Musings
In spite of ignoring social media lately, I liked this image that a son recently published on his personal news feed. There were some flat earth indications on other things I have read recently.
The admirable EcoChallenge is sending me Thirty Days of Readings on Systems thinking with daily articles and videos. I intend to learn more from these and undertake a a study of a recent organizational situation that has gone badly to see whether there are lessons to be learned using this approach. But there are also connections with the flat earth thinking and other recent readings that I can make immediately.
Fareed Zacharia writing his weekly column in the Washington Post and also presents it as an introduction to his weekly show on CNN. His interviews are excellent and the introduction is worth a watch for its own sake. He asks:
“The current Republican congressional delegation includes people who insist the 2020 election was stolen, have ties to violent extremist groups, traffic in antisemitism and have propagated QAnon ideologies in the past. At the state level, it often gets worse. Mainstream Republicans have tolerated these voices and views for years. Can the party finally find a way to control them?” He goes on to say that in any political party or institution what has to be controlled is the outer fringes of the organization.
On Saturday, I read that there was a protest in Edmonton against Covid-19 health measures. It involved hundreds of people starting from Lethbridge. Global News noted:
“The protest was organized by the “Walk for Freedom Alberta” group. That group claims to stand up for rights and freedoms and “peacefully promote breaches to our civil liberties across Alberta.”
The Mayor of Edmonton protested the protesters by noting that the pandemic is not a hoax and that some behind the protest may be connected with known hate groups. Canadians can spare any self righteousness when we view our neighbours to the south.
The theme of supposed unfairness continued this morning (Feb. 22) with and article in the Globe and Mail reporting on a defiance coming from a western church congregation. While many churches with limited reopening in Ontario have noted that there was not a single case of infection, the article begins with a story about a small church in Saskatchewan. On Christmas Eve 15 people gathered for an early service with all the proper precautions in place - and no masks, no singing. But afterwards one sick person discovered that more than 12 had contracted the virus. In Edmonton, a pastor remains in jail for opening his church in contravention to restrictions. His attorney is trying to make the case that that freedom of religion is more important than public health.
Public health has also led to similar conflicts in British Columbia. The Provincial Health Officer, Bonne Henry, argues that services of worship unfortunately have elements most likely to cause the spread of the virus. These are gatherings of people from different households - over an extended period of time, held indoors in buildings often with poor ventilation and activity can include singing. The congregation is also likely to contain elderly persons with pre-existing conditions. It’s a recipe for high risk - and that’s why I avoided any such opportunities in Ontario when live services still existed. I administered a registration system for one and was startled to see who wanted to attend - primarily the highest risk group. Perhaps they just didn’t care whether death came sooner or later.
Yes - sometimes rights are infringed upon. But it’s difficult to see a small number of people championing their own rights above those of a broader community. Generally Canadians see things differently than their American cousins and I find it depressing to see individualism topping (I refuse to Trumping or former-guying) society as a whole. I can understand making comparisons with bars or restaurants in Alberta - but why not advocate for their sharing concern for the common good by closing until it is safer.
When it comes to common good, there was better inspiration in the Globe’s business section with an article on leadership where Mi’kmaw educator Marie Battiste was interviewed. She is a retired professor from the University of Saskatchewan, an honorary member of the Order of Canada with four honorary doctorates and many other citations.
Her current research asks us to think historically and aims to assess the teaching of our history sad history of the treatment of first nations peoples and how to improve the teaching of indigenous knowledge. Here are some of her insights:
Understand your own skills and talents and how you can use them to best understand and serve your purpose.
Indigenous ways of life embrace a more holistic worldview, anchored in the understanding that we are all interconnected.
When we understand how we are related, we better understand our obligations and responsibilities to one another, to the earth and to the seven generations to come.
My father wrote a family history which told us of more than seven generations past - and part of that story is one of our white privilege in spite of many hardships along the way. I commend this wise indigenous leader’s reminder of our role in learning the truth in assessing our science and our society. A long view shows us the importance of the systems of which we are a part and the ones we determine.