Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

ADAM OLSEN -- When we win, do others have to lose? How do we handle the political outrage flowing freely and super-charged by social media platforms? How are we managing?


One of the primary realizations I've made in my brief time in provincial politics is how easy it is to slip into an unhealthy lifestyle. Without careful attention to my overall fitness, personal well-being quickly gets lost in the background noise. There is a lot of background noise.

Winning is the focus of partisan politics ... not winning together, but winning at someone else's expense.

There is an intense competitive desire to politically tear each other apart, rather than lift each other up. Constituency work can also be heavy. It's difficult to hear stories of your fellow citizens who have fallen through the cracks and know that political calculations, not compassion, are primary factors driving of the decisions to fix or ignore the problem.

This job ages you. It's hard on personal relationships, emotionally draining, creates a spiritual void and is mentally taxing. All of this can manifest in poor physical health and it affects how we govern.

How can we expect the outcomes of our democratic institutions to be healthy if we are not properly looking after the people who make the decisions?

So, as I have been outlining in these morning blogs, I've been working to improve my outcomes in the four pillars of my personal well-being - physical, mental, spiritual and emotional. So, I persist in my morning walks, yoga and meditation.

Love, warmth, free of pain and full of success!

In a recent guided meditation, I was asked to think about someone I love and to offer to them thoughts and feelings of love and warmth, wishing for them to be well, free of pain and suffering as well as achieving success and prosperity.

Then the voice suggested I take those thoughts and feelings and apply them to someone I don't like. Offer to them thoughts and feelings of love and warmth. Wish them to be well, free of pain and suffering and full of success and prosperity.

Finally, the voice suggested I apply those same thoughts and feelings to myself. Offer myself thoughts and feelings of love and warmth. Wish myself well, freedom from pain and suffering, as well as success and prosperity.

It was a welcome suggestion to remain mindful about how we show up, and what energy we put into the world. When we win, do others have to lose? How do we handle the political outrage flowing freely and super-charged by social media platforms? How are we managing?

No matter what you do, our modern world can easily overwhelm. Especially if we are not looking after ourselves and each other.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BC Conservatives Point to Warning Signs in BC’s Economy

While Canada posted modest job gains in July, warning lights are still flashing in British Columbia. Youth unemployment remains stubbornly high, leaving too many first-time jobseekers shut out of the workforce. BC also lost 3,400 public administration jobs in July, likely as temporary Census positions ended. “BC's jobs divide remains stark. Unemployment is far higher in business-driven communities like Kelowna (9.3%) and Abbotsford-Mission (8.3%) than in Victoria (5.0%). Government should be focused on creating the conditions for private-sector investment and job growth,” said Gavin Dew, MLA for Kelowna-Mission and Shadow Minister for Economic Development. “We need an economy where young people can find work, businesses can hire, and every region has the opportunity to prosper.” This comes as BC faces five straight quarters where more businesses are closing than opening, an NDP cabinet rift over job-creating projects like Tilbury LNG, and fresh signs that even the province's to...
Post a Comment
Read more

Okanagan Farmers Face NDP-Created Water Crisis ~~ BC Conservatives

Okanagan farmers are facing a water crisis as government-imposed restrictions threaten to kill their crops and destroy one of B.C.’s most important agricultural industries. In perhaps the most water-rich province in the country, our farmers have been left high and dry by the NDP government. For nine weeks, Okanagan and Shuswap farmers have proposed solutions, only to be met with NDP foot-dragging. Now forest fires have come to these regions as they are simultaneously reckoning with a water crisis that has been made worse through years of government inaction. Vernon-area farms have lost 70 percent of their water, while Kelowna and Summerland growers face severe restrictions. This situation is unacceptable and cannot continue. Ian Paton, Shadow Minister for Agriculture, said the NDP is once again forcing farmers to pay for its own failure to plan. "Farmers and ranchers must be listened to when decisions affecting their livelihoods are made, and under the NDP, they aren’t," said...
Post a Comment
Read more

FORSETH: Without a strong local presence, there is NO reason for anyone to tune in to local(?) radio

LOCAL HOMETOWN RADIO IS DYING … and without serious measures put in place, it will likely never see the light of day again. For well over four decades, the Canadian Radio and Television Commission (CRTC) has presided over its’ demise, and for that I say, “Shame”. Without out a word to say enough was enough, the CRTC has allowed corporate Canada to buy up one radio station after the other, and then allowed them to slash staff to the point where some so-called local radio stations do nothing more than air programming that originates from communities well outside the region in which they are located. Case in point?   On CHNL* 610 in Kamloops, the morning show hosted by Vinnie and Randi, DOES NOT originate from Kamloops -- it doesn’t even originate here in BC. It’s a program that Stingray airs across multiple radio stations in Western Canada. It doesn’t end there. Not only are Vinnie and Rando doing mornings on CHNL, but they also show up on sister station Country 103 … and of course o...
5 comments
Read more

Labels

Show more