Today is a day for celebration! For those who are Irish, and even for those who are not – St. Paddy’s day fills the pubs with those looking for a pint. Even better that many pubs will serve ‘em up green!
I am part Irish and while I have no intentions of going out for a pint (I have my French class this evening), I am celebrating by wearing a green shirt and I’m taking a break from my French homework (actually, I’m stumped for the moment, so this was a good excuse to do something else for awhile).
When I was little, I recall being very confused about my heritage although I knew it was something very important. I owned a Ukrainian looking shirt – therefore I figured I must be part Ukrainian. I had a kilt and my Aunt had married a Scotsman, therefore I figured I must be Scottish as well. It took me awhile to figure it all out. I am actually mostly British with one Irish grandparent.
My kids have it worse when they are trying to know who they are. My hubby brings a different mix to the table. French & Aboriginal (no, he is not Metis, that is a whole different culture group). I try to tell my oldest that he is Canadian and just leave it at that, but knowing his roots seems just as important to him as I recall it being to me and he's not satisfied with the simple answer.
One funny slightly digressive story; I have features that at times have caused people to guess various ethnic backgrounds for me far apart from what they actually are. I have (*ahem* okay, HAD) very dark hair and I have very green eyes. Many years ago when I worked in a retail store, I had a bit of a stalker who was an older gentleman who wore a turban. He continued to insist I was a good Indian girl who must be willing to marry his son. Okay, THAT was a bit extreme and I really don’t think I look THAT unlike who I say I am. It’s just a funny story now and I hope he found a good wife for his son!
If you are Irish, today I lift a hypothetical pint in your direction! If you are in Ireland, enjoy the festivities!! I’m already seeing circulating photos of the parties & parades.
And here is a bit of history about the term “Luck of the Irish”. It NOW has a connection to good luck – hence the charms & clovers & pot of gold, but in the beginning, it was not so good. It was a bit of a put down.
When Irish people came to America, they were not treated well (what was that movie a few years ago – Gangs of New York? – it showed many of the various immigrant groups struggling along, trying to survive) Anyway, they had it rough. When Irish people then had any sort of success, others would chalk it up to luck because they figured the Irish people couldn’t be capable of such success on their own – so that is where the term came from! Now you know!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Mandatory Fun
It was suggested that some of my posts are somewhat intense and that I should take a moment to lighten up! So, here is a momentary intermission from the seriousness of life. That’s okay actually, I’m still feeling the effects of time change and my mind is somewhat foggy these days and the serious stuff is a bit weighty on a befuddled brain.
While I find myself a highly funny person who loves to laugh, this does sound a bit like mandatory fun. Like you know when you go to some event or group and they make you play a warm up game or “Ice Breaker”. Really, I think people bond over the dumbness of it all. Maybe that’s the idea.
For my kids, mandatory fun is the name of the game and this game is played from morning until night and they work hard at it. Drives me a bit nutty actually. For my middle man especially, life is a laugh and we think he enjoys nothing more than making himself laugh – even better if someone else joins in, but if he’s on his own laughing hysterically, he’s good with that. The catch phrase for him that gets him going every time is “BUTT”. I kid you not. Did I mention he’s 5?
Okay, so right now I’m picturing my husband reading this and guffawing that I am NOT funny. Let’s just say deep down I do have a sense of humour. Is that fair? I think my standards are just really high and something must be quite funny in order for me to laugh.
Hmmm, maybe I am a bit stuck in the mud.
Okay, self awareness is always healthy. Working on it!
While I find myself a highly funny person who loves to laugh, this does sound a bit like mandatory fun. Like you know when you go to some event or group and they make you play a warm up game or “Ice Breaker”. Really, I think people bond over the dumbness of it all. Maybe that’s the idea.
For my kids, mandatory fun is the name of the game and this game is played from morning until night and they work hard at it. Drives me a bit nutty actually. For my middle man especially, life is a laugh and we think he enjoys nothing more than making himself laugh – even better if someone else joins in, but if he’s on his own laughing hysterically, he’s good with that. The catch phrase for him that gets him going every time is “BUTT”. I kid you not. Did I mention he’s 5?
Okay, so right now I’m picturing my husband reading this and guffawing that I am NOT funny. Let’s just say deep down I do have a sense of humour. Is that fair? I think my standards are just really high and something must be quite funny in order for me to laugh.
Hmmm, maybe I am a bit stuck in the mud.
Okay, self awareness is always healthy. Working on it!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Salt & Pepper
Some things just naturally go together. A few examples come to mind; sweet & sour, peanut butter & jelly, bagel & cream cheese. Yummy!!
Salt & pepper also came to mind. These 2 are so inseparable that there is a whole industry of shakers supporting their union!
What about Justice & Mercy?
Definitions of justice on the Web:
• the quality of being just or fair
• judgment involved in the determination of rights and the assignment of rewards and punishments
Definitions of mercy on the Web:
• mercifulness: the feeling that motivates compassion
• alleviation of distress; showing great kindness toward the distressed
These seemingly 2 opposite sides of a coin work best when aligned. I once asked, is it better to fight against the never ending conflict that exists or to focus our energy in responding to the aftermath? In this sense, my question was trying to determine if we should place one ahead of the other. While a multitude of opinions exist and many valid arguments, I just keep coming back to the perspective that you cannot have one without the other.
I have started to read another book – one I hope to report more on here in a few days. At this point, I’ve only just made it through the introduction. That in itself offered so much food for thought. The book is called “An Imperfect Offering” by James Orbinski, M.D. Dr. Orbinski was with the organization Doctors Without Borders and this book is a collection of stories he has been in and lived through over the last 20 years.
The introduction is heady, Dr. O describes one question that he says has preoccupied him for much of his life “How am I to be, how are we to be in the relation to the suffering of others?” I would think this is the deep rooted question for all of us who see the suffering and want to help. It also leaves me a bit confused along the way about how others can see the same suffering, but yet be quite satisfied to turn an apathetic head.
A quote from page 6 (you can see why this read is going so slow!!!) “When I began working with MSF (Medecins Sans Frontieres), I naively accepted the cloak of the apolitical doctor. I believed humanitarianism – with its principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence – to be outside of politics, in some ways even superior to it, and a way of avoiding its messy business. But I would come to see humanitarianism not as separate from politics but in relation to it, and as a challenge to political choices that too often kill or allow others to be killed.”
So while the side of justice is so important to CHANGE things and requires political knowledge, ability and authority, mercy is necessary to show CARE and COMPASSION to those who are affected by the things that NEED to change.
A third side to Justice & Mercy is Apathy. A humanitarian tries to turn apathy to empathy.
One final quote “Humanitarianism involves an insistence that international humanitarian law be applied and a call to others to act as citizens to demand that governments respect basic human dignity.”…. “Humanitarianism is about the struggle to create the space to become fully human”
You may be stronger towards the justice side of things, or perhaps your heart beats more for mercy. If you find however, that you are apathetic, please work to turn that to empathy. If most of the world just doesn’t care, then how will anything change?? Think about if WE were the ones in need of justice & mercy. If was us and our loved ones, and we were at the mercy of others being willing to get involved, wouldn’t you hope someone would want to do this for you? I would want someone to believe I am worth it!
Salt & pepper also came to mind. These 2 are so inseparable that there is a whole industry of shakers supporting their union!
What about Justice & Mercy?
Definitions of justice on the Web:
• the quality of being just or fair
• judgment involved in the determination of rights and the assignment of rewards and punishments
Definitions of mercy on the Web:
• mercifulness: the feeling that motivates compassion
• alleviation of distress; showing great kindness toward the distressed
These seemingly 2 opposite sides of a coin work best when aligned. I once asked, is it better to fight against the never ending conflict that exists or to focus our energy in responding to the aftermath? In this sense, my question was trying to determine if we should place one ahead of the other. While a multitude of opinions exist and many valid arguments, I just keep coming back to the perspective that you cannot have one without the other.
I have started to read another book – one I hope to report more on here in a few days. At this point, I’ve only just made it through the introduction. That in itself offered so much food for thought. The book is called “An Imperfect Offering” by James Orbinski, M.D. Dr. Orbinski was with the organization Doctors Without Borders and this book is a collection of stories he has been in and lived through over the last 20 years.
The introduction is heady, Dr. O describes one question that he says has preoccupied him for much of his life “How am I to be, how are we to be in the relation to the suffering of others?” I would think this is the deep rooted question for all of us who see the suffering and want to help. It also leaves me a bit confused along the way about how others can see the same suffering, but yet be quite satisfied to turn an apathetic head.
A quote from page 6 (you can see why this read is going so slow!!!) “When I began working with MSF (Medecins Sans Frontieres), I naively accepted the cloak of the apolitical doctor. I believed humanitarianism – with its principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence – to be outside of politics, in some ways even superior to it, and a way of avoiding its messy business. But I would come to see humanitarianism not as separate from politics but in relation to it, and as a challenge to political choices that too often kill or allow others to be killed.”
So while the side of justice is so important to CHANGE things and requires political knowledge, ability and authority, mercy is necessary to show CARE and COMPASSION to those who are affected by the things that NEED to change.
A third side to Justice & Mercy is Apathy. A humanitarian tries to turn apathy to empathy.
One final quote “Humanitarianism involves an insistence that international humanitarian law be applied and a call to others to act as citizens to demand that governments respect basic human dignity.”…. “Humanitarianism is about the struggle to create the space to become fully human”
You may be stronger towards the justice side of things, or perhaps your heart beats more for mercy. If you find however, that you are apathetic, please work to turn that to empathy. If most of the world just doesn’t care, then how will anything change?? Think about if WE were the ones in need of justice & mercy. If was us and our loved ones, and we were at the mercy of others being willing to get involved, wouldn’t you hope someone would want to do this for you? I would want someone to believe I am worth it!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Imagine That!
I was lucky last night to have been able to attend a fantastic cultural event. Which culture, you may ask?? Mine actually!!
Living in Canada, I’m surrounded by a vast array of cultural diversity. I LOVE it! I WANT my kids to look around and be part of a mixture of colours of skin, styles of clothes and so many beautiful languages! Canada celebrates that and as a Canadian, I celebrate that too!
The concert last night, was with Steve Bell. I found it highly cool that my husband managed to snag tickets pour gratuit – this fellow is from the same home town as us and we share many mutual friends. He is a hugely talented singer/songwriter/musician and it was a delight to be able to see him in such a regal venue as the one we were in last night.
People in Canada celebrate music, dramatical performances, symphonies, art shows and a multitude of other incredible cultural events. We have beautiful buildings dedicated to the display of this talent and while tickets are often way beyond what I can generally afford, I find even just living nearby, there are times (like last night) that tickets just find their way to you and the opportunity to enjoy is yours for the taking! What luxury! What freedom!
I love watching reality shows such as The Amazing Race and Survivor. Part of what I love is that they are in all these amazing different countries and at times, you get a glimpse of the culture. Dances, costumes, it is all so beautiful!
When I was younger and I would think about Africa, apart from the safari of animals that would come to mind, I would envision people in fantastically coloured clothing, amazing dancing & incredible music.
I recently had a thought, and it went like this; imagine if there was no conflict or civil war or oppression of any kind in the DRC. Imagine if men & women could go and farm the rich soils of their land and reap the harvest without fearing someone would come and take it – or worse, take their dignity or their life? What if some of them could go to work – even in the mines, but for fair pay, being allowed to return home to their family each night? Working for a business that trades on legal grounds with the rest of the world – and the rest of the world was OKAY with this set up. What if???
A dear lady sent me a blog post a few days ago. It was also encouraging people to imagine. The author was talking about a particular tragedy, but she commented that imagining is not limited to that situation alone – she suggested we DO try to imagine someone else’s hardship rather than just saying we CAN’T imagine. www.mollypiper.com
Rather than leaving the tragedies and atrocities at arms length and just relishing in the peace we have to be able to celebrate our own culture, let’s imagine for a moment what it would be like if we couldn’t.
Imagine your children are hungry – and while the richness of the land has the ability to sustain them, you are helpless to do anything but watch them suffer.
Imagine you have been raped and your husband has abandoned you or been killed.
Imagine the fear that your 9 year old child will be stolen away and forced to join a militia or become a slave labourer in the mines that supply the rest of the world with diamonds and electronic dependent coltan.
Imagine.
As this post was coming together in my mind, John Lennon’s song kept popping in - couldn't help it! An excerpt of the lyrics;
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
Imagine a culture set free from oppression. Imagine the beauty these people possess being set free to soar.
Imagine if more people would be willing to imagine!
Living in Canada, I’m surrounded by a vast array of cultural diversity. I LOVE it! I WANT my kids to look around and be part of a mixture of colours of skin, styles of clothes and so many beautiful languages! Canada celebrates that and as a Canadian, I celebrate that too!
The concert last night, was with Steve Bell. I found it highly cool that my husband managed to snag tickets pour gratuit – this fellow is from the same home town as us and we share many mutual friends. He is a hugely talented singer/songwriter/musician and it was a delight to be able to see him in such a regal venue as the one we were in last night.
People in Canada celebrate music, dramatical performances, symphonies, art shows and a multitude of other incredible cultural events. We have beautiful buildings dedicated to the display of this talent and while tickets are often way beyond what I can generally afford, I find even just living nearby, there are times (like last night) that tickets just find their way to you and the opportunity to enjoy is yours for the taking! What luxury! What freedom!
I love watching reality shows such as The Amazing Race and Survivor. Part of what I love is that they are in all these amazing different countries and at times, you get a glimpse of the culture. Dances, costumes, it is all so beautiful!
When I was younger and I would think about Africa, apart from the safari of animals that would come to mind, I would envision people in fantastically coloured clothing, amazing dancing & incredible music.
I recently had a thought, and it went like this; imagine if there was no conflict or civil war or oppression of any kind in the DRC. Imagine if men & women could go and farm the rich soils of their land and reap the harvest without fearing someone would come and take it – or worse, take their dignity or their life? What if some of them could go to work – even in the mines, but for fair pay, being allowed to return home to their family each night? Working for a business that trades on legal grounds with the rest of the world – and the rest of the world was OKAY with this set up. What if???
A dear lady sent me a blog post a few days ago. It was also encouraging people to imagine. The author was talking about a particular tragedy, but she commented that imagining is not limited to that situation alone – she suggested we DO try to imagine someone else’s hardship rather than just saying we CAN’T imagine. www.mollypiper.com
Rather than leaving the tragedies and atrocities at arms length and just relishing in the peace we have to be able to celebrate our own culture, let’s imagine for a moment what it would be like if we couldn’t.
Imagine your children are hungry – and while the richness of the land has the ability to sustain them, you are helpless to do anything but watch them suffer.
Imagine you have been raped and your husband has abandoned you or been killed.
Imagine the fear that your 9 year old child will be stolen away and forced to join a militia or become a slave labourer in the mines that supply the rest of the world with diamonds and electronic dependent coltan.
Imagine.
As this post was coming together in my mind, John Lennon’s song kept popping in - couldn't help it! An excerpt of the lyrics;
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
Imagine a culture set free from oppression. Imagine the beauty these people possess being set free to soar.
Imagine if more people would be willing to imagine!
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