The Earth’s total land mass is 148,939,063 sq-km which is roughly 29%. Canada claims 9,984,670 sq-km of that or 7%. The regions Okanagan Life serves amount to 30,000 sq-km or a miniscule 2/1000ths of 1% of the planet.
On that tiny note, I’d like to congratulate and thank all the cities, regional districts and towns for the people that create and design our communities with dedication, excellence and beauty. Just as important are the local land developers, engineers and designers that imagine, dream and create cool neighbourhoods for our sliver of the world. We dedicate this issue to your quiet brilliance and unifying excellence.
Yes, we have it very good here. I recently asked some of my Okanagan friends and whiz kids what they thought the #1 problem in the Okanagan and in the World? ‘More affordable housing’ topped the Okanagan list, followed by ‘better paying jobs’ and ‘taking care of the environment.’ Results for #1 world problem: more kindness, tolerance, income inequality and solving corporate greed.
These are great answers. But human nature is beguiling. We have the apology thing working but perhaps we Canadians need to be a little more focused, brazen and forthright in order to be taken seriously? Perhaps UBCO or Okanagan College could host a world conference on truth, problem solving and income inequality that brings my friends and whiz kids, together with scientists, thinkers, psychologists, small businesses and artists to plan a better world. You know, we’d replace the professional life-long politicians, paid think-tanks prostitutes and psychopathic CEO show that has been running for 40 years. In short, we need some honesty!
Income inequality and solving corporate greed wins, here’s why:
– the top 0.1% of Americans have almost as much wealth as bottom 90%.
– 94% of winning US candidates had more money than their opponent.
– in 1968 the US minimum wage was $1.60. If it had kept up with income growth it would be $21.16 today… instead it is $7.25.
– The US has over 400 military bases on the earth – the rest of the world has 30.
I believe if we solve income inequality and corporate greed, we will solve 99% of the world’s problems. But we can focus in even closer: Money — or the lack thereof — is the biggest problem on this planet. And no country exemplifies money — or the lack thereof — than the Excited States. To my United States friends: Stop being obedient, question perpetual war, question income inequality. To my Canadian friends: Stop saying sorry, question perpetual war, question income inequality.
Do you agree — the Okanagan could become a place where ‘truth’ comes alive again?
A big thank you to the hundreds of people that have taken the time to write, email, call or drop by to tell me how much they enjoy this column — since I woke up — six years ago.
If your world is filled with anxiety these days and it is manifesting itself in insidious ways, I would argue that the anxiety originates when you cannot reconcile the incredulous amounts of deception you are bombarded with. And you are shockingly unaware of most of it. Very few people know or understand that our unconscious brain regions “drinks in” about 20-50 times more data than the conscious regions. We are anxious because the emotions exist just outside our conscious awareness. Neuroscientists and psychologists reflect about this wisdom and offer bold new ways to turn anxiety into awareness.
We need to learn every minute, question every hour and update our beliefs — everyday. Love the supreme unconscious emotional brain that is the authentic you. I believe this “money — or the lack thereof” problem, is the ONLY problem because if we _ x it — practically every other problem on the planet falls into place. Email your thoughts, questions and ideas. Logic is our excuse. Emotion is our destiny.
