Taxation Without Representation

Canada’s federal election is only a couple of weeks away and while all the candidates are campaigning for my vote, I can definitely relate to how people can become disillusioned and apathetic with the whole process.

Our federal representation is based upon population with our local Member of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons and representing the will of us constituents. Unfortunately Canadian politics is such that MPs do not represent the will of the constituents that elected them but rather the will of their political party as dictated by the leader of their party. While we may have 308 seated members in the House of Commons, typically it is mainly only one, the Prime Minister, who really holds all the power. No MPs of the Prime Minister’s political party dare vote against him in Parliament without suffering the inevitable consequence of being removed from caucus and being forced to change parties or sit as an independent. Not really an appealing option for someone who wishes to keep his job and earn another term in office with the promise of a pension. And thus if the ruling party holds a majority, the Prime Minister pretty much runs the country on his whim. So much for my personal representation in Ottawa.

The disillusionment and apathy that our political system has generated has fueled voting strategies that make individual MPs irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Rather than voting for the riding candidate of their choice to represent them in the House of Commons, people are voting for the candidate that represents the political party that has the best chance of defeating their least favorite candidate for Prime Minister. In an attempt to avoid splitting the left vote, websites like http://www.voteforenvironment.ca/ have been created to ensure that Stephen Harper’s poor environmental record does not get a chance to resonate for another four years.

Like with the financial crisis in the the US, wouldn’t it be better to just fix the system to run the way it was designed to operate as opposed to coming up with strategies to work around and patch a flawed approach? Why do we not demand that our MPs be allowed to vote the will of their constituents without political consequence? This would make all 308 Members of Parliament relevant again and would restore the faith of the Canadian people that they do have a voice in the House of Commons.

“Canadians can disagree, but it takes a lot to get Canadians to intensely hate something or hate somebody. And it usually involves hockey.”
- Stephen Harper ( b. 1959)

Busy

It has been a busy two weeks since my last posting and lots has happened. We destroyed one of our Chinese Lions after its performance in a memorial funeral service, as is the custom, and then wrote off another due to excessive damage from normal wear and tear. Since they were our Kwan Kung and Zhang Fei lions respectively, they will need to be replaced as soon as it is feasible. We raised another $250 for our Benevolent Foundation with a lion dance performed for Marlin Travel at Westland Mall this morning. The spectators were great and the team really fed off the crowd’s enthusiasm.

I have lots of sticks in the fire right now so the next few months will be quite hectic. Our annual fundraising event is set to run in about six weeks and we hope to raise a significant amount of funds for important initiatives. I am in the process of preparing for UBBT 6 with a bunch of my black belts participating as student members and I have Master McNeill crafting me a cane that I will use when I begin studying his curriculum. Busy, busy, busy.

While all this is going on I find myself pondering the current economic crisis the west finds itself embroiled in. I fear this situation may shift our focus from the environment back to the economy and I am not sure our future can afford such a distraction at this pivotal point in time. With federal elections looming in both the USA and Canada, I fear what mandate we may be giving our future leaders. Will we vote for what is right for the world or will we vote for what is right for our wallets?

Definitely a time for me to give thanks for my privileged life and perhaps remind myself of the responsibility I hold as a leader, a role model, and a citizen. By simplifying my life and keeping my focus on the important issues such as peace education, the environment and sustainable living, the societal paradigm shift required to make lasting change will happen. There has never been a more important time to step up and be counted.

“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.”
John Quincy Adams (1767 - 1848)

Travis Panasiuk - Jan. 30, 1988 to Sept. 4, 2008

It has only been three days since Travis died in a highway accident and the intensity of my emotions is overwhelming. His very first and very last kung fu classes were exactly seventeen months apart - to the day. In those seventeen months Travis touched us all in such a profound way that his persona will forever be imprinted upon the spirit of Silent River Kung Fu and will always be a part of us. He was the best of who we are.

Travis’ life was filled with challenges, challenges that he addressed with his kung fu. Travis could have continued his life down the road of self destruction he was on but he ultimately chose a different path and fought to regain control. It was a struggle for Travis but it was a struggle he openly shared with his instructors. Travis held himself accountable and set an example that inspired and motivated everyone who had the privilege to teach him or train at his side.

Travis was well on his way to earning a black belt in a few years. I had often looked forward to that day when he would do his presentation on what kung fu had done for him. Oh what insights he could have shared. Travis was the living epitome of the impact discipline and respect can have on a life.

Ironically Travis had visited me several times in the past couple of weeks to talk about the untimely death of his childhood friend Brock. Travis was having difficulty making sense of such a tragedy. Today I find myself faced with the same struggle over Travis’ death. I hope Travis got more use out of the advise I gave him than I am.

I hope to honour Travis’ memory by approaching my kung fu with the same enthusiasm as Travis approached his. Whether it was forms, sparring, lion dance, san shou, fitness training, or tai chi, Travis put his all into his training and ended every session looking forward to his next. Goodbye Travis, you were not only the student we all wish we had, you were the student we all want to be.

“In my lifetime
I will demonstrate my lessons
Stop the cycle of procrastination
Live every moment
Let the past be history
Have the future changed
Control my thoughts
Forge my spirit
Create hope
Push forward
Pull aid
Forget weakness
Discover strength
Continue greatness
Allow All to share in my difference.”
- Travis Panasiuk (1988 - 2008)

UBBT Team 6

As of August 28, I have officially become part of Team 6 of the Ultimate Black Belt Test. While I continue to struggle to find the time to manage all of my personal and professional responsibilities while simultaneously running a full time school, I expect I will benefit from the self imposed structure the UBBT journey will provide.

I have been contemplating taking this challenge for a couple of years now but I have constantly deferred my enrollment to a future date in the hope that several aspects of my life would align such that the risk of failure would be zero. Well my life isn’t getting any simpler and I’m not getting any younger so Thursday was as good of a day as any to bite the bullet and jump in head first.

I haven’t finalized all my requirements but there are definitely some benefits I expect to come from the UBBT experience:

My personal training will become a higher priority in my life. Over the years I have concentrated on producing top martial artists and have not put the same effort into my own physical training. I use my words to motivate and inspire my students now I hope to take their training and focus to another level through the example I set with my actions.

The business affairs of my school will become more systemized and efficient. Lack of structure has allowed my school to drift along by the seat of its pants while I make decisions based upon my gut feeling and intuition as opposed to hard facts and statistics. I have access to a lot of expertise that I am not exploiting and I have a bunch of strong leaders in my school that I am not fully utilizing. The structure of the UBBT will definitely encourage me to get help when I can use it and delegate tasks that do not require my direct involvement.

If at a minimum I realize these two benefits, the long term effects on my students and school will be very positive. We’re already a big family at Silent River Kung Fu and there is no doubt that the UBBT will bring us even closer together.

“It's hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse.”
- Adlai Stevenson (1900 - 1965)

Olympic Value

The Olympics are finally over. While they are supposed to be about the athletes and the competition, they really haven’t served either very well for a long time. With so much money at stake for athletes, the sportsmanship of the games has taken a back seat to the quest of victory at all costs. The science of cheating has become a huge industry while so call martial artists attack officials over disputed calls. Somewhere the games have lost their way.

Remember the controversy that was raised when Beijing was picked to host the 2008 games? China’s human rights record was brought to the forefront of the news. The Olympic torch relay was constantly threatened by protest all over the planet. The plight of Tibet was all the rage and for a minute there it seemed that the world was pulling together in such a way that real, positive change was just around the corner. It is amazing how much leverage can be called into play when so much money is at stake.

Once the athletes started arriving in Beijing, the media focus shifted to them. No longer was the decades old subjection of Tibet the issue of the day, now it was the air pollution over Beijing and the negative impact it was going to have on the competitors. With the world watching, China took extraordinary measures to improve the quality of air over the city.

The Olympics are over and thus so is the leverage they afforded the world to help those in need. The games may have lost a lot of their pertinence to amateur athletes, but they offer a huge opportunity to bring the world together in the spirit of true friendship. Perhaps the lessons learned from these games will go a long way to permanently improve the air quality in Beijing. Maybe the awareness of the plight of Tibetans is immutably etched on all our minds. These are real, tangible benefits that have come out these games.

Let us not forget that China publicly guaranteed that protest demonstrations would be allowed at the games as long as the protestors had submitted the proper application and gained approval. Out of seventy seven applicants, zero were approved. Several applicants disappeared after submitting their applications while two women, Wu Dianyuan, 79, and Wang Ziuying, 77, have been sentenced to a year of “re-education through labour” after they sought a permit to demonstrate in one of the official Olympic protest areas. It is important that we take care to keep the seventy seven protest applicants in our thoughts. I can only imagine the risk they took when they trusted the world’s eyes would protect them in a system where their personal rights and freedoms are never guaranteed.

“The first principal of nonviolent action is that of noncooperation with everything humiliating.”
- Cesar Chavez (1927-1993)

Me

I spent a large portion of this week doing something different. It’s been a long time since I have done something like this and it is definitely something I need to do more often. I tend to spend most of my time trying to make a difference in so many different areas that sometimes it can be difficult to break the pattern of neglect when it comes to taking care of my own personal needs. I always make a point to remind myself that if I don’t take care of me, I will not be able to fulfill my responsibilities to others. But as with most things for me, it is easier said than done.

I met with Brian and Riki, my instructor and his wife, twice in the past week. I only stopped in for a short visit to say hi and ended up staying for hours talking with them and sharing some of my burdens. I realized how blessed I am to have people like them in my life whose unconditional support is always there if and when I need it.

Everyone has specific people that we turn to in times of need but I wonder if we tend to turn to these specific people too exclusively. I know how easy it is to feel isolated and alone when those specific people are perhaps part of my problems. Who do I turn to then? There is a lot of help available, I just need to keep that in front of me and remember to reach out and ask for it. I received some help and advice from Hal Gustin this week, Master Dave McNeill a couple of months ago, and a bunch of encouragement from so many others. The challenges I faced this week were a great reminder of the compassion and goodness that exists in the martial arts world. The willingness of so many close people like Brian and Riki and virtual strangers like Hal and Master Dave to step up and lend a hand is spectacularly encouraging.

If I hope to stay healthy over the long haul, I need to make a concerted effort to recognize when I need help and then take the time and initiative to seek it out. I need to take care of me.

“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
Isaac Newton (1643 - 1727)

Excuses

This week has been a week wrought with excuses. It seems we all, myself included, find excuses to explain the mediocrity which permeates our lives. Leo Tolstoy once said: “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” Amen to that brother.

The three issues that drive me, that fuel my passion for change, are peace education, environmental self defense, and mental health awareness. Thich Nhat Hanh advises us that if we want peace, we must become peace. I am a long way from this ideal. Here I am outraged that yet another Canadian has been killed in Afghanistan and yet I continue to live my life while carrying several wrongs that need forgiving and many relationships that require healing. If I truly want peace for this world, I need to first make peace with myself and commit to righting these wrongs and resolving these relationships. While not all relationship issues can be healed, they can be resolved so they are no longer an anvil of stress weighing me down.

Sometimes doing the right thing for the earth is only a matter of being aware of our actions. Connecting with nature promotes this awareness but how many times have I made bonehead mistakes that have contributed to the massive damage being caused by mankind? By living in the present moment I will ensure my actions are mindful and that I set an example by living simple. Breathe in, breathe out.

How can I continue to campaign for mental health awareness if I am not taking care of my own needs? I have always been able to accommodate more stress than the average person but as time marches on, my constitution will begin to weaken. If I want society to become more aware of this issue, I need to stay aware myself and take care of my personal needs. It’s not selfish, it is necessary.

I have more excuses than the average person when it comes to mediocrity in my training. Five knee surgeries, three motorcycle crashes, a spectacular car accident, dozens of separated shoulders coupled with chronic tendonitis, personal problems, family problems, my dog ate my homework, she got special treatment, someone planted that in my locker, my alarm didn’t go off, I thought it was due tomorrow, it was the dog not me, everyone was doing it, he stepped into it, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.....

Yup, not much is going to change if I don’t stop the cycle and become the change I want to see. My personal training commitment is a reflection of my character and an expression of my dedication to my ideals. The example I set will make a difference in the lives of others.

Time to step it up a notch or two. Okay maybe fifty. Fifty one is right out because I still have knee swelling.

“If you don't want to do something, one excuse is as good as another.”
-Yiddish Proverb