A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people ~ Mahatma Gandhi

As a once proud Canadian, I have to admit that I’m somewhat disappointed in my fellow Canadian’s who seem content with the life they now live. (You Fuckin’ Pussies…) Stand up and be counted! As the world we currently live in seems to be rapidly deteriorating around us, very few seem to take note that as each day passes our freedoms erode to new heights. Corporations, Big Banks and an undemocratic and corrupt Government have conspired against us to their own agenda, while the working class suffer in their wake. The ruling class, using their puppets in the form of local television and media have been able to control the thoughts and minds of their minion’s, of which seem to sacredly worship all they see and hear.
 
Perhaps it’s the comfort they derive from their own materialistic attributes that they fail to see the world beyond their precious surroundings. They idly lay on their sofa’s gazing at some silly repeat of their favourite reality TV show, perhaps even pondering their next extravagant purchase of some useless item which has no purpose other than to upgrade their status, seemingly unaware of the atrocities committed almost daily throughout the entire world.  As they lavish in their contentment, millions of children worldwide cry out from poverty and hunger. Thousands more people die almost daily in unjust wars while millions more from all walks of life are oppressed. The environment is decaying as oil companies and big industries spew their toxic waste. Yet sadly, they see nothing!
 
As for those who do see and wish to make a difference, they only become further oppressed. Not only by their Government’s, but from their very own kind. (Their Family, Their Friends, Their Neighbours) The one’s who are content as long as it’s not their child starving or their family who is being killed in some unjust war. As long as they don’t have to drink tainted waters or breathe the air polluted by big industries. Yeah… as long as they are safe with all their amenities they have nothing much to say. For the time being they will side with their cohorts’ as long as it is favourable. Denouncing all those who strive for change!
 
Now, for a moment imagine the shoe on the other foot? What if it was YOU who was being oppressed? What if it was your family who were being detained, or killed by some out of control Government? Sadly, it is! (Too bad you you’ve yet to notice.) WAKE (the fuck) UP!!! Get your heads out of the “Good Book” and have a look at the real world. It’s not as pretty as you may think!! Those of us trying to make a difference are not hoping to get a big pay check at the end of the day. We want what everyone should strive for. We demand Equality… A Responsible Government! A government who’s concerns are for the people who have put their trust in them to make a difference and not the corporations who abuse the system. If you wish to be silent… be sure to keep your trap shut when all of your freedoms have been quelled! Don’t jump the fence when your world turns sour… you may not like what you find on the other side!

If constructing the future and settling everything for all times are not our affair, it is all the more clear what we have to accomplish at present: I am referring to ruthless criticism of all that exists, ruthless both in the sense of not being afraid of the results it arrives at and in the sense of being just as little afraid of conflict with the powers that be. ~ Karl Marx

From the wake of the Arab Spring, to the Occupy Movement and more recently the ongoing Idle No More protests, one prominent view which has re-awakened in the minds and souls of endless people across the globe is “Dissent!” Alas, for very good reasons. Consumerism, Corruption, Inequality, Religion, Politics and Greed, just to name a few, play a big part in the discord most of us feel today.



For myself, what causes even a greater concern is the rate at which dissent is quelled, for what purpose, and those who are behind it. As more of our freedoms erode in what is touted as a free society, what is to become of the world in which we now live? What is the legacy we will pass on to future generations, if there is to be any? Troublesome still, is the complacency in which we in the face of all the atrocities being committed against mankind and our planet can we allow this to continue. Do we not owe it to our children to educate and inform them that the way to a better world is to fight for justice and equality for everyone and not just a select few? Should their voices not be heard? Have we as a human race become so heartless and out of tune to what is right and wrong in the world the we can not see past our own fortunes? I would hope not… for this in essence would surely be the beginning of the end.

In today’s media, unless one is deaf, dumb and blind, we can discover all that’s wrong with the world, yet the people stand quiet. We can see how our current government has eroded and cast away many environmental protections while muzzling our scientists all in the name of profit. We see how big corporations time and time again give false testimony to the public in order to gain financially and defeat competition. Furthermore we see Big Bank bailouts, unjust wars and the killing of innocents, unfair trade, corruption scandals, extreme famine and poverty, the polluting and degrading of our lands, sea and air and yet amazingly, we still stand quiet.

As for those who do and have spoke out, we see how fast the media jumps in to quell and portrait the dissidents as something other than what is their intended purpose. In the height of the Occupy Movement the media portrayed the movement as a bunch of “pot smoking hippies” with “no direction” who’s only intentions were to squat on public property. We seen it again with the Idle No More Movement when Chief Theresa Spence staged a hunger strike outside Parliament Hill. The media once again were quick to shift focus away from the cause of the movement to the mismanagement of Aboriginal Affairs. For those whose interests are substantially greater, as with the Alberta Tar Sands, we see how the government took steps to muzzle those who may shed some light on the real environmental impact and health issues caused by the seepage of toxic waste into the lakes and rivers surrounding the Tar Sands. Still we have no voice!

The Time Has Come! It’s paramount for all our voices to be heard! As people, if we wish to leave our children with any kind of a future, we must come together and be more involved in what the real issues are facing our world today and not what the media portraits. For the sake of all humanity, it’s time we all speak out and make our voices heard. We must no longer sit idly by why ‘big corporations’ plunder our economy and reap all the benefits. We must change the direction in which we are currently heading if we wish to survive. We must teach our children not to fear ignorance, but to overcome all adversities even in the face of fear. We need to strive for equality in all walks of life and to respect all living creatures.

Perhaps this is all much easier said than done, but if we don’t take that first step, then they have already won!!

If I don't have faith and belief in something much bigger than myself, what then do I have? Here and now, eyes open, one step at a time. ~ Unknown

"It is not a subsidy, it's an investment. Public transportation should not be seen as a subsidy but an investment for the betterment of society."

- Linda Savory Gordon, a member of the Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains