Tuesday, March 30, 2010
My Thoughts
On
The Power of Information and Communication
Throughout history, and even in our own experiences, we have heard of, or had happen to us, something that was just wrong; something where the system failed people or you personally. Is this part of history only? Does it still happen today? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. It will always be a part of society as long as there are humans involved.
When we learn of, or have a first hand experience, with some form of injustice, we naturally want something done about it. In most cases, we want for this type of thing to stop and not happen in the future to others. So we make noise, we get upset, we write letters, until someone takes up the cause to have this injustice corrected. At this point, we must be careful. I think it is imperative to ask some very important questions. One that jumps, no leaps, to mind is; what are the motives of this person? Why have they decided to take up this cause? What are their reasons, is it truly for the greater good, or is there some other reason? Like perhaps….votes. In other words, it is great when we get the support we need from politicians or other influential figures of society. It is nice to know that there are some people that really do care. But do they?
I know this sounds negative, even perhaps suspicious. However, many times I can recall, seeing people wearing the name of the great Liberator, Champion of the people; only to find out later that they did not care one iota about the injustice. They had some other reason, and it was to benefit them.
Oh there are some who truly act for the greater good. Yet, in today’s society, these types of people are becoming far and few between. In fact, what once may have been the norm has sadly become the rarity.
I think it is time for the people of this great country we live in; to get a hold on things and reel them in before it is too late. There are some that would say it is already too late. I for one think it is never too late to do what is right.
People are frustrated. They feel left out of decisions; critical decisions that may have an effect on their well being, and their children’s well being. I hear things like; "it doesn’t matter what I think." "No one cares about anything but themselves." "Why bother, they are going to do what they want, they already have their minds made up."
Ask yourself; who put these people where they are? We did, and we have the right to expel them if they don’t listen to those that they are supposed to be representing. I know this is not perfect, our system, but it is by far the best system out there.
A politician listens, really, to only one thing. They really only see one thing, at least most of the politicians of today anyway. And I suspect, no I know, if we look at history, people in this regard were not much different. They view everything as votes. When they see enough votes, then they will champion the cause.
For example, when a politician in a riding sees that they have enough votes to be elected, they will stand up and say what people want to hear. They will ultimately support the majority and what they believe. Here though, is where we should wonder, does the politician believe the cause of the people, or does he or she believe in his or her cause to get elected?
So then, we start to hear folks saying; "I don’t know who to believe, they all are a bunch of crooks. One is just as bad as the other."
To this I say, it does matter, we can make a difference. The way I see this is simple, yet hard work. We need to inform our representatives of what we think. We need to be involved. We need to talk to them in any way we can; letters, phone calls, emails, one on one face to face, and in some cases, where the politician is not listening, in orderly peaceful groups.
We ask ourselves every day; where did we go wrong? Why, in one of the greatest countries in the world, are things the way they are? I believe it is because the real power people want it the way it is. They don’t want it to change, because they are driven by greed. They are making a fortune from our oppression. Further, we have become so used to it, that we begin to believe that things are as they should be.
There are those that would have you believe that things are as they should be. There are some people who think that some people are just meant to be poor and ignorant, while others are meant to be rich and powerful. They think that it is the natural order of things. They may not always say it. Yet, they think it, and they believe it.
I know this is perhaps a hard thing to believe, yet it has happened in our history. The difference in Tommy Douglas’s early days, was the politician’s and bureaucrats actual said it out loud. As far as I am concerned, this is just sad. What is even worse, is the fact that if they said it back then, they say it today; the only difference is how and when they say it.
We are very lucky to live in a free society, and we take it for granted every day. The Power Mongers are banking that we continue to do so. That we continue to feel frustrated and we continue to act like the robots they want us to be.
How is it that politicians in the thirty’s and forty’s got away with making statements like they did about people every bit as good as they were, if not a notch better because they had scruples. Information, that is why; the people of that era did not have what we have; information, and communication.
We live in a time where we have at our finger tips power. Yes power, because information and communication is power. We know when something happens almost immediately. There is no waiting, information is now. The question is, why are we not using it to our advantage?
The reason is quite simple really; we have been led to believe that we do not matter, yet I for one believe we do matter. I further believe we can use the power of information to our advantage and break free from this false impression that some keep us believing; we are powerless.
As long as we do not change our thinking, as long as we are falsely led to believe that we have no power and that we do not matter, they win, and we lose.
We need to become alert and involved, in a very peaceful way. We need to use the power we have for the greater good. There are ways to do this and I will elaborate on this further on in this writing.
There will be those that call me a dreamer. They will put me down any way they know how. There are those that will totally and forcefully disagree with me. To this I say; why are you so dead set against what I am saying? Why are you trying so desperately to make me look like a fool? I wonder, are you one of the people that think you are better than others? Are you one of the people that do not want things to change?
Let’s take a moment and look at our youth. I am not sure what you all are seeing but I can tell you this is what I see. I see a young society of people that are being led to not care or respect anything or any one. There are exceptions to this rule, and while I think that these young people are to be considered admirable for their beliefs, I think of how they are viewed by the whole, by their peers, others of their generation.
I can tell you that the young folks of today that do have principles and integrity along with respect, are viewed in a very harsh way by the whole. Theirs is a tough existence.
Why is it that our kids are so much different? One reason is the information and communication and lest we forget technology. Yet I think there is more to it. Yes every generation is different than the one before. But I wonder if our parents had the technology we have today, would they have been all that much different?
The other thing is this. No one with any sense condones the way children were treated years ago by the school system. They were beaten, and belittled in ways that were wrong on so many levels it is in some cases unthinkable. This had to change, and thank God it did. Yet the changes went too far and now we have a society of young people that have zero respect for authority of any kind.
You see folks it is easy to legislate things. When something is wrong we will legislate things to death. We make new laws and rules, many we do nothing to enforce. The law makers appease the greater good by making something a law or a rule, putting it on the books, making themselves look good, to get re-elected, or promoted, and then do absolutely nothing else with it.
Think of it this way, if we say no to our kids, then we give in and say yes, what will no mean to them?
I do not agree that we have to go back and start trying to knock things into our kids head. But we do have to make them accountable for their actions. We can no longer expect our teachers, for one, to accept abuse repeatedly from hoodlums. These criminals, sadly often perceived heroes by their peers, should be punished in the proper ways when they have done wrong. We need to support and ensure that this happens. Otherwise, we will continue this spiralling fall into the abyss. Plain and simple, the wrong doers in society, not only in our schools, but every where, need to be shown they will be held accountable for the wrong they do. This is the tough way of doing things. It means officials will have to deal with the problems, instead of just legislate them, or more clearly put, ignore them.
So what is the simple solution? Easy, begin teaching our kids in the home, right from wrong, and mean it. Stick to our guns. Tough love if you want. Make our kids accountable for their actions. Say what we mean and mean what we say.
This will require some effort, but it will pay dividends in the long run. When the kids find out that we will no longer accept unacceptable behaviour, it will become easier.
Now then, what you live with you learn. In some cases kids are only emulating what they see at home. If mum and dad are hoodlums, then junior is likely to be one too. This is where the schools come in. These kids need to be shown their worth and that they do matter. These kids have to be shown that they will be held accountable for their actions. And mum and dad hoodlum will need to be held accountable for junior hoodlum as well. They must be made to take responsibility for their children too. We need to support this and we need to support our teachers, police, and anyone trying to make things right for the greater good.
Well how do we do this? It isn’t that simple, or is it?
My thoughts on the youth (only a few thoughts) that I just spoke of, is just an example. There are countless other issues.
Take an issue that you are concerned with, and make it known. How you say?
Easy; email, face to face conversation, written letters, any way you want. Then just convince two people to do as you do, and have them commit to do like wise.
Here is an example. And it is only an example.
You do not agree with the 5 trout limit in New Brunswick.
You think that it should be 20. But you also think that people who get caught over limit should be fined $100.00 for being over the limit between 21 and 25. After which, for every trout they are over 25, fine them and extra $25.00 each. This is not long adding up. Further, you can not have any more than 2 in your possession that are over 12 inches long. This then will take care of the large sea trout. Beyond this, you want the powers that be to support the conservation officers with the money and tools they need to do the job. You want more patrols, more often, in all areas where trout fishing occurs. You want this all legislated.
Fine you say, but how do we achieve this?
Just write an email to your elected official (MLA) explaining this. But before you send it, ensure that you have two other people that will send the same email to the same person. And have them promise that they will do this. As well, have them promise to each have two more people do the same. We all know at least two people who we trust to do this sort of thing.
If you do the math, it will not be long and the official’s mail box will be full.
But you have to mean what you say and say what you mean. You have to ensure that the official knows that you will hold him accountable for his action or in-action.
This is information and communication power. It is at our finger tips. All we need to do is use it.
Not having a computer is not an excuse. Phones and written letters are at everyone’s disposal.
If there is a law or rule that you think is wrong, do not break that rule or law. Work to have it changed.
Or we can just go on letting the rich and powerful have us believe we do not matter. The choice is ours. RL Tex Smith
When we learn of, or have a first hand experience, with some form of injustice, we naturally want something done about it. In most cases, we want for this type of thing to stop and not happen in the future to others. So we make noise, we get upset, we write letters, until someone takes up the cause to have this injustice corrected. At this point, we must be careful. I think it is imperative to ask some very important questions. One that jumps, no leaps, to mind is; what are the motives of this person? Why have they decided to take up this cause? What are their reasons, is it truly for the greater good, or is there some other reason? Like perhaps….votes. In other words, it is great when we get the support we need from politicians or other influential figures of society. It is nice to know that there are some people that really do care. But do they?
I know this sounds negative, even perhaps suspicious. However, many times I can recall, seeing people wearing the name of the great Liberator, Champion of the people; only to find out later that they did not care one iota about the injustice. They had some other reason, and it was to benefit them.
Oh there are some who truly act for the greater good. Yet, in today’s society, these types of people are becoming far and few between. In fact, what once may have been the norm has sadly become the rarity.
I think it is time for the people of this great country we live in; to get a hold on things and reel them in before it is too late. There are some that would say it is already too late. I for one think it is never too late to do what is right.
People are frustrated. They feel left out of decisions; critical decisions that may have an effect on their well being, and their children’s well being. I hear things like; "it doesn’t matter what I think." "No one cares about anything but themselves." "Why bother, they are going to do what they want, they already have their minds made up."
Ask yourself; who put these people where they are? We did, and we have the right to expel them if they don’t listen to those that they are supposed to be representing. I know this is not perfect, our system, but it is by far the best system out there.
A politician listens, really, to only one thing. They really only see one thing, at least most of the politicians of today anyway. And I suspect, no I know, if we look at history, people in this regard were not much different. They view everything as votes. When they see enough votes, then they will champion the cause.
For example, when a politician in a riding sees that they have enough votes to be elected, they will stand up and say what people want to hear. They will ultimately support the majority and what they believe. Here though, is where we should wonder, does the politician believe the cause of the people, or does he or she believe in his or her cause to get elected?
So then, we start to hear folks saying; "I don’t know who to believe, they all are a bunch of crooks. One is just as bad as the other."
To this I say, it does matter, we can make a difference. The way I see this is simple, yet hard work. We need to inform our representatives of what we think. We need to be involved. We need to talk to them in any way we can; letters, phone calls, emails, one on one face to face, and in some cases, where the politician is not listening, in orderly peaceful groups.
We ask ourselves every day; where did we go wrong? Why, in one of the greatest countries in the world, are things the way they are? I believe it is because the real power people want it the way it is. They don’t want it to change, because they are driven by greed. They are making a fortune from our oppression. Further, we have become so used to it, that we begin to believe that things are as they should be.
There are those that would have you believe that things are as they should be. There are some people who think that some people are just meant to be poor and ignorant, while others are meant to be rich and powerful. They think that it is the natural order of things. They may not always say it. Yet, they think it, and they believe it.
I know this is perhaps a hard thing to believe, yet it has happened in our history. The difference in Tommy Douglas’s early days, was the politician’s and bureaucrats actual said it out loud. As far as I am concerned, this is just sad. What is even worse, is the fact that if they said it back then, they say it today; the only difference is how and when they say it.
We are very lucky to live in a free society, and we take it for granted every day. The Power Mongers are banking that we continue to do so. That we continue to feel frustrated and we continue to act like the robots they want us to be.
How is it that politicians in the thirty’s and forty’s got away with making statements like they did about people every bit as good as they were, if not a notch better because they had scruples. Information, that is why; the people of that era did not have what we have; information, and communication.
We live in a time where we have at our finger tips power. Yes power, because information and communication is power. We know when something happens almost immediately. There is no waiting, information is now. The question is, why are we not using it to our advantage?
The reason is quite simple really; we have been led to believe that we do not matter, yet I for one believe we do matter. I further believe we can use the power of information to our advantage and break free from this false impression that some keep us believing; we are powerless.
As long as we do not change our thinking, as long as we are falsely led to believe that we have no power and that we do not matter, they win, and we lose.
We need to become alert and involved, in a very peaceful way. We need to use the power we have for the greater good. There are ways to do this and I will elaborate on this further on in this writing.
There will be those that call me a dreamer. They will put me down any way they know how. There are those that will totally and forcefully disagree with me. To this I say; why are you so dead set against what I am saying? Why are you trying so desperately to make me look like a fool? I wonder, are you one of the people that think you are better than others? Are you one of the people that do not want things to change?
Let’s take a moment and look at our youth. I am not sure what you all are seeing but I can tell you this is what I see. I see a young society of people that are being led to not care or respect anything or any one. There are exceptions to this rule, and while I think that these young people are to be considered admirable for their beliefs, I think of how they are viewed by the whole, by their peers, others of their generation.
I can tell you that the young folks of today that do have principles and integrity along with respect, are viewed in a very harsh way by the whole. Theirs is a tough existence.
Why is it that our kids are so much different? One reason is the information and communication and lest we forget technology. Yet I think there is more to it. Yes every generation is different than the one before. But I wonder if our parents had the technology we have today, would they have been all that much different?
The other thing is this. No one with any sense condones the way children were treated years ago by the school system. They were beaten, and belittled in ways that were wrong on so many levels it is in some cases unthinkable. This had to change, and thank God it did. Yet the changes went too far and now we have a society of young people that have zero respect for authority of any kind.
You see folks it is easy to legislate things. When something is wrong we will legislate things to death. We make new laws and rules, many we do nothing to enforce. The law makers appease the greater good by making something a law or a rule, putting it on the books, making themselves look good, to get re-elected, or promoted, and then do absolutely nothing else with it.
Think of it this way, if we say no to our kids, then we give in and say yes, what will no mean to them?
I do not agree that we have to go back and start trying to knock things into our kids head. But we do have to make them accountable for their actions. We can no longer expect our teachers, for one, to accept abuse repeatedly from hoodlums. These criminals, sadly often perceived heroes by their peers, should be punished in the proper ways when they have done wrong. We need to support and ensure that this happens. Otherwise, we will continue this spiralling fall into the abyss. Plain and simple, the wrong doers in society, not only in our schools, but every where, need to be shown they will be held accountable for the wrong they do. This is the tough way of doing things. It means officials will have to deal with the problems, instead of just legislate them, or more clearly put, ignore them.
So what is the simple solution? Easy, begin teaching our kids in the home, right from wrong, and mean it. Stick to our guns. Tough love if you want. Make our kids accountable for their actions. Say what we mean and mean what we say.
This will require some effort, but it will pay dividends in the long run. When the kids find out that we will no longer accept unacceptable behaviour, it will become easier.
Now then, what you live with you learn. In some cases kids are only emulating what they see at home. If mum and dad are hoodlums, then junior is likely to be one too. This is where the schools come in. These kids need to be shown their worth and that they do matter. These kids have to be shown that they will be held accountable for their actions. And mum and dad hoodlum will need to be held accountable for junior hoodlum as well. They must be made to take responsibility for their children too. We need to support this and we need to support our teachers, police, and anyone trying to make things right for the greater good.
Well how do we do this? It isn’t that simple, or is it?
My thoughts on the youth (only a few thoughts) that I just spoke of, is just an example. There are countless other issues.
Take an issue that you are concerned with, and make it known. How you say?
Easy; email, face to face conversation, written letters, any way you want. Then just convince two people to do as you do, and have them commit to do like wise.
Here is an example. And it is only an example.
You do not agree with the 5 trout limit in New Brunswick.
You think that it should be 20. But you also think that people who get caught over limit should be fined $100.00 for being over the limit between 21 and 25. After which, for every trout they are over 25, fine them and extra $25.00 each. This is not long adding up. Further, you can not have any more than 2 in your possession that are over 12 inches long. This then will take care of the large sea trout. Beyond this, you want the powers that be to support the conservation officers with the money and tools they need to do the job. You want more patrols, more often, in all areas where trout fishing occurs. You want this all legislated.
Fine you say, but how do we achieve this?
Just write an email to your elected official (MLA) explaining this. But before you send it, ensure that you have two other people that will send the same email to the same person. And have them promise that they will do this. As well, have them promise to each have two more people do the same. We all know at least two people who we trust to do this sort of thing.
If you do the math, it will not be long and the official’s mail box will be full.
But you have to mean what you say and say what you mean. You have to ensure that the official knows that you will hold him accountable for his action or in-action.
This is information and communication power. It is at our finger tips. All we need to do is use it.
Not having a computer is not an excuse. Phones and written letters are at everyone’s disposal.
If there is a law or rule that you think is wrong, do not break that rule or law. Work to have it changed.
Or we can just go on letting the rich and powerful have us believe we do not matter. The choice is ours. RL Tex Smith
Very well written Randi. I agree with all you have said. Stand up and be counted!!!!! Speak your mind and let the power's that be know your mind.
ReplyDeleteRight on Sis. There is no need for things to ever get to the point where we have to fight. In a free soceity that is governed by the people. The people should be listened too. And they are, but only when they are viewed as enough votes.
ReplyDeleteThanks and Take care.
Tex