intermission - Occupying Public Spaces

There is, according to all of the political pundits and social commentators on Canadian news and public affair programming, a new social movement developing before our very eyes.  People, mainly young people, are gathering in front of stock exchanges or other public representations of the power elite to protest the obvious imbalances between the very rich and everyone else. It is happening throughout the USA, in a number of countries in Europe and this weekend in Canada. If one listens carefully to the sociologist and other political and social affair experts, they are declaring that this is a new sociological phenomenon. I am not too sure it is a new sociological phenomenon or at least if it is, if it has any staying power. I also think that it is a bit of a stretch to find direct links between what happened in Egypt seven months ago to what is happening on Wall Street today. I think it is far too early to make such a judgment.

More interestingly as a Canadian, I wonder if the complaints that people legitimately have in the USA are valid in Canada. I suspect that many Canadians will assume that the political and financial situations are identical. They are not. The US protesters are rightly angry that their government bailed out major banks who in fact caused the financial problems in the first place – no Canadian bank needed to be bailed out; the protesters are legitimately concerned that big business can and does invest large sums of money in ensuring that the “right” people get elected – in Canada our laws forbid such direct infusions of cash into campaign coffers; and finally the protesters are concerned that the cost of these bailouts and tax cuts to the very rich means that health care and education spending will be cut – no government in Canada whether provincial or federal has raise such a possibility.

There are issues in Canada that need to be resolved. We have a neo-conservative government in Ottawa that is systematically destroying many of the rights and protections we all assumed to be enshrined in law. Labour laws, privacy laws, access to information, and the right to be an equal participant in legal issues have been either violated or taken away completely. There is a clear agenda that supports not only the international/globalized business sector, but more importantly that does not support those who need our help.

There are issues in common between those who protest in the USA and those who may protest in Canada. Neither government is anyway addressing the issue of the environment, neither country has been able to develop a consensus as to how social programs should be paid for; both countries have far too high unemployment rates (it is difficult to get consistent, comparable statistical information – but it appears as if youth unemployment rates are somewhere between 15% and 19% in Canada and the US respectively); and unless there is a profound shift in how we elect and access our politicians, the young will continue not too vote.

It is worth noting a couple of additional facts.

1)      there have been seven federal and provincial elections in Canada in the past year. All of the elections resulted in the previous government being returned to office; all of the elections had reduced voter turn-out.

2)       while the Tea Party is in decline – last year a full 40% of the American voters thought it was a good thing, this year it is 20%

 It is exciting that people, especially young people are interested and passionate enough to get involved. For those of us of a certain age it is somewhat reassuring that those interests and those passions that energized us 35-40 years ago are still alive and vital in the hearts of others. It gives me hope for the future. But we need to be very clear as to who the enemy is. We need to be focused on changing how our political institutions are run and by whom. Banks or corporate elite are not the enemy – the enemy are those who let them do whatever they want.

on the road again 2011 #32

I had known since the beginning of June that there was going to be a BC Regional Gathering at some point around the second week of August. I didn't know if I would go given how busy the summer had been for me. But it had been a few years since I had been able to go to one. I had been missing that feeling of being at home, that sense of belonging that sweeps me away when I am at a BC Gathering. As much as I enjoy attending and participating at the big National Gatherings in the USA, BC is where my family lives and it will always be my the centre of my Rainbow home.

I could have hitchhiked there, but I only had a few days to spare and I didn't want to waste them on the road so I rented a little car and headed north. I didn't tell car rental place that I would be traveling along logging roads.  They (the rental places) don’t like those roads. It is too risky in terms of stone chips and broken axels.

It was an easy five or so hour drive to where the Gathering was suppose to be held. The scouts had told everyone that it was a glorious spot just a few 100 metres off the logging road, with a lake and a large meadow for people to camp in. There was even a flat level bit of land that we could use for a parking lot. It sounded ideal. When I got to the parking lot, there were only a few cars there, and much to my surprise there were tents there. I sort of assumed that the tent were for the three or four folks who were there to welcome people - but no, there were only eight or nine people had made it to the Gathering. I knew only knew two of the people.

Gatherings are a strange business. Because the Family resists any temptation or encouragement to be organized, it frequently presents an image of profound disorganization. People say they are planning on coming and then don't. No one knows why. We all accept that life occasionally gets in the way and are grateful and delighted with who ever does appear. So one can never tell if a regional or a national Gathering will be large or small.

People were camped in the campsite because the main site appeared to be a bit swampy and buggy. There was a fairly large creek (or small river) that needing crossing and there was not sufficient manpower to build a bridge. So folks just hung out in this over grown parking lot, surrounded by glorious trees. Other than a pick up truck or two that went by once or twice a day we saw no one. It does not sound very nice but it was a great day and a half for me. And I don't know if I can explain why.

My brothers and sisters were beautiful. While I was the oldest for at least the first day or so, the youngest was less than 2 years old. There were a couple a people in their 30s and the rest were in their mid 20s. People went for walks to look for crystals, we sat around and talked about art and politics and music and the Family and …. and ….. and …….about everything under the sun. And we ate. My heavens there was great food!

We had all brought food to share and so there were blueberry pancakes and scrambled eggs, there were smoothies made in a blender attached to a bicycle wheel, there was rice pudding, and a pasta dish as fine as any restaurant’s. All of it cooked without a lot of planning, with people contributing their food, their thoughts and their work, all without one harsh word or without anyone ever telling someone what to do. It was magical. A true family, most of whom had never met each other before they had gotten there, but a family none-the-less who seemed to instinctively know how to work together, how to share and how to just enjoy each other. Meals of course didn’t happen on time. That is - breakfast was more like brunch and supper barely got done before the sun set. But it did not matter. We were Family and we were at home.

The morning before I left we had a little council meeting and one by one as the feather was passed from person to person we listened to each other and in turn we spoke our thoughts about the future and what plans should be made for that evening (the full moon which is a traditional night of celebrations) and for the following year. For the Family, around the world, council should be held on the land in full view of everything and everyone so all can participate. So all can share their vision until a true consensus can be reached.

I was sad to leave but so glad that I had been able to at least for a few hours, share in belonging to this marvelous, vagabond-like group of eclectic travelers. We will meet again.

intermission - Dogs

Lots of dogs don't know they are dogs. In fact this confusion is not unusual in dogs that are raised in families. Because the dogs live with humans, they assume that they too are human with all of the privileges that the two legged beings have. This weekend however, I met a dog who has taken species confusion to a whole new level.

She thinks that we are dogs! I don't think she has a clue that she is different from us, but it is not that she is like us, but rather we are like her. When she wants to play, she barks and gently chews on the wrist of the human. When she wants to show affection, she grooms (licks) the person's hand (or any other part of the body that she can reach) for hours on end. You can't get mad at her because yelling at her or chasing her is exactly what another dog would do in response to her barking or the gentle chewing on some extremity. If you take your wrist away because the licking is getting annoying, she just sees that as another way of playing and she works all the harder at finding another body part to lick.

I noticed that she demonstrated the exact same behaviours when she played with another dog in the park. She barked, chewed and teased the other dog until it chased her. Quite remarkable. I don't have a clue how they are going to train her out of her false assumption.

Of course it may just be that my hairy appearance confused her and now that I have left - she is back to normal.