What we see is not what it is.

 

What we see is not what it is.

My good friend works in Northern BC. If what he tells me is true, the people there are tougher than in the south and are united in hate. He hates Trudeau and also hates the premier of Alberta. Trudeau is making him take the vaccine and Kenney caused him not to be paid overtime when he worked in Alberta. Kind of strange, but he swears that all his co-workers know about the vaccine causing harm. Well… there aren’t many intellectuals he works with and they get the news from sources that we don’t. He mentioned Rebel News and Tic Tok.

Since I am compromised, I have been waiting for him to get vaccinated. Yet he swore he will not let THEM inject him with poisons and some kind of electronic tracking device. Finally, (For the fourth time) he announced he was getting the shot. He plans to place a protest sign on his chest saying that his freedom was taken, etc. etc. A comment under his note said that he may die of blood clots. He wants the “news” to video his protest. Perhaps he and his co-workers think that they have a very original idea. Well, I will be happy if he is immunized and I may see him for Christmas.

The present pandemic hit the world at a bad time and place. The US came to realize that it’s losing the economic game to China, and the President made China the scapegoat instead of dealing with the real problem. They lost precious time while the country further divided itself into political ideologies, enhancing the damage the virus can inflict, and it did. Three-quarters of a million Americans lost their lives. It is relatively easy to confuse the human mind.

Those of us who study the human mind learned much in the last few years. We learned that genes do not control what people see and do. The environment and a person’s willpower do. We choose whom and what we want to be, but we don’t know it. The language we use and the actions we take on a day-to-day basis dictate our direction in life. Belief is our driving force. Our imagination is not only projecting our dreams, but also our reality. The sub-conscience mind is pre-programmed early in life and we end up living the programing. That is why most poor people remain poor and rich people stay rich.

That which we call reality is also what we expect. You may say with conviction, I know it is so, I saw it with my own eyes; and be wrong. The human eye is not what we think it is. For example, one of the primary colours that we see is green, yet green doesn’t exist. We mix a combination of other colours in our human mind and we call it green. The engineers who designed the Hubble telescope knew it. Only one of the sensors they installed is detecting light. The universe is full of radiation that our primitive eyes can’t see. Those beautiful pictures we see from space are a combination of waves that we can’t see without special filters.  

We argue about the story of creation. That too now became a political point. Was it an evolution or creation story? How dumb. It was a creation that we are only now beginning to understand. Our minds don’t let us believe the truth if it doesn’t fit our limited knowledge we call science. We will learn more. The great “I am” creates but the simple minds yet don’t understand how.

Our rudimentary understanding of time doesn’t cover even a portion of reality. Memories are only a small, inaccurate portion of reality that keeps changing all the time. When we say “I” we shouldn’t mean a skin bag full of bones and parts. We should refer to the entire universe. “All that belongs to the Father belongs to me and all that belongs to me is yours through me.” (Bible.) Why do we say it and not believe it? We interpret the knowledge with limited resources, politicize it and fight over it to make a profit here on earth. If we followed religion or science, we should be OK. Just forget the statement about six days. When the earth was forming “days” were not 24 hours on a human watch.

Now, in my old age, I am facing a possibility that someone will change the beloved province I helped build and call home. A political group is working hard to change my reality. Nurses and doctors are leaving. Private surgeries will provide care for people with money, leaving more complicated cases and poor people to wait longer for care and die. They will force our public schools to teach the curriculum thought in private schools skewed to one religion, contradicting science. Mentioning polluting the environment will be investigated. They will curtail help for disadvantaged people. Insurance will be out of reach for those who need it most. Canada’s pension will be replaced to focus on investing in carbon-emitting industries instead of on those who live on it. The one that hurts most, we will no longer have the security we always enjoyed by using the RCMP. The red coats will be replaced.

Those Neo-Liberal ideas are ruining our economy, as we are presently witnessing. The focus is on selling raw materials and buying finished goods made by cheap labour somewhere else. Where will our jobs and high standard of living come from? Now the Neo-Liberals teamed up with the anti-vaxxers and infected my friend and his buddies.

We must realize that we need to protect ourselves, produce what we need here, and look after our brothers, sisters, kids, and parents. If others do it, they will ruin us. Our investors will go wherever they make more profits while we will not be able to feed ourselves. We need small businesses, little farms, and vaccines.

Here is a link to my blog: https://thesimpleravenspost.blogspot.ca/  Feel free to check other articles and comment.

Six minutes on National news.

 

Six minutes on National news.

It pleasantly surprised me to see the CBC National doing a piece about the Crowsnest Pass. I can remember only a few times when we were on the news. The first one was over twenty years ago when someone reopened the Roxy theatre for a play (about Filomena?). We came to see it and guess what. A couple of minutes on the news then and we are retired here now. Being on the news makes a difference. We were on the news during the big fire when the volunteer fire department was praised and there was some coverage when the council deleted the famous Thunder in the Valley and some people objected. Other times, the news was not positive, like when murders occurred or a developer left investors in the cold and disappeared.

This time, the talk is all about coal and folks being upset that the provincial government removed important regulations on a long weekend’s eve. When you make a move that may affect an area as big as a country, you can’t expect it to go unnoticed. The one old rancher whose family has been here for generations said, this is the water tower of all of southern Alberta. It amazes me that the provincial government couldn’t figure it out. By making that mistake, they managed to create a tear in our social fabric. Could it be the old British “divide and rule” idea resurfacing here?

The People who were interviewed presented both sides of the argument, which is a sign of good journalism. Those on the coal side were frank. Looking for prosperity, said one. We have a hundred and twenty years of coal mining history, said another. Can’t live on a few tour guides said another. The mayor, who is a local business owner, said, I don’t see any other industries knocking on our doors. In my eye, here is the problem. Both provincial and local governments believe that the way to succeed is by waiting for private industries to take initiative and give it their blessings. Pay others to do our job.

I think that the examples above provide an answer. In the old days, when we needed fire departments, someone organized volunteers who were the pride of the towns. We had an excellent fire protection system that not only rivaled the professionals, but made the news by doing more. The volunteers managed to set up a fireworks show that put us on the map. When someone came in, more interested in fighting than solving problems, the entire house of cards collapsed.

Governing is not a cheating game like poker, nor a spectator game either. It’s not a game where the players can spend all the time reading the rules. That is the bureaucrat’s job. It’s a game for people able to formulate a vision, build teams, organize action and see results. I saw it done with the revitalization of the Coleman downtown here, but I don’t know where it went from there.

I was active in politics a long time ago. I was a vice president of a union and I knocked on doors for the Progressive Conservatives. I am proud of our achievements, including the coal policy and I am not against developing our resources, Mr. Premier. I am pro Albertans working together with all Albertans. Now I am ready for what may be the last big fight. There are many reasons to be concerned and the future of Pass residents, Albertans, Canadians, and humans is being decided.

On the world stage, there are disasters lined up. The climate is changing. It changes everything. World leadership is being challenged. China is overtaking the USA in economics and racing on the military and technology track. A worldwide scarcity of freshwater is building and soon may also include fresh air. A pandemic is building up and will soon reach its climax in the underdeveloped world. A supply chain issue can destroy our economy. It already started. What do we need to do to fix our problems?

I found a list of ten things in the news, stated by the Pope. The world’s problems are his business. He prayed publicly. In the name of God: 1. Reveal the patented vaccine formula. 2. Cancel debts that can’t be paid. 3. Control the extractive polluting industries. 4. Deal with the food-producing corporations. 5. Reduce the money financing the arms manufacturers. 6. control the technology giants. 7. Deal with the communications industries. 8. Deal with the dishonest media. 9. End colonialism-related aggression. 10. Stop the speeding train hurling us to the abyss. (I am paraphrasing a lot.) All leaders, political, religious, and others, pretend to want to fix the world’s problems. Pope Francis’s list is most conclusive.

We can’t do much about global issues. We are a small mountain community and most of us are older. The best we can hope for is to be a good example for whoever is looking. We can stop the hate and look for better solutions. It is rumoured that Montem is looking to build a “gravity battery” using water and mountains. We have it and can support the project. Do we have the political will?

Will our politicians on all levels do their job? They should direct events so the coal removed from the basins of the future energy storage plant will pay for its construction. They should refuse political donations from the project and only have the well-being of their constituents as their motivation. We can lead by showing a good example.

If we do, the Crowsnest Pass can be on the news many times yet. Nothing is as newsworthy as a group of people demonstrating in real life that moral integrity can beat being selfish. We can be the living proof that humans are truly superior to other life forms.

Here is a link to my blog: https://thesimpleravenspost.blogspot.ca/  Feel free to check other articles and comment.

Together we stand, divided we fall.

 

 Together we stand, divided we fall.

In situations of war or danger, the best friendships are formed. At least that is what I used to think. People who face danger often band together and most often help each other. After wars are over, it is common for folks to retain friendships and there are examples of the comrades going into business together. There are advantages to that. Although we gain from competition, we also can benefit a lot from togetherness, as long as we don’t try to cheat. We have an in-built mechanism that guides us towards belonging to a group. Groups, towns, cities, and countries are to our benefit. We pay for the benefit with some lost individuality.

I was raised by people who fought together, survived by helping each other, and thrived by working together. I was born right after the biggest war that humans ever fought. It took many years, but the spirit of togetherness gave way to the well-popularized idea of rugged individualism. Most of my adult life took place in the longest period of relative peace in the world. The generation that raised me disappeared and the new people didn’t have first-hand experience in the strength of friendship or any other form of working together. Thirty years or more after the great war people grew up on a diet of a new culture where individual winning is the coveted prize that everyone seeks. It is visible with families, churches, communities, and all aspects of life, all breaking apart.

The movies after the war were portraying famous battles of freedom-loving American soldiers, pilots, and sailors. There were movies about the great suffering of the Jewish people who sprung back up and built themselves a homeland. There was a period of glorifying the tough pioneers who fought the native population (Not here) and won a new life in the west. Seeking more heroes to talk about, movies and plays told the stories of historical figures who excelled and made self-sacrifices for the freedom of all. Women heroines started showing up as main characters. Romantic love replaced arranged marriages. Kids were now dreaming of being princes and princesses. The world went on turning.

The new humans, who mostly didn’t know war and suffering, turned their attention to the American dream. Millions were mesmerized by movies depicting glorified American suburban life that treated those nonwhite Americans as servants or savages. In that climate, stars were born. Movie stars, sports stars, rock stars, business stars, all made kids want to be stars. Working together for common good gave in to building personal fortunes in any way possible.

Soon we had an inflated cast of stars and Hollywood invented “superstars and superheroes.” Those often were fictional characters existing only in the imagination. The one sport all people took part in by default was business. People had to work to eat and competed for a good placement in our economic system. Most lost the race before it started. New industries sprung up to help individuals get closer to stardom. Sports shoes, faster bikes, machines that can mimic professional jobs, and gallons or tons of makeup to make women prettier. All that star-making material made some people millionaires and a new star arrived, the billionaires.

With billionaires came hoards of professionals to help them avoid paying taxes and for the common people, computer programs to do the same on a mass scale. I have the accounting program, but not the money to hide from the taxman. The superstars, superheroes of industry, and all other popular few found ways to siphon resources from the greater population, and the forgotten surplus people, at times entire countries full of them, worked harder to pay for luxuries they could hardly even imagine. Those benefiting from their involuntary sacrifices and poverty demanded not to see them or hear about them. I heard a friend comment: “I am sick of Social Justice.” And he was.

I am sick of social injustice and glad that nature, or God, is finally taking steps to correct it. We had our chance and now it’s happening without us. Our kids and grandkids are taking matters into their own hands. They are sick of us risking their future for a few people to get good returns on their investments in dirty energy sources. Women are taking over our political systems, intending to make a better world for their children. Essential workers are quitting and looking to unionize and get fair compensation for their risks and efforts. Their food prices went up like anyone else’s. People are refusing to work with others who may spread a deadly virus.

Tragically, the controversy about health and safety was politicized by an unbalanced but popular politician. The Right chose to ignore the problem and the Left to use all means to promote and enforce safety. I am not OK with it. Here the political Left is using the Right wing’s methods. Starve them into submission is and shouldn’t be our method. If we kill people to save people, we are not being Christian.

To me, it’s enough if we gave people a limited edition pin saying I am vaccinated. We can designate some seats in public places as Unvaccinated Sections. We can’t fix a “wrong” by doing what’s wrong ourselves. That is where I may differ from some others who come from Israel.

Humans know the benefits of togetherness but forget the power of jealousy and the need for revenge. It ruins friendships, does harm, and even kills. At this point, when we are being tested, it will serve us well to be considerate with each other, as we wish others to be with us.

Here is a link to my blog: https://thesimpleravenspost.blogspot.ca/  Feel free to check other articles and comment.

My body, and the illusion of freedom.

 

My body, and the illusion of freedom.

 I was born with no input from me. People picked me up, slapped me around, and didn’t give me a break. It was cold and my new set of sensors came online. I was introduced to light, sound, touch, and I noticed a smell and ugly taste in my mouth. None of those things existed before, but now I had no choice but to deal with it. I wanted to go back, but there was no way. My new body that now I was aware of couldn’t follow my instructions even if I knew what to do with it, which I didn’t. Hands washed me, tied me up, and handled me like a package that has no will of its own. They were big human hands and I couldn’t do a thing. I tried to move my own way, but they wouldn’t leave me alone. 

They eventually placed my new baby body on my mother, but it didn’t feel like anything that I knew before. I had to use muscles to breathe and do other things like swallowing my saliva and scream. In this world, I pushed air through vocal cords and noticed that it produced a sound that I could hear. No one paid attention to what I wanted, but I understood they were keeping me alive. Not being alive was an unwanted sensation. In my baby's brain, I had a question I couldn’t express. Are they doing it for me, or to make me useful for someone else? I am an individual, but can’t survive without my tribe.

 We spent our first seven years learning how to be human. Since I was in danger, I went from surgery to surgery. I learned better than most that I was not the boss of my life. They tied me up, put me to sleep, and did what they and my parents decided was good for me. I had no freedom. School, which I had to attend, shaped me more towards what society considers “normal” and later some basic army training completed the job. If I wanted to live in society, I followed orders. When I started working, it became critical. You don’t obey, you don’t eat. When my kids arrived, I did the same to them.

What is the difference between animals and humans? Humans can do so much more than any other animal. It is our ability to communicate with each other and do things together. We also learned how to share knowledge with future human beings using writing.

We complained before COVID but life was OK. The effects of Global Warming were considered, but mostly hurt the poorest people somewhere else. Here we suffered some setbacks from fluctuating energy prices but had the freedom to deal with it without a threat to our lives. World politics could safely be ignored. When we locked down and buried the old generation, the assumption was that things would soon be back to normal. Quick government actions diverted the worst blows and if the news was stressful, we turned it off. Things were not OK.

Food prices increased by 10%, gas went up, not because of a carbon tax, and the cost of housing went up, cushioned for a while by government temporary actions. The cost of health care went through the roof. Those who watch the news began to realize that there was no way back. The longer it takes to beat the pandemic, the worst it will get. Our medical experts, fuelled by government money, miraculously found a solution that works but, so-called freedom fighters damaged our progress. Falsely assuming that they are safe, they declared war against vaccines.

Now, the doctors and nurses and other health care workers who are publicly abused by people who deny the pandemic and refuse the most effective treatment, are holding the hands of unvaccinated dying “freedom fighters.”

Every action that spreads the virus is hurting the economy. When the economy is damaged, the poorest people suffer most and those with means feel the pinch on the bottom line. Society decided now let’s go. How can we solve the problem peacefully? We tried dialogue and failed. Our toolbox is empty. If I want to see the end of it, I must stay alive and if I get infected, I probably will not be. My unvaccinated son wants to visit me and my doctor says don’t do it. I look at my emails and a friend sent me a letter from Jesus warning me of eternal damnation if I am vaccinated. Too late for me. I got the jab, and it didn’t harm me in any way.

I rationalize. This is a fight between beliefs that people choose. There is no way to make someone believe what they don’t wish to believe. People made the issue into a freedom fight, but we never really had freedom. We always must go by what most people believe and the majority dictates the rules. We live or die by the rules. Why should it be different this time?

Jesus didn’t write this letter. He told people to look after the poor, to treat others like yourself, and to do a bunch of good things. You may not need a mask or a vaccine (I doubt it) but I may die (probably) if you don’t do it. I die, there is less business for you. A lot like me will die and the economy will crash. Why not just take a deep breath, as I did when I was born into a world where I am not free, cry aloud and live by society’s rules?

It’s too late to have the world back to where it was, but we can “take a pill” and make it better. The other option is less attractive. My son, who suffers from a phobia about needles, can stay up north for a few more months and I could send him food packages until we beat that smart virus that has no brain.

 Here is a link to my blog: https://thesimpleravenspost.blogspot.ca/  Feel free to check other articles and comment.

How are we going to pay for the best summer ever?

 

How are we going to pay for the best summer ever?

 The year 2020 is blurred in my mind. In the beginning, a new provincial government announced that we were going to trim the fat off and make the Alberta economy more efficient, reduce taxes and all will be happily heading to a brighter future. It was easy to do. A few major cuts to all the budgets and voila, Albertans were going to do more work, for less pay, have fewer services, and be happy. Schools, hospitals, municipalities, people on social assistance lost income, and many lost their jobs. Doctors had community meetings to warn us they would have to move and nurses were checking jobs in other provinces. Threats to do away with the RCMP demoralized even the police force. For the time being, police budgets were cut, and the expense added to the municipal tax burden. That is what the governments call heavy lifting. 

Before we could react, a pandemic hit us like a ton of bricks. People, especially those living in under-funded care facilities, were dying. It would have gone unnoticed like some other less reported disasters, but those were parents and grandparents of voters. Measures to slow down the spread of the new disease had to be taken, and we realized who was important in our society. People who do things with their hands become “essential workers.” The majority of the population understood now how vital are healthcare workers, teachers, drivers, food producers and so many more. It is the low and minimum earners, the people with two or three jobs who were forced to risk life and keep working. 

Others, like hospitality, the restaurant industry, and related workers, were simply let go to figure out for themselves how to go on living. The Federal government, partially fearing riots and mass discontent, stepped in to help, borrowing or “printing” money to do so. All the major parties supported the measures, but many people, more to the Right than the Right, began protesting.

A new industry sprang up on the internet, people publishing made-up stories claiming that COVID is a hoax, that wearing masks and later, getting vaccinated is an infringement on their constitutional rights and that the hoax makes money for the rich drug companies and computer billionaires. They claimed that the vaccine is a vehicle carrying a Nanochip which will enable the government to trace people who wish to hide their whereabouts. Investigations about the source of the damaging misinformation, done by MIT, recently revealed some previously unknown sources of the anti-vax campaign. Using Facebook, it originated from Kosovo and Macedonia assumingly designed to destabilize the Western political system. The originators were using Christian fundamentalist names.

 When I was young an old woman told me: if you are going to tell a lie, make it a good one. If it’s truly unbelievable, people will fall for it. The whole freedom argument against protecting ourselves from COVID sounds like one. While the fight was going on, I followed strict doctor’s orders and remained isolated until a new lie surfaced, this time one that I wanted to believe. I remember the Premier unveiling a billboard promising Alberta the best summer ever. My intellect screamed, Stampede, no restrictions or contact tracing? Man, you are going to kill us! Yet after over a year of isolation, my emotions said, trust the guy, he probably checked things out. I forgot that when you get something you should ask the question, how are we going to pay for it. Now thousands of my fellow Albertans are paying for it in the worst way. People who were wearing hats “Best summer ever” are overcrowding ICU beds causing all other sick people to go without proper care.

I am back to isolation, but it’s not that bad. I sit in my studio overlooking some of the best views possible. The flowers are giving way to a fall picture. Dark green fir trees providing background to all shades of orange and yellow. In the last two days, I saw below me a mother moose with a young one, a brown-black bear, many deer, and smaller animals. Some are very attractive, black and white, yet smell pretty bad, sometimes. Some politicians do that at times, on the higher levels.

God provided me with what looks like heaven. I am vaccinated and only have to follow a few easy steps to stay safe. My son who works on pipeline construction calls. He follows some Tik-Tok news and believes that Bill Gates is trying to kill him with the jab. It’s a screwed-up world.

It occurs to me that politicians were not classified as essential workers. Many other highly paid positions were not. Some of them work for very high income but would have a hard time answering the question, what do you do for a living. Ask for a description, not for a title.

My friend Jack asked me about some government workers who make his life miserable demanding useless papers and slowing production. I explained about politicians promising to create jobs where there is no need. They don’t get sent home when times are tough. However, we will have surplus workers in the future.

 I watch inflation creeping up on us, especially on food, and I wonder. Will the government remember to pull back some of the money they dished out before it’s too late?

The idea was to inject money when the economy slowed and tax it back from where it’s not benefiting society. Make our money work for us and pull it back. Will they do it now?

Hundreds of Albertans and now Saskatchewan people are paying with their lives for a political game that failed. From my studio I ask; will we use this opportunity to fix our economy’s failures? Or will it just be another session of blah, blah, blah while leaders are vacationing.

Disclaimer: I accumulated all the above from news and published interviews. Some politicians are the best people I know.

Here is a link to my blog: https://thesimpleravenspost.blogspot.ca/  Feel free to check other articles and comment.