tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56971659544198232492024-03-14T11:49:41.957-07:00Faith Coloured GlassesFaith Coloured Glasses looks at everyday experience through the eyes of faith. In daily life we encounter the presence and activity of God. Topics include personal spirituality, comments on current events, and seasonal articles.Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.comBlogger152125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-59347407341896731922017-10-31T14:08:00.000-07:002017-10-31T14:08:01.883-07:00Halloween takes on the meaning we give it<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Is there any harm in participating in the annual celebration
of Halloween?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some think so.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I first encountered the opinion that Halloween may be
spiritually dangerous when my children were young.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was surprised when a friend announced that her children would
not be dressing up and trick-or-treating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She objected to the pagan roots of the celebration with its emphasis on
evil spirits and death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don’t know if my friend was
ahead of the curve with her objection to Halloween because at the time not many
shared her concerns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, there is
a lively debate in some Christian circles about the appropriateness of allowing
children to participate in this cultural event. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An extreme view holds that
Christians who participate in Halloween open themselves, and their children, to
evil. There is a literal belief that evil spirits roaming the earth on
Halloween might catch hold of an unwary soul. A more moderate view holds that
Halloween is contradictory to the Christian message; Halloween celebrates the
“lord of death”, while Christianity proclaims a God of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While I don’t share these
particular concerns, the darker side of Halloween has captured the cultural
imagination. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every year the
emphasis on creepy, sinister things seems to gain in popularity. Skulls, skeletons
tombstones, bloody masks and sinister table pieces hit the shelves of big box
stores earlier and earlier each year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Spooky graveyard and macabre horror scenes spring up on front lawns
across the country, often weeks in advance of Halloween.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But, Halloween is not a religious
celebration in our society. The pagan aspects of Halloween only become an issue
if one gives them credence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
fear of spirits roaming the night for the purpose of creating havoc and harm
pales in comparison to the darker and more wicked aspects of human existence
that are reported daily in the news. There are more pressing and immediate
concerns in the world with which to be concerned.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If I object to anything about
today’s celebration of Halloween, it is the commercialism that has taken
hold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Halloween is big bucks,
second only to Christmas in consumer spending. In 2014, Canadians spent almost
$400 million on candy alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
2015, Canadians spent one billion dollars on Halloween related purchases.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Waste goes along with all of this
spending on costumes, candy and decorations.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Halloween of my youth was more
of a homegrown event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neighbours
doled out candied apples, sticky popcorn balls, caramels or special baking, all
of which they made themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There was a house in our neighbourhood that was famous for its candied
apples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though many people
handed out candies, the candied apple was the treat of the night.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Costumes, too, were mostly
handmade, fashioned from items that were at hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My mother had a knack for creating the costumes of my
imagination out of old clothing, scraps of fabric and pieces of cardboard.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Halloween treats and costumes
have changed with a changing world. For reasons of convenience and/or safety
the purchase of both is the norm. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">None of these changes dampen my
enthusiasm for the celebration. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Opening the door to the neighbourhood kids decked out in
their costumes rekindles the child in me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Their infectious excitement recalls that of my own when I once traipsed
around the neighbourhood in costume collecting treats on a dark and spooky
night.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Participating in Halloween is an
important part of maturing for many children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dressing up nurtures the imagination and is akin to walking a
mile in someone else’s shoes; masquerading aids the development of empathy. The
spooky aspects of the night help to master fear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It takes courage to walk up to a house cloaked in darkness
and playing eerie music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, the
feeling of independence when a child can finally go trick-or-treating with
friends, not parents, is exhilarating.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is nothing inherently evil
about the celebration of Halloween in our time. It becomes what we believe it
to be – a night of darkness, or simple, good, clean fun with a developmental
purpose.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-8823067424690139952017-06-01T08:10:00.000-07:002017-06-01T08:14:22.744-07:00Women are at the heart of change<i>(This column was written for International Women's Day 2017)</i><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Women are at the heart of change around the globe.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
A group of socially
conscious women in my home community of Trail, BC designed and implemented a project called <span style="color: #674ea7;">“<a href="http://www.womencreatingchange.org/" target="_blank">Women CreatingChange: Working Together for Economic Opportunity” (WCC)</a><b>.</b></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The purpose of the project,
funded by the Status of Women, was to “determine and address barriers to women
achieving economic security and stability.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The project’s research identified low wages, access to
education, childcare, transportation and housing as barriers to economic and
social well-being for local women.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
With the research completed, the
project leaders cast about for practical solutions to overcome some of the
barriers that keep women in poverty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They are making strides in education and non-traditional areas of
employment for women. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
In consultation with local education and employment
counselors, the project identified a significant gap in opportunities for women
who were exploring access to education as a means of getting out of
poverty. With generous contributions from a number of organizations<span style="color: #18366d;">, </span>WCC created the Stepping Out<span style="color: #18366d;"> B</span>ursary to help with funding gaps. Recipients of
the bursary work with an employment counselor to identify goals, learn about
the range of services and funding available, and determine where a bursary
would fill in important<span style="color: #18366d;"> </span>gaps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jan Morton, director of the<a href="http://www.communityskillscentre.com/" target="_blank"> GreaterTrails Skill Centre<b> </b></a>and a member of the project team, describes the bursary as
“a small resource that makes a big difference to the women who receive
it.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Morton speaks enthusiastically
about the project’s <a href="http://www.communityskillscentre.com/mining-refining-for-women/" target="_blank"><b>Mining and Refining for Women</b></a> (MR4W) program. Working
closely with Teck Metals Trail Operation and Bock and Associates, experts in
workplace training, MR4W has developed<span style="color: #18366d;"> </span>and
is<span style="color: #18366d;"> </span>deliver<span style="color: #18366d;">ing</span>
an innovative mentorship program <span style="color: #18366d;">that </span>supports
the retention and advancement of women in non-traditional roles. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“The program was designed to
support women but also with a view to improving opportunity for everyone,” said
Morton. “Teck has put a lot of heart – and hard work – into this. The impact
will be long term.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Globally, there are numerous
organizations at work to improve the lives of women and girls. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://plancanada.ca/because-i-am-a-girl" target="_blank">Plan International Canada</a> is
doing extensive work globally to promote the rights of millions of girls in
developing countries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Education is
a key component of the program. “When girls are educated, healthy and
empowered, they can lift themselves and everyone around them out of poverty”
(Plan International Website).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://www.devp.org/en" target="_blank">Development and Peace (D&P)</a>,<b> </b>the official international development arm of the Canadian Catholic Church, is
working with partner organizations in countries worldwide to secure the rights
of women. D&P is highlighting the work of women in overcoming injustice in
this year’s Share Lent campaign, Women at the Heart of Change. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Mike Bouchier, a Development and
Peace parish representative, explains this year’s theme. “Women at the Heart of
Change conjures up more than just the desire to reiterate the centrality of
women as an engine of change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">It is also to open
people’s hearts during this season of Lent to the sufferings, injustices and
obstacles faced, every single day, by millions of women and girls all over the
world”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;">Through its annual Share Lent campaigns,
D&P seeks to raise awareness about injustice. It seeks to prod the
conscience into a response, to comfort the afflicted and afflict the
comfortable, as someone once said of the Christian message. To this end, over
the next weeks D&P is hosting women from Haiti, Colombia and Syria who are
agents of change. The women will be speaking in select communities across
Canada about the status of women in their region. They will talk about the work
being done to overcome discrimination, abuse and poverty, as well as the
important role that international aid plays in advancing the human rights of
women and girls. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Across the globe, individuals,
institutions and organizations are seeking ways to empower women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though gender analysis is the
impetus for action, the changes wrought in the lives of women benefit everyone.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
These collective and
collaborative efforts illustrate the need and the desire for more equity and
justice at home and abroad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Fundamentally, we are still struggling to respect the dignity of the
human person,” said Ann Godderis, from the WCC project.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
From one small village to the
next, women are at the heart of change, shaping a brighter future for all
people. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-7208340113570985562017-02-14T12:49:00.001-08:002017-02-14T12:49:37.011-08:00Valentine's Day is about feeling special<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Valentine’s Day is about feeling
special - making others feel special and experiencing the feeling of being
special.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As a celebration of love,
Valentine’s Day gained traction in medieval times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Prior to the 14<sup>th</sup> century, it was a feast day in
honor of Saint Valentine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Valentine was a priest who defied Emperor Claudius II’s edict that
forbad young men to marry, until he was caught, condemned and executed. As the
legend goes, he healed and fell in love with the daughter of one of the judges
who had condemned him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the day
of his execution he sent her a note and signed it “From your Valentine”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The salutation, as we know, has
become standard, and frequently expresses the romantic attachment between two
people. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today’s culture emphasizes the
romantic aspect of the day, probably because romance translates into
dollars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last year, Canadians
spent a whopping $3.38 billion on jewellery, $6.38 billion on wine, and $70.9
million on flowers in honour of romantic love.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The National Retail Council
estimates that this year total consumer spending for Valentine’s Day in the
United States will reach $18.2 billion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To be fair, some of that amount includes spending on gifts for children,
parents, teachers, friends, co-workers, and pets. Still, lovers will spend, on
average, over $85 on their significant other compared to about $27 on family
members.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They will spend $4.3
billion on jewellery, $3.8 billion on an evening out, and $2 billion on flowers.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Spending aside, the rituals of
Valentine’s Day, from candlelight dinners at tony restaurants to cupcakes with
pink icing and cinnamon hearts shared in an elementary school classroom,
express many different forms of love. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The English language is not very
inventive when it comes to describing love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We use the same word to describe the way we feel about all
sorts of things. We might love to ski, our morning coffee, the movie we watched
last night, or a special outfit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We love our pets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We love
our spouse, children, parents and friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The ancient Greeks were more
sophisticated when it came to describing emotional attachment. They spoke about
six forms of love. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Eros expressed
passion or intense desire. It was the fire within, and like a fire, eros could
get out of control and become destructive. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The concept of philia included
friendship, appreciation of others, as well as loyalty to family, community and
even the workplace. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Storge referred to the love between children and parents.
Unlike eros and philia that depended on an individual’s personal qualities,
storge arose from feelings of dependency. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ludus could be the affection between young children, puppy love, or
flirtatiousness. Ludus relationships were playful, casual and uncomplicated. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Agape referred to the love of God for man and of man for God. Agape was selfless and encompassed all
humanity. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pragma described the
mature love found in successful marriages. Where eros expressed the feeling of
falling madly in love, pragma reflected the will and commitment required to
maintain a loving relationship for the long haul. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Philautia described love of
self. Like eros, philautia could
be good, as in having healthy self-esteem and treating one’s self with
kindness, or bad, as in being narcissistic. </span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Valentine’s Day gives us a chance
to celebrate the critical human experience of loving and of being loved across
the spectrum of these various types of emotional attachments. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The simple acts of loving
kindness that we enact on Valentine’s Day can move passion towards a mature and
life-giving relationship, express friendship, enhance family bonds, communicate
our concern for others, and nurture a sense of self-worth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In an otherwise ho-hum, often dreary
month, Valentine’s Day rituals brighten the landscape of the heart. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My
appreciation of Valentine’s Day has remained undiminished over the years. While
never a big spender on the day, I like to mark it in some way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a playful, light-hearted way to
celebrate something that is of great importance - the beauty of relationship
and the uniqueness of the individual.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Valentine’s Day celebrates our
ability to love. While we may not have the vocabulary of the ancient Greeks to
distinguish between and define the various forms of love, our Valentine’s Day
rituals express them all – passion, friendship, self-giving, commitment and healthy
love of self.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our rituals, large
or small, are visible signs of the regard in which we hold one another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regardless of spending, love makes
everyone feel special.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-70216082252056927562017-02-01T08:07:00.000-08:002017-02-01T08:07:13.963-08:00Leave a legacy: be your own "Person of the Year"<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It was no surprise that Time
magazine selected Donald Trump as 2016 person of the year. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The magazine’s annual pick
recognizes someone who has most influenced events, for better or for worse, and
like it or not, Trump’s influence was extraordinary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
With the exception of a select few, we won’t see ourselves gracing the cover of
Time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We won’t be garnering person
of the year honours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We do,
however, leave a legacy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We touch
the lives of others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We exert
influence on someone, somewhere at sometime.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“All the world’s a stage,” wrote
Shakespeare. “And all the men and women merely players/ They have their exits
and entrances/ And one man in his time plays many parts.” While Shakespeare was reflecting
on the stages of life from infancy to old age, the manner in which we play our
parts over time will determine our legacy. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><b>For better or for worse</b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Time editor Nancy Gibbs has said
that occasionally Time chooses someone who is “unassailably worthy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Normally that is not the case.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the inception of person of the
year in 1927, the selections are a mixed bag of the illustrious and the
infamous. The recipients represent the broad spectrum of human traits from the
laudable to the deplorable. For better or for worse, all have left their mark
on human society, as you can see from my arbitrary list. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Some more recent recipients
include: Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos (1999), Bill and Melinda Gates and Bono
(2005), Putin (2007), and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (2010).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looking back further in history the
following caught my attention: Charles Lindbergh (1927), Walter Chrysler
(1928), Mahatma Gandhi (1930), Wallis Simpson (1936), Adolf Hitler (1938),
Josef Stalin (1939, 1942), Queen Elizabeth (1952) and Richard Nixon
(1971).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Every sitting United
States president has been named person of the year.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Three Roman Catholic popes got the nod: Pope John XXIII
(1962), Pope John Paul II (1994), and Pope Francis (2013).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The reader can decide if any of
my arbitrary examples deserve to be called unassailably worthy. Even Popes John
XXIII and John Paul II, whom Pope Francis elevated to sainthood in 2014, were
flawed individuals, and had their detractors. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We might reasonably conclude that
saints led impeccable lives during their time on earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would be mistaken for saints, as
Francis said, were “not born perfect”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They just tried harder than the rest of us to live
holy lives, to be unassailably worthy in the sight of God.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>You leave a legacy</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In 2006, “You” were the person of
the year. That year the cover featured a blank computer screen made of
reflective material.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Readers could
look at their reflection in the screen and envision themselves as person of the
year. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The 2006 choice linked the
shaping of human destiny to the actions of ordinary people engaging with the
World Wide Web. You and me, the choice proclaimed, were changing the world
through online collaboration and community building. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Social media has exploded since
2006. It has a profound influence on attitudes and behaviour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can magnify the best and the worst
of our shared human traits, and influence our actions in a heartbeat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Social media provides us with a platform
for influencing others, for better or for worse, within our immediate circle
and beyond. We can blog, tweet, post, comment, criticize, laud, organize and
spew “alternative facts” (aka lies) to our hearts’ content in an environment
that frequently lacks accountability.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The 2006 choice for person of the
year was both controversial and gimmicky. It was a clever marketing ploy that reverberated
in people’s imaginations for years. As recently as a few years ago, people were
still listing themselves as 2006 person of the year on their twitter bios. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Yet, there is a distinctly serious
and personal aspect to “You” person of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of us are called to unassailable worthiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are called to be saints, to live our
life as blessing to others and for the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I am reminded of the Carole King
song, “Legacy”, which challenges us to be a driving force for the good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The song asks of us, “Don’t you
want to leave a better world than you find?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We may not get the nod from Time
magazine. But, each of us leaves a legacy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regardless the size of the stage – international or
intimate – we play a part in the unfolding of human society – for better or for
worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“It’s your
legacy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Baby whatcha gonna do
about it?” How will we answer King's question?</div>
Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-9230333771331133032017-01-17T16:27:00.000-08:002017-01-17T16:27:10.791-08:00Struggling with resolutions<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I haven’t made New Year’s
resolutions for a number of years, and a few weeks into 2017, I am reminded
why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My resolutions have already
fallen by the wayside.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My first resolution was to avoid
the chocolates and cookies left over from the holiday. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But, the chocolates presented a
problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were artisan truffles
with a best before date. There were two options.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could eat them or put them in the trash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since I really dislike wasting food, the
best tactic was to finish them as quickly as possible. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Get it over with, so to speak, which I
did with great satisfaction on January 3 when I restricted myself to eating one
at a time until the box was empty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The cookies, conveniently frozen
in neat layers, pose a continual challenge to my willpower.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The freezer is a short distance from
the TV viewing area in the basement of our home. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As any teen will tell you, there is something
irresistible about frozen cookies. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, it is indisputable that commercial breaks trigger a trip
to the pantry, or in this case, to the freezer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I continue to watch even one hour of television per
night, I will have decimated the cookie supply in a few more days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I resolve to bake less next year.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fortunately, I exercise
faithfully so there was no need for me to resolve to get fit, which is one of
the most common New Year’s resolutions of all time. Still, those sweets are
definitely not good for my waistline, and I might have to kick up the workouts
a notch this month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I could rationalize my chocolate
and cookie consumption.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dark
chocolate is good for my memory, and the pistachios in the shortbread add a
little extra protein, energy and anti-oxidants to my diet. Overall, though, I
have to admit that my nutritional resolutions are a bust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I’m not doing so well on my other
resolutions either. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of those caused my daughter
to roll her eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On New Year’s
Day when she asked if I’d made any resolutions, I responded, “Yes. I’m going to
do more edifying reading.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
should have known from her reaction that I was being way too ambitious and
ambiguous, (not to mention pompous as well). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Like most people, I struggle to
keep my resolutions. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We set ourselves up to fail with
resolutions that are too broad, too sweeping, too vague.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we are serious about achieving our
goals, we need a better strategy than just making a pronouncement about our resolutions.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, I’ve decided to start
over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the chocolates out of
the way, I will deal with the cookies in a sensible manner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First, I will not watch television
downstairs, thus removing the temptation to snatch frozen cookies during
commercial breaks. Second, I will treat the cookies as a dessert and not as a
snack. (It really is quite obscene to treat cookies like potato chips. Cookies
deserve more respect.) Third, I will enlist the help of my husband, and
encourage him to eat frozen cookies. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As to my grandiose goal to read
more edifying material, I will make a modest list, set aside a specific time
and place to read, and go at it, slowly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Goodness, I have just made a
bunch more resolutions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I hope my
strategy works, but if not, next year I will take my cue from my
son-in-law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He readily admits that
he doesn’t believe in making New Year’s resolutions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He tries to live well, always, every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, there’s a resolution worth
struggling to achieve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-67664471351426118362016-12-19T07:55:00.000-08:002016-12-19T07:55:25.337-08:00Post-truth, the alt-right and the nativity<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #2a2a2a;"><i>The climate of the stable stands in stark contrast to two trends that are gaining momentum in western society.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It is rare for me to feel
embarrassed about being a Christian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But, on November 8 as I watched media interview American Christians who
supported Donald Trump, I was embarrassed. I simply could not reconcile the poisonous
and frequently false rhetoric of the President-elect with the implications of
the Gospel message. During the Christmas season, Christians and non-Christians can
discover the implications of that message in the nativity. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Last night as I stuffed and stitched
cloth nativity figures together for my grandchildren to play with as we read
the Christmas story, I had plenty of time (due to my inadequate sewing skills)
to reflect on the nativity as a metaphor for our time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhksEqNn_jxbsFqWkg1mg6-J9YatjED8Kuvkun1_Ih38Hsz8qNCkF-y9vO1nUfikZtvXo9eLOLtkLaS1ECQ9QE_1_FVb_WTWkGPjhN78KPTHvGuz2ZdaBX70Kb430t7JWLWkdnCD_oIr-8/s1600/IMG_0677.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhksEqNn_jxbsFqWkg1mg6-J9YatjED8Kuvkun1_Ih38Hsz8qNCkF-y9vO1nUfikZtvXo9eLOLtkLaS1ECQ9QE_1_FVb_WTWkGPjhN78KPTHvGuz2ZdaBX70Kb430t7JWLWkdnCD_oIr-8/s320/IMG_0677.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Every nativity scene has a baby Jesus
with open arms. The baby is ready to embrace everyone and everything. His open
arms are a powerful symbol of welcome, friendship and acceptance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is also a symbol of
vulnerability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is, after all,
lying in a feeding trough filled with hay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That ox and ass hovering around might start rooting in the
manger for food.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Every nativity scene also includes the
baby’s parents, some shepherds and three wise men, variously referred to as
kings or magi. This disparate group of strangers might feel some trepidation
about rubbing shoulders. They are a mismatch of cultures, religions, ethnicity
and socio-economic status.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But before
the baby, their differences melt away. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Male or female, rich or poor, Jewish or not, they are people
equal in dignity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">The climate of the stable stands in
stark contrast to two trends that are gaining momentum in western society. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As recent political events have
illustrated, truth is on its way out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Oxford Dictionaries choose “post-truth” as the 2016 word of the
year. <span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Use
of the term spiked during the Brexit referendum and the US Presidential
election.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Oxford defines post-truth as “<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">relating to or
denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping
public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In plain speak, “don’t confuse me with
the truth” sums up the present mood. </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">A November tweet from the Independent
lamented, “We’ve entered a post-truth world and there’s no going back.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently, people have no appetite for
truth. Truth has become irrelevant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">The runner up to the 2016 word of the
year was “alt-right”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>Alt-right
refers to an ideological group that espouses ultra conservative and reactionary
viewpoints. <span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">The alt-right rejects mainstream politics and uses online media to
disseminate its content.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
content frequently smacks of white supremacy, racism, misogyny and
anti-Semitism. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">The word of the year and its runner-up
are indicative of the troubling times in which we live. From the pushback on
refugees and immigration to reports of an escalation in incidents of racial
violence, western society seems to be trending backwards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This trend is playing out internationally
and in our own communities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Racist flyers, for example, are cropping
up in villages, towns and cities across the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my village of about 1700 inhabitants someone
removed an anti-Semitic flyer from a community bulletin board. In Richmond, residents
rallied in unity against the distribution of anti-Chinese flyers. In Edmonton,
police were on the lookout for a man believed to be delivering flyers targeting
Moslems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Toronto, police were
investigating racist posters urging people to join the alt-right. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">In this climate of suspicion and hatred,
the scene at the stable can be an inspiration for more harmonious human
interactions. The nativity can remind us that being human has always been
risky, that to love means to be vulnerable, and that the way to peace is one of
inclusion not exclusion. In the environment of the stable, ego gives way to
humility, suspicion to trust, prejudice to acceptance, superiority to
friendship, bombast to silence, and falsehood to truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Whatever beliefs we hold, may the peace
and goodwill that infused the stable with warmth on that first Christmas
penetrate our hearts, correct our attitudes, and inform our actions throughout
the coming year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">The Gospel message so beautifully presented
in the nativity will never embarrass me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am embarrassed, though, that we still don’t get it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-47697819743280359742016-12-05T08:35:00.000-08:002016-12-05T08:35:00.659-08:00Smudging the lines <div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i>Smudging ceremony crosses the line into the realm of the sacred</i><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Imagine if a public school put up
a nativity scene to teach students the Christian view of Christmas, and invited
a priest to bless the figurines, the school, and the school community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Parents would accuse the school of promoting
Christian beliefs. They would see the blessing as an imposition of those
beliefs on their children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtNMvLcs_XRGUiXyvnIG29hVVLGJlnPR5SbYFfIT5kHv8tcgMnBNfF-PB6At-t_WOUZBboepyMc7LWd-lqxlhdPj5xUblAnEwNkiJnavwQwRGQHWHh4kwvmWaDkYQNufuMVbC20YS4spE/s1600/Nativity+-+Gustave+Dore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtNMvLcs_XRGUiXyvnIG29hVVLGJlnPR5SbYFfIT5kHv8tcgMnBNfF-PB6At-t_WOUZBboepyMc7LWd-lqxlhdPj5xUblAnEwNkiJnavwQwRGQHWHh4kwvmWaDkYQNufuMVbC20YS4spE/s320/Nativity+-+Gustave+Dore.jpg" width="249" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The
parents would be justified in objecting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The school would have blurred the lines between culture, traditional
practices and spiritual beliefs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
When a Port Alberni school held a
smudging ceremony, it did just that. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Candice Servatius, a parent at
John Howitt Elementary School (JHES), is taking the school district to court.
In September 2015, JHES held a smudging ceremony. A teacher told Servatius’s
daughter that she must participate. Servatius maintains that the smudging
ceremony was religious in nature, that the school violated her religious
freedom and breached its duty of neutrality. The Justice Center forConstitutional Freedoms is acting on her behalf.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The school district maintains
that the smudging was cultural. It argues that the ceremony fits the mandate of
incorporating Aboriginal perspectives into the British Columbia
curriculum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I spoke with an Elder here in the
Kootenays about smudging. “It’s cultural, not religious,” she said. She went
onto explain that smudging was not (and is not) a universal practice. In some
communities, it was practical.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
cleansed the air of unpleasant odors and the smoke drove insects away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It may be that the spiritual
connotations commonly associated with smudging developed over time. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Niigaan Sinclair, Associate
Professor and Acting Head of the Native Studies Department at the University of
Manitoba, has a different understanding of smudging. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Speaking on the CBC radio show The Current, Sinclair called
the ceremony spiritual, but not religious. He described smudging as the taking
and burning of medicines to bring them to a person’s emotional, mental,
physical, and, usually, spiritual side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He described bringing the smoke to one’s self as a way of committing to
a relationship with the Earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Whether the Nuu-chah-nulth
smudging at JHES was cultural, spiritual or religious, the school imposed a set
of beliefs on its students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is evident from the contents of the letter that the school sent
home to parents to explain the reasons for smudging.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“Nuu-chah-nulth People believe
strongly that “Hii-Suukish-Tswalk,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(everything is one; all is connected). Everything has a spirit and
energy exists beyond the end of one school year and into the next. This will be
our opportunity to…experience cleansing of energy from previous students in our
classroom and previous energy in our classroom and cleanse our own spirits to
allow GREAT new experiences to occur for all of us.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
When a school begins to talk
about cleansing spirits, it is moving away from something that is strictly
cultural in nature into the realm of the sacred.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
A group of figurines in a stable
tells a story about a baby sleeping in the hay surrounded by animals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is nothing inherently
religious about that. But, blessing the scene illuminates the Christian belief
in the incarnation, in God becoming human.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An innocuous tableau suddenly becomes a place of reflection
for Christian belief.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Smudging to cleanse the air of
odours or to chase away mosquitoes falls under culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Smudging to cleanse spirits
communicates a specific set of spiritual beliefs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It crosses the line between culture and religion, between
the ordinary and the sacred.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
When the City of Saguenay, Quebec
insisted on reciting the Lord’s Prayer before its council meetings, the Supreme
Court of Canada ruled that the state could not use culture, heritage or
tradition to justify a religious practice in the public domain. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Public schools, like other state
institutions, have a duty of religious neutrality.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It will be unfortunate if this
case pits two cultures against one another, and hampers the work of
reconciliation. This case is not about whether schools should teach authentic
Aboriginal content. Rather, the question is how to appropriately present that
content. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Canadian schools can best support
the national task of reconciliation with meaningful, well-developed
curriculum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This can include
presentations but children do not have to be directly involved. Children can
learn about aboriginal traditions without participating in a ceremony that
blurs the lines between culture, religion and spirituality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
When JHES held its smudging
ceremony, it imposed a set of spiritual beliefs. And in doing so, it breached
the duty of neutrality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Images: Nativity scene by Gustave Dore</span></div>
Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-66060578815509829162016-11-24T13:13:00.002-08:002016-11-24T13:25:22.429-08:00BC Court of Appeal rules for Trinity Western University<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">When tolerance becomes intolerance<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Sometimes a well-intentioned
defense of one group’s rights becomes an expression of intolerance towards
another group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such is the case
with the Law Society of British Columbia and Trinity Western University.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>TWU is a privately funded, evangelical
Christian university seeking to establish a faith-based law school.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
TWU has faced an uphill battle
since it first submitted a proposal to the Federation of Law Societies of
Canada.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After conducting a
thorough review of the proposal, the Federation granted its approval for a
faculty of law at TWU.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However,
the law societies of BC, Ontario and Nova Scotia declined to accredit future
graduates of the school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
have been court challenges in each of the three provinces, with differing
results. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In April 2014, after a rigorous
debate of the issues, the Benchers of the LSBC approved the school. A few
months later, they reversed their decision in response to pressure from members
of the Society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The matter went
before the BC Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. Both courts found for TWU.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Appeal Court, in its November
2016 decision, found that the LSBC resolution not to approve the proposed law
school at TWU would have a “severe impact” on the religious freedom rights of
the faith-based community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>LSBC
has said it will appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Canada.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The cause of all of this
litigation arises from one clause in the university’s Community Covenant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The controversial clause defines
marriage as between a man and a woman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Critics say the clause is homophobic and discriminatory. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The clause may deter students in
same-sex marriages from applying to the faculty of law. In this sense, it is
discriminatory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, this does
not mean that the TWU community is homophobic. In fact, hateful attitudes,
speech and actions against LGBTQ individuals would violate the covenant; the
covenant stresses the innate, God-given dignity, and worth of every
individual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The innate dignity of the
individual is a basic principle of Christianity and is crucial to the Christian
identity – an identity that the TWU community takes seriously.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The evangelical Christian
identity is founded on a personal relationship with Jesus. Jesus was a friend
to the marginalized, the rejected, and the despised – in short, to the
“other”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While he may not
have always approved of an individual’s choices or lifestyle, he always
honoured and respected the individual. When members of the TWU community sign
the covenant, they are also pledging to be more Christ-like towards those that
are “other”. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
TWU’s view of marriage goes
against the grain of contemporary society. Nevertheless, the TWU community must
be allowed to uphold its Biblical view of marriage. There is nothing inherently
discriminatory or intolerant about a group that makes a distinction between
sacramental and civic marriage. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Appeal Court noted that there
is no “downstream” effect flowing from the TWU covenant. In other words, there
is no evidence that TWU graduates are homophobic. There is nothing to suggest
that TWU would turn out bigoted lawyers incapable of upholding the laws of the
land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In their well-intentioned defense
of LGBTQ rights, some Benchers and members of the Society described the TWU
biblical view of marriage as “abhorrent”, “archaic”, and “hypocritical”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is strong
language.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its intent may have been
to show support for same-sex marriage and LGBTQ human rights. Still, it reveals
an intolerant attitude towards religious sexual morality, in general, and the
TWU community, in particular. This makes the Society’s decision not to approve
the proposed faculty of law at TWU seem punitive. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In our attempts to protect one
group’s rights, we run the risk of becoming intolerant towards another. A
society serious about promoting tolerance must allow a minority group to hold
an unpopular view (providing it causes no harm to the public interest).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In the words of the Appeal
Court,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“A society that does not
admit of and accommodate differences cannot be a free and democratic society –
one in which its citizens are free to think, to disagree, to debate and to
challenge the accepted view without fear of reprisal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This case demonstrates that a well-intentioned majority
acting in the name of tolerance and liberalism, can, if unchecked, impose its
views on the minority in a manner that is in itself intolerant and illiberal.”</div>
Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-55352707175997547622016-11-24T13:13:00.001-08:002016-11-24T13:19:38.886-08:00Rituals around death may help us live better<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
From Halloween on October 31 to
All Soul’s Day on November 2, death gets a cultural nod from us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does this cultural nod at death fulfill
some deep seated human need?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We don’t have to be historians to
recognize that Halloween is connected in some way with death and dying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just walk around any
neighbourhood in the days preceding Halloween and you will notice graveyards
springing up on front lawns and ghosts flittering among the trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Walking around a tony Toronto
neighbourhood last week, I spotted a macabre Halloween display that would have
made a fitting set for a horror flick. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The foundations of today’s
celebration of Halloween may go back to the Celtic celebration of Samhain and
the Roman feast of Feralia.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Celts celebrated Samhain as autumn
gave way to winter and vegetation died.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Celts believed that for one night a year the spirits of those who
had died the preceding year roamed the earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They needed to entertain and feed the spirits, as well as
protect themselves from any malevolence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They dressed like witches, ghosts or goblins to deter evil spirits from
taking possession of their bodies, and they left treats on the doorstep for
good spirits. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Romans celebration of
Feralia, like Samhain, was a time to commemorate the dead. The Romans honored
the graves of the deceased with wreaths made of tile, and they left grain, salt
and bread soaked in wine to nourish the shades.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As Christianity spread through the
Roman world, people began celebrating All Hallow’s Eve on October 31, the night
before All Saint’s Day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the 16<sup>th</sup>
century in France, children were dressing up in grizzly costumes to perform the
Dance of the Macabre. In this allegorical dance, a skeleton rose from the grave
and led both the dead and the living in a dance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dance was a reminder that Death claims everyone,
regardless of a person’s station in life.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In 998, Odilo, abbot of a
Benedictine monastery in Cluny, France designated November 2 as a day to pray
for the deceased members of his community. Odilo’s idea took hold, and by the 14<sup>th</sup> century,
November 2 had become the Feast of All Soul’s Day.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
While prayers for the dead are a
staple of All Soul’s Day, people still observe other traditional rituals that
commemorate their deceased loved ones. When I grew up, communal prayer at the
cemetery on All Soul’s Day was common, as was leaving flowers at the grave of
the beloved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In some countries,
people leave food at the gravesite, or set a place at the table for their
deceased loved ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The similarities between ancient
pagan practices and our rituals around Halloween and All Soul’s Day are
obvious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While we might think some
of these rituals are superstitious, morbid, silly or good old-fashioned fun,
they have endured in some form for millennia. This suggests our rituals serve a
purpose of which we may be unaware. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-iRkmDRGTr1JmzzujLh1D8FVSEkqUo3u-Q67Yp3gWJA4SWJCV5AlUzpDsLCZ6NMKuoQUdX_pmr3Lw3f4IBZszMyx2ujtDvLRNVE_o2Q-qayPPwqYx6gMcUy-J495WeYJq1HZBNsFCob8/s1600/IMG_4193_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-iRkmDRGTr1JmzzujLh1D8FVSEkqUo3u-Q67Yp3gWJA4SWJCV5AlUzpDsLCZ6NMKuoQUdX_pmr3Lw3f4IBZszMyx2ujtDvLRNVE_o2Q-qayPPwqYx6gMcUy-J495WeYJq1HZBNsFCob8/s320/IMG_4193_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The creepier Halloween
decorations may serve a function similar to that of Grimm’s Fairy Tales.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bruno Bettleheim, in the seminal work
On The Uses of Enchantment, posited that gruesome fairy tales played an
important role in helping children resolve inner conflict. Perhaps menacing
Halloween graveyard scenes are a subconscious attempt to gain mastery over our
fears about death and dying, as well as other things that we cannot control.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
And what of the rituals around
praying for the dead?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a
child, I found the rituals a bit odd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I never considered that I would die so visiting the cemetery didn’t make
much sense to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But as I age and
death gets closer, my thinking has changed. These rituals can help us accept
our mortality with a bit more grace, especially since we live in a culture
obsessed with youthfulness, a culture that some describe as “death denying”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Unless the ebb and flow of life
forces us, we don’t typically give much thought to death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a couple of days a year, as we
harvest the last pumpkin, as the leaves fall from the trees, as children
excitedly traipse around in costume collecting treats, and as the faithful visit
the graves of their beloved, we give death a nod. That nod might just help us
become better at the act of living. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-17015662713271438792016-11-24T13:13:00.000-08:002016-11-24T13:14:03.920-08:00Rituals around death may help us live better<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
From Halloween on October 31 to
All Soul’s Day on November 2, death gets a cultural nod from us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does this cultural nod at death fulfill
some deep seated human need?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We don’t have to be historians to
recognize that Halloween is connected in some way with death and dying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just walk around any
neighbourhood in the days preceding Halloween and you will notice graveyards
springing up on front lawns and ghosts flittering among the trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Walking around a tony Toronto
neighbourhood last week, I spotted a macabre Halloween display that would have
made a fitting set for a horror flick. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The foundations of today’s
celebration of Halloween may go back to the Celtic celebration of Samhain and
the Roman feast of Feralia.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Celts celebrated Samhain as autumn
gave way to winter and vegetation died.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Celts believed that for one night a year the spirits of those who
had died the preceding year roamed the earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They needed to entertain and feed the spirits, as well as
protect themselves from any malevolence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They dressed like witches, ghosts or goblins to deter evil spirits from
taking possession of their bodies, and they left treats on the doorstep for
good spirits. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Romans celebration of
Feralia, like Samhain, was a time to commemorate the dead. The Romans honored
the graves of the deceased with wreaths made of tile, and they left grain, salt
and bread soaked in wine to nourish the shades.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As Christianity spread through the
Roman world, people began celebrating All Hallow’s Eve on October 31, the night
before All Saint’s Day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the 16<sup>th</sup>
century in France, children were dressing up in grizzly costumes to perform the
Dance of the Macabre. In this allegorical dance, a skeleton rose from the grave
and led both the dead and the living in a dance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dance was a reminder that Death claims everyone,
regardless of a person’s station in life.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In 998, Odilo, abbot of a
Benedictine monastery in Cluny, France designated November 2 as a day to pray
for the deceased members of his community. Odilo’s idea took hold, and by the 14<sup>th</sup> century,
November 2 had become the Feast of All Soul’s Day.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
While prayers for the dead are a
staple of All Soul’s Day, people still observe other traditional rituals that
commemorate their deceased loved ones. When I grew up, communal prayer at the
cemetery on All Soul’s Day was common, as was leaving flowers at the grave of
the beloved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In some countries,
people leave food at the gravesite, or set a place at the table for their
deceased loved ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The similarities between ancient
pagan practices and our rituals around Halloween and All Soul’s Day are
obvious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While we might think some
of these rituals are superstitious, morbid, silly or good old-fashioned fun,
they have endured in some form for millennia. This suggests our rituals serve a
purpose of which we may be unaware. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-iRkmDRGTr1JmzzujLh1D8FVSEkqUo3u-Q67Yp3gWJA4SWJCV5AlUzpDsLCZ6NMKuoQUdX_pmr3Lw3f4IBZszMyx2ujtDvLRNVE_o2Q-qayPPwqYx6gMcUy-J495WeYJq1HZBNsFCob8/s1600/IMG_4193_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-iRkmDRGTr1JmzzujLh1D8FVSEkqUo3u-Q67Yp3gWJA4SWJCV5AlUzpDsLCZ6NMKuoQUdX_pmr3Lw3f4IBZszMyx2ujtDvLRNVE_o2Q-qayPPwqYx6gMcUy-J495WeYJq1HZBNsFCob8/s320/IMG_4193_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The creepier Halloween
decorations may serve a function similar to that of Grimm’s Fairy Tales.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bruno Bettleheim, in the seminal work
On The Uses of Enchantment, posited that gruesome fairy tales played an
important role in helping children resolve inner conflict. Perhaps menacing
Halloween graveyard scenes are a subconscious attempt to gain mastery over our
fears about death and dying, as well as other things that we cannot control.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
And what of the rituals around
praying for the dead?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a
child, I found the rituals a bit odd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I never considered that I would die so visiting the cemetery didn’t make
much sense to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But as I age and
death gets closer, my thinking has changed. These rituals can help us accept
our mortality with a bit more grace, especially since we live in a culture
obsessed with youthfulness, a culture that some describe as “death denying”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Unless the ebb and flow of life
forces us, we don’t typically give much thought to death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a couple of days a year, as we
harvest the last pumpkin, as the leaves fall from the trees, as children
excitedly traipse around in costume collecting treats, and as the faithful visit
the graves of their beloved, we give death a nod. That nod might just help us
become better at the act of living. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-89341997990740824102016-10-11T15:36:00.004-07:002016-10-11T15:36:37.964-07:00"In the Middle of Things: The Spirituality of Everyday Life"<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I first met <a href="http://www.pdcrawford.com/" target="_blank"><b>Paul Crawford </b></a>one Sunday after Mass about a decade ago. I knew something was different that Sunday before I walked into the church. I could hear the organ and it sounded like a concert in a cathedral. After Mass, I introduced myself to the man who was able to coax such beautiful sound out of our parish's simple instrument. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Paul is not only a musician. He is also a writer. His new book, "In the Middle of Things: The Spirituality of Everyday Life" takes a different approach to popular books on spirituality which frequently fall into the "how-to" category.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3mdWmUvLAVm9DrL7WIQAzvVS8cNMDkiOIx_WrS7v0YUvj75tGkdi9tjGlDHXZS5knmbHAZ23CimnO-3SmLz-x8AKfwoGD8T_3LKQlpyTTfJ7QOOfJ5H3JCfK9T9xH5Q46MFcCxAmZcw/s1600/1773021354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3mdWmUvLAVm9DrL7WIQAzvVS8cNMDkiOIx_WrS7v0YUvj75tGkdi9tjGlDHXZS5knmbHAZ23CimnO-3SmLz-x8AKfwoGD8T_3LKQlpyTTfJ7QOOfJ5H3JCfK9T9xH5Q46MFcCxAmZcw/s1600/1773021354.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“In the Middle of Things" is a broad and comprehensive
discussion of spirituality. Crawford preaches no creed. Rather, he draws on the
wisdom of the major religious traditions to illustrate that spirituality is a
natural human capacity for finding meaning in life. Infused with quotations
from scientists, artists, sages, and sacred texts, “In the Middle of Things”
reflects the author’s extensive academic background in interdisciplinary
studies, as well as his life experience as a musician, teacher, and person of
faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“In The Middle Of Things”
is a book of big concepts and deep thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Unlike much of contemporary,
popular literature on spirituality, the reader will not find clichés,
platitudes, or techniques for developing his or her spiritual nature. “In The
Middle of Things” does not provide the reader with a path to follow. Instead,
the author invites the reader to delve deeply into various questions with him
as he explores his own thinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Do we have what we need? Why do we get in our own way so often? Why is
an end always a beginning?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He invites
the reader to decipher the mystery of being. Are we able to see with the eyes
of paradox, to find light in darkness, completeness in incompleteness, strength
in weakness, life in death? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I read through its pages, I
frequently found myself in dialogue with “In The Middle of Things”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was able to take the dialogue
one step further when Crawford and I sat down one afternoon to talk about the
book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had planned to ask
Crawford a bunch of questions, but our conversation proceeded quite differently
than my attempts to orchestrate. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The structure of “In The Middle
Of Things” reminded me of a musical composition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is no accident coming from an author who is also a
musician. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our conversation, like
the book, was non-linear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It did
not move sequentially from point to point. It flowed from idea to idea, and
circled back upon itself to clarify a thought, to add a new insight or to
promote an exchange. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Spirituality does ask something
of us”, said Crawford. “It asks that we be life-long learners” but not in the
sense of acquiring objective facts and knowledge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our culture, with its emphasis on scientific inquiry
and reliance on technology, conditions us to doubt our spiritual capacity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“We think that things that are
corroborated by science are more authentic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can’t accept a piece of knowledge unless we have
scientific evidence.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet,
we intuit the transcendent, and know it in those ineffable “take-our-breath”
away experiences.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“We learn from love empowered
experiences” when we are centered in the present and when we recognize our
interdependency.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Interdependency
is not a popular idea; we prize autonomy and independence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crawford uses the title of a 1981 film,
“Whose Life Is It Anyway?” to reflect on personal autonomy and interdependency.
Do we have the right to act as an autonomous individual, without regard for the
effect of our actions on others? Or, do we have a responsibility to act as a
participant in the whole of life? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Living in the present gets a lot
of attention in books about spirituality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perhaps this is because we have difficulty allowing life to unfold from
moment to moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“We want to
interject. We need to learn how not to do, so we can really live in the
present.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The next time you are shopping
for a book, take a few moments to browse the spiritual titles in the self-help
section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You will find a lot of
spiritual gurus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crawford suggests
that we don’t need a guru.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why?
“The fundamental reality out of which we come is love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We already have everything we
need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reality of God is within
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The truth dwells within.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In a famous essay, 17<sup>th</sup>
century English philosopher Francis Bacon wrote, “Some books are to be tasted,
others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” More
philosophical than the standard fare on spirituality, “In The Middle of Things”
gives the reader plenty of food for thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"In the Middle of Things: The Spirituality of Everyday Life" by Paul D. Crawford is available from both <b><a href="https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/home/search/?keywords=In%20the%20Middle%20of%20Things%3A%20The%20Spirituality%20of%20Everyday%20Life" target="_blank">Chapters/Indigo</a> </b>and <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Middle-Things-Spirituality-Everyday-Life/dp/1773021370" target="_blank"><b>Amazon</b></a>. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-35534501054498129792016-09-07T10:11:00.004-07:002016-09-07T10:11:56.957-07:00And still catching up...<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thoughts inspired by Michelle Obama's speech at the 2016 National Democratic Convention:</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Cracking the glass ceiling takes time<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There were lots of good speeches
at the 2016 National Democratic Convention, but it was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZNWYqDU948" target="_blank"><span style="color: #674ea7;"><b><i>Michelle Obama’s speech</i></b></span></a> that stayed with me. I took an important message from the First Lady’s speech
that has little to do with the American Presidential election. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Obama told a story that was both
personal and social. As she talked
about her history and that of Hillary Clinton’s, she was also telling the story
of a nation. She framed the nation’s
story in terms of the contemporary metaphor of the glass ceiling. When people persevere through
adversity, through the “lash of bondage, the shame of servitude, the sting of
segregation”, they change society for the better. Because of the cumulative efforts of others, she, a black
woman “wake(s) up every morning in a house built by slaves”, and today’s
children “now take for granted
that a woman can be President of the United States”. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even as recently as a decade ago,
not everyone assumed that a black man or a woman could become the president of
the United States. In his 2006
release “Lookin’ For a Leader”, Neil Young crooned, “Someone walks among us/
And I hope he hears the call/And maybe it’s a woman/Or a black man after
all.” Young expressed hope that a
change in the status quo was not only possible but also imminent. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Changing the status quo takes
time. Glass ceilings exist in all sorts of places. Unless you happen to be
especially privileged or lucky, chances are that you or someone you know has
bumped their head trying to break through. I do not have to think too long or
hard to come up with examples from my experience. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When we were advocating for equal
access in sport for girls in our area, we frequently ran into barriers. It was
tough sledding. Each successive barrier caused a bruise, but steeled our
determination. One summer, we banged our heads harder than usual.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Organizers of a summer hockey
camp refused to enrol our daughter simply because she was a girl; it was not a
question of skill or ability. To say the least, it was frustrating, not to
mention discriminatory. But, it
was also part of the process of making cracks. Today, attitudes and practices have changed to the point
that the successor school lists a female collegiate hockey player as an
instructor on its website. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Changing the status quo takes
honesty, decency, conviction and perseverance. It takes a united effort on the
part of others. The First Lady spoke about the importance of modelling these
principles for the next generation. When she shared her family’s motto, “when
they go low, we go high”, she reminded me of my own up bringing. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I can still hear my mother’s voice
advising me ‘two wrongs don’t make a right’ when I wanted to get even with
someone. The high road is the best
defense and the best offence against those who vainly try to stop the forward
momentum of change. Some patches are not meant to hold. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even though the purpose of
Michelle Obama’s speech was to endorse Hillary Clinton, and was therefore
political in nature, the First Lady’s remarks transcended the contemporary
American political scene. For me,
the key message was this. Like a
nick in a windshield from a small piece of gravel, the tiniest crack has the potential
to spread. So whether one is a politician or an ordinary Joe, our actions
matter. Our individual stories
have a ripple effect. Together we write the story of our communities and our
country.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Thoughts on the Rio 2016 Olympic Games:</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was tired of Rio 2016 even
before the opening ceremonies.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There was way too much coverage
of everything that was wrong and little of what was right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only good news story that I can
recall prior to the opening ceremonies was the creation of Team Refugee, and
once the Olympics began, Team Refugee virtually disappeared from view. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The “trending stories” about Rio 2016
focused on controversy, scandal, or bad news. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">John Steinbeck hit the nail on
the head when he said,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“We value
virtue but do not discuss it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
honest bookkeeper, the faithful wife, the earnest scholar get little of our
attention compared to the embezzler, the tramp and the cheat.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This fits the media coverage and
our taste when it came to Olympic news. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are a few examples of the bad news associated with the Rio 2016 Games.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Brazil spent vast amounts of
money to host the games when a majority of its citizens live in poverty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bribery played a huge role in the
awarding of contracts to construct Olympic venues. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Politicians and public servants lined their pockets. The rich
got richer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The polluted waters of Guanabara
Bay raised concerns. There were fears that athletes and visitors would contract
water-borne diseases. There
was less concern about the citizens who live with this reality daily.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Days before the games were set to
begin, the Australians refused to stay in sub-standard, unfinished dormitories.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Accepting bribes apparently did
not ensure that a good product would be delivered on time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The state sanctioned Russian
doping scandal broke. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
International Olympic Committee made a controversial decision regarding the
participation of Russian athletes and passed the buck to the various sports
federations. Russian officials denied and scorned the McLaren report.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fans booed some of the Russian athletes
who did get to compete.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Part way through the two-week
games, Brazilian police arrested Patrick Hickey of the International Olympic
Committee on allegations of illegal ticket selling. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">American swimmer Ryan Lochte, who
has won twelve Olympic medals, embellished an incident, saying he was robbed
while a gun was pointed at his head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fallout from his dissembling lasted
for days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lochte may have apologized,
but the affair demonstrated the arrogance of privilege.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Brazilian women’s
synchronized dive team made headlines for a so called “sex scandal”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The night before their competition, one
of the divers banished her teammate from their room to clear the way for a
tryst.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is all so human.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In every instance we see the
imperfection of our common human nature. But for some reason, we expect better
from those involved with running, hosting and competing in the Olympics
Games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We naively expect that the athletic
excellence on display at an Olympics will automatically translate into virtuous
and exemplary behavior from everyone involved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are disappointed and disillusioned when the flaws of
humanity overshadow the lofty ideals of the Olympic movement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had to look hard to find good
news stories that were not focused solely on athletic performance. One story in
particular caught my eye because it showed the more admirable side of human
nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>New Zealand runner Nikki
Hamblin and American runner Abby D’Agostino exemplified the Olympic spirit of
selflessness and sportsmanship during a 5000-meter race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hamblin fell, causing D’Agostino to fall
and sustain an injury. The women helped each other up. Both completed the race.
They received the International Fair Play Award, a prestigious honour that has
only been awarded 17 times in Olympic history.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the goals of the Olympic
movement is to put sport at the service of society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes, the goal gets twisted. Instead of sport at the
service of society, we see examples of sport at the service of self.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We should not be surprised that
the best and worst of human behaviour made an appearance at the Rio 2016
Games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of day, the
Olympic games are a microcosm of human nature with its mixture of the good, the
bad and the ugly.</span></div>
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Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-12007805689786141722016-09-07T10:02:00.000-07:002016-09-07T10:02:01.196-07:00Still catching up<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>On learning to be idle:</b></span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Never do today what someone else can do tomorrow.” In the same category is an Italian saying <i>il bel far niente</i>, or, “the beauty of doing nothing”. These adages seem to advocate laziness, selfishness and irresponsibility, but I think there’s a deeper wisdom at play. Doing nothing is good for us.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The pace of our life is not particularly conducive to doing nothing. We frown upon idleness. Previous generations grew up with the proverb “idle hands are the devil’s tools”, and associated idleness with falling into temptation and causing trouble. Today,<i> </i>we associate it with a lack of ambition and laziness. Western society has conditioned us to believe that we must be constantly busy, and that busyness gives us value as individuals.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even when we are wasting time, we like to appear busy. Take our obsession with checking our cell phones as an example. Some research has found that people check their phone on average 85 times per day and spend almost one third of their time using their phone. Checking our phone gives us something to do; it keeps us busy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We could condemn “never do today what someone else can do tomorrow” as procrastination. Or, we could consider it to be a playful philosophy that nurtures an appreciation for life, and helps us to find something extraordinary in the ordinary. So, while it may be a poor strategy for getting things done, <i>il bel far niente</i> is a good strategy for restoring the spirit and bringing a sense of joy to our daily activities.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The beauty of doing nothing makes me think of the Jewish account of creation. It is a story mostly about work, but also about rest. Every day for six days, God labours to bring a new idea to fruition. God fashions the heavens and the earth, day and night, land and sea, plants, animals, and finally humans. On the seventh day, delighted with the work, God does nothing; he hangs out in the garden with the man and the woman.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">God, I imagine, enjoyed the break from work and found it to be very good. Looking at work and rest in this way, doing nothing becomes a spiritual imperative. It is necessary for the well being of the human spirit.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDhlJIWM3j-2Qv6sfeuQmP2AHC4IZrGXLKE-BaUKkDd0acES7CGjfu-GYL6ktNSVbc5psGk0kAkIEJ7qmvkj_IKxpeekXfNZtSxFZC0XAfsWngpAD8luk_CMRa6PTgzDXr6aedI_GQ28/s1600/IMG_0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDhlJIWM3j-2Qv6sfeuQmP2AHC4IZrGXLKE-BaUKkDd0acES7CGjfu-GYL6ktNSVbc5psGk0kAkIEJ7qmvkj_IKxpeekXfNZtSxFZC0XAfsWngpAD8luk_CMRa6PTgzDXr6aedI_GQ28/s320/IMG_0009.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Paradoxically, doing nothing requires that we do something. This makes holidays a prime time to explore various ways of being idle without feeling guilty. So, on a recent vacation, after giving myself permission to be lazy, selfish and irresponsible, I searched out moments of idleness. Some of those moments involved playing cards and board games with my family. Other moments were solitary, sitting quietly listening to the sounds of the world around me or watching the play of light on the water. But, one moment in particular showed me that doing nothing could be unexpectedly beautiful.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was having a leisurely swim in one of the spectacular mountains lakes of the West Kootenay region of British Columbia. Typically, I approach swimming as a form of exercise. My goal is usually to swim lengths as fast as I can for as long as possible. But this day, my mindset was different. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I glided through the water, I noticed the spectrum of blue in the sky above. At one end of the spectrum was the classic deep blue of a Kootenay summer that I know so well. At the other was the pale white blue that characterizes the Italian sky but which I had never noticed here before. It was an extraordinary moment of awareness while doing something very ordinary. I would have missed it but for <i>il bel far niente. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There is a spiritual intuition at the heart of doing nothing; periods of leisure enrich our soul, nurture our relationships and increase our awareness of creation. There is nothing lazy, selfish or irresponsible about doing nothing some of the time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Idle hands…” I don’t think so.</span></div>
Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-21941656804109631502016-09-07T09:33:00.001-07:002016-09-07T09:33:25.228-07:00Catching up continued<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Reading suggestions <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Whether you are sitting in the
shade of a tree or basking in the sun on a lounger, summertime invites reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Presently I have several books on the
go, and finishing them is my top reading priority.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Joy-Living-Unlocking-Science-Happiness/dp/0307347311/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473265607&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Joy+of+Living" target="_blank"><span style="color: #674ea7;"><b>The Joy of Living</b></span></a></i> by Buddhist meditation master Yongey Mingyur
Rinpoche is another book on my “to complete” list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Joy of Living</i>,
Buddhist meditation master Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche discusses how our thought
patterns influence our sense of well-being, and guides the reader through the
basics of awareness meditation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Written with humor and wisdom, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Joy of Living </i>is a must read for
anyone interested in calming their “monkey mind”. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am also part way through <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Land-Where-Lemons-Grow-PARTICULAR/dp/B00SQCXUMY/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473265380&sr=1-2&keywords=the+land+where+lemons+grow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #674ea7;"><b><i>The Land Where Lemons Grow: The Story of Italy and Its Citrus Fruit </i></b></span></a>by Helena Attlee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Attlee combines horticulture, cuisine, history and art as
she explores the fascinating history of citrus fruits in Italy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Some of the books that I enjoyed
reading this year include the following.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Time-Between-Novel-Maria-Duenas-ebook/dp/B004W3IW2E/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473265412&sr=1-1&keywords=the+time+in+between+by+maria+duenas" target="_blank"><span style="color: #674ea7;">The Time in Between</span></a> </b></i>by Maria Duenas is the story of Sira Quiroga.
The reader first meets Sira when she is twelve years old sweeping the floor of
a prestigious dress making shop in Madrid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We follow her to Morocco, where her unscrupulous lover
steals her inheritance and abandons her. Left to pay his debts, Sira becomes a couturiere
for the wives of Nazi officers, and eventually enters the world of espionage as
a spy for the Allies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Time in Between </i>was an international
bestseller. It was also a hit Spanish mini-series. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I streamed the
first episode on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">DramaFever</i> and I
could become as hooked on this series as I was on Downton Abbey.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Quebec author Jocelyne Saucier’s
novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Birds-Rained-Down-Jocelyne-Saucier/dp/1552452689/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473265457&sr=1-1&keywords=and+the+birds+rained+down+by+jocelyne+saucier" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #674ea7;">And The Birds Rained Down</span></b></a></i> deals
with themes of isolation and self-determination, particularly in relation to
dying. This makes the novel relevant to the national discussion on
physician-assisted death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A trio
of old men, Tom, Charlie and the recently deceased Ted live in the wild, each
in their separate camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Death and
dying surround the men as they hunt and trap and as the life giving days of
summer give way to the cold, dark of winter. Each keeps a box of poison on a
shelf and the men have a pact to help each other die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Readers who are beginning to
question their memory may find some consolation in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Seven-Sins-Memory-Forgets-Remembers-ebook/dp/B003ZSISSA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473265490&sr=8-1&keywords=the+seven+sins+of+memory" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #674ea7;">The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and Remembers.</span></b></a> </i>Psychologist<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>Daniel Schacter explores the “sins of
omission”, defined as the inability to call up a fact, event or idea, and the
“sins of commission” where a memory is present but is incorrect or
unwanted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Schacter uses a variety
of methods, including story telling, trial evidence and academic studies, to
illustrate and explain how the mind can play havoc with memory at any age.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Marie-Antoinette-Journey-Antonia-Fraser/dp/0385662874/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473266375&sr=1-1&keywords=marie+antoinette" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #674ea7;">Marie Antoinette: The Journey</span></b></a></i> by Antonia Fraser is a sympathetic
look at the unfortunate French queen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At age fourteen, the Austrian archduchess was married to the French
dauphin and thrust into a political role that she was ill prepared to
assume.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The French were highly
suspicious of Austria and Antoinette was an easy target for anti-Austrian
sentiment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fraser argues that
French xenophobia attributed Antoinette with saying, “Let them eat cake”, an
expression that the French had applied to every foreign queen since the mid-17<sup>th</sup>
century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nor was she the
promiscuous woman portrayed in the salacious cartoons of the day. Married to an
ineffectual king whom she refused to abandon to secure her own safety, Fraser
shows Antoinette for the tragic figure that she was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I wrote this, a storm was
brewing over the lake. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was a very good time for reading. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-61347996718560476592016-09-07T09:18:00.000-07:002016-09-07T09:18:14.059-07:00Catching up<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It has been a busy summer, and I have neglected posting. Below are some columns from the last months.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On fathers:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The role of fathers continues to evolve<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The first Father’s Day was
observed in Spokane, Washington on June 19, 1910. Since that time, the role of a father has evolved to include
greater participation in a child’s day-to- day life.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">According to the Library of
Congress “Wise Guide”, Sonora Dodd gets the credit for the day on which we
honor fathers. Dodd’s father was a
widower whose wife died in childbirth. Dobb, who was sixteen at the time,
helped her father raise her five younger brothers. She came up with the idea
for Father’s Day while listening to a sermon on Mother’s Day. She asked churches in her area to put
aside a Sunday in June (the month of her father’s birth) to celebrate
fathers. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While there was support for
Dodd’s idea, there was also opposition.
Some thought sentiment would be an affront to manliness. In 1916,
President Woodrow Wilson, who had signed the proclamation for Mother’s Day,
endorsed the idea, although he stopped short of signing a similar proclamation
for fathers. In 1924, the idea for
Father’s Day achieved a national boost from President Calvin Coolidge; Coolidge
publicly supported Father’s Day as a way to “establish more intimate relations
between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers the full measure
of their obligations.” During
World War II, Americans began to associate Father’s Day with the honoring of troops.
Father’s Day finally received formal recognition in 1972 when President Richard
Nixon signed an official proclamation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is not surprising that Dodd
conceived the idea of Father’s Day while sitting in church because the
Judeo-Christian tradition uses the image of a father to describe God.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The metaphor of God as father
appears about twenty times in the Hebrew Scriptures, according to scholars who
count these sorts of things. God is the father of Israel or of its king. In the context of the salvation history
of ancient Israel, the metaphor expressed God’s steadfast love for the nation.
The Scriptures also portray God as a protective father of the defenseless,
typified in the widow and orphan.
The prophets compared the fatherly God to a potter, molding the
character of the people and guiding them along right paths.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the New Testament, where there
are about one hundred seventy references to God as father, Jesus refers to God
as “Father” and calls God “Abba” or “Daddy”. In the “Our Father”, the most beloved of all Christian
prayers, Jesus teaches his followers to entrust themselves to their heavenly
father who longs to take care of them. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While the Bible is not a
parenting manual, the metaphorical language describing God as “Father” paints a
tender picture. A father in the biblical mode is present to the unfolding of his
child’s life from infancy through adulthood. Loving, wise, consistent and firm,
he attends to his child’s material and emotional needs.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The biblical representation of
father stands in sharp contrast to the “dummy down” dad portrayed in television
sit-coms. The dufus dad, exemplified in Homer Simpson, is immature, unaware,
and individualistic. Lacking insight and wisdom, he bumbles his way through his
child’s life.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Harry Chapin, in his classic 1976
hit “Cat’s in the Cradle”, described another type of father. The workaholic
father advances his career to the detriment of his relationship with his child.
Physically and emotionally absent, he fails to forge the father-child bond. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thankfully, the majority of fathers
fall somewhere along this spectrum of extremes. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When Darwin posited his theory of
evolution, he wasn’t thinking about fathers, but the role of fathers is
definitely evolving. I see this
evolution at literacy programs where dads sit in circles with their toddler
singing nursery songs. I see it
when dads walk their child to and from school. Along with more traditional
activities like coaching ball, soccer or hockey, today’s dad is changing
diapers, reading stories, playing make-believe, and attending play dates, as
well as cooking, cleaning and shopping.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is a good thing. Research in parenting indicates that
when fathers are actively involved with their children, the child develops
stronger language skills and has fewer behavioral problems; socially and
intellectually, the child thrives. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Coolidge would probably be
pleased to see fathers taking on new responsibilities and growing closer to
their children. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No longer content
to just “bring home the bacon”, more dads are providing their children with the
“daily bread” that nourishes body, mind and spirit. Granted, the majority of mothers still shoulder the bulk of
child-rearing responsibilities, but then evolution, even in parenting, is a
slow process. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
<br />
<br />Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-77953196670722533422016-06-13T16:52:00.001-07:002016-06-13T16:52:39.035-07:00Independent Schools are good for society<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The British Columbia Teacher
Federation wants the BC government to stop funding private schools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The BCTF argument against the
subsidy to independent schools goes like this. BC’s public schools are
chronically underfunded. The redirection of provincial subsidies from private
to public schools would help alleviate funding shortfalls and remedy some of
the problems – such as a loss of specialist teachers and school closures - that
school districts face. The BCTF wants British Columbians to believe that the
independent school system is receiving “unacceptable increases of public
subsidy”, to quote Federation president Jim Iker. The narrative insinuates that public funding of
independent schools undermines the public school system and is a step towards
the privatization of education. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Is the narrative correct? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>Most independent schools are not "private"</i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The BCTF refers to all
independent schools as “private”.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The term “private school” is misleading when speaking about BC’s
independent schools.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Private
school” conjures up elite educational institutions for the privileged where
parents pay buckets of money to give their children a leg up in the world.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Only about 5% of independent schools in
BC are “private” according to this definition.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Faith based schools and schools that offer different
teaching/learning styles, such as Montessori schools, are the most common type
of independent school. Referring to all independent schools as “private” fuels
resentment against independent schools, which serve many children and
communities well. It leads people to wrongly assume that BC has a two-tier
system of education that favours the wealthy; partial government funding for a
child’s education in the independent system removes barriers to access for many
families.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>The funding formula </i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For funding purposes, two categories
of independent schools receive grants.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Group 1 schools receive 50% of the per-student funding that public
schools receive. These schools spend the same or less as the local school
district to educate a student. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Group
2 schools receive 35%, and spend more per student. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Independent schools assume full fiscal responsibility for
building, equipment and land; there are no public grants for capital
costs.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The operating grant to
independent schools is about $341 million (roughly 6%) of the $5.6 billion that BC spends on
education, and services approximately 13% of the province’s student body.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This funding formula has been in
effect for twenty-five years. Contrary to Iker’s assertion, there has not been
an increase in the public subsidy to independent schools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More taxpayer dollars are going to
independent schools because student enrolment has increased, not because the
government has increased the per-pupil operating grant. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>The two systems strengthen education</i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Independent schools in no way
undermine or threaten a healthy public school system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two systems have co-existed since the
establishment of BC’s first Catholic schools in the mid 1800’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a synergy between the two that
inspires individual schools to provide the best possible learning environments
for their students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Having two
systems keeps everyone on their toes. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Without independent schools, the
public schools would have a monopoly on education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A monopoly is rarely a good thing. It can encourage
complacency and a lack of accountability, and it limits choice, upon which our
society places a high value.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Parental choice in education is a
right recognized in practice and in international law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In an interview on Radio Labor, Iker
said, “We have no issue of parents choosing which school they want to but it
should not be subsidized by any public dollars.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While that position may be appealing in fiscally challenging
times, it is contrary to the spirit of parental choice in a democracy, and
would effectively eliminate Group 1 schools.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><i>Independent schools save taxpayer dollars</i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Without public dollars, the
majority of Group 1 schools, who are more cash strapped than their public
school counterparts, would have to close their doors. That could potentially
send 60,000 students into a system that, according to the BCTF, is chronically
underfunded. The government would need to come up with an additional 50% more
funding for operating costs, to say nothing of the money required for capital
costs. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As a former educator, parent and
volunteer with experience in the public and Catholic school systems, I have
seen the value of both for students. The two systems provide different learning
environments for children and parents of diverse needs. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Options in education are
good for children and serve society well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When it comes to education, one
size does not fit all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taking from
Peter to give to Paul is not the solution for a lack of public school funding,
nor would it improve the quality of our children’s education. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-70714286544366190732016-06-09T21:14:00.000-07:002016-06-09T21:14:38.377-07:00Body image issues begin early<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
My two and a half year old
granddaughter has an eye for fashion. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has her favorite outfits and she is fond of accessories. She
likes to wear beads like Granny, and my earrings are a source of great
interest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s all very cute and
sweet, but I wonder if I should compliment her less frequently on her attire. I
don’t want her to grow up thinking that her value as a girl depends on her
appearance. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
She will get plenty of that
messaging from society and the media, as a recent edition of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Discovery Girls </i>magazine illustrates. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Discovery Girls </i>is for girls between
eight and 13 years of age, with a median age of 10.8 years. According to its
website, it has a readership of 900,000 in the United States. The magazine recently came under
fire for a swimsuit spread that taught little girls how to select a swimsuit.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The advice on curves<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>will make your head swim. “If you’re
curvy on top, coverage is key!” Side ties and cutouts will “draw the eye down”.
For the straight “up and down” body, “add curves with asymmetrical
straps”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too curvy? Minimize your
curves. Not curvy enough? Create the illusion of curves. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
For the chubby, “rounder in the
middle” girl who fancies bikinis, “high-waisted bottoms work best”, preferably
in big, block patterns for a slimming look.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #1d2129;">The
magazine’s publisher, Catherine Lee issued a lengthy apology on Facebook in
response to the backlash. “It is hard for me to believe that an article so
contrary to our magazine’s mission could have been published on our pages. I
have been at a loss for words for days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The article was supposed to be about finding cute, fun swimsuits that
make girls feel confident, but instead it focused on girls’ body image and had
a negative impact.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One would
expect the publisher to have a little more oversight on the kind of material
that makes it to press.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #1d2129;">How
indeed could the article, “so contrary” to the magazine’s purpose, make the
cut?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could it be that the swimsuit
spread reflects the magazine editors’ own attitudes about body image and
beauty?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could the editors have
been unaware of the extent to which years of exposure to media messaging about
the female body have shaped those attitudes?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #1d2129;">From
an early age, we are exposed to societal attitudes about beauty that influence
our idea of self and others. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today’s children are bombarded with thousands of messages
that idealize and sexualize the female body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They absorb these messages but lack the experience and
maturity to understand them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Discovery Girls</i> insinuated to its
impressionable young readers that their body is flawed and in need of concealing,
it reinforced adult perceptions about the relationship between beauty,
sexuality and self-worth. It stoked the flames of self-doubt. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #1d2129;">We
need to be building our girls up, not tearing them down with unrealistic ideals
of beauty. The same holds for our boys, who are increasingly exposed to images
of an ideal, ripped male body.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #1d2129;">Common
Sense Media reviewed research on body image in children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The results are disturbing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Children as young as five express dissatisfaction
with their bodies.” More than half of girls and one-third of boys aged six to
eight feel their ideal body is thinner than their current size.” “Body image
concerns start earlier than you think; even preschoolers learn that society
judges people by how they look.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #1d2129;">Children’s
preoccupation with their bodies is accelerating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Twenty plus years ago when my own children were
adolescences, I read Mary Pipher’s book,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
Finding Ophelia.</i> Pipher, a psychotherapist, described how society’s
attitudes about women made it difficult for adolescent girls to retain their
sense of self.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today, five year
olds of both sexes have similar issues. We are robbing our children of their
childhood. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #1d2129;">The experts
have lots of common sense advice to help parents (and grandparents) minimize
the potential harms of these unrealistic messages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Limit media consumption. Project a healthy attitude towards
your own body; “ban fat talk”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Encourage healthy activities – like play, sports, dance, or music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #1d2129;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #1d2129;">To
these I would add, recognize your child’s gifts, and celebrate them. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Help her discover that she is
wonderfully made, that her beauty radiates from within, and that there is no
one like her in the entire world. This will give her more confidence than a
swimsuit that hides curves, creates curves, or minimizes a pudgy middle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-67372222242659565902016-04-22T17:33:00.000-07:002016-04-22T17:33:23.187-07:00Finding allegory in Inky's great escape<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
There are some amazing stories of
pets finding their way home after long absences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, an octopus? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Octopi are intelligent, curious
creatures. They are so intelligent that aquarium keepers use an enrichment
manual to help ward off boredom for octopi in captivity. Aquarium octopi have
toys like Mr. Potato Head and Lego, and some can solve puzzles that have a
series of locks and keys. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
A couple of years ago, an octopus
named Inky got himself caught up in a crayfish pot and was in bad shape when a
New Zealand aquarium received him. But, despite the aquarium’s tender care and advanced
education program, it seems Inky had no intention of staying forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwsyJ8Dcnw_AhEKlhC0J99xxbixZIU7Ac4pbmg4RQvAxtTocWKEpfdeJZKTRcVtgVsLKfAJAQsqlmZT9BEUeSjT4e9O3GMidO45hH0KEuAVJocOf3gP05fM3GazT5Wkd4tTRm1Jq2ImI/s1600/14octopus_web1-master675-v4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRwsyJ8Dcnw_AhEKlhC0J99xxbixZIU7Ac4pbmg4RQvAxtTocWKEpfdeJZKTRcVtgVsLKfAJAQsqlmZT9BEUeSjT4e9O3GMidO45hH0KEuAVJocOf3gP05fM3GazT5Wkd4tTRm1Jq2ImI/s320/14octopus_web1-master675-v4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Whether Inky was more inquisitive
and restless than other octopi, he was wily enough to escape. I can imagine him
plotting his jailbreak like the fish in<span style="color: #3d85c6;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://movies.disney.com/finding-nemo" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Finding Nemo</span></b></a>, </i>the tale of a clown fish that gets captured, put in a tank, and makes
it back to the ocean to be reunited with his father.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Inky’s opportunity for escape
came one night a couple of months ago when someone failed to secure his tank
properly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Under cover of darkness,
he made his slippery exit from the tank, crept across the floor and squeezed
his supple rugby sized body into a 6” floor drain. Good thing the drain led to
the ocean.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We can explain Inky’s daring and
successful escape using scientific knowledge and common sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A number of factors coalesced in his
favour. An unsecured tank, no keepers in sight, a wet floor, a drain leading to
the ocean, an intelligent, curious creature whose body is perfect for Houdini
maneuvers converged in a perfect storm. But I prefer to think of Inky’s escape
in terms of mystery. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>Seeing Inky's escape as allegory</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
For Inky, the ocean was home. It
was where he belonged. While the aquarium restored him to health, provided for
his physical needs in a safe environment, and stimulated his brain, Inky was
restless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His tank mimicked the
ocean, but was not the ocean. Ultimately, enrichment activities with intriguing
toys were a poor substitute for life on the reef; he was itching to leave the
ivory tower of the aquarium and try out his new skills in the real world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps something of a metaphysical
nature, something that eludes our understanding, fuelled Inky’s desire to
escape. Perhaps Inky had an intuition of divinity and his place in creation that
compelled him to make a break for the ocean. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
So while media reports of Inky’s
escape focused on the intelligence of octopi, I saw allegory in the story about
Inky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Inky’s restlessness points
to the restlessness of the human spirit of which we are often oblivious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like Inky, we are not satisfied
with the place we inhabit. While crayfish pots draw us in and capture us, they
cannot hold us for long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nor can
the finest tanks and toys stave off our dissatisfaction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are merely distractions from our
spiritual longing. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
So, as we attempt to transcend our traps and tanks, we
spread our tentacles in search of drains that may lead nowhere. We wind up
following the wrong gods home.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-66740145329213697932016-04-21T14:44:00.002-07:002016-04-21T14:44:39.189-07:00Seeds nourish us - body and soul<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“Look, Granny. Basil sprouting!”
exclaimed my granddaughter as she took me to see the tiny seedlings on the
table in her playroom. Earlier that
day, we had wandered around my yard, hand in hand, looking for sprouting
things. We marveled at the tulips
poking through the leaf mulch, the buds forming on the lilacs, and the
hellebore <i>Lenten Rose</i> blooming on the
sunny south side of the house. The
hellebore is the first thing to bloom in my garden and I am always tickled when
it blooms before Easter.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS1Sl3AKRf14d__l_Oq3y3pdTgunth0WcjUQRQ4rL83jMEfyxxmweVeTW_hF_L7spROJ84Y0zlhLD5_9rPH9d6nz-Eb4Kgipl7BJB1KZKY6NLs1cx6L6bPBuSWHBkzkO_DJVenJzug9XE/s1600/P1020205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS1Sl3AKRf14d__l_Oq3y3pdTgunth0WcjUQRQ4rL83jMEfyxxmweVeTW_hF_L7spROJ84Y0zlhLD5_9rPH9d6nz-Eb4Kgipl7BJB1KZKY6NLs1cx6L6bPBuSWHBkzkO_DJVenJzug9XE/s320/P1020205.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
A few days later, my husband and
I took our granddaughter to <i><b><a href="https://seeds.ca/about/objectives" target="_blank"><span style="color: #38761d;">Seedy Saturday</span></a><span style="color: #38761d;">,</span></b></i> a nationwide movement that promotes
the cultivation and preservation of heirloom and endangered varieties of food
crops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our local event had a kids’
planting table, and before our granddaughter planted her seed in the Styrofoam
cup that she had filled with soil, she cradled it gently in her tiny hand as if
she were in the presence of something holy. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I have a healthy respect for
seeds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coming from an Italian
background, I grew up with a vegetable garden in the backyard. It was a riot of
plants that produced abundant crops, many of which my father planted from the
seeds he saved annually. Tomato seeds germinated in little pots by the basement
window; others we sowed directly into the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From seed to table, I grew up with crunchy carrots, juicy
tomatoes, meaty roman beans, tender lettuce and bitter radicchio that tantalized
(or tortured) my taste buds and nourished my body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFtomL50iFONif-rG4YtWRwh6Z6qeX_6_qXFNkzP3_3aLtdBy6fZndszLGmEEEf-FmYSTSkNQygCg0JwI6BkEkd-OcEzFGBiD3qBqy4WE57ZtVcZJEH0iCFOAZpNAGm3cVfu7TKHIaEbE/s1600/Salad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFtomL50iFONif-rG4YtWRwh6Z6qeX_6_qXFNkzP3_3aLtdBy6fZndszLGmEEEf-FmYSTSkNQygCg0JwI6BkEkd-OcEzFGBiD3qBqy4WE57ZtVcZJEH0iCFOAZpNAGm3cVfu7TKHIaEbE/s320/Salad.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of KEK064 at freedigitalphotos.net</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b><i>Seeds keep up rooted</i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I used to wonder why my father
kept seeds when it would have been so much simpler and tidier to buy them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, keeping the seeds was a symbolic
way for my father to stay connected with the land that his family had farmed
for generations in the old country. My father’s method of gardening, including
his insistence on planting according to the phases of the moon, kept us rooted
with our past.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I shared some of this with Mohawk
seed keeper <a href="http://seedkeeper.ca/" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Terrylynn Brant</span></i></b></a>, who sees an intimate connection between the seed,
ancestors and land, and who, like my father plants her crops based on the
moon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Brant grew up in a family that
was able to maintain its agricultural practices despite government policies
that threatened the traditional agricultural way of life of the communities of
the Haudenosaunee. From an early age, she had a passion for gardening, which
she believes is her gift from the Creator, and she has always been mindful of
the importance of keeping the seeds of her ancestors, some of which, she told
me, go back to time immemorial. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>A seed is a sacred thing</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
For Brant, a seed is a sacred thing and a
metaphor for the innate dignity and goodness of the individual.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“Seeds have their own inherent
responsibility given to them by Creator. It’s basically to grow and to
reproduce themselves. That’s the duty and responsibility they’ve been given…to
continue who they are and what they are” and the seed will always do its best
to honor the task creation had in mind for it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Brant applies this concept to
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The Creator sent us here
as beautiful, perfect beings. He intended us to grow beautiful, to be
compassionate with our fellow man, to share everything we have, to love one
another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet, we are the ones
who mess that up…We should look at the seed, and we should be reminded every
time we hold it in our hands what is pure, what is good, what is right, but we
do not.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
There is a genius to a seed that
we miss when we lose contact with the soil and the source of the food on our
table.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sowing a seed, nurturing
its growth, and plucking its fruit off the vine does more than feed our bodies;
it nourishes our spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
When we
wonder at basil sprouting or feel our heart leap up at the blooming of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lenten Rose </i>after a dark winter, we
touch the goodness inherent in our selves, and intuit the possibility for our
own transformation and that of the world. The seed helps us get back to the
garden where we glimpse the perfection and harmony for which we long.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-41847437506878931152016-03-14T21:13:00.003-07:002016-03-14T21:13:36.895-07:00Downton Abbey was good entertainment<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“All’s well that end’s
well”,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“everything comes out in
the wash”, and “they all lived happily ever after” describe the grand finale of <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/downtonabbey/" target="_blank"><i><b><span style="color: #e69138;">Downton Abbey</span></b></i></a>, the wildly popular British period drama about life in one of
England’s grand country houses.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Charles Dickens would have been
proud. Coincidences, meddling, and the triumph of goodness all contributed to
the final episode with the hopes and aspirations of almost every character coming
to fruition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was hooked on Downton from the
very first episode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The acting,
the set, the costumes (could there have been more beautiful dresses than the
ones on display in the finale?), the character development, the social
commentary, and even the incredible plot twists that occasionally tried my
patience, kept me engaged.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Dame Maggie Smith’s character, <span style="color: #e69138;"><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/downtonabbey/season2_characters_violet.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;"><b><i>Violet the Dowager Countess</i></b></span></a>,</span> had me laughing with her flawless delivery of hilarious,
usually biting, and frequently wise one-liners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(As someone prone to over-thinking, I heartedly agreed with
her when she said, “In my experience, second thoughts are vastly over-rated”.) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But I appreciated Downton for
other reasons, too. I could relate to the characters and their struggles. Even
though my modern day middle class lifestyle bears no resemblance to the
upstairs/downstairs lifestyle that was the series’ lifeblood, themes of change
and transformation united us.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was easy to empathize with
<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/downtonabbey/season2_characters_carson.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;"><b><i>Carson</i></b></span></a>, the butler, who was suspicious of the telephone, or with <b><i><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/downtonabbey/season2_characters_patmore.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">Mrs. Patmore</span></a></i></b>,
the cook who was afraid of an electric mixer because I was once hesitant to
accept new technology. In 1995, when we bought our first home computer, I
resisted my children’s pleas to sign up for the Internet. I felt like the
Dowager Countess when she quipped, “First electricity. Now telephones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes I feel as if I were living in
an H.G. Wells novel.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was difficult, too, for the characters
of Downton to adapt to changing social and moral norms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the Great War, the idyllic and
idle existence of the privileged crumbled beneath the aspirations of a
generation that fought in the trenches and kept the home fires burning. Like
the great houses slated for demolition, a way of life was coming to an end. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dissatisfied with the roles thrust upon
them by an accident of birth, servants like <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/downtonabbey/season2_characters_daisy.html" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: #e69138;">Daisy</span></i></b></a> looked to education to change
her lot, while Ladies <b><i><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/downtonabbey/season2_characters_daisy.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">Mary</span></a></i></b> and <b><i><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/downtonabbey/season2_characters_edith.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">Edith</span></a></i></b> challenged conventions to become
successful businesswomen. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As the familiar gave way to new
possibilities, the interior struggles reshaped characters from the inside
out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over six seasons, the
characters grew, becoming a little more holy, as they came to grips with their
imperfections and unhappiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Haughty Lady Mary became less selfish, mean-spirited Barrow grew in
kindness, and “Poor Little Me” Lady Edith discovered her self-worth. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Character transformation kept me
watching Downton Abbey religiously on a Sunday night.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Religion, though, was curiously
absent from Downton, except for a few notable exceptions. <i><b><span style="color: #e69138;"><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/media/11997169/God-banished-from-Downton-Abbey-says-shows-historical-advisor.html" target="_blank"> </a><span style="color: #e69138;"><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/media/11997169/God-banished-from-Downton-Abbey-says-shows-historical-advisor.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">Alastair Bruce</span></a>,</span></span></b></i><span style="color: #e69138;"> </span>historical expert for
the series, said in an interview with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Telegraph</i>, that the executives wanted to keep religion out of it; “Everyone
panics when you try to do anything religious on the telly.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Still, religious traditions and
morality played a role in the lives of the characters. Values, such as decency,
kindness, loyalty, kinship, and concern for others, called forth the best from
characters as they struggled to overcome their pettiness. And Christian
rituals, even when undertaken out of a sense of tradition rather than faith,
marked life’s rites of passage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Baptism celebrated birth, Christian burial accompanied death, and
wedding ceremonies united lovers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Prayer too made an occasional appearance. With an honesty and poignancy
that echoes the reality of prayer, Lady Mary knelt to pray for Matthew (whom
she eventually marries after much plot wrangling). “Dear Lord, I don’t pretend
to have much credit with you. I’m not even sure that you’re there. But if you
are, and if I’ve ever done anything good, I beg you to keep him safe.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In Downton Abbey’s final season,
characters embraced the winds of change; even Carson began to come around,
wistfully admitting, “The world is a different place from the way it was.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it was Violet, the Dowager
Countess, who once again hit the nail on the head. “It makes me smile, the way
we drink every year to what the future may bring.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">While the future is uncertain,
change is inevitable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Downton
Abbey wrapped that theme up beautifully in the form of good entertainment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-7639837981975086682016-03-02T21:10:00.002-08:002016-03-02T21:10:38.680-08:00A political gospel, a political pope, and a candidate<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The international media was
recently abuzz with “a feud” between Pope Francis and Donald Trump.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of the media’s making, the attention
grabbing headlines made for some entertainment while at the same time shining a
spotlight on Christianity and politics in the United States.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>Building walls - "this is not the gospel"</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
On board the papal plane flying
home from his trip to Mexico, reporters asked Francis about Trump’s plans to
deport illegal immigrants and build a wall along the American-Mexican
border. Francis’ reply drew the
ire of Trump and his supporters;
“A person who thinks only about building walls – wherever they may be –
and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not the Gospel.” <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-35607597" target="_blank"> </a>Francis went onto give Trump the benefit of the doubt.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Trump described himself as a “good Christian”, and called the Pope’s comments
“disgraceful.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He carried on,
rather like a petulant child threatening retribution after his parents have
scolded him. When ISIS attacks the Vatican, the Pope will be sorry, said Trump. Then the Pope
will wish he had listened to him and prayed for him to become
President.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Trump must have
forgotten that the Vatican doesn’t need a saviour; it already has one.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Online comment boards lit up with
the usual amount of indignation and ignorance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the ignorance wasn’t alarming, it was hilarious, such
as this comment that compared the theological knowledge of the two men. “The
pope didn’t mean to offend. He is just not as eloquent as Trump when discussing
religion.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Unlike in Canada, religion
continues to play a significant role in American elections. Trump and other
presidential hopefuls are courting the religious vote.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To win the Pope’s endorsement would be
a coup d’état. Unfortunately for the candidates, Francis has no intention of
telling American Catholics how to mark their ballots. However, he has no
problem talking about socio-political issues that affect the common good and do
harm. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
This annoys the Trump camp for
which walls are more desirable than bridges. It wants a Christianity that
advances protectionism and makes no demands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is much less keen on a Gospel that “comforts the afflicted
and afflicts the comfortable.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b><i>Francis is consistent in his messages</i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
While the Pope’s comment about
what it means to be a Christian clearly hit a nerve, it was not
surprising.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Francis has never been
easy on Christians, particularly clerics, who pay lip service to the Gospel but
fail to walk the talk. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
And his comment on building walls
instead of bridges is in keeping with his consistent and unequivocal support
for migrants and refugees. In 2013, just after his election as pontiff, Francis
visited the island of Lampedusa to commemorate the thousands of migrants who
died crossing the sea from North Africa to Europe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During his visit to Mexico, he celebrated Mass in the border
town of Ciudad Ju<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">á</span>rez.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
symbolic actions underscore his clarion call for compassion for migrants, who
are not merely numbers and statistics of a global phenomenon but individuals
with names, stories and families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Governments
are not to treat migrants as “pawns on the chessboard of humanity.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b><i>Looking out for the underdog is a Biblical imperative</i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Pope is not making up stuff
about being Christian to irritate the Trump camp. The Christian obligation to
support the underdog is a Biblical imperative that goes back to the ancient
Israelites, who were to exercise compassion for the widow, the orphan and the
alien. It weaves its way into the tradition of “the corporal works of mercy”
based on the teaching of Jesus of Nazareth to feed the hungry, clothe the
naked, and visit the imprisoned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Francis is reminding all of us
that building walls, “wherever they may be”, reinforces unjust economic and
social structures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These things
imprison millions of people around the globe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Building bridges, on the other hand, helps individuals live
with dignity. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
So while some in the Trump camp
want the Pope to shut up and butt out, there is an inherently political element
to the Gospel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite the
confident assertion of evangelical Jerry Falwell Jr. (a Trump supporter) that
“Jesus never intended to give instruction to political leaders on how to run a
country”, the Gospel does challenge the attitudes and policies of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“good Christian” leaders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Religion is not a tool for
garnering votes to secure personal power or stroke one’s ego. Nor is faith a
matter of expediency, but of discipleship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes, the demands of discipleship are inconvenient and
irritating.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-64726871119262490902016-03-02T20:53:00.000-08:002016-03-02T20:53:27.080-08:00Commercials express our longings
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
(I'm rather late posting this column about Super Bowl commercials, but the meaning holds.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Super Bowl is the biggest
night in the year for advertisers, and with many companies producing teasers
and releasing the commercials online before game day the commercials create a
buzz that is hard to ignore. Since
most Super Bowl commercials are not broadcast in Canada during the game, I
watched them ahead of time online.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Super Bowl has become an annual
cultural institution, particularly in the United States where it has a distinct
holiday feel. The commercials help to create the festive atmosphere. They draw
viewers in. They entertain. They make us laugh, groan, or shake our heads in
befuddlement. They get us talking.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Hyundai “First Date” commercial
was pretty sweet. The Heinz
“Weiner Stampede” was clever and funny.
“Avos in Space”, advertising Mexican avocados, was so weird that it came
close to poisoning one of my favorite foods. And, the “Monkey Puppy Baby” Mountain Dew commercial was
just plain creepy. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>"We're lookin' for love in all the wrong places"</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
But whatever the content or its
appeal, the purpose of the Super Bowl commercials, like other commercials, is
to imprint a product on our mind and harness our purchasing power. The
commercials market to our desires.
They would have us believe that we can calm our restlessness with
things, and that consumption is the font of happiness. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
So as “we’re lookin’ for love in
all the wrong places/ lookin’ for love in too many faces”, we get caught up in
the culture’s subliminal messages. A tummy full of beer and fast food will
satisfy our hunger. A shiny new
vehicle will satisfy our longing for status, love, power or adventure.
Investing our money will guarantee security. Drive the right vehicle, grow your net worth, eat, drink and
be merry.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I’m not knocking the importance
of all of the above. It’s common sense that we need some material security if
we are to support our selves and our families, and at the same time, look to
the needs of others. But,
possessions and wealth are insufficient on their own in calming our restless
hearts. The Beatles had it right; “money can’t buy me love”.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Apart from the commercials mentioned
above, one stood out for me because it hinted at a different sort of
longing. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Colgate “Every Drop Counts”
commercial addressed North American water consumption. According to Colgate, when
we leave the tap running while brushing our teeth, we use “more water than many
people around the world have in a week”. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
While this commercial might sway
us in favour of Colgate toothpaste, it is more likely to make us think about
the ways we use and waste water. The commercial stokes our sense of social justice and touches
our concern for the environment.
It challenges us to change our habits, and, in theological speak, “to be
in solidarity” with the poor. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>"Our hearts are restless"</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Maybe it was the influence of all
those Super Bowl beer commercials that made me think about Saint Augustine, the
patron saint of brewers, because after previewing the commercials, I found
myself returning, as I frequently do, to his experience and words.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Augustine, who lived from 354-430
BCE, was immersed in the culture of the Roman Empire. And while he pursued its
amusements with intensity, not even the distraction of the Roman Empire’s bread
and circuses, or the intellectual machinations of his brilliant mind could satisfy
his hunger for meaning. Reflecting
on his life, he wrote “Our hearts are restless, O Lord, until they rest in
you.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Super Bowl experience is its
own form of bread and circuses, with its commercials playing a part in
distracting us from the realities of the day. Sometimes we need to be distracted, but let’s not forget
that “man does not live on bread alone.” There are some things that money can’t
buy. </div>
<!--EndFragment-->Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-18832557007751579802016-03-02T20:47:00.002-08:002016-03-02T20:47:47.992-08:00Coming soon to a hospital near you: physician-assisted dying<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Physician-assisted death is
coming soon to a health care institution near you. You won’t need to be
terminally ill to access this ‘medical intervention’. In its <i><a href="https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/14637/index.do" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #134f5c;">Carter</span></b></a> </i>decision, the Supreme Court of Canada gave Canadians the ‘right to die’, and provided an
answer to the perennial problem of pain and suffering. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<i><b>Rejecting the belief that suffering can be redemptive</b></i><br />
<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Carter</i> is about more than the "right to die.” It reflects shifting
national values about the nature of human suffering. This shift has a lot to do
with the rejection of religion in general, but more specifically with the
rejection of the Judeo-Christian tradition that shaped our nation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Some of the values of the
tradition conflict with the values <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Carter
</i>expresses. The tradition looks to God’s plan to guide human behavior. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Carter </i>relies on personal autonomy and
choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And whereas, the
Judeo-Christian tradition searches for a redemptive value in suffering, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Carter </i>rejects suffering.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
While people have always
struggled with the reality of suffering, throughout history we have
recognized and accepted suffering as part of the mystery of being human.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In days past, we were more
willing to grapple with suffering and to scrutinize its meaning than we are
today. We are much more likely to view suffering in all of its manifestations
(summarized in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Carter </i>as illness,
disability or disease) as an affront to our dignity and a threat to our
‘quality of life’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b><i>Carter is "an extreme honouring of individual autonomy"</i></b></span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I spoke with<span style="color: #134f5c;"> </span><a href="http://www.dal.ca/sites/noveltechethics/our-people/nuala-kenny.html" target="_blank"><i><span style="color: #134f5c;"><b>Sister Nuala Kenny</b></span></i></a>
about the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Carter </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">decision </span>and the thorny reality of
human suffering. Kenny, of the Sisters of Charity of Halifax, is a pediatrician and the founder of the Department of Bioethics at Dalhousie
University. She was a member of the Provincial-Territorial Expert Advisory
Group on Physician-Assisted Dying, which released its recommendations at the
end of November 2015. She is a strong opponent of physician-assisted death.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In Kenny’s view, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Carter </i>“goes far beyond the media
valorization of the person who is in intractable pain and suffering.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She zones in on two major
problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Carter </i>“is an extreme honouring of individual autonomy, but an
autonomy that then requires a reciprocal obligation on the part of
others.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It places an
obligation on physicians to respond positively to a patient’s request for
death. As a physician, Kenny sees this obligation as a betrayal of the
Hippocratic tradition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have a
“huge obligation to provide support for the physical symptoms, that is
compassion in itself, and that allows the person who is terminally ill or dying
to deal with the spiritual and emotional and psychological challenges.” As a
Catholic, the focus on individual autonomy expresses a lack of trust
in God’s plan for the individual and the community. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Carter </i>turns suffering, which is a metaphysical reality, into a
medical problem. To explain the “medicalization of suffering”, Kenny points to
the reasons that lead people to request physician-assisted death. These reasons
include a sense of a loss of dignity and of independence, worries about becoming
a burden to others, uncertainty about the future, and fears of isolation and a
lack of care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Those are issues of
human suffering. The medicalization of suffering uses death as a treatment for
suffering, because there is no prescription for suffering.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<b><i>Sharing in the paschal mystery</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In the Christian tradition, when
a person suffers, he or she metaphorically shares in the Paschal mystery – the
suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. Kenny points out that for
Christians the notion that physician-assisted death is a compassionate and
merciful response to suffering “repudiates the suffering of Jesus” and “flies
in the face of the mystery of suffering.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While this may appear ludicrous to non-Christians, for those of us who
profess the Christian faith, it should inform our attitude to suffering, and
shape our response to the Supreme Court decision. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Within Catholicism, Kenny worries
that Catholics have capitulated to the contemporary values of independence,
choice and control. We are reluctant to accept the mystery of suffering; we have
become so inculturated that our deepest values may be unchristian, she said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“We don’t even know that it
(physician-assisted death) is wrong.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
By June 2016, even if no regulations are in place, physician-assisted death will be
legal in Canada. And while the time for debating the pros and cons of
physician-assisted death has past, it is not too late to minimize the potential
harms of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Carter’s </i>overly broad and
permissive criteria. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
A productive response
for those of us who have grievous concerns about physician-assisted death
centers around palliative care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Canadians need quality and accessible palliative/hospice care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is holistic care that tends to the
complex needs of the suffering body and soul, neither hastening death nor prolonging
life. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Physician-assisted death is
coming soon to your community. Isn’t it time for optimal palliative/hospice
care to do the same? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-29503686714291138202016-01-19T21:37:00.000-08:002016-01-19T21:37:24.617-08:00Incarnating Christmas year round<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The company has gone. The tree flops
sadly at the curbside. The decorations are stowed away for another year. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we resume our normal activities, the
feel-good generosity and goodwill of Christmas fade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the Salvation Army Christmas kettles out of sight, the
needs of others are out of mind. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Howard Thurman, an African
American whose thought and spirituality influenced Martin Luther King Jr. and
the civil rights movement, challenged the tendency to forget about others once
the Christmas season comes to an end. “When the song of the angels is stilled/
When the star in the sky is gone/When kings and princes are home/When the
shepherds are back with their flocks/The work of Christmas begins.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In his poem, Thurman goes onto paraphrase
a section of chapter twenty-five from the Gospel of Matthew that informs part
of the social doctrine of Christianity. Here Jesus of Nazareth outlines some of
the behaviors that he expects from his disciples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These include feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty,
clothing the naked, welcoming the stranger, visiting the imprisoned and caring
for the sick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Furthermore, the disciple
should undertake these actions with an attitude of humility and joy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
While the tasks that we associate
with Christmas – shopping, baking, decorating, and socializing – can be tiring,
it is more difficult to live the social teaching implicit in Christmas throughout
the rest of the year. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The work of
Christmas asks us to honour the dignity of every person, regardless of that
person’s circumstance and in spite of our own negative biases. The work of
Christmas invites us to walk with others in their hour of need, even when the
walk is inconvenient and comes at a personal cost. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Years ago, I had a lesson in what
it means to live Christmas beyond the month of December.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A gentleman with whom I sat on a board
made a comment when asked about his day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He said his day was wonderful; he had had a number of unexpected
opportunities to help others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
that time, I was a young mother busy with the demands of three small children;
unexpected opportunities to help others were, in my mind, unwelcome
interruptions in my schedule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>His self-giving attitude amazed me, and his comment challenged me to
look at my own selfishness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The social teaching that Thurman
championed in his poem does not require us to engage in grand gestures to save
the world. While there will be individuals, like King, who are remembered for
impacting social change, most of us will never be the subject of a Wikipedia
entry. Our actions are more likely to be ordinary than heroic and will remain
largely unknown to the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Life, God, the Spirit, or however you choose to name it, frequently
calls us to act in small ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
Mother Theresa once said, “Do ordinary things with extraordinary love”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The attitude behind the gesture
can make the simplest action grand. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In some ways, the work of
Christmas stands in opposition to our annual custom of formulating New Year’s
resolutions, which typically focus on improving the self or one’s situation. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Year after year, our most common
resolutions – to lose weight, to spend less and save more, to quit smoking, to
get organized and to spend more time with family – have little to do with
incarnating the spirit of Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Christmas, as one of my
neighbours put it, kick starts our giving; it does not restrict generosity and
goodwill to a few weeks of the year. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The season of giving reminds us of the manner in which we are
to live from January to December.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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There is no question that
preparing and celebrating Christmas can be a whole lot of work but the work is
short-lived. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the beauty,
wonder and merrymaking of Christmas have past, when we have returned to our
humdrum nine-to-five routines, it is time to get down to the hard work of
Christmas. </div>
Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5697165954419823249.post-71210309081291065072015-12-22T17:25:00.000-08:002015-12-22T17:25:02.265-08:00We should teach our children the Christmas story
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We go to extreme lengths to avoid
the religious aspects of Christmas in the public sphere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christian beliefs about Christmas might
offend someone in our secular and multicultural society, so we ignore its
religious and historical background.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The reluctance to mention the origins of
this much-loved holiday permeates early childhood learning programs and public
schools. Although I support the neutrality of religion in public institutions,
there are, in my view, some good reasons to introduce children to the Christmas
story.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e;"><b><i>Today's children are the unlucky beneficiaries of a shift in the way we approach the celebration of Christmas</i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
My children were on the cusp of a
shift in society’s approach to the celebration of Christmas. Within a
generation, the emphasis on the secular side of the holiday has virtually
drowned out its religious origins.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Nativity scenes, for example,
were not uncommon in public spaces, and on the personal level, many families
still attended a church service on Christmas Day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the classroom, the Christmas story, carols and art had a
cultural place. A babe in a manger and three kings co-existed with Santa Claus
and Frosty the Snowman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the
secular themes of Christmas had begun to dominate, most schools still included
at least a couple of religious carols in their annual Christmas concerts.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
My grandchildren are the unlucky
beneficiaries of the legacy of this shift. At an early childhood literacy
program that I attend with my two-year old grand daughter, the leaders have
been very careful to avoid the religious side of Christmas, restricting songs
and stories to its secular manifestations. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e;"><b><i>The nativity story has much to offer</i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Yet, the story of Christmas has a
lot to offer our children. It is beautiful in both its simplicity and message.
As long as educators present it in a neutral manner, we should not be afraid of
exposing our children to the origins of the season. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Lynn Proulx, a veteran early
childhood educator, thinks that the story of the nativity resonates at a deep
level with children. She said that it is wonderful to watch children as they
listen to the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They feel sad
when no one will help Mary and Joseph; then they feel happy when Jesus is born.
Feelings of love and peace replace their feelings of anxiety and worry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story, said Proulx, provides an
excellent opportunity to teach empathy and to help children learn the values of
kindness, helping and sharing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The story of the nativity raises
questions for children about the manner in which we treat one another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It should raise the same sort of
questions for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Quaker
theologian <a href="http://www.couragerenewal.org/parker/" target="_blank">Parker J. Palmer</a> framed it,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“What good works wait to be born in us?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e;"><b><i>Our country is rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition</i></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Of course, there are other
stories that teach these same values, and that have nothing to do with
religion. However, the story of the nativity should hold a special place within
our society because it is part of our collective patrimony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our country’s roots go back to the
Judeo-Christian tradition. This tradition has shaped our culture, values,
social institutions and judicial system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our heritage includes centuries of religious art, music and literature
that drew (and continues to draw) inspiration from a babe in a manger. Exposure
to this cultural canon makes for a well-rounded education and a better
understanding of our self as a nation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
There is also a historical
background to the holiday traditions that we continue to hold dear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Children may wonder why we put up
lights, decorate trees, and give one another gifts. These traditions are part
of the history of Christmas and western culture. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #45818e;"><b><i>The Christmas message is universal</i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Our children intuit the
universality of the Christmas message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is summed up in the very first Christmas greeting, “peace on earth
and goodwill towards men”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
in the air and in our greetings to one another over the holiday season, which encourages
and inspires us to act with greater generosity. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While everyone does not believe in “the reason for the
season”, there is something transcendent about Christmas.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It is shortsighted to restrict
children (and ourselves) to a candy cane diet of Christmas cuteness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are meat and potatoes on the
table, too. Christmas is a celebration of substance. Its Christian origins have
a place alongside the magic of Santa Claus and his flying reindeers. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Knowledge of the Christmas story, with
its universal message of goodwill towards all people, may actually be in the
best interest of a secular and multicultural society. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Louise McEwanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01605115264703377960noreply@blogger.com0