Returning home along the Highway of Heroes (Hwy 401) last week, I was surprised and greatly moved by how many people, often accompanied by fire trucks and/ or police cruisers with flashing lights, were lining every frigid bridge over the 401 and waving Canadian flags, from the edges of Toronto all the way to Trenton – many thousands in all, covering hundreds of miles.   Almost every vehicle on my side of the road (going in the opposite direction), pulled over and stopped in respect, as the ominous hearses sped by.  Three more Canadian soldiers were returning home in coffins, bringing the total to a symbolic One Hundred… and Canadians were spontaneously coming together in the biting cold to salute them, regardless of their regional origin, religion or race..

Just a couple weeks earlier, we saw an example of a more destructive/ divisive expression of Nationalism, when “Prime Minister” Stephen Harper, once again stooping to his favoured fear-and-hate divisive strategies, attacked (apparently successfully) the proposed Liberal-NDP coalition on the basis that they were supported by “Separatists” and “Traitors”, by which he meant the duly elected Bloc Quebecois Members of Parliament.  Way to go for a United Canada, Stevie!!

Nationalism in itself is neither good nor bad.  It is a particular expression of our collective Identity and Will and as such, is an extremely powerful (often volatile) force, which can be used destructively/ divisively or constructively/ integratively.  Crudely put, it can bring us together or pull us apart in conflict and war.

Identity/ “Who I-We are” is the basis of all our actions, yet very few have asked the question, “Who am I?” with much skill or perseverance.  It’s not part of conventional parenting or education. Underlying national/ religious/ cultural/ racial/ ideological identity (and belief) is individual identity.  Computers have been modeled after the functioning of humans, so perhaps a computer analogy is apt.  We implicitly trust our computer output (“Based on my life experiences, I know Reality”), but we have not really examined our software (personality, personal experience and trauma, culture, religious beliefs, education etc), hardware (the interrelated functioning of body-emotion-mind-energy-spirit) or data input (what we think happened to us and the life lessons we have drawn – often erroneously).

On this volatile, often confused, basis of personal identity, we proceed to influence “The World” through our thoughts, words and actions (spending, voting), which in turn, through many various forms of Media, feed our own collective confusions back to us as “hard reality”.  The last 30 years (not just the Bush years) is a classic example of this deluded, feed-back process.  The Communist Crisis, the Terrorist Crisis and now the Financial Crisis are not aberrations, but the consequences of our own collective decisions and as such we must take responsibility.  All those who supported Bush and who rode the Market of Effortless Riches need to stand up and take responsibility, or in other words acknowledge Karma, the Law of Cause and Effect.

What has this got to do with Nationalism?  Nationalism is an identity/ form/ structure for working in the mundane world.  For example, the USA’s sense of national identity exceeds or perhaps is overdeveloped in contrast with Canada’s (which means Canada can do with a bit more and perhaps America, with a bit less).  In Africa, where often collective identity is limited to immediate family or tribe, a national/ country wide identity would be a plus.  In China, national identity is very strong, but perhaps they can lead the way (in numbers) to a greater human identity by weakening their national identity.

To cut to the chase, deeper spiritual evolution (regardless of specific tradition) points to more expansiveness and inclusivity (Global Consciousness?).  The central message of Jesus and Mohammed (in my opinion) is not “Kill everyone who doesn’t follow Christianity or Islam”, but love, include and see all humans (and other forms of life?) as expressions of the Divine/ Ultimate Spirit etc.

In short, if we want to radically change our World and Planet, we have to find a way to change ourselves (radically).  There are ways available for those who seek… but dramatic, “charismatic”, shortcut Marketing Schemes don’t usually qualify.

The above Toronto Star front page banner (November 23rd) was about an “Enviropig”, created by researchers at the University of Guelph, designed to poop out more environmentally friendly waste.  The article’s author, Health Reporter Megan Ogilvie,  cheerily reports, “The trade-marked pigs are just one of dozens of genetically engineered animals at research institutions around the world whose genes have been altered for human benefit”.  In this particular case, a bacterial protein was spliced together with some mouse DNA and injected into a pig embryo.

Ogilvie’s article is conventionally competent and “objective”, since she quotes both advocates for and against the pig  – a 50/50 delivery.  As regular readers of my blogs will realize, a 50/50 interpretation is not necessarily accurate and may even give a distorted impression.  For example, in the case of Global Warming, because mainstream media like CNN kept parading one scientist speaking for the existence of global warming and one against, the public was under the impression that it was a fairly even debate.  In fact, the scientists denying global warming were a very small minority… and some of them were doing doubly duty, having previously been paid to deny the negative effects of smoking.

A few passages from the article which particularly caught my attention: “Despite concerns, experts say the FDA’s much anticipated document, the first of its kind issued by a federal government, will be the catalyst for moving genetically engineered livestock from the experimental farmyard to the supermarket….In Canada, regulators have yet to announce how they plan to regulate genetically engineered animals, though officials may act soon after the US guidelines are finalized…..Scientists who develop transgenic animals say the FDA’s proposed guidelines are strict, which should help boost consumer confidence in the products. They point to the government’s successful regulation of genetically engineered plants, which have been on the market for a decade, and the fact that the FDA declared meat from cloned animals safe to eat last January…..A key concern with transgenic animals is they will escape captivity, breed with their conventional cousins and pass on the engineered genetic trait…..Surveys show the majority of Canadians are wary of genetically engineered animals…Instead of joining the ethical debate, regulators have decided to leave those tough questions up to the consumers in the marketplace.  The problem with that philosophy.. is that the US and likely Canada.. will not require companies to label food made with genetically engineered animals”.

Here are my journalistic, reading-between-the-lines comments on the above:

1. America is de facto dictating many Canadian policies, since we often meekly fall in line with its regulations.  Let us not forget that under George W Bush, there was massive deregulation (economy and finance were only the tip of the iceberg) and  agencies which were supposed to be looking out for general, public interests were headed by Bush appointees, several of whom were former corporate lobbyists. Put the fox to guard the chicken coop!
2. The reporter does not seem familiar with the details of the “the government’s successful regulation of genetically engineered plants”.  I wrote about this 5 years ago in my book, “Ageless Wisdom Spirituality” and since then the situation has deteriorated. In summary, GMOs (genetically modified organisms – plants) were first marketed in North America as such (Flavr Savr tomatoes!) but were roundly rejected by the public.  The manufacturers then reversed strategies, arguing there was “substantial equivalence” between GMO and non-GMO products and no distinction should be made.  They successfully lobbied government to prevent GMO labeling, even though public polls consistently showed that a majority of people wanted to know if foods contained GMOs.  Indeed, people were so incensed, they took to the street in protest.  A few corporations started withdrawing foods for a while but now everything is back to the way the GMO companies want it.  In North America, probably more than 70% of the produce in our supermarkets are GMOs. The “success” of the regulations is that the corporations and governments triumphed over the clearly stated will of the people
3. Monsanto, one of the world’s GMO giants have been particularly aggressive in pushing GMOs, using Pinkerton’s to hound people who have Monsanto GMO seeds growing on or near their property, even wind blown. Google “Monsanto and Percy Schmeiser” – the latter an elderly Sasketchewan farmer who has stood up to Monsanto and paid a heavy price for daring to do so.
4. As in so many other matters, North America is isolated.  GMO labeling is mandatory in the European Union, Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand and many other countries.  Canadians, if you want to see what’s in your supermarket, go to www.gmoguide.greenpeace.ca
5. As for the fear that genetically engineered might escape and breed with other animals, it’s a certainty.  We are creating a huge stew of genetically organized plants and animals and ingesting it without any idea of the long term consequences.  At the moment, long term tests on humans are not required
6. In “Ageless Wisdom Spirituality”, I pointed to three great challenges the world faces: the health of the planet, the poverty gap (which sparks unrest, terrorism and wars) and the relatively uncontrolled implementation of new technologies, which in the 21st century are likely to be genetics, robotics and nanotechnology.  All are capable of being weaponized, of being incorporated into human beings (cosmetic surgery pales in comparison) and of mutating / self-replicating.  Can you imagine what terrorists in another 10 years may be able to do?  All these challenges have been ignored under George W, who has constantly waved the 9/11 red flag at Americans … with great “success” at distracting and bankrupting them.

Obama’s election was a resounding affirmation of the best parts of the American Dream – that anyone can “make it”.  It was a much-needed beacon of light and hope after 8 divisive, bullying and destructive years of the Bush-Cheney administration.  Obama at present has enormous goodwill and political capital, which he could use to nudge the USA and the world in a more sustainable and cooperative direction.

However, change will not be easy, especially within America.  Despite what seemed to be a one-sided victory, the USA remains quite conservative, with only a 4 million difference in popular votes between Obama and McCain, who held the heartland of America. The Religious Right is still influential and the military-industrial complex as powerful as ever. Moreover, America’s system of governmental “checks and balances” makes far-reaching change very difficult.

The greatest challenge will be to change the capitalist “Free Market” economic system, which to many Americans, is synonymous with the American Dream itself.  Ever since President Reagan in the 80s, those advocating an unfettered Free market, with no government intervention or control, have become increasingly influential and the power and size of corporations have grown accordingly, creating monopolistic situations in many sectors of the economy.

After thirty years of these policies, with deregulation accelerating under Bush-Cheney, certain facts are becoming clear. Large corporations can not only pressure but hold national governments hostage because of their impact on the economy and jobs, even within the richest country in the world (think about the exploitation opportunities within poor, Third World countries!).  American banks, insurance companies and perhaps car manufacturers are now being bailed out by the government, having fought against government intervention and in many cases, having acted with incompetence, greed and sometimes criminal intent.  Corporations have no allegiance to individual countries or concern for the welfare of the People and can fairly easily shift their operations to other corporations or countries.  Why do we think that our well-being depends on Corporations?!! I doubt that our greatest philosophers, artists and spiritual leaders would think that cheap prices for goods and services is the answer to the existential question, “What is the purpose of my Life”?

Such policies have also accelerated the gap between the growing poor and the super-rich and have contributed to the degradation of the environment, since there is no financial or criminal penalty for pollution and neglect.  Even within the wealthiest countries, air, water and food now carry increasing amounts of toxins, that fuel cancer and other diseases… which we Free Market individuals pay from our own pockets or with our quality of life or Life itself!  In a completely Free Market, there is no qualitative decision as to how we use our common (increasingly) scarce resources, since short-term profit is the main determinant and demand can be created by savvy, big-money advertising.  At present we spend heavily on weapons (many too destructive to use or else we have to start a war in order to us them), entertainment, techno-gadgets etc, while basics like food, care of the environment, basic health care etc, are neglected.  Until recently, gas-guzzling Hummers and SUVs were “cool” big sellers, despite the fact that the days of cheap oil were obviously over and they were big polluters.  The Japanese saw the writing on the wall, but American car manufacturers did not.. yet they still get a bail-out from the pockets of the ordinary people.  In the future, robotics, genetic manipulation and nanotechnology will be the “cool” innovations, and they will create many “unforeseen” problems since they are capable or self-reproduction and incorporation into “human” beings.

I’m not sure how much of the above Obama embraces, but if he does support it, he will in turn need the discerning, long-term support of the average person, which is the life blood of Democracy.  We, the voters, cannot merely hope for extraordinary leaders… we have to raise our consciousness not only to recognize the appropriate leaders, but perhaps become leaders ourselves.  The world is now a global village and needs global citizens…. Forthcoming blogs will elaborate on this.

Regardless of American election results, Canada urgently needs to create a vision for itself in the 21st century or else have its affairs increasingly run by the USA.  Globally, the last 25-30 years have been dominated by the Reagan-Thatcher Free Market ideology, but the spell may be finally wearing off and the ugliness and destructiveness of the “greed is good” doctrine becoming apparent. This may be a rare opportunity for many countries, including Canada, to change directions.

The last two Conservative governments have pulled Canada to the Right and towards the USA way beyond their electoral mandate.  Our Tory leaders have fawned over their American counterparts and aped their policies.  Mulroney started giving away Canadian independence to Reagan with NAFTA and Harper has been governing from George W. Bush’s failed play book and is also engaged in his own giveaways, albeit in relative secrecy (through SPP etc discussed below).  My most cringing moment as a Canadian was to see Peter MacKay, Harper’s Foreign Affairs minister, acting like a giddy teenager over Condoleezza Rice, describing himself as a long time “fan”.  To his credit, he probably for once was just being honest.

I came to Canada 27 years ago (having lived in England and Guyana) because it seemed spacious, not only physically but in terms of expression and opportunity. I love the country more and more, but am concerned by our low national self-esteem and identity.  Polls show quite a large number of Canadians – sometimes about 40% - wouldn’t mind being part of the USA. Quebec, the Maritimes, the Western provinces have all showed separatist tendencies.  I have long thought that If Canada stays together, it is one of the few countries in the world that can be relatively safe (apart from the threat of American annexation) because of its borders and self-sufficient because of its abundant resources, including oil and water, and relatively small but highly educated population.

Indeed a 2003 Pentagon commissioned study - by Peter Schwartz and Doug Randall called “An Abrupt Climate Change Scenario and its Implications for United States National Security - found Australia, Canada and the United States the countries best positioned to handle the challenges of abrupt climate changes.  These changes are expected within the next 10 years and are part of the short term consequences of global warming. The study predicted the USA having disagreements with Canada and Mexico over water with the US forming an “integrated security alliance” with Canada and Mexico by 2018.
Water (Blue Gold) will be even more precious and fought over than Oil (Black Gold) has been, since we can survive without driving but not without water.  Apart from drinking water, we need water for agriculture and in many manufacturing processes.  Imagine, for example, two neighbouring countries (perhaps with nuclear weapons) sharing a river and then one country, because of drought etc,  blocks it off for its own exclusive use…

• For those who scoff at the possibility of America taking control of Canada, here are a few facts to ponder:“Joint Army and Navy Basic War Plan – Red”, formulated in 1930 by the US War Dept is a detailed plan for invading and taking control of Canada.  It was declassified in 1974.
• NORTHCOM  (United States Northern Command) was created on October 1, 2002 in the aftermath of  9/11 attacks.  Its mission is to protect the US homeland and its area of responsibility (AOR) includes air, land and sea approaches and encompasses the continental USA, Alaska, Canada, Mexico and the surrounding water out to approximately 500 nautical miles (930 km). Rumsfeld boasted that “NORTHCOM is “part of the greatest transformation of the United Command Plan (UPC) since its inception in 1947.  Jean Chretien refused to join NORTHCOM but apparently the Harper government signed some sort of agreement in 2008.  From the www.canadians.org website: “US Northern Command (NORTHCOM) has posted portions of a Civil Assistance Plan, signed with Canada Command on February 14,  to its website, although it appears to be missing as many as 23 annexes – there is reference to an Annex W –  that are still classified. Integrate This broke the original story about the Civil Assistance Plan when we noticed it reported in a tiny Colorado newspaper this February but not reported anywhere on the Canadian Forces webpage. While Canada Command has also quietly posted the plan to its website, there was no announcement or press release”.

• The Harper government is pushing ahead with the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) of North America without any public input.  From greenpages.wordpress.com “If you ask the average person if they’ve ever heard of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) of North America, they are likely to look at you blankly and say “No.” Sometimes identified as “NAFTA Plus,” leaders of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico announced the SPP in March 2005. Unlike NAFTA, however, it is not a treaty or agreement, nor is it legislation which would demand review by parliament and congress. Rather the SPP is an initiative only between the executive powers in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., and is carried out with oversight in relative secrecy from an advisory board of CEOs from 30 of the most powerful companies in North America. Little wonder the SPP has evoked outcries from activists across the continent, decrying the lack of transparency and accountability of a process where decisions are made behind closed doors. Sometimes referred to as “NAFTA on steroids,” the SPP is the latest and most aggressive move in a process of North American integration formally begun with the signing of the Canadian U.S. Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA) in 1988 and enlarged upon in the North American Free trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994. NAFTA brought the lowest level of economic integration on a scale which moves from (a) free trade area through (b) customs’ union, to (c) common market to (d) economic community to (e) full fledged political union. NAFTA was viewed as a platform for further integration as noted in its objectives and since that time corporate and politically elite lobbyists have never rested as they waited for the right moment to further their cause”.
• The issue of Water has completely disappeared from the Canadian federal agenda.  Bulk water sales are being negotiated at local or state/ provincial levels.

What can be done?  Many people would say nothing since the US, despite its “freedom and democracy” talk, has shown it will take what it really wants if it has the power to do so.  I suspect our leaders are being put under a lot of pressure by the USA, but I would appeal to our leaders to put these issues on the table before the public, while there is some possibility to go in a different direction.  Personally, I hate the thought of Canadian water being used for Las Vegas fountains and lawns because it’s the “Free Market”.
The World, not only America, will want Canada’s resources and we will probably have to share.. but at least it would be nice to have some say.  We can be more conscious stewards of these resources and perhaps lead the world in a more cooperative and sustainable direction.  We can begin to believe in ourselves as Canadians!

Here is a comment from Author: Rick Weiss (IP: 198.103.167.20, humpty.tpsgc.gc.ca)
Email: richard.weiss@gmail.com
Url: http://rickweiss.ca
Comment: http://www.andyjames.ca/Blog/blogs/index.php/2008/11/01/canada-the-sleeping-giant#c17
Andy,
A lot of interesting, and disappointing things going on.

One of the challenges for Canada to decide on vision for the future of the country is our small, widely dispersed population. And, that our minority government was elected by just over 30% of the population. Do you have any thoughts on how we could develop such a vision, collectively?

I agree that we should all take more pride in being Canadian, and spend less time thinking of ourselves as non-Americans.

Reply from AJ: Thanks for your question, Richard. Apart from Canadians generally coming to greater self-esteem and vision, one of the rare, specific, positive developments in Canadian politics is Charest and McGuinty coming together to propose the strengthening of "Central Canada" - cooperation between the Canadian powerhouses of Quebec and Ontario. I was really invigorated by this development but (surprisingly), it got very little traction in the Media. The initiative proposed increased cooperation and transportation lnks between the 2 provinces and outreach to the European Union (EU), presumably to reduce the dependence on the fickle and demeaning (in terms of international "importance") policies of the USA. So far, I don't see any Canadian politicians with "vision", although Ignatieff has some potential if he just lets it rip.
AJ

Polls in Canada and the USA show that Health Care is a major concern in both countries, but in this election cycle, it is likely to be shunted to the side lines by THE ECONOMY (now supplanting the previous “critical” issue, THE TERRORIST)…which few understand, including the majority of our elected political representatives.  Logically, why should we expect our political representatives to be experts in the economy, terrorism or health issues etc, since we vote for them because they are “cute”, “strong”, “trustworthy”, “in touch with the common person”, “good speakers” or a variety of other irrelevant and unverifiable reasons?

The future quality of health care in North America does not look promising because it is getting more expensive all the time and because the Baby Boomers’ population bulge is already impacting the system and will do so increasingly as they age.  Right wing/ conservative administrations in Canada and the USA have been spending an ever increasing % of their budgets on the military – over 50% in the USA – which takes away from other expenditure.  The Health Care situation in the USA is particularly bleak since Germany and USA are the only industrialized countries (including Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Sweden, UK, and France) without a 100% publicly funded health care systems.  The USA’s health care system is 45% publically funded.

Here are a few suggestions of what you can do to improve your health care:

• Apart from lobbying for more money for health care, make sure that the funds that are publicly allotted are used efficiently.  It seems to me that an inordinate amount of money goes to dramatic/ unusual diseases while the “common” diseases/ patients are underfunded; lots of money also goes to administration and bureaucracy.
• Invest more in preventative medicine and health maintenance.  If people are healthier and take preventative measures sooner, we don’t have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on exorbitant, last ditch procedures for individuals.  Complementary (often Chinese and Indian) medicine focuses on mind-body health maintenance and early detection of diseases, very often at minimal cost. In the USA, the extra out-of-pocket medical expenditure on complementary medicine is only slightly below the expenditure on conventional medicine. Canada (apart from USA) has the lowest publicly funded coverage in OECD countries for complementary medicine
• Investigate the link between conventional medicine and the monetary pressures of Big Pharma, which sometimes markets diseases/ conditions in order to sell their drugs.  A point to ponder: It is not in the interest of Big Pharma for people to be totally healthy (eg. through prevention) since their markets would drastically shrink.
• Investigate the link between pollution (largely corporate) and your health.  If corporations pollute the environment or pump you full of questionable substances without any (or minimal) monetary cost and (directly or indirectly) cause health problems in individuals, it means that ordinary individuals like you and me are subsidizing corporate profits (much going to high-flying CEOs), since when we get sick, we often pay for our treatment from our own pockets.

• Last but not least (in fact, primarily), take responsibility for your own health, since it is something which is immediately and directly within your control! I favour an integrated body-energy-emotion-mind-spirit approach since we are complex beings which incorporate all those levels.  In terms of the body, exercise your body and pay attention to your food intake.  Organic, (mostly) vegetarian food will probably work out the same in cost as a cheap meat-centered diet and will be better for your health… but expert advice will help a lot.  The mind is a severely neglected area of health and well-being since most of our words and deeds emanates from the intellectual mind, which in most people is muddled and unexamined.  The Mind and Emotions are not common topics within our family upbringing or formal education even as they dominate our everyday lives.

Towards a more enlightened and compassionate humanity,

Andy James