Heading Down a Dangerous Path

In 2008, the Conservative Government introduced a media protocol that forbids Canadian government scientists from participating in interviews without first being cleared by government officials. On BBC News, Pallab Ghosh quotes university scientist Thomas Pedersen as saying, "The Prime Minister (Stephen Harper) is keen to keep control of the message, I think to ensure that the government won't be embarrassed by scientific findings of its scientists that run counter to sound environmental stewardship. I suspect the federal government would prefer that its scientists don't discuss research that points out just how serious the climate change challenge is."

In 2011, a couple of days after he called the Prime Minister’s office to voice his opposition to the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, John Allsop of British Columbia received a visit from the RCMP that was geared toward intimidating him. When the Globe and Mail spoke with the PMO’s office, the investigator was told that the RCMP were not asked to investigate and that there is no record of Allsop even calling. Allsop’s phone bills prove otherwise.

In 2012, the Harper Government overhauled the federal environmental review process for development projects by implementing defined timelines and dedicating fewer resources to examining proposed projects. In essence we are handing stewardship of our natural resources over to the corporations who are profiting from their exploitation.

In this same year, Stephen Harper has virtually eliminated monitoring of the ozone layer over Canada. It’s not just ozone monitoring that has been gutted. Environment Canada acknowledges that other pollutant monitoring systems are also being downgraded.

Not so slowly Stephen Harper is dismantling anything that can interfere with his economic and environmental decisions. Armed with his first majority mandate, he is making Canada less and less like a democratic society everyday. The first step to stopping this trend is awareness.

"Stephen Harper not only opposes Kyoto, but he refutes the science. He’s back in the dinosaur era. Harper is just totally out of it." - David Suzuki (b.1936)

Week Seized

• Chauffeur my parents to their appointments - check.
• Have a Mother’s Day lunch with my mom - check.
• Get caught by my chiropractor doing pushups in the exam room - check. 
• Change my parents tires - check.
• Take delivery of new mats for kwoon expansion - check. 
• Have arms vibrate for two hours following the unloading of 240 newly delivered mats after naively completing 125 pushups first - check.
• Make progress on volatile business relationship - check.
• Rescue confused sparrow from unlit wood burning stove - check.
• Restore relationship with a long lost friend - check.
• Rollerblade with eternally grateful Border Collie - check.
• Spend two gloriously uninterrupted hours watching the clouds - check.

“What fun is it being cool if you can’t wear a sombrero?” - Bill Waterson (b.1958)

Masters of Simplicity

I have always tried to live my life mindfully simplistic. Minimalistic living has its benefits — less stress, more focus, and the global benefit that comes from opting out of the conspicuous consumption paradigm. As my mindfulness practice continues to evolve, I am much more aware of how complexity has a way of covertly oozing its way back into my life. With a global economic strategy that is dependent upon unsustainable growth, complexity is the natural order. Resisting assimilation is a job that demands full time vigilance.

Dieter Rams and Jonathan Ive are two Masters of Simplicity that keep me inspired. When I look at their work I find it impossible to imagine a way to improve the quality. Art can be found in everything we do when what we do comes from a place of mindfulness. Dieter Rams' Ten Principles of Good Design provide a framework for ethical quality in industrial design but also to any project that is worth your engagement.

Dieter Rams - 10 Principles of Good Design

1. Good design is innovative.
2. Good design makes a product useful.
3. Good design is asthetic.
4. Good design makes a product understandable.
5. Good design is unobtrusive.
6. Good design is honest.
7. Good design is long lasting.
8. Good design is throrough, down to the last detail.
9. Good design is environmentally friendly.
10. Good design is as little design as possible.

Pandamonium Aftermath

After completely revamping our annual fundraising project from the ground up and setting it in motion, I found myself pulled almost completely out of the project because of a perfect storm of personal and professional challenges that forced me to back off from my usual level of participation and yes, my tendency to over-manage. The added stress of watching helplessly as the approaching date of our Kung Fu Pandamonium event came ever closer while I had to give up more and more control, added a little more fury to my already raging storm. May 5th was a date I couldn’t wait to be past but I dreaded every moment that it inched closer.

Today is May 6th, the Pandamonium is over, and I am humbly ecstatic. My students stepped up big time to make the event one of the most successful of our school’s twenty-five year history. The entire twenty-four hours went off without a hitch, except for a non kung fu mishap that required an emergency room visit to remove an embedded rock from a skull and a single stitch to close the wound. An exceptionally cool injury with a not so cool story for another time.

My guys began the Pandamonium at midnight Friday night and kept perpetual kung fu going in the kwoon for the entire 24 hours. The school turnout was fantastic with most of our 300 students showing up to help and participate. Some students actually stayed the entire 24 hours.

Without my full involvement the event featured a food tent serving goodness throughout the day. The parking lot was decorated with balloons, and an ad was placed in the local newspaper to promote the event. Some of the charities we support were also on hand to help out and promote awareness for the causes we are supporting. Our dragon and lion dance teams got together to perform for the first time since Chinese New Year and they absolutely nailed it without practicing for almost four months. On top of all of this, our kwoon expansion was completed during the preparations for the event. My students showed that without a doubt, kung fu is about community.

As the chief instructor of a martial arts school, I can’t imagine a better legacy to leave behind than the continuation of my system and school after I have moved on. Silent River Kung Fu’s future is definitely in good hands. Thank you to all my black belts for understanding the power of example.

“A community is like a ship, everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm.” - Henrik Ibsen (1828 -1906 )