Blind Man Sees Essays

Resources for Canadians and other Liberty loving people

for Nation building in an age of challenges

R John Williams

“I once was blind but now I see...” John Newton

Blind Man Sees Media Productions

Contents

Canada – True North Strong and Free

Creativity

Functionality

Ice As A Factor In The Development Of The Canadian Character

The Principle of Resistance

The Transformation of Culture

Icebergs At Risk: Global Reforestation

With Heads Firmly In Place: Universal Dental Care In The Province Of Ontario

Honey

The New Patriotism

The Peace-based Economy

A Vision for Canada

Your Canada - Building the Canadian Dream

Canada – True North Strong and Free

Canada – A Nation of Leaders

Delivering Hope

The Great Canadians Plan of Hope

Imagining Canada

Author's note

Canada - True North Strong and Free

Canada is an amazing country. We enjoy a level of peace, stability, and public security here that is rare in the world and in history. We are at the very heart and axis of The Universal Culture. The World is no longer easily compartmentalized into isolated segments. People of all places and cultures now have immediate access to one another through amazing transportation and communication systems and we are exposed to all cultures. These cultures are being melded into one all-encompassing new culture, which I have long been referring to as The Universal Culture. For I have had more exposure to the many existent perspectives than most, perhaps all, people. In Canada we have more ready access to data from people in all places and of all backgrounds than anyone ever has anywhere at any time up to the present. We have been accepting and tolerant and welcoming as we have woven The Cultural Mosaic. These are qualities that are much-needed in a world fraught with intolerance and consequent violence in every nook and cranny of life.  Here we also enjoy levels of freedom and democratic participation that are rare and beautiful. We have an abundance of food, water, and natural resources. We have a strong economy and a government that seeks diligently to serve the populace and the world in fair, kind, humane and efficient manners and with functional democratic systems, values and institutions. We care about and for the weak and the vulnerable in our midst. We are a Just and Compassionate Society. November 18, 2004 Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Creativity

I am convinced that there is a place where the human imagination interfaces with the mind of God. Like some spiritual placenta a human soul feeds upon the boundless creative energy that is God and is in God.

It is not at all unusual for a creative surge to occur when one has, perhaps by misfortunate circumstance, been driven into the arms and presence of God. In the aftermath of such periods of trial and often error, we open ourselves to the satisfying comfort of God's person.

When our person meets God's we are in-flooded with the creative power of which God consists. That creativity surges through our entire being and sets about a chain-reaction of events and experiences which can result in the creation of some previously non-existent phenomenon.

The most agreeable and desirable form for this type of creative impulse is that wherein one has securely attached oneself to that divine placenta. This brings about a creative flow which can enable a person to be in a constant state of creativity and, with Sustained Intentionality, can result in a wide-ranging benefit to oneself and the community at large.

This approach leads to and is instrumental in the evolution of stability of character and reliability in business and in all aspects of life. This is, of necessity, a balanced, disciplined, caring, and focused approach to life.

Guelph, Ontario, May 25, 1998. 1:20 a.m. [15 minutes]

Functionality

Functional people, families, organizations, institutions and nations get things done and they do the right things, in the right ways, at the right time. This is Functionality. It is the consequence of healthy living and a proper sense of independence. It requires focused, persistent, clear-minded hard work and a balanced approach to life.

“Dysfunctional” means that these things cannot be achieved on a consistent and ongoing basis. It is the inability to function in healthy and productive ways.

Ice As A Factor In The Development Of The Canadian Character

I’ve come up with an idea about something that seems to have helped shape and condition the Canadian Character. My notion is that since we must often function on Ice here in The Great White North we have, as a consequence, adjusted our thinking and behavior to survive on icy surfaces.

Our “national sport” is hockey, after all. We play broom-ball, figure skate, speed skate, dance skate, just plain skate, curl, ringette, and generally navigate through the icy environment much of the time. Ice makes people cautious. One must remain stable, go slow, be steady and alert and balanced. There is always the chance of falling. So Ice lends uncertainly to situations.

We build ice castles, sculpt in ice, fish on and through the ice. And if one includes sub-groups of Ice, there is snow!! And we also do lots on snow. From skiing downhill or cross-country to Winter camping and snow-shoeing, from building snow-forts and igloos to skidooing, Canadians have developed attitudes and lifestyle technologies that take into account cold, slippery and treacherous surfaces.

The frigid environment that produces all of this Ice and Ice-consciousness is also a large factor in the Canadian Character. The very air, the wind, the water and the large amount of white, frozen precipitation makes the Canadian wary in every environment. It’s difficult to be brash and boastful in the midst of a malevolent climatic environment.

This weather produces many hazards for the inhabitants of The Great White North. From ice-bergs to avalanches to the hazards of frozen lakes to the interruption of road, air, and rail travel, we are constantly put upon by our harsh Winter conditions.

There is nothing in the frozen white landscape so disturbing as thin ice, except perhaps an avalanche of the same material. Ice brings many hazards. It can wound, injure and kill or instill an eternal chill into the bones and flesh and sinuses so that “bone-chilling” becomes a familiar and life-threatening spinal experience.

Ice can take our toes, our fingers, hands, noses, eyebrows and ears. It can put us in a jam at sea and give us a “brain freeze” in the height of summer. It hampers our plans and our machinery and affects our planning. Ice can put us out of control suddenly and in many dangerous situations on roads, hills, steps and stairs, on ramps, sidewalks, or on the way to get groceries.

Yet Ice also brings an abundance of benefits and we have sought to capture this slippery element and put it in our daily service. Frozen foods and frozen dinners, desserts, drinks and juices, meats and veggies and fruits, icecream and ice cubes and frozen yogurt; all of these have become parts of our daily culture along with the technologies that support them while keeping us cool in house or car and preserving our food.

Ice has gathered to itself meaning and metaphor and significance of symbolic types. It teaches us lessons, gives us relief and hope and builds spontaneous bridges that are risky and temporary, across impassable chasms. Ice is the solid and chilly expression of the larger part of our earthly physical environment and the bulk of our own physical substance.

Today there is freezing rain falling to beautify and simultaneously make our environment dangerous. The beautiful and shimmering coat of Ice on the majestic oak can bring it suddenly crashing down upon us. Everything becomes slippery, tenuous and unpredictable. Life slows down and requires special caution from us if we intend to survive the day intact.

Ice has not only become a part of our culture, habits and thinking. It has forced upon us the necessities inherent in its presence and in so doing has shaped our thinking, our feelings, our actions, our values and aesthetics. It has penetrated into the deep and influential parts of our collective and individual imagination and has taught us a way of life that requires co-operation and collective action. Our psyches and our society in Canada have, in many ways, been shaped by this environmental reality. Here we know that Ice can preserve us or destroy us and that it deserves our attention and respect.

Much of life is slippery like Ice.

Guelph, Ontario, Canada

The Principle of Resistance

Something in the human heart leaps to life and action when it hears these words, “You cannot!” A spark ignites a primitive aspect of our nature that resists the perceived attitude of condescension and denial of freedom to do and to be as we please.

For within the human heart there lives an image of what we can be and do. This is the urge to liberty, the primal need for freedom of thought, action, movement, and expression. This is the Revolutionary Spirit.

This innate urge resists any attitude that denies the complete and overall freedom it requires to be that person we believe ourselves to be within, or to become, given the opportunity. There is much necessity for this spirit of resistance, for there are many voices that tell us, “You cannot achieve your goals, fulfill your destiny, realize your dreams! You cannot, I tell you.”

But the smouldering human spirit, quiet when left alone, defies the experts and pundits and the advantaged. “I can! And I will!” it says, sometimes with quiet defiance, sometimes in a loud audible voice ornamented with blood and sacrifice.

The tyrants who believe they are divinely appointed to rule their world, big or small, say, “You cannot defeat me and be free.” But the quiet spirit of contentment is quickly displaced by the inner voice that responds, “I can topple you!”

So went the experience of the parent who wished to restrain the teenager. And so goes the experience of the economically advantaged, of spouses in marriage, of teachers, of religious and political leaders, of cults and communities and cultures that wittingly or not seek to restrain the spirit of human creativity and evolution.

Freedom cannot be contained nor restrained.

The Transformation of Culture

Human culture is a complex tool or set of tools. Culture provides a meaningful and useful set of behaviours by which the needs of its practitioners may be satisfied: food, shelter, safety, art, et cetera. However, these cultures which are developed by peoples have a limited period of usefulness, after which their continued use can be counter-productive, a liability rather than a benefit.

As human cultures have evolved they have become increasingly more complex so that in the year 2000 C.E. we have a multitude of choices and a plethora of samples - modern, antique or ancient. The Universal Culture has been asserting itself, especially in “western” countries.

The Universal Culture includes hi-tech wizardry like computers and the Internet, flight and other modes of automated transportation, television, food, beverages, belief systems, literatures, politics, science and so much more…all things from all places and peoples are coalescing into a single stream.

If the dominant culture does not fulfill the purposes for which cultures are developed and applied, to “provide a meaningful and useful set of behaviours by which…our needs may be satisfied”, then it is necessary to further examine what we are doing with an eye to making effective changes whereby our genuine needs will be met.

How does one transform culture or bring about a transformation of culture? I do not believe that any one of us can do this. It is by nature a collective activity. But we do have tools by which our needs may be examined or met. Reason and debate and analysis and discussion and imaginative creativity are some effective tools for the pursuit of this collective goal - the transformation of culture.

Icebergs At Risk: Global Reforestation

I’ve just had a thought (Vision!) of how the Reforestation of The Earth could be achieved with relative ease. This plan would also have huge and far-reaching positive economic, cultural and social results and consequences.

The 'Have' nations could provide funding, perhaps through the United Nations which is presently looking for its 'teeth' in the wake of last week’s disappointing UN summit with 160 world leaders. They are seeking effective reform, but they suffer from the same malady as the Government of Canada, lack of Vision. My vision for Canada could tie nicely into a Global UN initiative that more effectively addresses the true Crisis that threatens Humanity.

A significant part of the threat is environmental and ecological. My hypothesis (which could be scientifically verified) is that vast and immediate reforestation of The Earth could readily and quickly begin to solve many of our environmental problems, including Global Warming. But I do not believe this initiative should be launched in The United Nations. Rather I believe that this should be a unilateral initiative by Canada. We can and should provide leadership. We possess the technology to do so. ( Besides, we have so many icebergs at risk.)

In my lifetime, and this is not a-typical of Canadians, I’ve planted at least over 200,000 trees, and I was well paid for doing so. Some of those trees must have taken root and will be producing oxygen as I write. Other may have become this paper. Imagine if every able bodied person between fourteen and fifty planted 200,000 trees, or even 2000 which can be done in a day or two with the proper preparation, care, tools and technology (which is relatively simple by the way).

But there’s more. And there’s more healing in the More. What if the care, nurture, planning, design, maintenance and oversight of these Global Forests were put in the hands of the world’s aboriginal peoples. In fact they know better how to do this than anyone, as we’ve finally realized in Canada where ancient aboriginal forestry technologies are finally being understood, respected and implemented at governmental levels.

It has recently been realized that the amazing forests that existed in Canada when Europeans began to settle here were not wild in large part. They were cultivated and watched by the aboriginal peoples who dwelt within their bounds; propagated and managed into Global resources.

These people consider the trees, forest, wildlife, plant life and The Bush altogether to be sacred, along with The Earth and all that is in it. They could and would provide good care for this essential oxygen making Resource. And in the process they would regain their dignity and freedom. We need them and we need their help if this Global Family is to survive.

Imagine this. I have.

With Heads Firmly In Place: Universal Dental Care In The Province Of Ontario

How do we separate dental health from general health? How can we conceptually deny the intimate connection between a healthy mouth and a healthy body, mind and spirit? Dental problems are painful, embarrassing, distracting and debilitating.

Much productivity is lost in our society due to dental problems. And dental problems are clearly associated with a wide variety of other health concerns from stomach cancer to kidney and bladder disorders to prostate gland inflammation, all of which place further pressure on our medical delivery systems.

Few common human experiences are more painful and distressing than a toothache. It’s the kind of pain that steals sleep and peace and concentration. The infection in an abscessed tooth flows freely through the entire bloodstream and cannot be dissociated from the body at a practical level. Even existing definitions of insurable medical conditions have not managed to remove everyone’s heads.

The Canadian Dental Association (dentists) are all in agreement that that early and persistent care according to agreed upon maintenance practices are the best policy in caring for people’s teeth (and therefore people). Their ads on television and all of their individual and collective communications with the Canadian Public say the same thing with perfect consistency. Yet they seem largely agreed that this policy should not be public policy. And so much more could be done for the dental health and overall well-being of people with so much less if this were public policy, rather than a humiliating message to all who lack complete access to proper care as prescribed by dentists in general.

And dentists should take note that other forms of health care delivery have prospered their colleagues in the medical professions. The merely financial benefits for practitioners from these integrated systems have reached far beyond anything imagined at the moment of conception, or even at its birth. And it has helped all Canadians as well. Let me clarify that I am not merely suggesting universal dental treatment. I mean dental care. By providing dental care and preventative treatment through government based programs we could reap great benefits as a Province [Ontario], as a Nation [Canada], as a People [Canadians].

For instance, a report issued this week about Emergency room traffic in Ontario hospitals revealed that over fifty percent of ER visits were not emergencies and a large proportion of these visits were related to dental problems. Helping people care for their teeth would also relieve some of the undue pressures placed on hospital staff by sheer volume of clients at Emergency Rooms and other facilities. And it would relieve pressure on the public medical care delivery system, on the Province, and the on Federal Budget.

Healthier people are simply happier, more co-operative, and more productive members of society. Many of our citizens (often the poor or very poor) do not know how to care for their mouths and teeth. Consequently they’re embarrassed both by the appearance of their teeth and by the suffering that accompanies dental infections and other oral problems.

These people cannot afford to pay someone to help them care for their teeth. But we have the technologies, the administrative methods, the technologists, the dentists: the system components with which we could eliminate this sad pressure on people and on society. We even have the funding. All we lack is the Will and a Vision of a Nation where people’s heads are attached to their bodies in the world of political and bureaucratic decision-making.

We need Universal Dental Care in The Province of Ontario. This would help the poor, the artists, our institutions, our finances, our work force, everyone! And dental practitioners could see a more even and widespread benefit to their society. They would also find even more reason for pride in their individual and collective work. Life is a team sport and the collective skill, intelligence and creativity of our dentists could help transform Canada into that place about which we Dream.

Tommy Douglas was recently voted Canada’s 'Greatest' citizen by an enthusiastic Public using media technology [TV + Internet + telephones + computers]. This former Premier of Saskatchewan won the hearts and devotion and gratitude of all Canadians through the introduction of “medicare”; government sponsored and supervised medical treatment for all citizens with no user fee.

Apparently the concept was a hit, in spite of initial hostility and opposition, and was soon adopted in all Provinces and became a Federal Government Policy. This was an act of general compassion towards the Canadian People on the part of Mr. Douglas and his colleagues, the Members of The Saskatchewan Legislature. Canadians still desire compassion and we like to express it in our societal systems.
Let’s embrace compassion and heal the sore mouths, heads, and other suffering parts of Canadians, which result from dental problems. Let us affirm once again that our mouths are in our heads and that our heads remain firmly in place, attached to our bodies. Our teeth need funding just as our waterfowl do and just as our culture does, and just as our reputation does.

Canadians are in need of publicly founded, funded and managed Dental Education and Care just as we do for our bodies, minds, eyes, ears, feet, and all other areas of human medical specialization. Dentists want to help people and such a system will enable a more balanced sharing of resources that will very quickly make us all richer, more productive, healthier and happier. It will make us an even greater nation. Our public medical care system is something that distinguishes us as a nation internationally. It’s an expression of the Justice and Compassion of the Canadian identity.

Today there is much earnest debate about the future of medicare and many models are being proposed and implemented in response to perceived conditions and circumstances. Some might prefer to eliminate medicare entirely and let Canadians return to a former and more primitive method of caring for themselves, their families, their neighbours and everyone across this great land.

The Medicare system has served Canadians well as individuals and as a nation. It employs a workforce of competent and well-trained medical practitioners. Yet costs are skyrocketing and personnel are in short supply. So far no one has suggested that we employ reliable preventative health systems, which I know to exist and be available; and which we could implement for dental care.

Doctors have also prospered far beyond what most of them would have managed without government medical delivery systems. Everyone wins in these public agreements; at least everyone should win.

When Mr. Douglas introduced the Bill for Universal Medicare in The Saskatchewan Legislature, his plan and dream was not to stop with this step and measure. He pointed out that hospital insurance had been the first step and had been received warmly and economically by the society.

Medicare, he pointed out, was the second step. 'Optometrics', treatment for eyes and access to eye-wear funding, was third. [This is something that has been of great importance to me as a former blind person who received restorative eye surgery which was paid for by the Canadian people via OHIP. Thank you.] And the jewel in Premier Douglas’ medical crown of coverage was intended to be dental care. After all, nothing gives that final lustre to a person like a bright, shiny, healthy smile.

I believe it could be easily demonstrated that we could deliver better and universally accessible dental care to the citizens of Canada. Rather than tearing away that single thing which Canadians have proven is closest to their collective community heart in choosing Tommy Douglas as The Greatest Canadian, we should complete the Dream.

While others call for a compromise of the health care system, I call for the logical expansion to follow the first three steps already accomplished in this persistent Canadian Dream. We should institute Universal Dental Care in The Province of Ontario, and in all provinces, territories and regions of Canada.

Dental problems are a plague on our citizens and economy and we could change that easily, and inexpensively, and quickly. These previous measures have stabilized and civilized Canada and have made us the best place in the world to live. Be brave. Move forward and grasp The Dream.

Honey

When I was seventeen and sharing a farm house outside of Kitchener with some young hippie types I was introduced to bee keeping by one of my older house mates. He had a dream of becoming a bee keeper and a master gardener. He succeeded in both. After this early introduction I had plenty more exposure to bees and those who care for them and harvest their rare and wonderful product – Honey!

For this is the precious product that is made by bees in a hive-wide coordinated set of operations and enterprises. They have roles and work in teams. They travel great distances to collect pollen which is the raw material for their wonderful gift to the world. Then they process it within themselves and deliver it to the hive to feed old and young bees of every stripe and function. Some is stored in the wax containers they create within the design of the hive. The life and well-being of heap and hive depend upon this precious substance – a substance which only they can produce for themselves. Without it they wither and perish.

People are somewhat more complicated. But I am convinced that the human animal goes to even greater lengths and detail to collect a wide variety of substances [minerals, vitamins, water, fruit, meat, oxygen, and others] necessary for the human honey. We call it love.

Love is widely regarded as the highest and purest form of energy produced in and by people, easily overshadowing kinetic energy [physical movement], emotional or intellectual energy or anything else we produce in ourselves or with the tools we create [eg – atomic, electric, et cetera]. And love has interesting qualities and characteristics. It can move people to great achievements and feats of strength, courage or creation. There is a wonderful and pure magic in this non-substantial stuff that we make.

Without this pure essence of all we consume people wither and die. They are rendered vulnerable and can become crippled. We are made to manufacture it and we need it in order to function properly. We need it to function to our optimum levels. I suspect that everyone knows how to hurt others – which is very easy. Few know how to be truly kind which requires love. Nor do they know how to produce and distribute it in large doses. Making love can be a humiliating and difficult process. Delivering it can be even more difficult and humiliating.

The ancient Greek people recognized three kinds of this stuff – that which is exchanged between a man and a woman, that exchanged between parents and children and that between siblings – brothers, sisters and friends, mentors.

In the New Testament Greek manuscripts another type of love is introduces into language and culture [bees live in cultures as humans do]. It's call agape love and describes the love between God and humanity/humans. This is the prime model for the manufacture and distribution of this powerful stuff in all its forms and functions.

Most people seem to seek in vain for happiness, satisfaction and fulfillment. I believe that this deficit is largely due to a kind of undernourishment that results from not receiving enough love. Add love to most people's lives and there is an instant transformation from meaningless, flat and empty to joy, pleasure and satisfaction

People do not often understand how to make this stuff. At the same time they are rendered incapable of receiving or accepting it - just like someone who is deaf cannot hear the sonic vibrations commonly heard by others. Being loved, like hearing is quite natural and an integral

part of being human. In fact love can and does create or inspire integrity in people. Somehow it makes us whole and sound – stable and at ease.

True justice for this lofty subject can only be given by poets. For poets seem to live entirely on love. They are well-acquainted with it and they know where to find it, collect it, process it, express it, apply it to the hungry wounded soul searching books for hope and meaning. Prophets also give us insight into its properties and show us where to find it. One has written, “There is a balm in Gilead.” thereby turning the heart to the love of God.

Love's effect upon a human being is profound. It transforms this world from a flat, fleshly, biological empirical disconnected clump into a rich, spiritual and meaningful whole. It generates excitement in the heart and soul, intelligence in the mind; and ignites the imagination so that visions and desires burn with clarity. Love moves the will to act and fulfill the desires of the heart. It makes us more ambitious, more competent and just plain more. It simultaneously enriches others and ourselves for love is neither selfish nor greedy.

Love is the sweet honey of human existence, produced by us and for us through the collection and processing of divergent materials and non-materials from every corner of existence. It is the sweet melody which moves our steps in meaningful fashion through the minefield of human life.

This sacred human honey dispels fear and insecurity and anxiousness. It is a guide for the living, comfort for the dying and hope for the grieving. The only possible fear that could remain in the presence and face of love would be the loss of it. Yet love has proven to be eternal and indestructible. So we need not fear when we feed upon and love within the precincts of love.

For me Freedom has been one of the most precious and desirable things. Life regularly demonstrates to me that love has properties that set us free from bonds and obstacles both inside and outside of our selves. In this way we are able to realize our potential and find peace. Here are some of the components of genuine human liberty – a freedom which cannot be confined, cannot be destroyed or stolen. External freedom proceeds from internal freedom. Love shows us the path of freedom, teaches us to walk on it and strengthens us to break the fetters that hold us from it.

The Bible tells us that God is love. Faith, experience and the testimony of others all support this claim. Therefore it does follow that to have God in our life will readily meet a large part of our need and appetite for love. Having the indwelling love of God's Spirit in our heart sets right the mechanisms that produce, collect, channel and distribute the stuff. Conversely it allows us to receive it from other. We can and do grow more able in the sharing and receiving of it.

Guelph JVC – February 9, 2022.

The New Patriotism

An atmosphere of indifference has developed in the course of the past thirty years. While on the face of it Canada has progressed in the areas of consumerism and commerce, beneath the surface there has been an erosion of the very quality that has given us our freedom and a lifestyle that is rich beyond the wildest dreams of over ninety percent of all people who have ever lived on Planet Earth.

While the deceptive voice of consumerism tells us that we are poor if we lack some important new addition to our collection of consumer items, the truth is that we need not and do not starve in this country. We look after one another in ways that are rare. And yes, it is consumerism and the capitalist economic models we employ that make much of this system of benefits possible.

The sad truth is that our citizens are infected with a rampant indifference to the glorious blessings they enjoy. And when we do appreciate something it is more likely to be those consumer goods we or others possess rather than the deeper and loftier treasures we hide in our social closet.

Few speak of freedom and liberty and equal rights as the treasures they hold dear. And it is out of fashion to mention patriotism, which has been analyzed and relegated to the pile of dirty social laundry with such items as masculinity, the warrior society, social discipline, empirical thinking and scientific method.

We would rather be governed by urgent passions; and patriotism does not turn people on. Some believe that reason and rationality and logic are remnants of an outdated and irrelevant society that still lingers.

This kind of thinking was within our budget so long as our friends and allies were ready, able and willing to look to our security and defence. But our allies are now hard-pressed to protect their own citizens and borders and we sneer at their suggestions that there is a real threat and that we and our families are targets of these disturbed malefactors.

But we hold this perspective and opinion at risk of our peril. It is a certainty that people scattered across the face of the Earth awaken every morning to plot our destruction. They are energetic and creative and determined in their efforts and they are willing to sacrifice everything up to and including their lives, their resources and their children in their efforts to disrupt and destroy our societies and our culture and our families and friends and neighbours.

The mere recognition of these truths should be sufficient to motivate us to awaken every morning with our superior models of discipline and determination in high gear, saying “We have paid dearly in blood for these liberties and you shall not strip us of them. What has been born of divine design will not be shattered by the evil of hatred and malice and ignorance.”

For it is the Love factor that has made us strong and this alone is sufficient to overwhelm hatred and fear and malice. Love has been manifested in service and sacrifice by our forbears and She calls upon us to give our hearts for the health and safety and security of our Nation, our families, our neighbourhoods and our social systems. Schools, hospitals, transportation and energy systems have all been put in place as expressions of love.

This is the deep hidden heart of democracy where capitalism melds with freedom. We give rich and plentiful gifts to those we love. And we have in fact given them to all who inhabit our Nation, our society and our culture; we have even extended these benefits to our enemies.

The New Patriotism must take into account realities rather than being driven blindly by passion and insincere leaders bent upon our deception. This New Patriotism must enable government of the People, for the People, by the People. As it stands much of our government is of the People, for the corporations, by the corporations. This is not to argue that corporate citizens should not be a significant part of the decision making processes. The safety, security and healthy development of corporations is a benefit to us all. Our fate and that of the corporate infrastructure are intimately tied.

The final analysis, if that analysis is fair and scientific, will show that what is good for corporate citizens is good for human citizens and vice versa. Oftentimes corporations have not evolved into conscientious and compassionate citizens in the free society, little realizing that the demise of the Nation and the systems that ensure the secure functioning of the Nation will toll the destruction of all Rights, both civil and corporate. We need a new social contract that takes into account these indisputable truths. The terms of that as yet unwritten contract will help to shape the New Patriotism for which I work and wait.

Let it also be said that some corporations are more mature in their outlook and actions than some human citizens. By this I mean that they are far more responsible, disciplined and compassionate than many people, often because of the accountability that is demanded of them which human citizens need not endure.

I surmise that this is so because of the pure hearts who command and navigate these huge corporate vessels laden with plenty for the masses. In this manner some corporations are delivery systems for the benefit of the millions who could never conceive, manufacture and deliver these goods and services to and for themselves, not in a thousand years. People of genius and compassion and insight act in behalf of everyone, even in corporate head-offices.

This is not to be undervalued nor held in contempt. Rather it is a truth that should be celebrated and enjoyed as we cuddle on our Big Comfy Couch with our cute little well-groomed, well-educated, well-dressed kids watching cable television in our centrally heated homes plugged into electrical and gas grids and dream about where we will vacation in the shiny automobile in our paved driveway.

Granted not all citizens in the nations of plenty enjoy these pleasures as yet. However it is the goal of corporate leaders to see a widget in every home. But the percentage is relatively high here and growing more so everywhere thru quality and access to goods and services extending to more and more people. So we see the spread of these benefits to encompass and embrace the whole world. But the destruction of our systems will pre-empt that dream.

The New Patriotism is a tool for the preservation of what has been achieved and built at such high cost, enabling us to build another level of excellence and comfort into our Universal Culture as it embraces the whole world and citizens both human and otherwise. We need fire in the heart and brow and arm and will. We need to act now to prevent the collapse of so wonderful a world which has been built upon human imagination and tears and toil. Our parents believed in it and striven to improve upon what had been left to them. We can sit back indifferently and watch it destroyed by people who do not understand us or our lifestyle.

Or we can steel our collective will to resist the intruder and throw back the violent interloper. Terrorism could very well be a blessing in disguise. If it motivates us to take action we will be saved from our own indifference and selfishness. Rather than fighting endlessly amongst ourselves we need to recognize the true enemies of state and citizen, those who would destroy it to secure a callous and vicious control over all people everywhere. This must not be allowed to happen.

The Peace-based Economy

Peace is not sign of weakness, just as violence is not a sign of strength. Peace requires strength, self-restraint, discipline, and a pursuit of genuine self-interest. Canada has successfully achieved a peaceful, free and Just Society where Compassion is a governing principle.

A simple decision to strategically and intentionally move towards a Peace-based economy would be a strong statement to the world and an assertion of our Core Values. The energetic pursuit of a select group of economic bases could bring rapid economic growth while providing the means for sharing our Methods, Values and Culture through the mechanisms of a new futuristic economy that excludes the need for bloodshed from the pursuit of large-scale economic gain. We can prove that Peace Pays more [and better] than war.

Canada is a world leader in a number of critical areas: education; alternative energy technologies and research; environmental and ecological solutions; scientific research and applications that are peaceful; diplomacy and jurisprudence; legislative responsibility; high-tech communications and media; policing and law enforcement; the Arts and entertainment; agriculture; management and administration; Human Relations.

Policies could be easily introduced that are Global in magnitude that support and reward the development and worldwide distribution of these things that characterize us as a People and unify us as a Nation. Consider these things...

A Vision for Canada

The Future: Peace Pays [Exploring The Canadian Identity]

NOTE - below is an excerpt from this essay

Canadians want and deserve a great Vision. They have worked hard and sacrificed much in order to build a nation and a society that is democratic, peaceful, just, compassionate, fair, supportive, prosperous, inclusive, multicultural, environmentally conscious, creative, productive and much more. We have overcome great odds in order to knit together widely separated regions in ways that help us all. But this harmony is under threat now.

We don't only seek to help ourselves in Canada. We remember where our families are from [everywhere], whether we are First Nations or All Nations. The great migration has brought us together and we have created something wonderful in the face of hardship, obstacles, enemies, climate, terrain, and so on.

This nation was conceived as a Dream. It was never enough for Canada to simply exist and survive. We had to become something more than we were and perhaps more than seemed possible. In spite of the tensions and rifts in our internal relations, we have managed to work together for the good of all.

In the global age 'all' has become much more. We reach out in creative ways to help those who are disadvantaged everywhere on the face of the planet. Look just about anywhere and you will find at least one Canadian fussing over the difficulties of others and pitching in with Canadian advantages to help those who struggle.

A true Vision for Canada must portray and enable us to see ourselves reaching out to the world to share our extraordinary culture, which is unlike any in human history. Here people live in peace, which enables so much more in terms of productivity, investigation, research, invention, education, implementation, production of ideas and art, along with a sense of safety and security that is real.

Canada has resources that can quickly bring relief and hope to the world. A large number and likely a significant majority, are already doing this work. Some go abroad to be on the ground with those in need or in danger. Some contribute in their places of worship or work or where they receive their education. But almost all do it, regardless of age or status. This is who we are.

My proposal is that we do this more effectively, efficiently, economically, energetically and intentionally...and that we do it together. The world can be changed to be like us [peaceful] if we share what we have. And I don't mean giving away the store like some in Parliament are doing. This proposal is more about ideas and methods and values, which I call Human Software, than it is about money and minerals and wood and oil.

Imagine a Canada that systematically exports our peaceful ways to the world. This will bring stability and hope to the whole world and the suffering throngs who inhabit the countries from which many of our families have come. And it will make us better, bigger, richer, more self-respecting. The whole world has invested in Canada and Canada should invest in the whole world in a planned, controlled, affordable and disciplined way. We will garner much respect and goodwill if we take this route towards a peaceful and hopeful future.
If we do not do this and soon, there will be consequences. We could see a foreign army on our soil, blown out buildings and more dead than can be tallied. We could see Canada disappear altogether, crowded out of existence by the belligerent and the greedy. This is not what we want.

To have peace we must Dream BIG and work hard. We must do it together or we cannot succeed. A project of this magnitude and weight requires all democratically minded Canadians to help shoulder the work and responsibility. This is the cause that can unite us and carry us to a safe, happy and peaceful future.

If we rise up together as in times of war and devote ourselves to peace we might be able to prevent the fire that lays ahead. We can help save the world...and we should.

Your Canada - Building the Canadian Dream

The vision of Canada that I have absorbed from Canadians looks like this:

- a place where there is justice with compassion for all

- a place of progress, opportunity, options and optimism

- a safe and secure place for people of all ages, conditions and origins

- a healthy population in a healthy environment

- a place that welcomes and embraces ideas, discussion, debate and innovation within the bounds of our democratic Values, Principles, Processes, Institutions, Laws and Charter of Rights and Freedoms

- a community that reaches out to the world to cultivate peace, justice, compassion, tolerance, respect, progress, prosperity and stability

- a place where citizens are democratically engaged and involved at all levels of society

- a place where economy means being careful with resources - a place that shares in the life of the global community while cherishing ALL of our people of all backgrounds and languages and origins

- a world leader in education, the environment, global security, and the nurture of peace

- a multicultural society

- a place with a strong, diverse and sustainable economy that has and makes cutting edge technological tools and exports innovations to the world

- a creative community

This is the Canada that Canadians seem to hold in their hearts and live out in their time and place. This is the place that we have imagined together and built.

This is your Canada.

If we can Dream it we can make it!

Canada – True North Strong and Free

CANADA is an amazing country. We enjoy a level of peace, stability, and public security here that is rare in the world and in history. We are at the very heart and axis of The Universal Culture.

The World is no longer easily compartmentalized into isolated segments. People of all places and cultures now have immediate access to one another through amazing transportation and communication systems and we are exposed to all cultures.

These cultures are being melded into one all-encompassing new culture, which I refer to as The Universal Culture. I have had more exposure to the many existent perspectives than most people due to my unique path through life.

In CANADA we have more ready access to data from people in all places and of all backgrounds than anyone ever has anywhere at any time up to the present. We have been accepting and tolerant and welcoming as we have woven The Cultural Mosaic.

These are qualities that are much-needed in a world fraught with intolerance and  violence in every nook and cranny of life.  Here we also enjoy levels of freedom and democratic participation that are rare and beautiful. We have an abundance of food, water, and natural resources.

We have a strong economy and have had governments in the past that sought to serve the populace and the world in fair, kind, humane and efficient manners and with functional democratic systems, values and institutions. We care about and for the weak and the vulnerable in our midst.

If we wish to maintain this Canadian Dream then action is required to strengthen and renew it. If we do not act in our own best interests others will act against those interests and values. The time is now and the need to act is urgent. The world needs more of CANADA.

We are a Just and Compassionate Society.

[Guelph, Ontario, CANADA]

Canada – A Nation of Leaders

A Gifted Population

Canadians are almost without exception leaders in their own spheres of activity and communities. Providing leadership to a vast army of leaders is an interesting challenge that requires respect and tact.

Who can provide leadership that can pass the scrutiny of Steve Paikin, Andrew Coyne, Michael Coren, David Mainse, Christine Williams, Sid Ryan, Elizabeth May, John Gormley, Andrea Horwath, Evan Solomon, Gilles Duceppe, Pierre Polievre and the diverse network of humanity and opinion that has grown up in this land of freedom?

We have no shortage of genius and leadership in this country – which is a great blessing ripe with potential in a world steeped in chaos. This is no small challenge.

An Abundance of Leaders

Leadership also runs deep under these top level and more visible personalities. They represent communities which are in turn comprised of leaders. Every teacher in every classroom in every school and the children they nurture, every manager and foreman and high fashion model and designer and bosses on the shop floor, fishing boat, mining project, construction or power project.

Bankers, business people, bullies and blowhards. First Nations chiefs, mayors, fire and police chiefs and military commanders - they are all Canadian leaders in their own right as are those whom they lead...and they each and collectively in turn need leadership. Life is complex and difficult for all people.

The Challenge

So this is the challenge – to provide leadership that speaks comfort, hope and meaning with clarity to the entire community – in at least two official languages. Yet there are other factors at play aside from our diversity and our inclusiveness. We hold different beliefs – religious, scientific, political, social, cultural, and so on.

Moreover we live in far-flung communities where equality is rare and justice is in need of support – from Attawapiskat to Rosedale and from Smithers to Westmount and Cornerbrook and Halifax there is suffering and sorrow and human need for assurance that things can be made right, made better, safer, more profitable in every way. In short people need hope.

Scrutiny and Integrity

Any proposal must pass the heartless scrutiny of Rick Mercer, Guy A. Lapage and Ron James, all thirteen premiers and cabinets, a vast community of diverse artists in all fields and creative people in all places and occupations AND the Media. This number must also include an unelected Senate, an appointed judiciary and a battery of lawyers too large and smart to comprehend.

There is a world class community of scholars and scientists and engineers and professionals in all vocations – in field, forest, factory, office, classroom and store front. Even our waiters, cab drivers, labourers, unemployed and stay at home parents are brilliant, educated and caring.

Neither can any plan offend our diverse faith communities and those who claim no such beliefs - all at the same time. It must meet the standards of the Constitution, Charter, Law, Supreme Court, business communities, social communities, activist communities, organized labour and rocking chair politicians of every description and stripe.

Then there is the international community and an intricate network of treaties, agreements and détente and a list of vested interests and powerful dynamics. First Nations and ALL nations will look for their share in the plan. This is one TALL order. Lol

Perspective and Reality Check

So let me quote something here that I read this week somewhere, “The dream never matches up to the reality that follows when we reach for it.” In other words, “Don't get your hopes up!”

But my hopes are already up because I see the extraordinary people with whom I share this country and this planet and the plans THEY have for a meaningful and hopeful future. This makes me hopeful and optimistic about the future I dream. Their dreams – your dreams – are my dreams – shared dreams.

Sadly this crude paraphrase accurately communicates a pessimistic view of a common phenomenon – dreams – waking and sleeping, hoping and fearing. And many dreams do fail and falter and prove futile or false.

Yet I often find the opposite to be true – the result by far outstrips the dreams and plans I carried into a situation – by unimaginably large magnitudes. I often stand amazed. Going to university gave me that experience.

Canadian Wealth

It is our rich Canadian culture that enriches us and the world beyond our borders through many programs, relationships and opportunities in business, education, friendship, art, trade, science, diplomacy and in every way.

This Canadian Culture has evolved in the warmth of Canadian hospitality like that which helped American air passengers on 911 in Gander or the assistance sent to Haiti after their earthquake and a thousand other points of sustainable light. Canada is a unique and amazing place that is full of leaders in every area and in every occupation and position in society - from school children to Members of the Privy Council to global artists and NGOs. We have a collective opportunity and responsibility to reach out to the world before the world closes in on us. This action must cut mustard with the intelligence community, the law enforcement community, the armed forces community, and citizens of all kinds, origins and descriptions.

This is the kind of democratic leadership that I'm proposing in the Plan of Hope. It has a democratic spirit and employs democratic values, practices and methods within the traditions of democracy in Canada and inside the institutions and processes we have built and nurtured with which to govern ourselves together democratically.

Tools for the Job - The Long View

We do NOT have to reinvent the wheel of Liberty. It's in our documents – Constitution, Charter of Rights and Freedoms, society and a history of case Law stretching back more than a thousand years to a time of kings and Magna Carta.

This plan takes the diligence and creativity, the sense of justice with compassion of many great Canadians and imports this work for all to see, help with and benefit from. By supporting others I propagate democracy – your ideas and dreams and aspirations matter to me and to the national community. The Plan of Hope is evidence that I recognize that and that I listened and took notes.

I believe that this diverse community of leaders need leadership that empowers them and enables them to do the impossible in an age when nothing less will do to face our current complex set of challenges. I believe that I am one of the leaders because I have been doing this work for a long time with results that are not obvious to most. For I am also an empowered Canadian.

The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu – whose work I read many times in both English and Classical Chinese beginning at the age of fifteen – claimed that “When the best kind of leaders complete their work the people say - We did it ourselves.”

Working with this model and implementing what I see as a gift for democratic political leadership and action I have quietly and patiently stood up for, fought for and worked for Canada and Canadians in many important ways - both on our soil and abroad.

A Modest Proposal

Now I propose that we take our collective goodwill, intelligence, skills and resources and build a hopeful world together along with global neighbours everywhere. “Come all who will for an alliance of the good-willed.” And it's important that we hold to the Westphalia model of nation states - a structure that ensures our Liberty and prosperity. The globalists want to strip us of our democratic inheritance.

The Math – calculations and analysis - tells me that we have all that we require to build another Canadian century of prosperity, Liberty and responsibility that will benefit people everywhere and build warm and lasting relations among nations as we all address this macro-crisis together. The Chinese word for crisis means 'danger and opportunity'. In this way we will be better able to help allies and neighbours alike in an age of limitations. Who better to lead the world than a community of leaders!? Our best years lay ahead.

Daring Resolve

As in the time of Sir Walter Scott, we are in need of “...people of daring resolve”.

We are best when we harness and embrace those people of genius in our midst - in all sciences and branches of learning and research and endeavour. Science needs time to expand and space in which to grow. This requires political will that delivers responsible and reliable funding that results in social stability.

This is the respectful and responsible approach I have taken in compiling The Plan of Hope. I've consulted Canadians in the process of assembling a wholly Canadian plan for a healthy, confident, successful, sustainable Canada – a priceless inheritance for our children. We deserve government that respects us as the extraordinary people we are. Canadians are unlike any people who have ever lived anywhere at any time in human history. We deserve better and we can DO better.

Our current Prime Minister is shortsighted and heavy-handed. We need leadership that is warmhearted and able to recognize and respect the amazing qualities of the Canadian Citizen. As one great Canadian leader said in his goodbye to Canadians - - -

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.

All my very best,

Jack Layton

CANADA – Stand alone and work together!

True North Strong and Free

Delivering Hope

This new blog is intended to be the vehicle for the Plan of Hope that I have been developing with a team of other Canadians. I invite you to explore the related materials in the essay set Building The Canadian Dream in the side panel links.

We are all concerned for our families and alarmed about the possible outcomes faced by our children in the 21st Century. This plan is based upon math and analysis rather than ideology, so it welcomes and needs the participation of all Canadians.

I have used my own Administration skills to develop this Plan and it is intended to follow upon and complement the material in the essays set Building The Canadian Dream and the book-blog Delivering Hope. [see details below] I have done this and am doing it out of a sense of duty as a parent, as a Canadian, and Global citizen.

I am convinced that the resources we have at our disposal makes us the only possible nation able to provide leadership as we confront the Global Crisis about which I have been writing for several years. This is the nuts and bolts of the available Solutions as I see it presently.

"This is the first generation in human history in which parents must turn to their children in order to learn the skills necessary for survival [and success]."

As always I take the view and side of young people - babies and infants, children and youths, young adults and the young @ heart who are looking for Equality and Inclusion in this effort to survive and succeed together in the 21st Century. These people have no voice and so I speak for them. They want to be included and to be treated justly.

We can do this together with great ease and great profit. We can do it with great joy and satisfaction at every stage of the project. I'm already doing it with a growing crowd of others. I hope you'll join us soon and help us to Build this Dream.

There is no substitute for Hope. It brings comfort, inspiration, motivation, imagination, along with self-confidence and self-respect. Presently our children are largely without hope and I intend to continue to change that.

Peace Pays more and better than war.
Don't just keep the peace as required by law and religion...pass it on.

The Great Canadians Plan of Hope

Many great Canadians have given leadership in efforts to turn back from the edge of humanity's dash towards self-destruction. Some of those ideas are in this outline.

http://planofhope.blogspot.com/2011/09/delivering-hope.html

Imagining Canada

It is obvious to the entire Canadian population that we are in serious and urgent need of strong Leadership that can guide the Nation through these days of uncertainty. We require 'an appropriate and compelling Vision for the Nation' that possesses sufficient strength and stability to enable us to deal with current challenges and crises, while moving us rapidly to the place we must go; a 'place' of stability, security, prosperity, hope, safety, and a place of freedom where Democratic Values and Rights and Freedoms are first in our hierarchy of values.

Canada is an extraordinary place where these Values have been planted, nurtured, cultivated and respected. We may literally be the best hope for the future of the world. I have explored these ideas in my (previous) essay Our Most Precious Treasures: The Rights Of Children [Part 2 of 3]. My appeal for Equal Rights for our children is not simply idealistic, it is also pragmatic in that their Rights, as I have argued, are the key to our future.

Canada is a Nation poised on the edge of greatness. We have managed to develop and maintain a society and culture unlike any other. We have peace and good public security that respects and protects the Rights of all under the Law, Constitution, and Charter Of Rights And Freedoms. We have good government at every level and democratic processes to use in governing ourselves. We have a Judicial system that until recently sincerely and effectively delivered Justice most of the time. We have had a strong economy, a moderately healthy population, vibrant education systems, excellent communications and transportation systems reaching to all of the world.

For those of us with any significant awareness of what actually happens in the day-to-day lives of citizens of most nations, Canada is an extraordinary Anomaly - a convergence of a special set of people, conditions, values, resources, and sense of fairness. This is 'Cultures In Collision'. We have found ways to diplomatically and democratically co-exist. Yet this special set of conditions will not remain intact for long. We have a window of historical opportunity. We can teach the world our way of living together in respect, and under fair laws that protect the Rights of all individuals.

The literature of Latin America is a story of dark tyrannical regimes that have made government a blood-sport. The same truth of despotic and cruel regimes has emerged from places around the world in their literatures. However Canada produces a literature of hopeful analysis that has grown in our peaceful society. All aspects of our National Culture bear the same sweet fruit of human liberty, respect, opportunity, and peace.

In order to share “this treasure hidden in our mountain” we require a good Plan. This Plan must incorporate and combine some essential components. The first is economic viability. So how can we bolster our National Sovereignty and Security while moving rapidly to a prosperous Peace-based Economy? In a word, easily. We already possess all of the resources necessary to move decisively in this direction, and in the process we can share our culture, help the world, and prosper, while we demonstrate to the world that Peace Pays more and better than war.

John Lennon invited us to Imagine, and we have. Now I invite you to Imagine a new Canada with me.

Author's note -

These essays have been written over the past twenty years to address what I have seen as a looming Crisis and a Moment of historic opportunity. They were originally published in some of my blogs and other media platforms. I hope they continue to be useful and fruitful as CANADA and Canadians move forward into a hopeful, productive era of Justice with Compassion.

Concerning the title – I was actually totally blind as a result of a medical condition but had my eyesight restored surgically. Things have never looked the same since.

This is the Canadian Century. Stay Strong and stay Free.

R John Williams