I Am Project - Educated

The current political situation in Canada has got me thinking a lot more about the problems we are encountering with our system. The parliamentary system makes sense and allows for democratic representation on paper but the way the system has evolved in Canada has left each of us with very little say in the affairs of state.

I continue to think about why we allow our political leaders to force our elected representatives to vote according to party guidelines as opposed to their constituent’s wishes. I have come to the conclusion that it is because most of us do not understand how our system works. However when I think about it, most major problems we face are due to lack of understanding.

How many people are jumping on the biofuel bandwagon who do not realize the damage being inflicted on the world’s already critically short food supply by diverting food for fuel? Are we all aware of the environmental impact of clear cutting rainforest to make way for crops to produce more ethanol based fuel? Without properly educating ourselves we may be creating two or three global crises for every one we think we are addressing.

What about the fertile farmland that is destroyed each year to support urban development. Would these projects go ahead if people completely understood the global food crisis?

Most of the environmental and socioeconomic issues facing the world can be solved through nonpartisan education. Once the majority properly educate themselves we can force our political leaders to govern our countries such that we all can live a life worth living without compromising our values.

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
- Aristotle (384 BC - 322 BC)