Bonfire of the Vanities

My how times have changed. What once was is no longer and what mattered before matters not at all. What the hell is he talking about now you may be asking yourself. Allow me to explain if I may.

When I was a young man playing young man games I chased the same dreams a lot of people chased at that time in my life. I'm not talking about things that would have brought me to temptation and mortal sin such as were destroyed in actual bonfires in the 15th century and where the term "Bonfire of the Vanities" comes from. Although, maybe they are in the same category come to think of it.

I coveted a sky blue 1968 Camaro RS that I walked by everyday on my way to school. It was a cool looking car that conjured images and sounds that resonated with me when I was all of 14. I recall dreaming of the bachelor life in a bachelor pad on the fringes of the downtown core when I was 18. I was looking for freedom and opportunity; the real American dream when you add in the pursuit of the almighty dollar. Of course at 18 that is what I was missing, the dollars to afford my lifestyle dreams, not to mention a direction to go in with my future endeavours.

I was never what I considered a fashion maven so clothing and anything remotely attached to style were not in my wheel house of desire. Except for once when I really wanted construction boots one year, since all my buddies had them and they were the best for "soccer baseball"; instead I ended up with sensible Cougar winter boots that sort of looked like the colour of construction boots. Sigh.

I still have the stereo system that I convinced my folks to get for my 18th birthday. On occasion laying down some vinyl for a spin. But that pretty much checks off my vanity list. Because, like most "normal" people I grew up and matured, ever so slightly. Other things became important and they were not tied to a thing.

Taking pride not in my car or the clothes I wore, I instead took pride in the things that still matter most to me now. My family being at the top of the list of course. The very best part of me is wrapped up in them. The way I am as a person as well. Far from perfect but not a bad guy at the end of the day. Living a life out loud and being proud of it is not such a bad place to be.

I suppose in the end the passage of time coupled with life experiences has taught me the importance of being at peace with where my life is. Accepting that I won't be flying jets or riding motorcycles, summering in the South of France and being consulted by statesmen on state affairs doesn't detract one bit from the happiness I feel today and for what will come tomorrow.

As some of you may have noticed I have been writing less here in this blog o' mine. I began to wonder about this and the best I can say about it is that I feel more at peace and centered in my life then I can ever recall. My pontifications have been proclaimed, I have railed against many things that needed railing against and I have, quite publicly, said a lot of shit over the past three years that I needed to say. I like to believe that my desire to say something is being channelled into other places that perhaps require more then a few minutes to read; after all, I do have a typewriter now so one never knows where one might be reading my words.

Not that I will forgo this place entirely, it has brought me much happiness over the past three years. A place of exploration, a place of comfort and of reason. Like my stereo I will always have this special place to call on when needed.

Ciao
D

 

Stop Thief!

There is, I think, something to be said for the supposed benevolence of the man. When the powers that be can get their act together to try and make a bad situation better for the people that are affected; thinking of disasters, natural and not, it is easy to see the immediate benefit of troops sandbagging against the rising river or the heroic actions of so many when the towers came down that sunny September day. Not many would argue that big brother wasn't needed. But when it comes to the idea that big brother had it right when it comes to First Nations, well - the jury has already come to a decision there and it's not pretty by any stretch of the imagination. There may have been snippets of trying to do good but overwhelmingly we have acted poorly.

We all know the history to one degree or another;  a cultural genocide that featured such gems as The Gradual Enfranchisement Act, which sounds good but really wasn't, which led to The Indian Act which gave us reneged treaties, residential schools, The 60's Scoop and on and on and on. If you think we are any different to our neighbours to the south please think again. Our country has a dark stain on its heart for what we have done to the original owners of the land we call Canada.

I'll be the first to admit that my own knowledge of the depth of the horrific treatment of the tribes of Canada is paltry but it doesn't take a PhD to figure out that we have been without honour in our dealings for far too long. Where does this post come from? Yesterday listening to commentary from individuals that were responding to the premier of Saskatchewan and his apology for his provinces part in the 60's Scoop. These people sounded hollow to me, as if they've had enough of fighting to simply get someone to stand up and say sorry. That the mere effort to get to this stage had drained them completely, and it upset me. Why? Because we have, on full display for the world to see, the systematic racism that First Nations people face every day. There is no escaping it; it is fact and it is ugly. It may be better than it used to be but it ain't good. I have seen it in daily dealings from everyday people and I have read stories of the high incarceration rates, children sniffing gas on reserves and the abject horror of murdered and missing women. We have been and continue to steal a culture away from a people that deserve our support and protection just as if it was little Ashley or Jordan down the street.

We are not alone in this world when it comes to how we treat the founding nations; we are part of a fraternity of nations that I wish we were not but hiding our heads in the sand is not the answer. We have to face the truth and continue to work at redemption. Words matter but actions will make the most difference. Healing the sins of our fathers will take time, education and true engagement - I hope we are up to the task.

Ciao
D