Thursday, November 21, 2019
Neighbours to the South - A Mirror of What is to be?
It is easy and oh so tempting to look at the chaotic political gamesmanship occurring in the country to the south of Canada and say - " we could never act like that" or " our politicians could never be that bad". Most of us desperately need to believe that to be true. I would even suspect that a number of citizens of the US believe that their politicians cannot be willfully lying or manipulating the circumstances for their own political benefit. And yet the evidence on both sides of the border is quite clear. Some politicians/political parties will take positions that exist only to create or perpetuate conflict and disagreement. As clearly demonstrated by Trump and his allies, it doesn't seem to matter how absurd or fraudulent your position is - someone, perhaps a lot of people will believe you.
In Canada, the inflammatory messages might be more subtle and there would appear to be less interest in reacting to them. But there is a constant effort to drive wedges between groups of people or in Canada's case between regions. Take for example the leader of the Bloc who said that it does not matter who is in the new Canadian cabinet because "no one can make Canada a coherent country" (CBC). He then went on to say " the apparent division in Canada is a natural state for an artificial country [like] Canada" (CBC). The Bloc, given their stated goal to leave the confederation, will always use language that suggests that the confederation is not working and even that it should not exist. Some people in Quebec will agree with him, most just assume that it is a bit of reflexive, mindless political jostling. Unfortunately, some outside of Quebec will see his comments as one more bit of proof that Quebecers don't want to stay/belong in Canada and say something equally as stupid, thereby proving that the rest of Canada does not like Quebecers. Similarly, comments suggesting that some of the provinces (i.e. Alberta, Saskatchewan) would be better off going it alone are made and discussed every few years.
The question in my mind that begs to be asked is why do we not only allow politicians and others to make such statements but why do so many people get on a particular bandwagon. What is it about human nature (as someone who has studied/taught sociology I really dislike suggesting that there are some innate things about human behaviour) that encourages us to look for the differences between us. Why do are we always comparing ourselves to everyone else, one hand assuming that we are superior, while on the other hand assuming that we are being treat unfairly. It is almost as if we believe that we have the right to be treated as the best but that everyone is against us.
If we could only stop believing that everyone else is out to get us, to take advantage of our good nature life would be so much easier. If we could only accept that other people, even those we do not agree with - are good people and that they would never intentionally hurt us. After all - we are good people and we would never hurt anyone - right?
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Bird Watching
Bird Watching
One of the joys of living where I live is that I can walk to the Cowinchan River in a few minutes. It is not that I often take the time to walk along the dike, but it is nice to know that it is there. The dike acts as a pathway for a number of local residents including some First Nation individuals who live just east of me and are walking to town and others who are walking their dogs. During the warm months, there are frequently a few individuals camping out in spots carved out of the dense undergrowth. In the spring the river rushes by, high enough for debris to get caught in the branches of the cottonwoods that line the banks. By late summer the water is so low that in some areas I could walk across it and not get my knees wet. On the other side of the river, there is a large park with a few spots that have been shaped by generations of families (and dog owners) into swimming areas.
During the late fall, the river becomes a very noisy place. Overhead, there are flocks of Canada geese heading south, all making that strange honking noise. One can imagine them shouting out to each other - arguing if they are reading the map correctly or wondering when they are going to stop for something to eat. Then as the salmon head upstream to spawn, the gulls start to fly overhead waiting for them to die. There are times when gulls' raucous calls are so loud that they drown out all other noises. I do my best to ignore their calls and wait until I hear the short, high pitched call of the eagle. I am always a bit surprised at how high and almost thin-sounding is the eagle's call. One would think that such a big bird, with all of the attention it gets - that it would have a more impressive, perhaps even awesome call.
Last week as soon as I heard the eagles' call I grabbed my camera and headed for the river. Eagles are certainly majestic and worth watching but their eating tastes and habit are not so inspiring. In fact, if one observes them during this time of year it is clear that they are opportunistic in their choice of food. They are scavengers.
The river was alive with birds. There were some wood ducks resting in small bays getting ready (I assume) for the trek south, some small water birds that I did not recognize although looking through my books, they might have been either the Common Goldeneye or perhaps some Bufflehead, hundreds of gulls flying through the air or wading on the rocky banks occasionally nibbling on a salmon carcass and the eagles perched in trees - occasionally going for a short flight, landing near a salmon, nibbling a bit and then going back to their roost. They all looked just a little bit lazy, like a family after a Thanksgiving turkey. There was lots more to eat - there were at least 15-20 dead salmon that I could see - but no one was hungry except for those who could not resist just one more nibble. Interesting - none of the birds paid any attention to or were cautious around the eagles. Everyone knew what was on the menu and it wasn't anything alive.
I am lucky to be able to see it all.
One of the joys of living where I live is that I can walk to the Cowinchan River in a few minutes. It is not that I often take the time to walk along the dike, but it is nice to know that it is there. The dike acts as a pathway for a number of local residents including some First Nation individuals who live just east of me and are walking to town and others who are walking their dogs. During the warm months, there are frequently a few individuals camping out in spots carved out of the dense undergrowth. In the spring the river rushes by, high enough for debris to get caught in the branches of the cottonwoods that line the banks. By late summer the water is so low that in some areas I could walk across it and not get my knees wet. On the other side of the river, there is a large park with a few spots that have been shaped by generations of families (and dog owners) into swimming areas.
During the late fall, the river becomes a very noisy place. Overhead, there are flocks of Canada geese heading south, all making that strange honking noise. One can imagine them shouting out to each other - arguing if they are reading the map correctly or wondering when they are going to stop for something to eat. Then as the salmon head upstream to spawn, the gulls start to fly overhead waiting for them to die. There are times when gulls' raucous calls are so loud that they drown out all other noises. I do my best to ignore their calls and wait until I hear the short, high pitched call of the eagle. I am always a bit surprised at how high and almost thin-sounding is the eagle's call. One would think that such a big bird, with all of the attention it gets - that it would have a more impressive, perhaps even awesome call.
Last week as soon as I heard the eagles' call I grabbed my camera and headed for the river. Eagles are certainly majestic and worth watching but their eating tastes and habit are not so inspiring. In fact, if one observes them during this time of year it is clear that they are opportunistic in their choice of food. They are scavengers.
The river was alive with birds. There were some wood ducks resting in small bays getting ready (I assume) for the trek south, some small water birds that I did not recognize although looking through my books, they might have been either the Common Goldeneye or perhaps some Bufflehead, hundreds of gulls flying through the air or wading on the rocky banks occasionally nibbling on a salmon carcass and the eagles perched in trees - occasionally going for a short flight, landing near a salmon, nibbling a bit and then going back to their roost. They all looked just a little bit lazy, like a family after a Thanksgiving turkey. There was lots more to eat - there were at least 15-20 dead salmon that I could see - but no one was hungry except for those who could not resist just one more nibble. Interesting - none of the birds paid any attention to or were cautious around the eagles. Everyone knew what was on the menu and it wasn't anything alive.
I am lucky to be able to see it all.
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