"Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure. Only the paranoid survive" - Andy Grove Fighting Complacency Today marks my 69th anniversary of my initial polio diagnosis. I had thought of putting my meanderings to bed and hadn't really planned on writing these anymore but here I am. I have spend the last five weeks trying to … Continue reading A Confluence of Events
We Don’t Know What We Know Until We Realize
Cognitive psychology has shown that the mind best understands facts when they are woven into a conceptual fabric, such as a narrative, mental map, or intuitive theory. Disconnected facts in the mind are like unlinked pages on the Web: They might as well not exist. - Steven Pinker I have spent the last five days … Continue reading We Don’t Know What We Know Until We Realize
Memories of a Movie Theatre
"Will theatres go the route of the drive-in, a seasonal roadside attraction?" - Terry Wiens 2022 A shopping bag of the past pointing the direction of the future I kept "channel surfing" last night often winding up at the Oscar's to see what was going on. Movie's have been a hobby of mine (almost a … Continue reading Memories of a Movie Theatre
And the Contrary Continues
Like any good beginning I still like to open with a little quote. Today is an example of how I am viewing the contrary nature of these so called "Freedom Rallies" I quote Albert Camus with "Truth, like light, blinds. Falsehood, on the contrary, is a beautiful twilight that enhances every object." Going out on … Continue reading And the Contrary Continues
The Contrarian Community of Calgary
A community is democratic only when the humblest and weakest person can enjoy the highest civil, economic, and social rights that the biggest and most powerful possess. - A. Phillip Randolph 1969 Polio protest for the right to live independently For the first time since the pandemic was declared I am now sitting at Kanpai … Continue reading The Contrarian Community of Calgary
A Day in the Erosion of Life
"Freedom's just another way for nothing left to lose" - immortalized in song by Janis Joplin however written by Chris Kristofferson Rethinking life I am so pissed off right now I probably shouldn't be writing. However when you wake up at 5AM, and my first thought is how threatening this convoy is to my freedom, … Continue reading A Day in the Erosion of Life
Entitlement is Not Freedom
I like to open each session with, what I think, is an appropriate quote from the wisdom of other. Today I am reflecting on an insightful comment by actor and outspoken speaker on rights, Liev Schreiber. That is, and I quote, "I react very badly when mediocrity throughs a tantrum of entitlement". I share that … Continue reading Entitlement is Not Freedom
Okay Let’s Talk
"The worse kind of sad is that which you can't explain to others because you are a survivor" 17 years old and leaving on my first jet to Montreal Today is the national day to discuss mental health, known best as #BellLetsTalk day. A massive corporate fundraising day and a chance to get people to … Continue reading Okay Let’s Talk
Stop Giving Us Grief
"Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign of a pure heart." - José N. Harris Rethinking life Grief is a strong, sometimes overwhelming emotion for people, regardless of whether their sadness stems from the loss of a loved one or from a terminal diagnosis they or someone … Continue reading Stop Giving Us Grief
Pandemic Fugue
"The problem with the idea that history repeats itself is that when it isn't making us wiser it's making us complacent" Lisa Halliday, Asymmetry Rethinking life Fugue is defined as "a state or period of loss of awareness of one's identity", often coupled with flight from one's usual environment. After almost two years of this pandemic … Continue reading Pandemic Fugue
A Poster Child's Perspective 