Hey Cyberspace. It's another beautiful day in Halifax.
Today's topic is another that is borne of my reading of 1984. I'm sorry I just can't help it...there were a few themes in the book that really stuck with me...and this one is by far the scariest - history.
I've long been a supporter of the idea that both individuals and society must learn from their mistakes in order to move forward. We must use past mistakes as a template of what not to do. After all...trial and error will eventually give a workable solution to any problem as long as time and resources are available.
Having said that, it is extremely easy to make the argument that we as a society haven't learned anything from past civilizations. While we say we live in a democratic society, we live more in a world of corporatism. While this exact model hasn't necessarily been used before, the inherent problems that have ruined entire Empires (such as the Romans) still exist. The power and influence lies in the hands of a few...and those few are easily convinced to go against the wishes of the many. So have we really learned?
I don't know...but I also can't say for sure that the Romans ever even existed. I'm told that they did...I'm told that there is lots of evidence. But how do I know for sure? I don't write the history books. I don't have any connection to the people that do. And this is what's scary. I can sift through every single website on the internet and every book in the library that have to do with any subject - but I can't prove that those words are true. I mean, how could we ever learn from a society that never existed? Interesting thought if nothing else.
"And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed – if all
records told the same tale – then the lie passed into history and became
truth. "Who controls the past," ran the Party slogan, "controls the
future: who controls the present controls the past." That is a quote from 1984...Book 1, Chapter 3, Paragraph 18.
It's a scary principle. I've done a lot of research into a lot of different things. After reading 1984, I began to question the very facts and ideas that have formed my personality. The idea that everything I know is completely manufactured...it scares the shit out of me.
Of course, I don't believe that our leaders have gone to such extremes at present (although I can't say so for sure)...but I can definitely see it happening in the future. I guess that my education concerning Public Relations is the reason that this idea bothers me so much. PR involves picking and choosing which information to release and when to release it...once the flow of information becomes controlled, how far are we really off of completely altering the facts? While I will concede that withholding the truth is not necessarily the same as lying, it becomes a very fine line - a line that will eventually be crossed.
While the internet remains an invaluable resource and forum for free thought and expression, legislation such as the SOPA bill in the US even being proposed show that our leaders are nervous about the spread of unedited and unfiltered information. And yes, I am aware that the SOPA bill's goal was to stop copyright infringement (yeah right)...but if I'm not mistaken, if passed it would have given the government the power to shut down ANY website.
The idea is scary...the "tangible" evidence for the enactment of such an idea is even scarier.
Just a few thoughts that I had to get out.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
I just had to share this idea.
Wednesday 4 July 2012
Thursday 28 June 2012
Beauty, Beauty Everywhere
Ola Cyberspace.
Last night as I sat out on my balcony in the post-rain sun, I thought to myself 'This is beautiful.' It may be because I've started reading Atlas Shrugged (I'm only 120 pages or so in) and it's really beginning to bring back some of what I gleaned from reading The Fountainhead, the only other Ayn Rand book I've read thus far.
If you're unfamiliar with Ayn Rand (and I'm no expert), she basically believes in human ingenuity. She believes that the act of creation is the pinnacle of our potential as humans. She appreciates competence and is quite contemptuous of laziness and mediocrity. I was shocked to find myself sitting inside of her shoes last night.
The view from my balcony isn't the greatest. There's a smaller apartment building that blocks most of what I would be able to see, but there is a small emptiness through which I can see the field of my daughter's school. I was watching the ultimate frisbee game that was going on when I began to marvel at the fact that we are even able to move (this happens to me at least once a week). I mean, it's absolutely incredible. The amount of organization required for our bodies to able to function is unfathomable...sure we kind of have an idea, but when you start to look into things like Reflexology, the interconnectedness of the different parts of our bodies is boggling.
I then moved on to the grass those frisbee-ers (I know...despicable) were running on...the trees surrounding the fields. The small droplets left over from the earlier rainfall glistening among the leaves were winking at me, the leaves were gently rustling in the breeze, the breeze was caressing my face...and I felt connected somehow. We may have pushed away our connection to nature, but it still exists. And it's beautiful.
Then the Ayn Rand that's floating around in my system began to kick in and I started to observe the unnatural. I looked at my car and thought to myself 'the internal combustion engine is genius.' The fact that as a species we have developed to such a point to be able to create alloys...to mould these alloys into objects...to assemble these objects in such a way that we literally create an explosion and harness the energy from it...that is beauty. That is ingenuity. Granted, it could be done much more efficiently, (like using magnets to suspend the pistons inside of the cylinder, which eliminates friction so we could actually harness all of the energy for example) cars are far from the best for the environment, but they are still an incredible invention. As are houses...apartment buildings...bicycles...baseball bats...it's all beautiful.
So what takes away from the beauty? Not only are we completely inundated with the fingerprints of humanity all over the planet, but imitation. The imitation actually perpetuates the inundation. Of course we don't think that house is beautiful - there's ten more of them that look exactly the same on the same block. It kills the beauty - the beauty is in the creation of something new...not in the erecting of a paint-by-number structure.
That's when I realized - there is also beauty in destruction. Explosions look awesome. Fire is mesmerizing. But aside from the medium of destruction...there is a certain poetic notion that I've begun to associate with death, be it the death of a structure, the death of a car's engine, the death of a pet - it's like an eraser removing the penciled-in lines of creation. The deconstruction that eventually leads to the decomposition that eventually turns all things back to the same basic elements.
There's beauty everywhere. Enjoy it...I am.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated.
Last night as I sat out on my balcony in the post-rain sun, I thought to myself 'This is beautiful.' It may be because I've started reading Atlas Shrugged (I'm only 120 pages or so in) and it's really beginning to bring back some of what I gleaned from reading The Fountainhead, the only other Ayn Rand book I've read thus far.
If you're unfamiliar with Ayn Rand (and I'm no expert), she basically believes in human ingenuity. She believes that the act of creation is the pinnacle of our potential as humans. She appreciates competence and is quite contemptuous of laziness and mediocrity. I was shocked to find myself sitting inside of her shoes last night.
The view from my balcony isn't the greatest. There's a smaller apartment building that blocks most of what I would be able to see, but there is a small emptiness through which I can see the field of my daughter's school. I was watching the ultimate frisbee game that was going on when I began to marvel at the fact that we are even able to move (this happens to me at least once a week). I mean, it's absolutely incredible. The amount of organization required for our bodies to able to function is unfathomable...sure we kind of have an idea, but when you start to look into things like Reflexology, the interconnectedness of the different parts of our bodies is boggling.
I then moved on to the grass those frisbee-ers (I know...despicable) were running on...the trees surrounding the fields. The small droplets left over from the earlier rainfall glistening among the leaves were winking at me, the leaves were gently rustling in the breeze, the breeze was caressing my face...and I felt connected somehow. We may have pushed away our connection to nature, but it still exists. And it's beautiful.
Then the Ayn Rand that's floating around in my system began to kick in and I started to observe the unnatural. I looked at my car and thought to myself 'the internal combustion engine is genius.' The fact that as a species we have developed to such a point to be able to create alloys...to mould these alloys into objects...to assemble these objects in such a way that we literally create an explosion and harness the energy from it...that is beauty. That is ingenuity. Granted, it could be done much more efficiently, (like using magnets to suspend the pistons inside of the cylinder, which eliminates friction so we could actually harness all of the energy for example) cars are far from the best for the environment, but they are still an incredible invention. As are houses...apartment buildings...bicycles...baseball bats...it's all beautiful.
So what takes away from the beauty? Not only are we completely inundated with the fingerprints of humanity all over the planet, but imitation. The imitation actually perpetuates the inundation. Of course we don't think that house is beautiful - there's ten more of them that look exactly the same on the same block. It kills the beauty - the beauty is in the creation of something new...not in the erecting of a paint-by-number structure.
That's when I realized - there is also beauty in destruction. Explosions look awesome. Fire is mesmerizing. But aside from the medium of destruction...there is a certain poetic notion that I've begun to associate with death, be it the death of a structure, the death of a car's engine, the death of a pet - it's like an eraser removing the penciled-in lines of creation. The deconstruction that eventually leads to the decomposition that eventually turns all things back to the same basic elements.
There's beauty everywhere. Enjoy it...I am.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated.
Friday 22 June 2012
Nerves and Words
Hello Cyberspace.
It's been a little while since I've posted anything, so I decided that I should open the spigot of my thoughts for a moment.
We've been working on presentations in class recently, including reading excerpts - practicing reading things aloud to an audience and having it not sound like a grocery list. So far I've selected the tipping conversation from Reservoir Dogs, an excerpt from 1984 (the same one I blogged), the mirror scene from Casino Jack and a scene from Forrest Gump. It's really very interesting to see how different people react under the pressure of public speaking, even among a small group of fellow pupils.
The first time I remember doing any public speaking whatsoever was in Grade 4. All of the classes in my school had to write a four line poem about why we loved Canada (I think it was a Canada day thing)...then we're having an assembly and suddenly my teacher taps on the shoulder, pulls me aside and says "You have to go up on stage and read this." I almost shit myself. A giant iceball formed in my stomach, and walking out in front of that audience made it explode through my entire body. I approached the microphone, feeling as though my bladder would let go at any second. My arms, legs...even my voice was shaking. I turned around and tried to walk off stage...but then I was lifted off the ground and placed back in front of the microphone. I read it...and I survived.
I can understand the fear of public speaking - it seems as though you are automatically being judged on absolutely everything about yourself, especially if you are reading or presenting your own idea. Walking in front of a group of people that you don't know and just putting yourself out there. I liken it to what it must feel like for a tightrope walker to step out onto that rope for the first time without a safety net. You're out there...all alone.
Having said this, I feel as though I've beat my fear. That first experience was probably a huge contributing factor in the fact that even in junior high I seemed to be infinitely less nervous than my classmates. I can get up in front of a crowd and perform (I did a few plays in high school - we even had a performance at the Rebecca Cohn), read or whatever.
But that doesn't mean I'm not still nervous. And I think that this where the secret to public speaking lies. I've seen and heard it over and over again - courage is not the absence of fear, but the will to overcome it. I think that most of us still get those butterflies...still feel ourselves shaking a little bit. But good public speakers know that this is not Biblical times. You will not be crucified for making a mistake. Sure, it may be embarrassing at the time...but chances are there will be no actual repercussion. Hell, a year later you'll probably laugh about it.
So if you've got to do some public speaking...just remember - the audience is made of people who are just like you.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!!
It's been a little while since I've posted anything, so I decided that I should open the spigot of my thoughts for a moment.
We've been working on presentations in class recently, including reading excerpts - practicing reading things aloud to an audience and having it not sound like a grocery list. So far I've selected the tipping conversation from Reservoir Dogs, an excerpt from 1984 (the same one I blogged), the mirror scene from Casino Jack and a scene from Forrest Gump. It's really very interesting to see how different people react under the pressure of public speaking, even among a small group of fellow pupils.
The first time I remember doing any public speaking whatsoever was in Grade 4. All of the classes in my school had to write a four line poem about why we loved Canada (I think it was a Canada day thing)...then we're having an assembly and suddenly my teacher taps on the shoulder, pulls me aside and says "You have to go up on stage and read this." I almost shit myself. A giant iceball formed in my stomach, and walking out in front of that audience made it explode through my entire body. I approached the microphone, feeling as though my bladder would let go at any second. My arms, legs...even my voice was shaking. I turned around and tried to walk off stage...but then I was lifted off the ground and placed back in front of the microphone. I read it...and I survived.
I can understand the fear of public speaking - it seems as though you are automatically being judged on absolutely everything about yourself, especially if you are reading or presenting your own idea. Walking in front of a group of people that you don't know and just putting yourself out there. I liken it to what it must feel like for a tightrope walker to step out onto that rope for the first time without a safety net. You're out there...all alone.
Having said this, I feel as though I've beat my fear. That first experience was probably a huge contributing factor in the fact that even in junior high I seemed to be infinitely less nervous than my classmates. I can get up in front of a crowd and perform (I did a few plays in high school - we even had a performance at the Rebecca Cohn), read or whatever.
But that doesn't mean I'm not still nervous. And I think that this where the secret to public speaking lies. I've seen and heard it over and over again - courage is not the absence of fear, but the will to overcome it. I think that most of us still get those butterflies...still feel ourselves shaking a little bit. But good public speakers know that this is not Biblical times. You will not be crucified for making a mistake. Sure, it may be embarrassing at the time...but chances are there will be no actual repercussion. Hell, a year later you'll probably laugh about it.
So if you've got to do some public speaking...just remember - the audience is made of people who are just like you.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!!
Thursday 14 June 2012
George Orwell - The Oracle?
Hey there Cyberspace.
I've been reading 1984 by George Orwell. It is fantastic. It's a great story and so far as I can tell it has a great message to the reader. I hate it. It seems to me that Orwell wrote one of the greatest books of the 20th century...and in doing so, printed a guidebook to government oppression. His foresight is incredible - I can't believe how much of what is in in the police state of Oceania is in practice right now.
There have been several times when I've wanted to quote this book in my posts. Today I couldn't resist.
"How does one man assert his power over another, Winston?"
Winston thought. "By making him suffer," he said.
"Exactly. By making him suffer. Obedience is not enough. Unless he is suffering, how can you be sure that he is obeying your will and not his own? Power is in inflicting pain and humiliation. Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing. Do you begin to see, then, what kind of world we are creating? It is the exact opposite of the stupid hedonistic Utopias that the old reformers imagined. A world of fear and treachery and torment, a world of trampling and being trampled upon, a world which will grow not less but more merciless as it refines itself. Progress in our world will be progress towards more pain. The old civilisations claimed that they were founded on love or justice. Ours is founded upon hatred. In our world there will be no emotions except fear, rage, triumph and self-abasement. Everything else we shall destroy - everything. Already we are breaking down the habits of thought which have survived from before the Revolution. We have cut the links between child and parent, and between man and man, and between man and woman. No one dares trust a wife or a child or a friend any longer. But in the future there will be no wives and no friends. Children will be taken from their mothers at birth, as one takes eggs from a hen. The sex instinct will be eradicated. Procreation will be an annual formality like the renewal of a ration card. We shall abolish the orgasm. Our neurologists are at work upon it now. There will be no loyalty, except loyalty towards the Party. There will be no love, expect the love of Big Brother. There will be no laughter, except the laugh of triumph over a defeated enemy. There will be no art, no literature, no science. When we are omnipotent we shall have no more need of science. There will be no distinction between beauty and ugliness. There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always - do not forget this, Winston - always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever."
"...It will be a world of terror as much as a world of triumph. The more the Party is powerful, the less it will be tolerant: the weaker the opposition, the tighter the despotism."
"...That is the world that we are preparing, Winston. A world of victory after victory, triumph after triumph after triumph: an endless pressing, pressing, pressing upon the nerve of power. You are beginning, I can see, to realise what the world will be like. But in the end you will do more than understand it. You will accept it, welcome it, become part of it."
The two quotes at the bottom are taken from a paragraph after Winston refuses to respond to the first long quote...I was just way too lazy to type out the whole thing, plus there are a lot of references that don't make sense outside the context of the story.I just felt that these words were important in their implications...take from it what you will.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
I've been reading 1984 by George Orwell. It is fantastic. It's a great story and so far as I can tell it has a great message to the reader. I hate it. It seems to me that Orwell wrote one of the greatest books of the 20th century...and in doing so, printed a guidebook to government oppression. His foresight is incredible - I can't believe how much of what is in in the police state of Oceania is in practice right now.
There have been several times when I've wanted to quote this book in my posts. Today I couldn't resist.
"How does one man assert his power over another, Winston?"
Winston thought. "By making him suffer," he said.
"Exactly. By making him suffer. Obedience is not enough. Unless he is suffering, how can you be sure that he is obeying your will and not his own? Power is in inflicting pain and humiliation. Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing. Do you begin to see, then, what kind of world we are creating? It is the exact opposite of the stupid hedonistic Utopias that the old reformers imagined. A world of fear and treachery and torment, a world of trampling and being trampled upon, a world which will grow not less but more merciless as it refines itself. Progress in our world will be progress towards more pain. The old civilisations claimed that they were founded on love or justice. Ours is founded upon hatred. In our world there will be no emotions except fear, rage, triumph and self-abasement. Everything else we shall destroy - everything. Already we are breaking down the habits of thought which have survived from before the Revolution. We have cut the links between child and parent, and between man and man, and between man and woman. No one dares trust a wife or a child or a friend any longer. But in the future there will be no wives and no friends. Children will be taken from their mothers at birth, as one takes eggs from a hen. The sex instinct will be eradicated. Procreation will be an annual formality like the renewal of a ration card. We shall abolish the orgasm. Our neurologists are at work upon it now. There will be no loyalty, except loyalty towards the Party. There will be no love, expect the love of Big Brother. There will be no laughter, except the laugh of triumph over a defeated enemy. There will be no art, no literature, no science. When we are omnipotent we shall have no more need of science. There will be no distinction between beauty and ugliness. There will be no curiosity, no enjoyment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed. But always - do not forget this, Winston - always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing and constantly growing subtler. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever."
"...It will be a world of terror as much as a world of triumph. The more the Party is powerful, the less it will be tolerant: the weaker the opposition, the tighter the despotism."
"...That is the world that we are preparing, Winston. A world of victory after victory, triumph after triumph after triumph: an endless pressing, pressing, pressing upon the nerve of power. You are beginning, I can see, to realise what the world will be like. But in the end you will do more than understand it. You will accept it, welcome it, become part of it."
The two quotes at the bottom are taken from a paragraph after Winston refuses to respond to the first long quote...I was just way too lazy to type out the whole thing, plus there are a lot of references that don't make sense outside the context of the story.I just felt that these words were important in their implications...take from it what you will.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
Thursday 7 June 2012
Intangibly Successful
Good Morrow Cyberspace.
I come to you today with no previous agenda. I come to you today with no specific topic in mind, but in the mood to write. So write I will. I'm just not quite sure what about yet...so I'm just gonna write and see where it goes.
I realized something yesterday. A couple of weeks ago I had a discussion with a friend about success. His contention was that he had always been somewhat afraid of it. Afterwards, I found myself returning over and over to this point. The fear of success...a very interesting idea.
It makes perfect sense. I assume it's much the same as what I experienced after I finally saw a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert (you can read about it here). I don't think I would necessarily classify this feeling as a 'fear of success,' but more of a loss of direction.
We are told throughout our childhood to pick our goals...to give our life an aim; a purpose; a path to travel. But nobody prepares us for reaching whatever destination it is we have set for ourselves. Whenever I have scored a victory against circumstance and achieved one of my many goals, I've been left with a sense of "Now What?"
While I was thinking these thoughts yesterday, I realized something. My life is pretty much perfect. The only thing that's amiss is that I don't have a career, but I'm working toward it. Sure, my car needs a piece of the exhaust welded...I want a house...I still want to travel to exotic places. However, I have an incredible relationship with an amazing and beautiful woman...I have an extremely smart daughter who is also hilarious and unbelievably gorgeous...I have friends and family that I can count on when I need to. The only problem in my life is money - and in less than a year I'm more than confident that will cease to be an issue.
I don't know how I feel about all of this. Once I officially start my career, I will literally have everything I want. Of course, I was raised in a capitalist society, soooo I will probably want more by that time. As of right now, there are only two things left on my bucket list - get started in a successful career and publish a novel...and I feel now that I can reach both of these pinnacles with a relative level of ease. Maybe I'm just cocky.
Either way, I guess my point is this - how much do we really need to be happy? My happiness does not live in the tangible realm of our existence...it lives in the same metaphysical place as my consciousness. Everything that actually impacts my life, aside from the quest for sustenance, is governed entirely by things that I can't see or touch. Is it the same for you?
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
I come to you today with no previous agenda. I come to you today with no specific topic in mind, but in the mood to write. So write I will. I'm just not quite sure what about yet...so I'm just gonna write and see where it goes.
I realized something yesterday. A couple of weeks ago I had a discussion with a friend about success. His contention was that he had always been somewhat afraid of it. Afterwards, I found myself returning over and over to this point. The fear of success...a very interesting idea.
It makes perfect sense. I assume it's much the same as what I experienced after I finally saw a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert (you can read about it here). I don't think I would necessarily classify this feeling as a 'fear of success,' but more of a loss of direction.
We are told throughout our childhood to pick our goals...to give our life an aim; a purpose; a path to travel. But nobody prepares us for reaching whatever destination it is we have set for ourselves. Whenever I have scored a victory against circumstance and achieved one of my many goals, I've been left with a sense of "Now What?"
While I was thinking these thoughts yesterday, I realized something. My life is pretty much perfect. The only thing that's amiss is that I don't have a career, but I'm working toward it. Sure, my car needs a piece of the exhaust welded...I want a house...I still want to travel to exotic places. However, I have an incredible relationship with an amazing and beautiful woman...I have an extremely smart daughter who is also hilarious and unbelievably gorgeous...I have friends and family that I can count on when I need to. The only problem in my life is money - and in less than a year I'm more than confident that will cease to be an issue.
I don't know how I feel about all of this. Once I officially start my career, I will literally have everything I want. Of course, I was raised in a capitalist society, soooo I will probably want more by that time. As of right now, there are only two things left on my bucket list - get started in a successful career and publish a novel...and I feel now that I can reach both of these pinnacles with a relative level of ease. Maybe I'm just cocky.
Either way, I guess my point is this - how much do we really need to be happy? My happiness does not live in the tangible realm of our existence...it lives in the same metaphysical place as my consciousness. Everything that actually impacts my life, aside from the quest for sustenance, is governed entirely by things that I can't see or touch. Is it the same for you?
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
Wednesday 6 June 2012
Murder is Wrong...Right? Part 2
Hello Again Cyberspace.
In the wake of yesterday's murder post, I received a couple of texts and a comment on the actual post. Pretty much everyone said the same thing - murder is always wrong. I'm not going to get back into that specific debate, but this is somewhat of a continuation. What I want to talk about today is a recurring theme in the feedback I've received...sanity.
As any of you can see if you look at the comment on yesterday's blog (thank you Anonymous), the general thought seems to be that murder committed by a "sane" person is wrong. I ask you this...how do you measure sanity?
Sure, there are psychologists and psychiatrists out there, and they have their own criteria. And some people that are dubbed "unfit" are definitely not right in the head. But who is? Just by the small amount of research I've done, I have both psychopathic and sociopathic tendencies, I am a definite candidate for bipolarism and OCD. I have definitely been depressed as well. Does this make me clinically insane? Or are the 'symptoms' of 'insanity' just much too broad? Is it only a diagnosis that is preventing our society from just standing up and saying "Murder is now acceptable?" I don't know...but I do know that the pharmaceutical industry is one of the most profitable.
Let's talk about war for a second. War...murder in the name of your country. These people not only get away with murder...they are revered for committing the act. Keeping our country safe. Kill them before they kill us. Is this a form of murder that is acceptable? I don't know, but I'm willing to bet that the general population doesn't want to think of its military as a giant group of lunatics carrying weapons.
So why is it allowed to continue? Just because it fuels most of the world's economy? Then we are condoning murder for profit. This is a fact...it is indisputable. I mean, how many times have you seen that bumper sticker - the camouflaged ribbon that says "Support Our Troops"...or the one that says "If you don't support our troops feel free to stand in front of them"?
I know you want to make the PTSD argument. This is an article taken from CBC last summer, which really shows how our government feels about the mindset of our troops - Soliders With PTSD Redeployed.
I don't think that murder should be ok for those of us that society deems "insane." Take the guy who chopped off some guy's head on the bus in Alberta...he's getting out, just four years after committing such a heinous act. This says to me that the more insane your crime is, the less you will be punished.
And just one last quick thought before I wrap this up...look at how our society runs. It is insane. Issues like poverty and hunger are so commonplace that we are able to turn a blind eye - I read an article somewhere recently that claimed that world hunger could be solved with less than 50 billion dollars. It sounds plausible to me. But who wants to spend money if it doesn't eventually turn into profit? Profit is all that matters judging by our society. I guess that money is the most common reason for murder to be ok.
And that is not only wrong, but also insane.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
PS - Thank you to all who have commented thus far...keep it comin'!!!
In the wake of yesterday's murder post, I received a couple of texts and a comment on the actual post. Pretty much everyone said the same thing - murder is always wrong. I'm not going to get back into that specific debate, but this is somewhat of a continuation. What I want to talk about today is a recurring theme in the feedback I've received...sanity.
As any of you can see if you look at the comment on yesterday's blog (thank you Anonymous), the general thought seems to be that murder committed by a "sane" person is wrong. I ask you this...how do you measure sanity?
Sure, there are psychologists and psychiatrists out there, and they have their own criteria. And some people that are dubbed "unfit" are definitely not right in the head. But who is? Just by the small amount of research I've done, I have both psychopathic and sociopathic tendencies, I am a definite candidate for bipolarism and OCD. I have definitely been depressed as well. Does this make me clinically insane? Or are the 'symptoms' of 'insanity' just much too broad? Is it only a diagnosis that is preventing our society from just standing up and saying "Murder is now acceptable?" I don't know...but I do know that the pharmaceutical industry is one of the most profitable.
Let's talk about war for a second. War...murder in the name of your country. These people not only get away with murder...they are revered for committing the act. Keeping our country safe. Kill them before they kill us. Is this a form of murder that is acceptable? I don't know, but I'm willing to bet that the general population doesn't want to think of its military as a giant group of lunatics carrying weapons.
So why is it allowed to continue? Just because it fuels most of the world's economy? Then we are condoning murder for profit. This is a fact...it is indisputable. I mean, how many times have you seen that bumper sticker - the camouflaged ribbon that says "Support Our Troops"...or the one that says "If you don't support our troops feel free to stand in front of them"?
I know you want to make the PTSD argument. This is an article taken from CBC last summer, which really shows how our government feels about the mindset of our troops - Soliders With PTSD Redeployed.
I don't think that murder should be ok for those of us that society deems "insane." Take the guy who chopped off some guy's head on the bus in Alberta...he's getting out, just four years after committing such a heinous act. This says to me that the more insane your crime is, the less you will be punished.
And just one last quick thought before I wrap this up...look at how our society runs. It is insane. Issues like poverty and hunger are so commonplace that we are able to turn a blind eye - I read an article somewhere recently that claimed that world hunger could be solved with less than 50 billion dollars. It sounds plausible to me. But who wants to spend money if it doesn't eventually turn into profit? Profit is all that matters judging by our society. I guess that money is the most common reason for murder to be ok.
And that is not only wrong, but also insane.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
PS - Thank you to all who have commented thus far...keep it comin'!!!
Tuesday 5 June 2012
Murder is Wrong...Right?
Good Day Cyberspace.
First of all, I'll ask you to reserve judgement until the end of my post. As you know, I live in Halifax. Halifax has the highest unsolved murder rate (per capita of course) of anywhere in Canada. With all of the hoopla recently surrounding the gun violence in Halifax, which has resulted in two murders in two weeks. I'm also watching Oz, an old HBO TV show about a maximum security prison, so there is plenty of murder in it as well. The topic that I would like to address today is this - when, if ever, is homicide justifiable?
There seem to be two clear views on this issue - murder is murder and is therefore always unforgivable, or there are times when someone can be absolved of their deed.
When I think of what someone would have to do to me or my family for me to commit murder, it's not long before I can imagine a scenario. For example, in Oz, one prisoner has his son kidnap another prisoner's young children, one of whom is killed. If someone has kidnapped, tortured and murdered my child, you're damn right I'd murder them.
How about a person who has spent their entire existence selling drugs, robbing people, committing random acts of violence and causing suffering to the majority of people their life touches? Is this person a candidate for a justifiable homicide? This rope is a little bit tighter to walk, but is it a tragedy if there is nobody mourning? Interesting question.
I know what most of you are thinking. Murder is wrong...violence is wrong. Someone I brought this subject up to went so far as to say "There is never a time when murder, or violence of any type, is acceptable." So if I see a young girl being raped and choose to intervene, how am I supposed to do that without violence? Call the police? The police will use "necessary force" (yeah right) to detain anyone even suspected of a crime.
Which leads my next point. The death penalty. Obviously, this is where the issue is most apparent. There are vehement supporters on each side of the argument. Should the government have the power to dictate whether someone lives or dies? I think it depends on circumstance. If there is a murderer who has been convicted of killing an entire family, should that person be put to death? What if they've done it again and again? I would argue that it's much more humane to sentence someone to murder by the state than to incarcerate them for the rest of their lives...I would much rather die than spend 25 years being cooped up and being stripped of my humanity.
Or how about euthanasia? I've said it often myself...I would rather be killed than survive in a vegetative state. I believe that if it is somebody's wish, then by all means we should be allowed to obey them. I mean, a Will is one of the most important documents that we can have - our last wishes, written down and carried out by someone of our choosing. This is a case of murder that is definitely justifiable - who are you to force me to live miserably if I just want to die?
One more example. Food. How many animals are slaughtered everyday for consumption? The number is beyond comprehension. But we have to eat right? Yes, maybe we could survive off of just plants (we do anyway....it's called the food chain), but we are omnivores by nature. Would you be pissed off at a lion for eating a gazelle? It is justifiable to kill for food, nobody will convince me differently. After all, plants are alive too...we can only eat things that we have to kill.
Anyway, I must go...but this is just some food for thought. I look forward to hearing what you have to say.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
First of all, I'll ask you to reserve judgement until the end of my post. As you know, I live in Halifax. Halifax has the highest unsolved murder rate (per capita of course) of anywhere in Canada. With all of the hoopla recently surrounding the gun violence in Halifax, which has resulted in two murders in two weeks. I'm also watching Oz, an old HBO TV show about a maximum security prison, so there is plenty of murder in it as well. The topic that I would like to address today is this - when, if ever, is homicide justifiable?
There seem to be two clear views on this issue - murder is murder and is therefore always unforgivable, or there are times when someone can be absolved of their deed.
When I think of what someone would have to do to me or my family for me to commit murder, it's not long before I can imagine a scenario. For example, in Oz, one prisoner has his son kidnap another prisoner's young children, one of whom is killed. If someone has kidnapped, tortured and murdered my child, you're damn right I'd murder them.
How about a person who has spent their entire existence selling drugs, robbing people, committing random acts of violence and causing suffering to the majority of people their life touches? Is this person a candidate for a justifiable homicide? This rope is a little bit tighter to walk, but is it a tragedy if there is nobody mourning? Interesting question.
I know what most of you are thinking. Murder is wrong...violence is wrong. Someone I brought this subject up to went so far as to say "There is never a time when murder, or violence of any type, is acceptable." So if I see a young girl being raped and choose to intervene, how am I supposed to do that without violence? Call the police? The police will use "necessary force" (yeah right) to detain anyone even suspected of a crime.
Which leads my next point. The death penalty. Obviously, this is where the issue is most apparent. There are vehement supporters on each side of the argument. Should the government have the power to dictate whether someone lives or dies? I think it depends on circumstance. If there is a murderer who has been convicted of killing an entire family, should that person be put to death? What if they've done it again and again? I would argue that it's much more humane to sentence someone to murder by the state than to incarcerate them for the rest of their lives...I would much rather die than spend 25 years being cooped up and being stripped of my humanity.
Or how about euthanasia? I've said it often myself...I would rather be killed than survive in a vegetative state. I believe that if it is somebody's wish, then by all means we should be allowed to obey them. I mean, a Will is one of the most important documents that we can have - our last wishes, written down and carried out by someone of our choosing. This is a case of murder that is definitely justifiable - who are you to force me to live miserably if I just want to die?
One more example. Food. How many animals are slaughtered everyday for consumption? The number is beyond comprehension. But we have to eat right? Yes, maybe we could survive off of just plants (we do anyway....it's called the food chain), but we are omnivores by nature. Would you be pissed off at a lion for eating a gazelle? It is justifiable to kill for food, nobody will convince me differently. After all, plants are alive too...we can only eat things that we have to kill.
Anyway, I must go...but this is just some food for thought. I look forward to hearing what you have to say.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
Monday 4 June 2012
Wednesday 30 May 2012
Gunning for Change
What's up Cyberspace.
As some of you well know, gun violence has shot to the top of the crime agenda in Halifax. Three shootings in three days in a fairly well-to-do area of the city has all of the mass media and opinion leaders in the city up in arms.
Police chief Frank Beazley has released a message to the citizens of Halifax, which you can read here.
The chief starts his message by saying what a great job the police force has done since 2005, citing the fact that overall crime statistics have gone down every year except 2010. Of course he fails to mention that Halifax has the highest unsolved murder rate in Canada...and I have a sneaking suspicion that Corey Duane Lucas (who was shot and died over the weekend) will be the next to fall under that category.
Good ol' Frank then moves on to say that although crime is going down, there is more violence in our community and it is ever-growing. Not only that, but he says that most of the people involved in this type of crime are known to each other. Call me crazy, but if it's the same people over and over and people known to these repeat offenders...should we maybe put some of them under surveillance? Just a thought. He then goes on to say "As we’ve seen the violence and the shootings increase in our community, we’ve stayed the course with our Crime Reduction Strategy..." Good idea Frank. Why not just say what you mean - we're going to continue doing things that way we have, even though it's not working. Genius.
As the chief continues to illustrate his points, he mentions the Guns and Gangs unit. I did a little bit of research on the Guns and Gangs unit...as of March 5 2012 they had taken 60 guns off the street. They claim to monitor six-eight gangs in the HRM...but some of these supposed gangs have only four members...and some of the members are as young as fifteen. Hmmmm....something seems amiss. You can read the Chronicle Herald article about the Guns and Gangs team (published March 5 2012) here.
As opposed to going through the rest of Frank's message, I'm just going to make my point. The police chief has failed again to hit near the mark - the root of the violence lies in the state of the economy. When push comes to shove, most of us would do whatever it is that we have to do to survive - to provide for ourselves and our families. This message from Frank Beazley seems like some very poorly orchestrated PR and reminds me of Mike Savage's recent CTV interview in which he stated "We need both short-term and long-term solutions..." and offered an example of neither. You can see it here.
I guess this just reminded me of the state of our society. Our leaders are out of touch with the real issues and spend most of their time trying to patch up their last faux pas. I don't really know how to fix it, but I can say this for sure...Halifax is ready for a new regime. Let's pay attention to the mayoral race.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
As some of you well know, gun violence has shot to the top of the crime agenda in Halifax. Three shootings in three days in a fairly well-to-do area of the city has all of the mass media and opinion leaders in the city up in arms.
Police chief Frank Beazley has released a message to the citizens of Halifax, which you can read here.
The chief starts his message by saying what a great job the police force has done since 2005, citing the fact that overall crime statistics have gone down every year except 2010. Of course he fails to mention that Halifax has the highest unsolved murder rate in Canada...and I have a sneaking suspicion that Corey Duane Lucas (who was shot and died over the weekend) will be the next to fall under that category.
Good ol' Frank then moves on to say that although crime is going down, there is more violence in our community and it is ever-growing. Not only that, but he says that most of the people involved in this type of crime are known to each other. Call me crazy, but if it's the same people over and over and people known to these repeat offenders...should we maybe put some of them under surveillance? Just a thought. He then goes on to say "As we’ve seen the violence and the shootings increase in our community, we’ve stayed the course with our Crime Reduction Strategy..." Good idea Frank. Why not just say what you mean - we're going to continue doing things that way we have, even though it's not working. Genius.
As the chief continues to illustrate his points, he mentions the Guns and Gangs unit. I did a little bit of research on the Guns and Gangs unit...as of March 5 2012 they had taken 60 guns off the street. They claim to monitor six-eight gangs in the HRM...but some of these supposed gangs have only four members...and some of the members are as young as fifteen. Hmmmm....something seems amiss. You can read the Chronicle Herald article about the Guns and Gangs team (published March 5 2012) here.
As opposed to going through the rest of Frank's message, I'm just going to make my point. The police chief has failed again to hit near the mark - the root of the violence lies in the state of the economy. When push comes to shove, most of us would do whatever it is that we have to do to survive - to provide for ourselves and our families. This message from Frank Beazley seems like some very poorly orchestrated PR and reminds me of Mike Savage's recent CTV interview in which he stated "We need both short-term and long-term solutions..." and offered an example of neither. You can see it here.
I guess this just reminded me of the state of our society. Our leaders are out of touch with the real issues and spend most of their time trying to patch up their last faux pas. I don't really know how to fix it, but I can say this for sure...Halifax is ready for a new regime. Let's pay attention to the mayoral race.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Capitalizing on Necessity
Hey there Cyberspace.
I don't know if you've noticed, but I seem to be writing this blog quite randomly now. I probably should have been a little more dedicated, but alas...I've decided to keep it this way. I feel as though the quality of my posts can only go up if I'm inspired.
And today I was inspired. It's funny how some things stick with you. We were discussing persuasion in class this morning and someone mentioned something about the public opinion of Nova Scotia Power (Emera, I know...I'm still gonna call it NS Power). Obviously this led to a "NS Power is a tyrant" type of discussion which was, although extremely brief, very potent to me.
The thought that invaded my mind was something to the effect of 'Is NS Power worse than any other company in my province?' The answer is no. I thought about Irving...how Irving has asked to up its rates to wholesalers in NS by about 1.3 cents per litre...which would inevitably lead to an increase of more than 1.3 cents per litre for consumers. But no. They didn't fit my criteria either (I don't necessarily HAVE to rely on either of these corporations). It began to dawn on me why these corporations would be among the first to pop into my head.
Obviously it's because of the connotation...everyone thinks these are the worst of all, especially Nova Scotia Power, who actually holds a monopoly on the energy service in NS (Irving and Sunoco are the only real competitors in the fuel market I believe...but please let me know if you know more) and in a capitalist society, monopolies must be frowned upon. I mean, Bill Gates' Microsoft (please don't comment about him stealing ideas and whatnot) held such a monopoly that the US government essentially deemed it illegal.
Now, when it comes to consumption, we all use power....we all use gas. Are these things completely essential to our survival? It's arguable either way, I'm not going to get into that right now...but there are certain things that are absolutely essential to survival...water, air and food. Water we can get from the tap, even at a public restroom if need be and air is well...air (for now...I'm waiting for someone to bottle it and capitalize, just like in the movie 'The Lorax').
Pretty much everyone I know gets their food from grocery stores. Some of us get stuff at local markets and whatnot, but the majority of people get their food from grocery stores. Grocery stores that buy low, sell high as every retail business does. But should they be allowed to do so, knowing that everyone HAS to have their product in order to survive?
It would really suck, but I could live without power. If I don't want to, there's really only one option for me - NS Power. I could live without gas...it would probably be better for my health if I were to walk or bike everywhere...but I'm far too lazy for that.
I CAN'T live without food. What I can live without is somebody profiting off of that fact. Every single time I leave the grocery store, I look at what I bought, what I think it's worth and how much I've spent. There hasn't been a single time I haven't been disappointed (seemed like an appropriate time for a double negative) and felt as though I should get more bang for my buck.
I would offer a solution, but I'm sure you already know what it is. The government should feed its people. Seems simple enough to me...it should probably be the top priority of any budget. But instead, we'll buy some old fighter jets that we'll probably never use, just like those submarines sitting in Halifax Harbour. Guess what else? If the government employed farmers, almost everything would be local. Transportation costs would go down, food production would go up. If I had no grocery bill, I wouldn't be opposed to paying a food tax. But we all know that this would never be allowed to happen, so I won't offer it as a plausible course of action.
This is getting very long, and I could go on for much longer, but I will choose to end it now. I'll leave you with this to think about the next time you're pushing a cart through Sobeys or Superstore - capitalism means the bottom line trumps all...one corporation is no more guilty than the next...and a government is supposed to take care of the essential needs of the people, that's why it exists.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
I don't know if you've noticed, but I seem to be writing this blog quite randomly now. I probably should have been a little more dedicated, but alas...I've decided to keep it this way. I feel as though the quality of my posts can only go up if I'm inspired.
And today I was inspired. It's funny how some things stick with you. We were discussing persuasion in class this morning and someone mentioned something about the public opinion of Nova Scotia Power (Emera, I know...I'm still gonna call it NS Power). Obviously this led to a "NS Power is a tyrant" type of discussion which was, although extremely brief, very potent to me.
The thought that invaded my mind was something to the effect of 'Is NS Power worse than any other company in my province?' The answer is no. I thought about Irving...how Irving has asked to up its rates to wholesalers in NS by about 1.3 cents per litre...which would inevitably lead to an increase of more than 1.3 cents per litre for consumers. But no. They didn't fit my criteria either (I don't necessarily HAVE to rely on either of these corporations). It began to dawn on me why these corporations would be among the first to pop into my head.
Obviously it's because of the connotation...everyone thinks these are the worst of all, especially Nova Scotia Power, who actually holds a monopoly on the energy service in NS (Irving and Sunoco are the only real competitors in the fuel market I believe...but please let me know if you know more) and in a capitalist society, monopolies must be frowned upon. I mean, Bill Gates' Microsoft (please don't comment about him stealing ideas and whatnot) held such a monopoly that the US government essentially deemed it illegal.
Now, when it comes to consumption, we all use power....we all use gas. Are these things completely essential to our survival? It's arguable either way, I'm not going to get into that right now...but there are certain things that are absolutely essential to survival...water, air and food. Water we can get from the tap, even at a public restroom if need be and air is well...air (for now...I'm waiting for someone to bottle it and capitalize, just like in the movie 'The Lorax').
Pretty much everyone I know gets their food from grocery stores. Some of us get stuff at local markets and whatnot, but the majority of people get their food from grocery stores. Grocery stores that buy low, sell high as every retail business does. But should they be allowed to do so, knowing that everyone HAS to have their product in order to survive?
It would really suck, but I could live without power. If I don't want to, there's really only one option for me - NS Power. I could live without gas...it would probably be better for my health if I were to walk or bike everywhere...but I'm far too lazy for that.
I CAN'T live without food. What I can live without is somebody profiting off of that fact. Every single time I leave the grocery store, I look at what I bought, what I think it's worth and how much I've spent. There hasn't been a single time I haven't been disappointed (seemed like an appropriate time for a double negative) and felt as though I should get more bang for my buck.
I would offer a solution, but I'm sure you already know what it is. The government should feed its people. Seems simple enough to me...it should probably be the top priority of any budget. But instead, we'll buy some old fighter jets that we'll probably never use, just like those submarines sitting in Halifax Harbour. Guess what else? If the government employed farmers, almost everything would be local. Transportation costs would go down, food production would go up. If I had no grocery bill, I wouldn't be opposed to paying a food tax. But we all know that this would never be allowed to happen, so I won't offer it as a plausible course of action.
This is getting very long, and I could go on for much longer, but I will choose to end it now. I'll leave you with this to think about the next time you're pushing a cart through Sobeys or Superstore - capitalism means the bottom line trumps all...one corporation is no more guilty than the next...and a government is supposed to take care of the essential needs of the people, that's why it exists.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
Friday 25 May 2012
Students in "Cheque-Mate"
Good Morning Cyberspace.
In light of all of the turmoil that's happening in Quebec (and all over Canada - thank you Stephen Harper...Canadians can now pick any issue and have more than enough to bitch about forever) over the post secondary educational system, I've decided to write another blog concerning just that.
You may remember my post Our Right To Education, where I put forth the idea that post-secondary education should be subsidized based on performance. Well, I'm sorry to say, that failed to happen. Instead, tuition rates across the country are about to skyrocket, to the point that literally hundreds of thousands of students have been protesting in the streets of Montreal for over 100 days.
The rest of us should be following suit. I am honestly shocked that the Conservative government would even try to raise tuition fees (I know, I shouldn't be shocked anymore...but I am - especially with the new EI policy, but that's for another time), I mean isn't an education unaffordable enough already?
But then I sat and really thought about it. It soon became obvious why we were ever forced into paying to go to college or university in the first place...to separate the classes. I don't mean classes like philosophy 101, I mean classes like "those peasants are not worth the breath of mentioning." You can sit and try to convince me that they don't exist anymore...but don't bother. You can lie to yourself all you want, but the fact is that there has to be a "lower class" of people. Everybody can't be a doctor or lawyer...we need janitors, we need burger flippers and we need criminals. All of these things keep our society livable...imagine how many jobs exist only because there are criminals in our society?
Equality is a great idea, but I think it only stands to reason that a capitalist society would be quite literally unable to function if everyone were equal. The whole idea behind capitalism is basically sink or swim...but in order to swim you have to first fight your way to the surface. Those who can stay afloat longest essentially gain all of the power in the society...Mayer Amschel Rothschild once said "Give me control of a nation's money and I care not who makes the laws."
It all makes sense to me now. The elite were the only ones allowed to attend university in our not-so-distant past. Now it will only be the elite who will be able to afford to attend university. But that's the way it has to be. It's a little bit scary to think about. I love playing chess, I'm not too bad at chess - I always imagined myself a knight or a bishop - now I see my only option is to be a pawn.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
In light of all of the turmoil that's happening in Quebec (and all over Canada - thank you Stephen Harper...Canadians can now pick any issue and have more than enough to bitch about forever) over the post secondary educational system, I've decided to write another blog concerning just that.
You may remember my post Our Right To Education, where I put forth the idea that post-secondary education should be subsidized based on performance. Well, I'm sorry to say, that failed to happen. Instead, tuition rates across the country are about to skyrocket, to the point that literally hundreds of thousands of students have been protesting in the streets of Montreal for over 100 days.
The rest of us should be following suit. I am honestly shocked that the Conservative government would even try to raise tuition fees (I know, I shouldn't be shocked anymore...but I am - especially with the new EI policy, but that's for another time), I mean isn't an education unaffordable enough already?
But then I sat and really thought about it. It soon became obvious why we were ever forced into paying to go to college or university in the first place...to separate the classes. I don't mean classes like philosophy 101, I mean classes like "those peasants are not worth the breath of mentioning." You can sit and try to convince me that they don't exist anymore...but don't bother. You can lie to yourself all you want, but the fact is that there has to be a "lower class" of people. Everybody can't be a doctor or lawyer...we need janitors, we need burger flippers and we need criminals. All of these things keep our society livable...imagine how many jobs exist only because there are criminals in our society?
Equality is a great idea, but I think it only stands to reason that a capitalist society would be quite literally unable to function if everyone were equal. The whole idea behind capitalism is basically sink or swim...but in order to swim you have to first fight your way to the surface. Those who can stay afloat longest essentially gain all of the power in the society...Mayer Amschel Rothschild once said "Give me control of a nation's money and I care not who makes the laws."
It all makes sense to me now. The elite were the only ones allowed to attend university in our not-so-distant past. Now it will only be the elite who will be able to afford to attend university. But that's the way it has to be. It's a little bit scary to think about. I love playing chess, I'm not too bad at chess - I always imagined myself a knight or a bishop - now I see my only option is to be a pawn.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
Wednesday 23 May 2012
I'll Take the Black Ones - Everytime
Hello Cyberspace.
Well, I've got to tell ya, I'm just a little disappointed in myself. I'm not the type to be overly concerned with my clothes...I'll wear pretty much anything as long as it doesn't smell like poo. One thing that I do like to keep relatively clean and new-looking, however, is sneakers.
Growing up, I always wore white sneakers. They were bright and shiny for the first couple of weeks; but before long they began to turn yellow, as all white sneakers eventually do. Sometime around the beginning of my high school career, I was convinced to make the switch and start wearing black kicks.
My first pair lasted me two years. Reebok basketball shoes. I usually don't have any problem with premature wear on my shoes, but would retire a pair due to the stains that I couldn't get off.
Then I was introduced to the toothbrush cleaning method. This brought me back to the white shoe world of possibility...because let's be honest, there should only be three colours of men's shoes - black, white and brown.
Let me get to the point. My shoes are now white, and covered in red dust from the MotoCross race I attended over the weekend. I need to get out the old toothbrush. I remember now why I stopped buying white shoes. When I can afford it again, I'll be getting some black sneakers again. I'm way too lazy for this whiteness.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
PS - This was inspired by a poem about old age...I finally understand it now.
How do I know my youth has been spent?
'Cause my "get-up-and-go" got up and went!
But in spite of all that, I'm able to grin
when I think of where my "get-up-and-go" has been!
Well, I've got to tell ya, I'm just a little disappointed in myself. I'm not the type to be overly concerned with my clothes...I'll wear pretty much anything as long as it doesn't smell like poo. One thing that I do like to keep relatively clean and new-looking, however, is sneakers.
Growing up, I always wore white sneakers. They were bright and shiny for the first couple of weeks; but before long they began to turn yellow, as all white sneakers eventually do. Sometime around the beginning of my high school career, I was convinced to make the switch and start wearing black kicks.
My first pair lasted me two years. Reebok basketball shoes. I usually don't have any problem with premature wear on my shoes, but would retire a pair due to the stains that I couldn't get off.
Then I was introduced to the toothbrush cleaning method. This brought me back to the white shoe world of possibility...because let's be honest, there should only be three colours of men's shoes - black, white and brown.
Let me get to the point. My shoes are now white, and covered in red dust from the MotoCross race I attended over the weekend. I need to get out the old toothbrush. I remember now why I stopped buying white shoes. When I can afford it again, I'll be getting some black sneakers again. I'm way too lazy for this whiteness.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
PS - This was inspired by a poem about old age...I finally understand it now.
How do I know my youth has been spent?
'Cause my "get-up-and-go" got up and went!
But in spite of all that, I'm able to grin
when I think of where my "get-up-and-go" has been!
Old age is golden. I've heard it said.
But sometimes I wonder as I go to bed--
my ears in a drawer, my teeth in a cup,
my eyes on the table until I wake up.
But sometimes I wonder as I go to bed--
my ears in a drawer, my teeth in a cup,
my eyes on the table until I wake up.
When I was young, my slippers were red.
I could kick my heels up over my head.
When I grew older, my slippers were blue,
but I could still dance the whole night through.
I could kick my heels up over my head.
When I grew older, my slippers were blue,
but I could still dance the whole night through.
Now I am old. My slippers are black.
I walk to the corner and puff my way back.
The reason I know my youth has been spent--
my "get-up-and-go" got up and went!
I walk to the corner and puff my way back.
The reason I know my youth has been spent--
my "get-up-and-go" got up and went!
I get up each mornin' and dust off my wits;
pick up the paper and read the obits.
If my name is missin', I know I ain't dead,
so I eat a good breakfast and go back to bed.
pick up the paper and read the obits.
If my name is missin', I know I ain't dead,
so I eat a good breakfast and go back to bed.
-Anonymous
Tuesday 22 May 2012
A World Of Possibilities
Happy Short Work Week Cyberspace. I went to my cousin's first Motocross race over the weekend...he did very well. My biggest complaint is that I chose to wear white shoes, which are now victims of the red dust of the track. Looking at them this morning got me thinking about colours and their impact on our world.
“What’s your favourite colour Daddy?”
My daughter asks this question at least once a month. My answer is
always the same – orange and blue, but I like ‘em all. I can never answer the
inevitable why that follows.
It’s strange, the power that colour holds. Orange transports me back to
sitting on my couch as a kid watching Michealangelo from the Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles…we’ve had many great times together. Blue takes me back to Grade
4, when I moved to Eastern Passage and lived next to the ocean for the first
time – I can still remember the peaceful, soothing crash of the waves against
the shore. The yellow walls in my Grandmother’s kitchen come into focus in my
mind’s eye whenever I smell fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. Pink reminds me
of the fuzzy blanket that my little girl was wrapped up in the first time I
ever held her in my arms. We all see things differently and every colour means
something different to each and every one of us.
The colours that we decide to be surrounded by say a lot about us as
individuals. There is nothing as unique as the colour scheme of your home. I
chose mine to speak for me – you can do the same. They can say “Hello world!
Welcome to my home!” or they can say “This is the quiet room.”
We all use colour to reflect our mood, our personality and ultimately
ourselves. My daughter, for example, chose her own clothes to wear to school
today – everything was purple. I asked her why and she replied “I don’t know –
I just feel purple today.” And who could argue with that?
I guess what I’m trying to say is that colour is as unique as you or I.
You may choose to spend your vacation cooking under the sun on a white sandy
beach…I may spend mine going on an African safari. You may choose a white
vanity to go along with light blue paint for your bathroom,
while I would be more inclined to use orange on the walls with a
black vanity. It depends on you…what you like, what you want and what you need.
Colour has had so much impact on me. It has enhanced and defined some of
the major events in my life. The birth of my daughter, my time in the desert,
recuperating from a smashed pelvis in a hospital bed - the colours
have told me a story…the colours have told my story. Pick your narrator…it’s
time for your next chapter.
Thursday 17 May 2012
Hustle and Bustle
Hi Cyberspace,
I'm not sure if you've noticed or not, but I seem to be struggling to keep up with blogging everyday. Yesterday's blog wasn't even written originally as a blog post, but I liked it so I decided to put it up. In light of the many distractions (especially the NHL and NBA playoffs), I've decided to write a poem about the scatterbrained type of life we all seem to live.
Daylight; the rays break through my curtain
I don't want to get up
I work up the courage;
Only the bravest can leave their sanctuaries.
I fear the hustle and bustle.
Outside; surrounded by the masses
I am a trailblazing pioneer on this sidewalk.
The current; I fight my way against it
Eventually I'll get there.
I fight through the hustle and bustle.
Fluorescent lights; is that the colour of my skin?
The air conditioning hurts my sinuses
Phones; Computers; Televisions;
We love our electronic lives.
I am a slave to the hustle and bustle.
Murmurs; Words; Tweets; Emails;
I over-read some conversations; my language is dying.
Manners have flown the coop;
We are all just running chickens.
Screw the hustle and bustle - I'm going back to bed.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
I'm not sure if you've noticed or not, but I seem to be struggling to keep up with blogging everyday. Yesterday's blog wasn't even written originally as a blog post, but I liked it so I decided to put it up. In light of the many distractions (especially the NHL and NBA playoffs), I've decided to write a poem about the scatterbrained type of life we all seem to live.
Daylight; the rays break through my curtain
I don't want to get up
I work up the courage;
Only the bravest can leave their sanctuaries.
I fear the hustle and bustle.
Outside; surrounded by the masses
I am a trailblazing pioneer on this sidewalk.
The current; I fight my way against it
Eventually I'll get there.
I fight through the hustle and bustle.
Fluorescent lights; is that the colour of my skin?
The air conditioning hurts my sinuses
Phones; Computers; Televisions;
We love our electronic lives.
I am a slave to the hustle and bustle.
Murmurs; Words; Tweets; Emails;
I over-read some conversations; my language is dying.
Manners have flown the coop;
We are all just running chickens.
Screw the hustle and bustle - I'm going back to bed.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
Wednesday 16 May 2012
The Natural Path
Canadians spend $24 billion dollars a year on prescription
drugs. That’s six billion dollars more per annum than we spend on doctors. The
only difference between prescription drugs and poison is dosage. There are
thought to be approximately 10,000 deaths in Canada outside of hospitals caused
by patients taking the wrong drug, the wrong dosage or adverse reactions.
Most of these prescriptions are composed of chemicals that
the average person can’t even pronounce, let alone have any idea where they
come from. Yet we put these pills into our bodies without a second thought because
our doctor tells us it’ll help.
The reality of the situation is that the clinical lab tests
do not actually measure the effect of the drug itself. It is not tested against
whatever prescription already exists; it is measured only against the
effectiveness of a sugar pill. What would you say if the doctor told you that the
best treatment for your disease is to eat two lumps of sugar twice a day?
I say it’s time to stop the days of Mary Poppins medicine. Be it ancient Aboriginal ancestral knowledge or those “Old
Wives’ Tales,” the treatments are often effective…that’s why they still exist.
There are many advantages to Naturopathic Medicine. First of
all, herbal remedies come from plants. Plants grow with soil, water and light
from the sun. I know what those things are and seeing as all of our sustenance originates
from plants, I have no qualms putting something like that into my body.
Another advantage to natural medicine is the lack of side
effects. You know those commercials for the latest pill that will make your
life ten times better instantly? They’re always followed by a voice or text
rolling on the screen that is something to the effect of “Side effects may
include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, blurred vision, vertigo, memory loss, loss
of appetite, dementia, headaches and fever.” If your drugs come from plants
that don’t cause those effects - then the drugs won’t have those effects.
Taking prescription drugs can help you. It can also hinder
you and often does. The amount of complications that arise from prescriptions grows
larger every year, as does the amount of prescriptions written and the amount
of revenue brought in from the prescription drug industry. I don’t know what’s
inside of any prescription I’ve ever taken…and that’s an extremely scary
thought to me. So before you reach out
and grab a pill bottle, at least take a little bit of time to look into some
Naturopathic cures…a few minutes now could save you a lifetime later.
Monday 14 May 2012
A Doggone Travesty
I'm back again Cyberspace.
I went away again this weekend, and my blog again had to be sacrificed. However, now I'm back and ready to go. I even picked up my topic along the way.
Friday afternoon while I was driving, I got cut off by a woman driving an SUV. This is not an uncommon occurrence, as every time any of us are behind the wheel, I'm sure there is at least one instance where an accident could have happened. The part that really started my juices flowing was that she was driving with a lap dog.
Yes. A lap dog. It may not sound like much at first...but then I thought of the fact we are not allowed to talk on a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle in Nova Scotia. So why can someone have a dog on their lap? A cell phone is an immediate distraction. A dog can turn into a distraction at any time. Especially if it's sitting on your lap. What if the dog starts to pee? Or bark? Or move? Or lick your face? What if the dog moves down by the driver's feet and impedes the clear operation of the pedals?
I was just taken aback by the tiny black nose peering over the edge of the window at me as the white SUV calmly moved in front of me. I may or may not have muttered the word 'bitch,' without even knowing if the dog was female.
Just needed to get that off my chest. Thank you Cyberspace for letting me vent.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
I went away again this weekend, and my blog again had to be sacrificed. However, now I'm back and ready to go. I even picked up my topic along the way.
Friday afternoon while I was driving, I got cut off by a woman driving an SUV. This is not an uncommon occurrence, as every time any of us are behind the wheel, I'm sure there is at least one instance where an accident could have happened. The part that really started my juices flowing was that she was driving with a lap dog.
Yes. A lap dog. It may not sound like much at first...but then I thought of the fact we are not allowed to talk on a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle in Nova Scotia. So why can someone have a dog on their lap? A cell phone is an immediate distraction. A dog can turn into a distraction at any time. Especially if it's sitting on your lap. What if the dog starts to pee? Or bark? Or move? Or lick your face? What if the dog moves down by the driver's feet and impedes the clear operation of the pedals?
I was just taken aback by the tiny black nose peering over the edge of the window at me as the white SUV calmly moved in front of me. I may or may not have muttered the word 'bitch,' without even knowing if the dog was female.
Just needed to get that off my chest. Thank you Cyberspace for letting me vent.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
Friday 11 May 2012
The Value of Vanity
Good morrow Cyberspace, I hope this post finds you well.
I was recently enlisted as a chauffeur for a friend - he was going to a cosmetic surgery office to see about getting a mole removed. I'm not really the type to be overly concerned with my appearance...you can usually find me in jeans, a hoodie and baseball cap. When appropriate, I may upgrade to some khakis and a polo, but I've never been the type to stand in front of the mirror. So maybe that's why I don't understand how places like this stay in business.
Let me relate some of the highlights of my experience.
The first thing that threw me off was the sign. It was ridiculously small and hard to find. I thought to myself 'Wouldn't a business that respected itself and its clientele want to advertise?' I brought this up to my friend, who very quickly pointed out the fact that he was embarrassed to be walking into a cosmetic surgery clinic and most of the people going there probably felt the same way. I conceded the point.
The next thing that caught me off guard was the door. We had to be buzzed in. Why? What reason would a place that sells self-image have for keeping the door locked at all times? Is it common for someone to run in and demand a nose job at gun point? Is the staff so terrible at their job that the patients want to murder their doctors after they recuperate from an operation? It seemed extremely strange to me.
Then there were the people. Those in the waiting room and the staff. The receptionist wore so much make-up I wasn't sure if she was actually trying to be serious. The people in the waiting room were looking at themselves in their handheld mirrors. Clients came from behind closed doors, the skin on their face tight enough to show every structural bone in their face. But the people that really got me were the two standing by the door. I'm not going to lie to you, I was eavesdropping like I never have before. The conversation was absolutely sickening.
There was a man and a woman both dressed very professionally. They were discussing some aspects of the business - from what I gleaned, the woman was a doctor and the man was an owner or investor. The conversation swirled from clients (isn't there supposed to be a doctor/client privilege?) to business strategies to complaints about the attitudes of stockholders. Some quotes that I overhead included "I don't know what [other operations] we can tell her she needs, but she won't argue with me," "So I sold her the lotion...I didn't tell her yet that it won't do the job alone," and "The stockholders are getting too big for their britches, they should just shut up and let us run this the way we want."
It pretty much confirmed what I already thought about privately owned cosmetic surgery clinics - they are in place only to take advantage of the insecurities of the population. The laugh lines, the crow's feet, birthmarks...all those things that make us unique have been labelled as ugly. We're told everyday, you don't want to be yourself...you want to look this way - it's the only way you'll ever be happy. I call bullshit.
If you're thinking about going to get some work done, take a good long look in the mirror. Ask yourself if you would feel better if you looked different. Ask yourself why. Then ask yourself who you really want to change for.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
I was recently enlisted as a chauffeur for a friend - he was going to a cosmetic surgery office to see about getting a mole removed. I'm not really the type to be overly concerned with my appearance...you can usually find me in jeans, a hoodie and baseball cap. When appropriate, I may upgrade to some khakis and a polo, but I've never been the type to stand in front of the mirror. So maybe that's why I don't understand how places like this stay in business.
Let me relate some of the highlights of my experience.
The first thing that threw me off was the sign. It was ridiculously small and hard to find. I thought to myself 'Wouldn't a business that respected itself and its clientele want to advertise?' I brought this up to my friend, who very quickly pointed out the fact that he was embarrassed to be walking into a cosmetic surgery clinic and most of the people going there probably felt the same way. I conceded the point.
The next thing that caught me off guard was the door. We had to be buzzed in. Why? What reason would a place that sells self-image have for keeping the door locked at all times? Is it common for someone to run in and demand a nose job at gun point? Is the staff so terrible at their job that the patients want to murder their doctors after they recuperate from an operation? It seemed extremely strange to me.
Then there were the people. Those in the waiting room and the staff. The receptionist wore so much make-up I wasn't sure if she was actually trying to be serious. The people in the waiting room were looking at themselves in their handheld mirrors. Clients came from behind closed doors, the skin on their face tight enough to show every structural bone in their face. But the people that really got me were the two standing by the door. I'm not going to lie to you, I was eavesdropping like I never have before. The conversation was absolutely sickening.
There was a man and a woman both dressed very professionally. They were discussing some aspects of the business - from what I gleaned, the woman was a doctor and the man was an owner or investor. The conversation swirled from clients (isn't there supposed to be a doctor/client privilege?) to business strategies to complaints about the attitudes of stockholders. Some quotes that I overhead included "I don't know what [other operations] we can tell her she needs, but she won't argue with me," "So I sold her the lotion...I didn't tell her yet that it won't do the job alone," and "The stockholders are getting too big for their britches, they should just shut up and let us run this the way we want."
It pretty much confirmed what I already thought about privately owned cosmetic surgery clinics - they are in place only to take advantage of the insecurities of the population. The laugh lines, the crow's feet, birthmarks...all those things that make us unique have been labelled as ugly. We're told everyday, you don't want to be yourself...you want to look this way - it's the only way you'll ever be happy. I call bullshit.
If you're thinking about going to get some work done, take a good long look in the mirror. Ask yourself if you would feel better if you looked different. Ask yourself why. Then ask yourself who you really want to change for.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
Thursday 10 May 2012
When the Police Need Policing
Hey Cyberspace.
Let's get right to it. I don't know if you've heard, but there was an absolutely disgusting incident that happened last year in Fullerton, California - the police literally beat a homeless man to death. The officers' hearing was earlier this week, and a judge has told them they must stand trial. You can read the article from Tuesday here and the article on cnn.com from today here.
Whether you go and read either of these articles, the fact remains that up to 6 officers relentlessly beat and tased a homeless man until he stopped breathing. While being recorded by a security camera. If you watch the video, you can clearly see Kelly Thomas (the victim) complying with what the police are telling him to do - then begging them to stop, and finally screaming for help. Only the two officers that originally started the confrontation have been arrested and will stand trial. To top it all off...they have been on "leave" with pay since the incident.
So why no Trayvon Martin-type backlash? Why were there no protests, no giant news stories dominating the media, no call for these officers to be punished, or at least not be paid? It's disgusting - and the reason is that the man was homeless. Even in the apathetic world we live in today, such gross abuses of authority should be met with so much public outcry that California would have no choice but to convict these men. Instead, their lawyer has tried to argue that there is 'insufficient evidence' - even with the whole thing caught on video. Disgusting.
Let's think about this for a second. The police are sworn to 'serve and protect.' They are sworn to uphold the law. Most of us know that this is not the reality. Even in a metropolis as small as the Halifax Regional Municipality, there are a shocking amount of these types of incidents - I've been a witness many, many times. There are two officers in particular on the Halifax Regional Police force who have to be mentioned; the Fairbanks. These guys are two bald brothers who are allowed to patrol together. I've literally watched them tell someone to get out of a car and block the car door closed, then use that as an excuse to reach INTO the car and zap the guy with a taser. I've heard them slinging racial slurs. I watched them tackle someone in a pizza shop downtown, pin him to the floor and call in 'reinforcements.' When they arrived, four officers each picked a limb and held it down while the other two officers proceeded to beat the man with their batons. There was also the whole Occupy Nova Scotia situation, where the mayor told the police to arrest people for something they weren't even allowed to be arrested for (breaking a by-law is only a ticketable offense)! These are just a couple of examples, and this is only Halifax. I can't even imagine the type of things that go on in California, or any other large city.
So how do you police the police? Internal affairs can't do it alone. The people have to stand up for what's right. If you see something terrible happening, get it on video (that's the only evidence that will hold up in court) and send it to the local newspaper or TV station. If we don't do something soon, we will lose our chance. The Riot Act can be enacted at any time, which allows the police to arrest absolutely anyone at anytime for literally any reason they choose. The worst part is, at least in Halifax, the Riot Act is read once a year so the police don't even have to read it to you before they arrest you. Does this sound a little like V for Vendetta or George Orwell's 1984's police states? That is where we're headed...I'm just waiting for the curfews to start.
An abuse of authority is an abuse of each and every one of our human rights. Let's use them while we still have the chance.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
If you to read a first hand account of the Occupy Nova Scotia debacle, there are a few articles written by a great local blogger who is and has been involved in ONS pretty much since the beginning.
What Is Occupy?
Remembrance Day - The Deception
Remembrance Day - The Eviction
Remembrance Day - The Detention
Occupy: Justice
Let's get right to it. I don't know if you've heard, but there was an absolutely disgusting incident that happened last year in Fullerton, California - the police literally beat a homeless man to death. The officers' hearing was earlier this week, and a judge has told them they must stand trial. You can read the article from Tuesday here and the article on cnn.com from today here.
Whether you go and read either of these articles, the fact remains that up to 6 officers relentlessly beat and tased a homeless man until he stopped breathing. While being recorded by a security camera. If you watch the video, you can clearly see Kelly Thomas (the victim) complying with what the police are telling him to do - then begging them to stop, and finally screaming for help. Only the two officers that originally started the confrontation have been arrested and will stand trial. To top it all off...they have been on "leave" with pay since the incident.
So why no Trayvon Martin-type backlash? Why were there no protests, no giant news stories dominating the media, no call for these officers to be punished, or at least not be paid? It's disgusting - and the reason is that the man was homeless. Even in the apathetic world we live in today, such gross abuses of authority should be met with so much public outcry that California would have no choice but to convict these men. Instead, their lawyer has tried to argue that there is 'insufficient evidence' - even with the whole thing caught on video. Disgusting.
Let's think about this for a second. The police are sworn to 'serve and protect.' They are sworn to uphold the law. Most of us know that this is not the reality. Even in a metropolis as small as the Halifax Regional Municipality, there are a shocking amount of these types of incidents - I've been a witness many, many times. There are two officers in particular on the Halifax Regional Police force who have to be mentioned; the Fairbanks. These guys are two bald brothers who are allowed to patrol together. I've literally watched them tell someone to get out of a car and block the car door closed, then use that as an excuse to reach INTO the car and zap the guy with a taser. I've heard them slinging racial slurs. I watched them tackle someone in a pizza shop downtown, pin him to the floor and call in 'reinforcements.' When they arrived, four officers each picked a limb and held it down while the other two officers proceeded to beat the man with their batons. There was also the whole Occupy Nova Scotia situation, where the mayor told the police to arrest people for something they weren't even allowed to be arrested for (breaking a by-law is only a ticketable offense)! These are just a couple of examples, and this is only Halifax. I can't even imagine the type of things that go on in California, or any other large city.
So how do you police the police? Internal affairs can't do it alone. The people have to stand up for what's right. If you see something terrible happening, get it on video (that's the only evidence that will hold up in court) and send it to the local newspaper or TV station. If we don't do something soon, we will lose our chance. The Riot Act can be enacted at any time, which allows the police to arrest absolutely anyone at anytime for literally any reason they choose. The worst part is, at least in Halifax, the Riot Act is read once a year so the police don't even have to read it to you before they arrest you. Does this sound a little like V for Vendetta or George Orwell's 1984's police states? That is where we're headed...I'm just waiting for the curfews to start.
An abuse of authority is an abuse of each and every one of our human rights. Let's use them while we still have the chance.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
If you to read a first hand account of the Occupy Nova Scotia debacle, there are a few articles written by a great local blogger who is and has been involved in ONS pretty much since the beginning.
What Is Occupy?
Remembrance Day - The Deception
Remembrance Day - The Eviction
Remembrance Day - The Detention
Occupy: Justice
Wednesday 9 May 2012
My Red Hot Dream
Long time, no talk Cyberspace.
How the hell are ya? I'm doing wonderfully. As you may have noticed, I took a brief hiatus from writing this blog. Why? First of all, I was moving and didn't have the internet hooked up. The second and by far most important reason is that I took a little vacation - to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Montreal.
To say that RHCP is my favourite band may be an understatement. I may be obsessed. I have listened to them everyday since I was about 13 years old. I considered doing a review of the concert, but it would just be fluff - so I'm just going to tell you what I think.
I guess I have to start with this - it may have been the best place I've ever been (I think it's a toss-up between this concert, holding my daughter for the first time, diving with sharks and standing in a Buddhist monastery in Thailand overlooking what I can only imagine paradise looks like). It has always been a dream of mine to go to an RHCP concert, as their amazing live shows are their claim to fame. Making the trip was absolutely nerve-wracking...I just tried to pretend it wasn't going to happen.
All of the sudden, I'm sitting in the Bell Center. The opening act is terrible - there isn't a single person in the arena listening to 'Sleigh Bells,' quite possibly the worst band I've ever heard. There are crowds of people and large pockets of empty seats. I begin to form my strategy for moving in closer to the stage - but as the whining voice and distorted bass descend to silence, the seats quickly begin to fill. Stagehands are frantically rearranging the equipment on stage, unveiling Chad Smith's drum kit (Oh My God!! Is that Chad Smith's drum kit!?), tuning Flea's bass and new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer's guitar (is this actually happening right now?!), setting up Anthony Kiedis' microphone (pinch me, slap me, wake me up, this has to be a dream!!!). The crescendo of the murmur in the crowd peaks in a roar as the band files on stage. Everyone stands as the beginning toms of 'Monarchy of Roses' cuts through the noise of the audience - they will not sit down again until well after the encore is over. The music is almost drowned out by the cheers as Anthony Kiedis runs onto the stage, grabs the microphone and begins an hour and fifty minute set of musical ecstasy.
From older hits like Californication and Under the Bridge, newer hits such as Goodbye Hooray and an assortment of seemingly random songs like Throw Away Your Television, RHCP gave the mass of people in the Bell Center more than their money's worth.
After the concert, we retired to our hotel room in a state of euphoria (well...I was in that state anyway). We had made the trip by car from Fredericton to Montreal, so we were fairly worn out and passed out rather quickly. I was not prepared for the next morning. I awoke to a feeling of...emptiness. I can now imagine what post-partum depression feels like (not actually, but you catch my drift). I didn't realize just how excited I was to actually make this dream of mine come to fruition. Waking up the next day with nothing to look forward to made the immediate future seem very drab. I missed the feeling of anticipation, the feeling of excitement - it really brought to life for me the saying "Be careful what you wish for."
Having said that, I could never regret it. This was the one thing I had wanted for longer than anything else and finally experiencing it was an indescribable feeling. To the people that made it happen - I'm indebted to you forever.
I guess I'll leave you with this - make your dreams come true - but when you do, be prepared for afterwards. And never, ever, ever, EVER miss a chance to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers - it's life-changing.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
How the hell are ya? I'm doing wonderfully. As you may have noticed, I took a brief hiatus from writing this blog. Why? First of all, I was moving and didn't have the internet hooked up. The second and by far most important reason is that I took a little vacation - to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Montreal.
To say that RHCP is my favourite band may be an understatement. I may be obsessed. I have listened to them everyday since I was about 13 years old. I considered doing a review of the concert, but it would just be fluff - so I'm just going to tell you what I think.
I guess I have to start with this - it may have been the best place I've ever been (I think it's a toss-up between this concert, holding my daughter for the first time, diving with sharks and standing in a Buddhist monastery in Thailand overlooking what I can only imagine paradise looks like). It has always been a dream of mine to go to an RHCP concert, as their amazing live shows are their claim to fame. Making the trip was absolutely nerve-wracking...I just tried to pretend it wasn't going to happen.
All of the sudden, I'm sitting in the Bell Center. The opening act is terrible - there isn't a single person in the arena listening to 'Sleigh Bells,' quite possibly the worst band I've ever heard. There are crowds of people and large pockets of empty seats. I begin to form my strategy for moving in closer to the stage - but as the whining voice and distorted bass descend to silence, the seats quickly begin to fill. Stagehands are frantically rearranging the equipment on stage, unveiling Chad Smith's drum kit (Oh My God!! Is that Chad Smith's drum kit!?), tuning Flea's bass and new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer's guitar (is this actually happening right now?!), setting up Anthony Kiedis' microphone (pinch me, slap me, wake me up, this has to be a dream!!!). The crescendo of the murmur in the crowd peaks in a roar as the band files on stage. Everyone stands as the beginning toms of 'Monarchy of Roses' cuts through the noise of the audience - they will not sit down again until well after the encore is over. The music is almost drowned out by the cheers as Anthony Kiedis runs onto the stage, grabs the microphone and begins an hour and fifty minute set of musical ecstasy.
From older hits like Californication and Under the Bridge, newer hits such as Goodbye Hooray and an assortment of seemingly random songs like Throw Away Your Television, RHCP gave the mass of people in the Bell Center more than their money's worth.
After the concert, we retired to our hotel room in a state of euphoria (well...I was in that state anyway). We had made the trip by car from Fredericton to Montreal, so we were fairly worn out and passed out rather quickly. I was not prepared for the next morning. I awoke to a feeling of...emptiness. I can now imagine what post-partum depression feels like (not actually, but you catch my drift). I didn't realize just how excited I was to actually make this dream of mine come to fruition. Waking up the next day with nothing to look forward to made the immediate future seem very drab. I missed the feeling of anticipation, the feeling of excitement - it really brought to life for me the saying "Be careful what you wish for."
Having said that, I could never regret it. This was the one thing I had wanted for longer than anything else and finally experiencing it was an indescribable feeling. To the people that made it happen - I'm indebted to you forever.
I guess I'll leave you with this - make your dreams come true - but when you do, be prepared for afterwards. And never, ever, ever, EVER miss a chance to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers - it's life-changing.
Peace and Love
The Critical Stranger
As always thoughts, comments and suggestions are encouraged and appreciated!
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