Passion Power

I watched The Oprah Winfrey Show off and on for 25 years and I can still feel the same emotions that she riled in me. Her show made me laugh and cry.  She inspired me because she genuinely cared about other people and made you want to be a better person. I can’t think of a talk show, news anchor or journalist today that imbues positive optimism and authenticity the way that Oprah did. Her rags-to-riches story exemplifies the American dream. Oprah’s views were balanced between empathy and personal agency. “Turn your wounds into wisdom,” she would say. She was not afraid to open up about her own life struggles.  She didn’t subscribe to victimhood either, which is something I detest.   She had the best quotes; “It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you – always.” She understands the magnitude of her platform and stays in her own lane which is something else I admire about her. She has opinions but chooses to keep th...

Politics matter because the stability of our country depends on it. Canada is changing and in an effort to remake ourselves, we want to make sure our political leaders are fighting for our rights and upholding the values we believe in. We all want a liveable world we can happily give to our children and grandchildren. In Jonathan Haidt’s book, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion, Haidt writes, we are divided politically because of our innate differences and that we all suffer from confirmation bias. He says that we make moral decisions intuitively then justify them with rational arguments. For example, I can see why I’m a right of center person politically. I come from a blue collar working middle class home. I was educated in the school of hard knocks. There was no coddling in my household and nurturing someone’s self-esteem was considered laughable. There were no freebies. If I wanted something I had to go out and earn it. My upbring...

Every year with my Ontario sticker renewa I get an application form to fill out to become a registered organ tissue donor. I’m already a donor but instead of a gold star, a thank you or a box check, I must go online and make sure that I am still registered. Perhaps The Trillium Gift of Life Network might acknowledge those who have already registered. I can think of at least a dozen ways they could do this but apparently 12 board members can’t.      My uncle and father both received covid reliefs cheques last year from the Government of Canada.   Let me just say neither one of them needed covid relief cheques.   A friend rides around on his bicycle in a small town.   He hasn’t owned a vehicle in 5 years and just received a cheque from the Ontario government for his sticker renewal refund. Although these are anecdotal stories that only exacerbate the lack of trust in our establishments, they also point out a growing problem which is government accountabilit...

I think it is a fabulous idea to write your own personal political manifesto. Am I the only one that gets annoyed when leaders speak,” on behalf of all Canadians or Ontarians.” How is that even possible? What I learned through the US election is that mass media is tilting society towards ‘crazy town’ and trying to throw us into separate camps. The best way to avoid group polarization is to march to the beat of your own drum, have your own set of values and a political manifesto to adhere to. Now I can focus on the issues I care about without getting lost in the weeds?  I can lay all my cards on the table because I am irrelevant. I am an ordinary, unseen member of society with the right to cast my vote and voice my quibbles. I have nothing to gain and nothing to lose. I cannot get cancelled. Just a regular schmo. I am not going to get elected or hired or fired. I will not lose my job or position. I have no coworkers to posture around. I have no power or authority. I have no group or...

I work in a little store and people come in and want to talk about the president. Donald Trump does not care about political correctness and uses twitter as his playground. People are obsessed with him and he loves all the attention. His provocative leadership style has turned civil society on its head. What is happening online with Trump reminds me of a time I worked in a sales office managing a group of people. I had zero tolerance for troublemakers. There is always one. A toxic person allowed to run rampant can completely disrupt the flow of a business. I understand why people feel compelled to react. Don’t we all have a little anti-establishment in us? But have we gone too far? Some people think so. This cancel culture online is like the wild west. You will be attacked by a swarm of bees if your opinions are different. To make matters even worse, media groups are profiting from division and discourse and people are being paid online to stir the pot. Did you know that h...

Mainstream media is constantly pushing narratives that wind people up because strife sells better than unity. Competing for eyeballs is like catching crabs. They throw us click bait and see how many they catch in the net. Here’s a recent example of how they get our attention. Mainstream media took a moment on Coaches Corner gave it some click bait and it went viral. I’m sure good old Don was cracking from the pressure as a public figure and the responsibility that it carried. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks or as it seems, a new updated politically correct language either. His style and popularity are the exact opposite of that. He’s too old to care or conform. Rogers Media tried to put Don Cherry in a box, and he said NO. Fair enough. I know 80-year old’s and they don’t fit in boxes and follow new rules. Besides, there are far better platforms for this hockey legend than cable television. In fact, we should all be looking for alternative media news sources such as ...

It’s hard not to be cynical when you see what’s happening in the world and the way mainstream media divides and demoralizes our society with its 24/7 so-called, ‘breaking news’. We have China holding people hostage, cabinet ministers using private jets for personal business, billionaires on trial for child abuse, a President who spreads hate and masquerades it as patriotism. I guess if we don’t like we can leave. We’ve watched high ranking officers being dragged through the mud and politicians being demoted to lesser positions for standing up to ‘the club’. There are more cover ups, pay-outs, bail outs and lay-offs and political leaders can’t manage to stay out of hot water for more than a couple of weeks before another scandal breaks. In America, 1% of the wealthy have more money than 90% of the population. Trickle-down economics isn’t trickling down. Big corporations like Apple or Amazon could erase world hunger with the stroke of a pen. Prisons are the largest mental heal...

Scientists from all over the world have confirmed that climate change is deeply transforming our world and swift action is required. Climate action has finally reached the top of the heap of priority issues and we’re now part of a generation that is going to form policy around it. It’s one of many topics that party leaders will run on in the fall election. I’ll be listening for a firm unwavering politician with a whiff of sincerity to hold corporations and government agencies accountable and to address climate change and other issues that are important to me. Election campaigns and divisive brawls will not save our country or our planet but here we are to endure the actors on Parliament Hill audition for their role to reduce it. Political leaders’ posture around climate change like it’s a popularity contest. They must appeal to different groups such as Corporations, millennials and baby boomers, who all have different goals. Do they even care about the fish or the water they...