Silence: boom or bust?

I've said before why I talk about economics so much. Here's a more comprehensive analysis:

PART 1: Daily Realities
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Being mostly unemployed for over five years, gives me plenty of time to ruminate about economic challenges. I now realize how critical economics is. (Call me a fool, but I used to be justice-oriented without understanding ‘the bottom line.’)

Now, I analyze economic aspects so much that people figure I'm financially savvy (or rich, greedy, materialistic, a successful capitalist, etc). Unfortunately, not. I may even post my bank statements, so you can share the joke...ar, ar....

Being hyper-focused on both economics and surveillance, I spend much of my time researching ways to counteract the government's pervasive and illegal electronic surveillance and threatening tactics. When I used to have privacy and wasn't being threatened, I was interested in other things - like astrology, alternative health, co-operatives, holistic learning, psychology, polyamory, spirituality, and so on.

Harassment has also made me corruption-focused. I gained a better understanding of Big Brother and various forms of both corruption and control during my travels. Now I see these things everywhere. (Folk singer Bruce Cockburn, Canada's lyrical sage, sings powerfully about some of these issues.)

Note: I had also given my weblog link to my therapist, who charges on a sliding scale. Hence, my compulsive explanations on here about any spending I may do. I'm definitely in debt, and YES, my family and I ARE being threatened.


PART 2: Broader Picture
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Being *holistic* is trendy nowadays, but I've always been this way. I tend to appreciate aboriginal approaches and worldviews (see below).

I now see that economics and the exchange of goods are an intrinsic part of human nature and have existed throughout history. Trading often paved the way to cross-cultural interactions and new discoveries.

Yet, as an Arts major and an average Canadian, I was pretty uninformed about the actual workings of economics. It bored me to tears. So I'd often be pro-social and environmental justice, without really understanding the economic framework.

Living in Asia, I gained a better understanding of this huge topic, in various ways. Like by teaching English to working-class kids, then working in publications for a large company, as well as for other organizations, then later, backpacking off the beaten path in developing countries. Economic realities and their impacts are in your face: globalization isn't just a theory or concept.

Interning with an international co-operative organization deepened my awareness of grassroots economics. I believe it's one of the things the government found intriguing about me. (See December 15 post, 'Showtime!')

So, now, I realize: economics is fundamental to strong nation-building, environmental sustainability, and to most social transformation.



PART 3: Beyond Silence
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I think our polite avoidance in discussing economic realities has indirectly contributed to growing socio-economic disparity, and to Canada's present vulnerability to the United States. People learn by sharing information and skills.

Communication gaps have weakened Canada's cultural fabric. For example, older generations of Canadians often have sound and frugal ways of living - especially those who'd been affected by the 1930s Depression - yet that knowledge isn’t being carried forward. (More about Canada’s Great Depression.)

Being a reticent nation, most cultural wisdom gets passed on through first-hand experience, rather than being spoken about. Yet this wisdom and a sense of stewardship aren't reaching younger generations. (Margaret Laurence's poignant novels capture this aspect of Canada's character well.)

The bigger problem is the government's lack of accountability and vision. Poor leadership, competing economic forces, and a changing social landscape are quickly leading Canada onto the American altar to be sacrificed into a colonial state.

Paul Wells, writing in Maclean's, satirically suggests that 'Canadians must elect the next president of the United States.' Why? Among other things, Wells says it would 'bring an end to the tiresome, endless debate over whether Canada's government is a puppet of American interests. At last, we'd know' ('"We" Should Pick the Prez.' Maclean's. Nov 8. 2004: 64).

Personally, I think we're already there.


Silence may be golden, but I often find it difficult and disempowering to just be quiet. I believe Canada is likewise suffering from its own silences. Chief among these is mainstream media's complicity with corporate agendas in excluding key information and keeping important truths out of public knowledge.


Note: René Descartes - the founder of modern-day rationalism, which has long pooh-poohed illogical or intangible aspects of human experience - was extremely holistic. Descartes was interested in spirituality and metaphysics, yet those writings were suppressed, due to the Church's all-powerful presence.