking water.