Masochistic Perceptions, Trials and Truths

These are my cyberfied cerebral synapses ricocheting off reality as I perceive it: thoughts, opinions, passions, rants, art and poetry...

Wednesday, June 25, 2008


O Canada!



Though I do not consider myself to be a prolifically good speller, I am a patriot! When I was going to grade school, I was taught that there are sometimes two ways to spell English words: the British and the American. As Canada is a member of the Commonwealth and the Queen is our official head of state, the proper way to spell a word in this country is the British way. If you toggle your spell-check on MS Word to "Canadian English", what I have stated is proven to be true. The reason we are using the American spelling more and more is because our information (TV, books, newspapers, etc.) is saturated by American media, ergo the appearance of American spelling. I accept that language evolves and accept that we are free to use either way of spelling, but I really get my kickers in a knot when I spell something the proper way and get told that I am wrong. Do we simply give in because it's what everyone else is doing? Have all you Canadians forgotten the War of 1812!? Did we burn down the Whitehouse in vain?

So, being a Buddhist and therefore not being permitted to perpetuate public floggings of the turncoats, here is a wee primer of acceptable spelling - the first being the British, the second, U.S.:

organisation organization

programme program

grey gray

colour color

subsidise subsidize

cheque check

favour favor

In closing, I fought a similar battle while teaching in Czechoslovakia when I argued that a tomato is a fruit and not a vegetable. They never bought it. For the rest of us here, it's gut check time - will it be God bless America or God save the Queen?


Meanwhile, I'm wrapping myself in the maple leaf and keeping my stick on the ice!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death


I am often astonished by the apathy in our world. Sometimes it seems like we are so lazy and complacent as a species, that we would not step out of the way of a train coming directly at us, and then mourn that we lost our legs. Einstein stated “The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.” I see this every day on both a small and grand scale. I must admit that there is part of me that is envious of the apathetic hordes. I honestly would love to not have a care in the world. I’d love to while away my days eating potato chips, swilling beer and smoking cigarettes in front of the boob tube for hour upon hour, day in and day out and actually be caught up in what’s on the screen. I’d love to simply buy things for the sake of having it and to feel stimulated by the insubstantial. But I can not. Though I might indulge very briefly in such vices now and then, there is no way that I could ever comfortably live that way.

Ignorance truly is bliss. I am usually conscientious of what I consume in every sense of the word: nutritionally, intellectually and economically. While I am aware of much as a result of my lifestyle, and very passionate by nature, I can not say that such a way of life is a positive one. I possess a dark side and a deeply rooted pessimism, and this constantly confronts my passion and results in my efforts to perpetuate change. This does not lead to happiness, however. I don’t know if the apathetic masses are happy, but they do have a form of mundane contentment of which I am envious. Horace Greely said “Apathy is a sort of living oblivion,” ergo, bliss. Further to this, in the words of Vaclav Havel: “The tragedy of modern man is not that he knows less and less about the meaning of his own life but that it bothers him less and less.”

Look at the world we live in. Everything seems to possess less and less substance. Our politics have lost passion and become board interviews for national CEO’s. Humanity continues to trudge over the earth, destroying the land and themselves. Our priorities lie in celebrity culture while the saints go unnoticed. Wars are waged, but the dissent is extinguished to grumblings over coffee. Half of the Art being made is elitist, the other half, ignored. Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” is apropos of the present world, and our motto, taken from the Dead Kennedys is “Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death”. Aldous Huxley appropriately wrote that “Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.”

I am not stating that we need a revolution. In the words of one of my favourite playwrights, Tom Stoppard, “Revolution is a trivial shift in the emphasis of suffering." What I am advocating is that we pursue a more mindful existence that causes us to live a sensual existence and limits the extent of the ego’s influence on our actions. This, in my opinion, would result in a pro-active awareness of our inter-connected existence and potentially assist us in realising a truer essence of being – that long sought happiness and contentment that we all seek. Sadly, if everyone is not on board, as human tendencies tend to be, this may turn out a bit like the great Communist experiment of Eastern Europe. This is also an arduous journey, as my own experience serves an example. Being mindful and battling the ego is like getting fit. It takes a while and there are lots of aches and pains, learning through trial and error and even injury. I have experienced all of the above on my journey, but, ultimately, in spite of the mood in the first couple of paragraphs that I have written here, I do feel better about my self and life as a result. At the risk of sounding vain, I am a very fit, muscular man of almost 40 years who, when compared to my peers, is heads and shoulders above many my age. This is the result of committing to exercise regularly and eating a healthy diet, while controlling my occasional use of the usual vices. I am far from perfect, and don’t believe that perfection is possible to attain. Still, we should set goals to improve our effectiveness as a being in the bigger picture, rather than concede to selfishness. To quote the Dalai Lama: “If you think only of yourself, if you forget the rights and well-being of others, or, worse still, if you exploit others, ultimately you will lose. You will have no friends who will show concern for your well-being. Moreover, if a tragedy befalls you, instead of feeling concerned, others might even secretly rejoice. By contrast, if an individual is compassionate and altruistic, and has the interests of others in mind, then irrespective of whether that person knows a lot of people, wherever that person moves, he or she will immediately make friends. And when that person faces a tragedy, there will be plenty of people who will come to help.”

Life can be simple.

Monday, June 23, 2008


Peace


I enjoy discussing philosophy and spirituality with people who have different points of view from my own. My beliefs are always evolving, and, if provided with a feasible argument, I am willing to concede on a point and possibly change the way I think. Likewise, I accept that people’s points of view are based on personal experiences. It troubles me, however, when I meet fundamentalists who believe that their way is the only way, and their beliefs are based in arguments that are so flawed that you could run a herd of elephants through them.

Case in point: this past weekend my wife and I were invited over to the home of one of her church members for a barbeque. We let them know ahead of time that we are vegetarians, and they were very accommodating. When I was there, the fellow – a very nice gent – asked me why I was a vegetarian. I explained that I was a Buddhist and that I do not eat meat because I am free to choose foods that are an alternative to the slaughter of animals. This lead to a conversation of a few hours where he asked me about Buddhist beliefs, and shared some of his story as to why he became a Christian.

Though taking a very amicable tone throughout our discussion and never straying from being congenial, he made it very clear that his belief, according to the words of Jesus, was that it is “My [Jesus’] way or the highway” and that those who did not seek refuge in Christ would be condemned to hell. He also chastised me somewhat when I said that I believe in the teachings of Jesus and that I considered his message to be the same as those perpetuated by other great historical figures such as Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, etc. He retorted that if I believed in Jesus’ teachings then I had to believe that Jesus was the son of God as he said that he was.

Enter the herd of elephants.

I know that faith is a powerful thing and I can not condemn anyone for having this. What frightens me are people who believe so strongly that they have the truth and that the failure of others to see this requires acting against them to bring them around. I felt sad when I explained that my belief is that all religions basically have the same message, and each one is a combination of cultural relevance and personal fit. I explained that a truly spiritual person needs to examine many religions before deciding what path to follow, and even when that choice is made, people need to be willing to share that path with others of different views. Though the core of my personal spiritual beliefs is based in Buddhist teachings (the result of examining many religions and philosophies beforehand), my personal outlook is very much influenced by Hinduism and Taoism as well. Many of my views are also concordant with Christianity and Islam as well, though the primary separation from these bodies in my view is based in dogma and ceremony.

The central message of all religion is that "There is no way to peace; peace is the way." (A.J. Muste) Conviction toward one’s faith and putting on blinders are very different as one entails following one’s own spiritual path, while the other involves dragging people with you and attacking that which poses questions. That is the basis of war and hate. As David Borenstein stated: "One cannot subdue a man by holding back his hands. Lasting peace comes not from force."

In closing, I will share one of my favourite (Christian) quotations from St. Francis of Assisi:

"O Lord, make me an instrument of Thy Peace! Where there is hatred, let me sow love.Where there is injury, pardon.Where there is discord, harmony.Where there is doubt, faith.Where there is despair, hope.Where there is darkness, light.Where there is sorrow, joy.Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; for it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life."

…Om shanti