Summer is a Loaded Word!

By Pam Hadder

Industrial revolution economists imagined how time-saving technologies and devices would reshape our world. It was predicted that a 

20-hour work week would be the norm by the 1980s, resulting in the luxury of more free time, increased wealth and improved health for the average worker.  These benefits were expected to arise out of the time-saving and productivity-boosting efficiencies of increased mechanization.   Despite some good intentions, this humanistic vision has not been realized.  Yes, working conditions have improved over all, and people are living longer, but women, children and the poor are still exploited around the world for a minority class of wealthy business owners. Global capitalism and corporate greed have burgeoned, ensuring that the financial benefits reaped by technological development remain polarized – the gap between the haves and have-nots remains and widens.  And the real kicker – the average person is working longer and longer hours with less and less leisure time, and with limited power to change the established structures of control.

Sometimes I wish that I did not know about the potential good for mankind presented by the industrial revolution.  Instead of working more efficiently and having more time for family, recreation and creative pursuits, people are increasingly pushed to be constantly engaged and plugged in for business.  To do otherwise is to risk being labeled as out-of-touch, un-hip, washed up, unmotivated and so on. 

And so, what to do about summer?  Summer adds a layer of complication; yes, summer is problematic!  Despite the constant pressures of busy-ness and the dog-eat-dog aggression of our neo-capitalist world, summer still elicits steamy, soft-focus images of relaxation, repose and the simple appreciation of our natural environment.  Summer gently engages our bodies and our imaginations, leading us on a very human path to our origins and most basic instincts for living.  Pair “vacation” with summer and you risk some extraordinary push back – you’re doing what, going where, for how long?  Don’t you know the world will stop if too many of us unplug, take off our shoes and head off barefoot down dusty trails?

Henry James, an American writer born during the industrial revolution, once said, “Summer afternoon, summer afternoon: those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.”  Beautiful yes, and precious, and significant – so, why not serve yourself a generous piece of summer. Savour each taste, each sound, each colour; every scent and every memory – and be conscious of their importance to your well being.  Summer remains a loaded word, so resist the pressure to deny your humanness, and layer your summer moments with all of the positives you need to remain whole and connected to your personal purpose.

It's All Relative

By Pam Hadder

Recently newspapers have been discussing the Bank of Canada’s concern over the glut of condo developments in Toronto – the worry is that the current condo building spree is out-pacing demand.  The result could be a significant drop in property values, and the Bank of Canada has a healthy stake in urban real estate, so that would never do!

The Bank of Canada is also bemoaning our country’s slow recovery from “economic crisis” – a crisis that we know is as contrived as all other financial wheeling and dealing around the globe.  Stop for a moment and consider who valuates currency –  who decides which country has more economic clout versus another, and who waves the magic wand to determine what commodities are the top contenders?  Really, nothing has changed and the only crisis is one of ongoing, age-old power struggles.  We have unlimited human ingenuity and a finite but vast storehouse of materials for survival and enjoyment – it’s the same basic playing field that humankind has wrestled over for eons.  However, we must buffet the storms of contrivance generated by regulatory bodies in our country and across the globe – the vocal few, the minorities with decisive power; the crisis generators who enact code red situations.  And to what end?  Simply to decide who gets a bigger piece of pie, and who dies because they go without.

There is more than enough talent, raw material and food for all to share.  No person should be struggling to get by without water, food or shelter.  It’s all about the leveraging of minority perspectives – how certain self-serving views are marketed to the masses.  No matter how bad the outlook seems, and no matter what blather is spun by governments and popular information channels, know this to be true – nothing has changed except perception, and individuals need to understand their power to oppose these human mythologies.