It's not very often that there can be a blog title like this one. Canadian politics = exciting? What? Where am I? But for once - we've got something going on. I think what is happening now in Ottawa might actually be more exciting than what is happening right now in American politics. What is happening right now in American politics is Obama naming Hilary Clinton his Secretary of State which isn't exciting because everybody already knew it was happening two weeks ago.
Whereas no one in Canada saw this one coming. Bam! The Liberals, NDP and Bloc have all been secretly scheming against our latest Harper government since they all 'lost' to him during an election featuring one of the worst voter turnouts of all time.
If Harper's government tries to pass a budget that includes no stimulus package for the Canadian economy and cuts public funding for political parties they are going to pounce! If Harper's government presents a revised budget they will probably pounce anyways! Bringing down the government in a no-confidence vote and then asking to create a government made up of a coalition of Liberal, NDP and the Bloc when they feel like it.
This is pretty exciting for people who like watching Harper's sneaky plans to establish a Conservative monopoly within Canadian politics blow up in his face.
I like the coalition idea because it's a risk, it's new, it's sticking it to Harper, and it feels more like real politics than anything I've seen in Canada in a long time.
I don't like the coalition idea because it will make Stephane Dion Prime Minister, it will give the Bloc a lot of power to decide which coalition legislation goes through and which doesn't, and it will be unstable in a period where stability would be good.
So it's more like choosing the lesser evil. The stability of knowing you have a sneaky grinch as your Prime Minister. Or the potential of having five bickering 'Prime Ministers' (Dion, Ignatieff, Rae, Layton and Duceppe) and then a swift return to the grinch.
Art for me
is a journey
into the unspoken, unknown, unwanted and unheard
realities of our shadows
and of our hopes.
We are suspended in time
glimpsing in the mirror
of our future and our past
They flash before us and cause a jolt
of hope, of fear, of want, of release.
Our senses on overload
we admire and adore
our object of fascination
representing the idol we love
and demon we hate.
we forgive
we empathize
we heal
we bathe
in beauty
and bliss.
من التقاليد في بعض الجامعات أن يجتمع الخريجون الشباب بين الحين والآخر في لقاءات لم شمل حيث يتعرفون على أحوال بعضهم البعض ، من نجح وظيفيا ومن تزوج ومن أنجب….....الخ
وفي إحدى تلك الجامعات ، التقى بعض خريجيها في منزل أستاذهم العجوز ، بعد سنوات طويلة من مغادرة مقاعد الدراسة ، وبعد أن حققوا نجاحات كبيرة في حياتهم العملية ، ونالوا أرفع المناصب وحققوا الاستقرار المادي والاجتماعي ، وبعد عبارات التحية والمجاملة ، طفق كل منهم يتأفف من ضغوط العمل ، والحياة التي تسبب لهم الكثير من التوتر ، وغاب الأستاذ عنهم قليلا ، ثم عاد يحمل أبريقا كبيرا من القهوة، ومعه أكواب من كل شكل ولون ، أكواب صينية فاخرة ، وأكواب ميلامين ، وأكواب زجاج عادية ، وأكواب بلاستيك ، وأكواب كريستال ، فبعض الأكواب كانت في منتهى الجمال تصميماً ولوناً وبالتالي كانت باهظة الثمن ، بينما كانت هناك أكواب من النوع الذي تجده في أفقر البيوت .
حينها قال الأستاذ لطلابه : تفضلوا ، و ليصب كل واحد منكم لنفسه القهوة ، وعندما بات كل واحد من الخريجين ممسكاً بكوب تكلم الأستاذ مجددا، هل لاحظتم أن الأكواب الجميلة فقط هي التي وقع عليها اختياركم ؟ وأنكم تجنبتم الأكواب العادية ؟!؟!؟!!!
ومن الطبيعي أن يتطلع الواحد منكم إلى ما هو أفضل، وهذا بالضبط ما يسبب لكم القلق والتوتر، ما كنتم بحاجة إليه فعلا هو القهوة وليس الكوب! ولكنكم تهافتم على الأكواب الجميلة الثمينة ، و بعد ذلك لاحظت أن كل واحد منكم كان مراقباً للأكواب التي في أيدي الآخرين ، فلو كانت الحياة هي القهوة ، فإن الوظيفة والمال والمكانة الاجتماعية هي الأكواب ، وهي بالتالي مجرد أدوات ومواعين تحوي الحياة ، ونوعية الحياة (القهوة) تبقى نفسها لا تتغير.
و عندما نركز فقط على الكوب فأننا نضيع فرصة الاستمتاع بالقهوة، وبالتالي أنصحكم بعدم الاهتمام بالأكواب والفناجين، وبدل ذلك أنصحكم بالاستمتاع بالقهوة ( بالحياة ).
في الحقيقة هذه آفة يعاني منها الكثيرون من الشباب في الوطن العربي، فهناك نوع من الناس لا يحمد الله على ما هو فيه مهما بلغ من نجاح لأنه يراقب دائما ما عند الآخرين، وهنا يأتي دور القناعة !فالقناعة كنز أحذر أن تضيعه يا صديقي.
حكمة الأسبوع
“أن تكون فرداً في جماعة الأسود خير لك من أن تكون قائداً للنعام "
أبدء معكم اليوم بقصة شاب ذهب إلى أحد حكماء الصين ليتعلم منه..
فسأل الشاب الرجل الحكيم: " هل تستطيع أن تذكر لي ما هو سر النجاح ؟ "
فرد عليه ا بهدوء وقال له: سر النجاح هو الدوافع
فسأله الشاب: ومن أين تأتي هذه الدوافع؟
فرد عليه الحكيم الصيني: من رغباتك المشتعلة
وباستغراب سأله الشاب: وكيف يكون عندنا رغبات مشتعلة؟
وهنا استأذن الحكيم الصيني لعدة دقائق وعاد ومعه وعاء كبير مليء بالماء وسأل الشاب:
هل أنت متأكد أنك تريد معرفة مصدر الرغبات المشتعلة؟
فأجابه بلهفة: طبعاً
فطلب منه الحكيم أن يقترب من وعاء الماء وينظر فيه، ونظر الشاب إلى الماء عن قرب وفجأة ضغط الحكيم بكلتا يديه على !! رأس الشاب ووضعها داخل وعاء الماء، ومرت عدة ثوان ولم يتحرك الشاب، ثم بدأ ببطء يخرج رأسه من الماء، ولما بدأ يشعر بالاختناق بدأ يقاوم بشدة حتى نجح في تخليص نفسه وأخرج رأسه من الماء ثم نظر إلى الحكيم الصيني، وسأله بغضب: ما هذا الذي فعلته ؟
فردّ وهو ما يزال محتفظا بهدوئه وابتسامته سائلا: ما الذي تعلمته من هذه التجربة ؟
قال الشاب: لم أتعلم شيئا!!
فنظر إليه الحكيم قائلا : لا يا بني لقد تعلمت الكثير، ففي خلال الثواني الأولى أردت أن تخلص نفسك من الماء ولكن دوافعك لم تكن كافية لعمل ذلك، وبعد ذلك كنت دائما راغبا في تخليص نفسك فبدأت في التحرك والمقاومة ولكن ببطء حيث أن دوافعك لم تكن قد وصلت بعد لأعلى درجاتها.. وأخيراً وعندما شارفت على الغرق أصبح عندك الرغبة المشتعلة لتخليص نفسك، وعندئذ فقط أنت نجحت لأنه لم تكن هناك أي قوة في استطاعتها أن توقفك.
ثم أضاف الحكيم الذي لم تفارقه ابتسامته الهادئة: عندما يكون لديك الرغبة المشتعلة للنجاح فلن يستطيع أحد إيقافك.
إذا لكي تكون ناجحاُ، يجب أن تكون لك رغبات، يجب أن تتطلع إلى شيء ما في حياتك، بل يجب أن تتوق أليه بكل حواسك و في نفس الوقت يجب أن تكون قادرا على الإجابة عن هذا السؤال: ما مدى حاجتي ورغبتي في هذا الشيء؟ ولكن يجب أن نعرف بأن الرغبة ما هي إلا مجرد شعور، وهي بلا فائدة إلى أن تتحول إلى واقع،أي يجب أن تتخذ قرار للقيام بالخطوات العملية لتحقيق هذه الرغبات، إن الرغبة في أن تكون ذا كيان وأن تفعل شيئا ما، هي نقطة البداية لتحويل الأحلام إلى حقيقة واقعة.
فعندما ترغب في شيء لدرجة أنك تستعد لإتمامه مهما تطلب منك الأمر ثق أنك سوف تنجح في الوصول له، إن الأفراد الأكثر نجاحاً هم من تتوافر لديهم الرغبة لتحقيق أمر مهم و مهما تطلب ذلك من تضحيا و جهد و تعب، و عندما تعرف ماذا تريد، سوف تجوب السماء والأرض للحصول عليه وعندما يكون هنا شيء مهم بالنسبة لك، فلن تألو جهداً حتى تحصل عليه و ألان عزيزي الشاب فكر بما هي رغبتك في هذه الحياة و حولها إلى عاطفة جارفة لتحقيق أهدافك.
و تذكر دائماً بأنه لا يمكنك إدراك حجم قلب شخص دون التوغل فيه فعندما تمتلك رغبة متقدة وميل نحو شيء ما، فإنك تمتلك من القوة والطاقة ما لا يمكنك أن تتخيله - وبهذه القوة تستطيع مقاومة اليأس والإحباط والانهزامية والنقد والتعليقات التي يوجهها إليك المثبطون الذين سيقولون لك دائما إنك تضيع وقتك، يجب أن تثق بنفسك، فإذا لم تثق أنت بنفسك فمن ذا الذي سيثق بك؟
في النهاية صديقي الشاب ، لكي تنجح يجب أن تكون مستعداً للقيام بأي شيء من أجل تحقيق أهدافك، يجب أن تحول كلماتك إلى أفعال. و لا تنسى بأن ما تحصل عليه دون جهد أو ثمن ليس له قيمة لديك و لن تستمتع به و لن تحتفظ به ، إننا كبشر نميل لتقدير الأشياء التي ندفع ثمناً من أجل الحصول عليها. وإذا أصبح كل شيء في الحياة سهل المنال، فلن تواجهنا أية تحديات ولن ننمي خبراتنا وسيكون كل الناس سواء. وهذا هو قمة الملل.
Congratulations to Mali Bickley, Grade 5 teacher at W. H. Day Elementary School, Bradford, Ontario who wins over $10,000 in classroom technology and thanks for the mention of TakingITGlobal in your video! We are so thrilled that you are using TIGed.org in your classroom.
In a day and age when most do not agree on anything, from east and west, to conservative and liberal politics, to issues of race and geography, and amongst differing religions and faiths, I believe, along with the founders of Global Dignity, that dignity is the one thing that everyone in the world wants equally. Dignity can be the unifying force that brings us all together at a time when the world needs this more than ever.
On Monday, October 20th 2008, I, in concert with the co-founders of Global Dignity (www.globaldignity.org), His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Professor Pekka Himanen and John Hope Bryant, and several other Young Global Leaders (as associated with the World Economic Forum) conducted our first ever GLOBAL DIGNITY DAY 2008 in 30 countries, inclusive of every continent.
In this blog, I am sharing an update on Global Dignity Day in Canada. I have taken part in other Dignity Day events including one in Vancouver and another in Jordan that involved Her Majesty Queen Rania in Jordan. I am pleased to report back on Global Dignity Day in Toronto, Canada on October 20th, 2008! We reached 40 grade 9 students (14 years old) in a Leadership Course at Greenwood College (http://www.greenwoodcollege.com/)
I had about an hour to deliver the course for each of the two classes. We kicked off with having the students write what Dignity means to them on a sheet of paper that I handed out, and then it led into a group discussion and a brief presentation on the Dignity Principles. I found that most of the initial definitions people wrote down on defining dignity related to self-respect. My co-facilitator was a grade 11 student (Celine Caira) from the school who helped me to prepare for the event. Celine shared a story about what dignity means to her based on a recent encounter with a 14 year old girl that she met in a recent trip to India with her family. I shared a few personal stories and gave context on the work of TakingITGlobal.org and how we are growing a global community of youth making a difference. I connected the mandate of our website to the dignity principles. In helping the students further understand the meaning of dignity, I asked them to share their own examples of increasing or even decreasing the dignity of others. They were able to generate many strong examples of what dignity is NOT - which actually transformed the energy in the room to be more supportive (for example after talking about the negative impact of making fun of someone for who they are).
As a process note, it was very helpful to have the students read each of the dignity principles out loud and talk about what that particular principle means to them. There were certain words that they did not understand - such as interdependent - so I took time to explain the meaning behind the word.
The bulk of the interactive time was when I had the students break out into groups of 4-5 and develop their own ABC’s of Dignity. They had about 6-7 minutes and I was amazed to see how our their depth of understanding about dignity had significantly increased since I first entered the class. At first, in doing the ABCs, we started out as a full class discussion, but I quickly realized that it would be better to have them work in teams - and this was a very smart decision. Each of the group then had a representative read out their ABCs of Dignity to the class and they were all eager to hear about the different impressions and interpretations.
At the end of the class, I unveiled the ‘Dignity Flag’ which I prepared (a huge canvas with bright colours) with Celine and Caitlin (another student) prior to Dignity Day. The Flag stated ‘We Pledge to DIGNITY’ and the students were invited to put their name on the flag, along with a word that relates to dignity starting with the first letter of their name (i.e. Jennifer - Justice). They were eager to make their pledge and I noted that many of the words were difficult for the students to spell (which could lead to future vocabulary activities in their studies). The Dignity Flag is now being hung in the school and I am hoping that at the next school wide assembly, it will be shared by some student representatives with the entire school!
Thanks for the opportunity to work together!
Special appreciation goes out to Kim Samuel-Johnson who is part of the World Economic Forum community and was a former Global Leader for Tomorrow. Kim helped bridge the connection with Greenwood College and hosted the Dignity Day planning meetings. I would also like to thank Caitlin Samuel-Johnson and Celine Caira, who are the Grade 11 students that helped me in preparing for Dignity Day. Here is our team photo taken at one of our planning sessions! Also, closing reflection from Celine, “Seeing the way Greenwood students responded to Dignity Day gives me hope that one day we will live peacefully with global dignity”.
I am incredibly energized from my experience at World Blu Live in New York last week – what a dynamic group of thinkers and leaders in the area of organizational democracy.
While at the conference, I delivered a presentation in the section on ‘NEXT’ – where I was asked to share examples of democratic and inclusive practices at TakingITGlobal. After providing an overview of the mission, vision and programs our organization offers, I talked about the value of the WorldBlu Scorecard process and how it has provided an opportunity for our core team to improve our internal communications and processes as a result of the feedback from the surveys. TakingITGlobal has been recognized in both 2007 and 2008 on the WorldBlu list of Most Democratic Workplaces. Here are a few quotes from staff members who completed the scorecard:
• “TakingITGlobal is a unique organization not only in the work it does that inspires, informs and involves members, but in the way the organization functions, which is equally inspiring for its team.”
• “This is a genuinely democratic organization with an informal yet effective management system in place. Hierarchy is virtually non-existent. It is idea driven and riding the very crest of the tech-wave. Intellectual blossoming is only one of the benefits of working here”
In my presentation, I talked about how we have created evolving visualizations of or organizational model including an earlier version of a tree. For those interested in understanding this model, here is a description that I wrote in 2003 as part of a mid-term paper that I wrote as part of my Masters course on Management in Turbulent Times. Through the roots, the organization is grounded in its core vision and values. The trunk is where much of the administrative support and technology development occurs, which all helps to nurture the growth and development of TakingITGlobal’s key program areas which are depicted through the fruit. In the diagram, the red fruit symbolize the core areas of engagement which address the various key gaps. These areas focus on engaging key stakeholders that work to support youth such as international and youth-led organizations, educators, local communities etc. The online community which is placed at the centre of the organizations activities and focus, highlights the nature of its core program. The yellow circles which connect to the online community are nodes which are drawn in a way that illustrates each of the various online community components (Action, Community, Opportunities, Expression, Voice), and how they are organized in a way that transcends the notion of a tree/organism. The research and sourced projects are ‘low-hanging fruit’ which provide support for other program areas. The overall framework is best explained in the context of a living system because it is one that needs to be able to respond and adapt to changes in external environments. In contrast to the purpose of most organizational charts, this structure does not exist to support people at the top of a hierarchy, but rather, to serve and support the growth and development of key program areas (‘fruit’) which are supported, nurtured and grounded in the shared vision (roots). The issue of survival is one of great importance to living systems, as it is to TakingITGlobal. In order for organizational objectives and ideals to be achieved, a sustainable and healthy ‘system’ must be maintained.
Another important part of our organizational culture includes teambuilding activities which have ranged from bowling and indoor beach volleyball, to taking part in a ropes course. One of the challenges for our organization is the difficulty in having teambuilding activities that are inclusive our staff and volunteers who are based in different parts of the world and often in different time zones. When Philip Rosedale, Founder and Chairman of Linden Lab, spoke at the conference, he talked about how they utilize Second Life to conduct meetings. Here is a photo of their board room and the various personalities that emerge through the avatars developed! Organizational practices that have been inspired by discussions with other WorldBlu Democratic Companies include the As and Os weekly emails that all staff send out to an 'As and Os' mailing list - each focused on objectives for the upcoming week and accomplishments from the past week. Additionally, we have a monthly Above and Beyond Award based on a staff voting system and a 'kudos' tool where you can send comments through an online system to other staff that are archived on our intranet. For ongoing knowledge management and sharing of information, we have developed an intranet and are constantly using collaborative tools such as wiki's.
Here are a few thoughts that stayed with me after listing to the diverse array of presentations (http://www.worldblu.com/live/schedule.php)
- Bill Shannon, Chief Wisdom Officer at DaVita talked about how their company is oriented around a village-like culture. They have regular town hall meetings, the office of the CEO has a 'Mayor' sign on it and executive employees have a 'uniform' which is designed like a superhero style costume. Considering the large size of the organization, they are able to maintain an atmostphere of community.
- Rodney North, Vice Chair and Answer Man of Equal Exchange focused his talk on the importance of governance and how their company entitles each employee to one vote and one share. This shared sense of ownership creates shared accountability. They believe that the role of a company include the aim of training better citizens.
- Alexander Kjerulf, Chief Happiness Officer and Author talked about how everyone can achieve happiness at work and that it starts with the simple act of how you say 'good morning'. He shared the '5 Levels' - starting off with 1 being a mumble, 2 saying good morning with no eye contact, 3 is good morning with eye contact and a smile, 4 is good morning with eye contact, a smile and a question about how they are, and level 5 includes everything in level 4 plus physical contact through a handshake. The best part of this session was being part of a transformation of energy in the room when we tried out each of the levels.
- Mike Ferretti, CEO of Great Harvest Bread Company talked about the high levels of customization and localization in their franchise model and shared a powerful diagram that includes about 6 concentric circles highlighting various spheres of their competition.
- Brett Jackson, CEO of Generation Think Tank shared his experience in being part of the first 10 employees at Crocs and some of the negative impacts of the hyper growth experienced by the company.
- A personal highlight of the WorldBlu experience was outside the conference venue at at Carnegie Hall where we watched an awe inspiring performance of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra who played in absolute harmony without a conductor!
- Other insights included learning about a simple practice of having an anonymous question/suggestion box where the CEO can respond to what is submitted during staff meetings, several comments on the importance of expressing appreciation, and the significance of having a results-focused workplace. Also, there was discussion on the concept of scarcity and how it is in your mind - as as the concept of abundance. It is important to choose your views carefully. On the last day, someone observed me taking notes based on my notes, he called me a 'concrete random' essentially based on a matrix model where the y axis includes concrete + abstract and the x axis includes sequential and random. I thought it was interesting to have my thought process being analyzed on the basis of my notebook!
My final highlight of WorldBlu live was listening to Bill Taylor, Founding Editor of Fast Company Magazine, who talked about how important it is for those of us to stay connected and ‘stay in the game’. A very special thank you goes out to Traci Fenton, Founder and CEO of WorldBlu for putting this event together and for her vision and dedication towards promoting and supporting organizational democracy in the workplace. Here’s a photo with Traci, Bill and I.
هذه الأيام لا تطالعنا نشرات الأخبار إلا بأحداث الأزمة التي تمر بها البورصات العالمية والمصارف الكبرى والكارثة التي تلم بالاقتصاد العالمي مما قد "يهدد" من رفاهية المواطنين! وقد غطى هذا الحديث على حقائق يعرفها الجميع منها أن مئات الملايين حول العالم يعيشون بدخل يومي يقل عن دولار وأن عشرات اللآلاف (أغلبهم من الأطفال) يموتون يوميا جراء سوء التغذية أو ضعف الرعاية الصحية في بلدانهم النامية. وحينما نسمع أن الولايات المتحدة تنفق مليون دولار كل 3 دقائق في عملياتها العسكرية في العراق فإن الكثير منا سيصل إلى نتيجة حتمية أن لا شيء بيدنا نحن المواطنين العاديين في الوطن العربي. ولكن البعض الآخر (وأنا منهم) لا زال يؤمن أن كل فرد فينا بيده شيء (وشيء كبير) ليفعله حيال هذه القضية الخطيرة. وحتى ونحن نرى الدول العربية النفطية تستثمر جل أموالها في الغرب، فإن هذا لا يعني أن من هم بعيدون عن السلطة مسلوبو القدرة على فعل شيء.
إن الزكاة وهي من الأركان الأصلية للإسلام تستهدف هذه المشكلة من جذرها وبصورة مباشرة وهي أعلى صور التكافل الاجتماعي التي حينما يلتزم بها كل شخص، يرتقى المجتمع بأسره اقتصاديا – هذا بخصوص الحل المباشر. لكن هناك أيضا عشرات وربما مئات التصرفات التي يقوم بها كل فرد منا ولا يجد منها ضرر يذكر ويكون تأثيرها الجماعي كارثيا. وإذا استطاع كل منا أن يغير وجهة النظر هذه (بضآلة أثره كفرد على مجتمع بأسره) في نفسه وفي من حوله فإن هذا من رأيي يكون أنجع حل لمشكلة الفقر ولمعظم مشكلات وطننا العربي.
فعلى سبيل المثال هنال مئات الآلاف من الشباب في مصر يدخنون وقد يرى كل واحد منهم هأن فقط يؤذي نفسه ولكن الفاتورة الإجمالية للتدخين في مصر (حسب إحصائات عام 2005) هي 17 مليار جنيه. أي أن عادة واحدة ذميمة تكلف بلد كمصر أكثر من ضعف ميزانيتها السنوية للصحة والتعليم مجتمعتين! مثال آخر – عندما يذهب أحدنا ليشترى سلعة ما (طعام، ملابس، إلخ) فإن الغالبية الساحقة منا لا تجعل اختيارها الأول للمنتج الوطني وإنما يكون الاختيار إما للشركات ذائعة الصيت (عند الميسورين) أو للبضائع الأقل ثمنا. ويمكنك أن تجري على هذين المثالين، عشرات بل آلاف الأمثلة الأخرى. المابلغة في شراء الأطعمة التي لا نحتاجها في رمضان والأعياد، الاستهلاك غير الحكيم للكهرباء والماء، التعالي على الفقراء، عدم اتقان العمل والتحجج بضعف المرتبات... إلخ إلخ
فلو أن كل منا بدأ يفكر ولو قليلا فيما يفعله كل يوم وقام بتعديلات بسيطة في أسلوب حياته ودعى أصدقائه وزملائه وعائلته لذلك فإنني موقن بمشيئة الله أننا سنكون أفضل كثيرا ولن نحتاج أن نتسول معونة لا من الغرب ولا من الشرق.
A few years ago when researching for an essay, whose topic I can't remember anymore, I happened across this passage from a book introduction by Russian sociologist Boris Kagarlitsky and economist Alan Freeman:
"... The globalised world is an imperial one: this fact simply conforms to direct daily experience outside the charmed circles of Western economic fortresses."
It really struck me at the time because it seemed like such a fitting description of the state of things. Instead of classic imperialism there is economic imperialism. And the imagery used in the passage - a 'fortress' - really stuck with me. It seemed to describe a world where there are walls dividing those people who belong to 'charmed circles' - and who are safe and certain within these 'economic fortresses' - and those who live outside the walls, with constant uncertainty and no guarantees. At the time I was particularly obsessed with the fact that it seemed to describe me: a relatively safe and happy person with little idea of what daily life is like for those who aren't lucky enough to be a member of the middle-class in a prosperous country like Canada. And today - Blog Action Day - this passage came back to me again, because today thousands of bloggers will be talking about the 'state of things' described by Kagarlitsky and Freeman: the inequality that exists in our world and the extreme poverty that it produces.
Today the 'Western economic fortresses' seem an especially relevant topic, because the fortresses seem to be shaking - stock markets in New York, London, Tokyo, Moscow, Toronto and elsewhere have spent the last week fluctuating at rates that have never been seen before. This doesn't necessarily mean that the sun is going to stop shining on any of the 'charmed circles' described by Kagarlitsky and Freeman- actually those most affected and hardest hit by an 'economic slowdown', or 'global recession', or 'global financial heart attack', will most likely be those already living with poverty. The same answer applies to the global problems of rising food prices, climate change, and global health threats - like HIV and AIDS, malaria or TB. [Of course calling them 'Western' economic fortresses ignores the poverty that exists inside what are traditionally referred to as 'Western' countries, and there are definitely those living with poverty in both rich and poor countries alike.]
I don't have a particular solution to propose, or action that I think everyone should take, except - if you haven't already - recognizing which side of that divide you might be on. For me, recognizing that was a big step towards getting more informed on the causes of poverty, the proposed solutions, and the biggest threats. Obviously there isn't any big miraculous solution to the issue, but there is always something you can do as an individual, even if it is as simple as recognizing your place within the greater state of things. I think the more you understand about a topic like poverty - not just globally, but within your own community - the more you'll be able to effectively contribute when that opportunity comes along for you to be part of a solution.
[The passage I quoted is from the book 'The Politics of Empire: Globalization in Crisis', pg 27 of the Introduction by Boris Kagarlitsky and Alan Freeman]
At the beginning of my presentation, I asked the audience to think about the following question: "What contribution can young people make to addressing global poverty?" People sent in text responses via their mobile phones. I was really impressed with the responses and followed up with Matt McKenna at Red Fish Media who sent along the list of text messages for me to post on my blog:
- Volunteering
- Money.
- Communication
- Conserve conserve conserve
- The ability to connect
- Be more selfless
- Promote conservation
- Spend some time walking in their shoes
- Spend less volunteer more vote democrat
- Micro investments and localglobal involvement can be very impactful.
- Just getting involved in one key focus and acting against it
- Teach
- Provide education and employment to the poor
- Start recycling cheaper use of electricity fewer car trips etc.
- Consume less in developed nations.
- Social networking can bring countries and people much closer....
- After graduating college young people can pay it forward by volunteering in impoverished nations.
- First become aware. second start donating .
- Start education programs
- Young people can connect across cultures via the web to create greater awareness at a personal level.
- Create friendships to harness Energy.
- Improve knowledge of the burdens poverty places and spur collective action to take ownership of the problem and make a difference.
- Organize create opportunities for each other and for adults
- Set an example Start a business and employ other young people.
- Mentoring and outreach
- Since poverty is rising in North America young people can get directly involved by working in soup kitchens halfway houses etc.
We all know I'm a big fan of technologies and gadgets... so when I read last week in the New York Times that one of the more innovative genetic mapping companies (23andme) had reduced the price of its Genetic Mapping service (which many companies sell for up to $2-3,000) from $999 to only a few hundred dollars, I decided it was an amazing amount of information and education to be able to get access to for that amount, so I took the plunge and signed up.
A day later, FedEx delivered a Spit Kit to my house, which requires about 10 minutes of spitting into and mixing together with a solution, and your DNA sample is ready to send back! And off it went to Los Angeles, California to a laboratory today. Funny enough, the FedEx Pak they provide specifically says "do not send liquids" on it :)
So in 6-8 weeks, I'll know where my ancestors are from, whether I'm genetically lactose intolerant, whether or not I love broccoli because I can't taste the bitterness in it, and whether or not I'm a bit more likely than average to get certain diseases or be susceptible to certain conditions in my lifetime, along with dozens of other interesting facts. For less than the price of a university course in genetics, I can view and learn much of the world's most up-to-date knowledge on the relationships between genes and personal/medical conditions personalized to my specific genetic data. How cool is that?
You can make a case against "messing with your life" this way (I had an interesting discussion about this with someone just the other night), but I think that given the great power we have as humans to be intelligent and understand life in a way that no other species can, we then have a responsibility to use it to maximize the potential of our lives. Right? I guess it's also just a bit of an extra motivation knowing that you're slightly more at risk than average to do something about it! (from 1-2 times more or less likely than the generally population, in most cases)
I'll check back in with the results in a few months!
