by Bob Worcester The 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas with its “doctrine of discovery” declared “non-Christian” lands were fair game for European explorers. By this doctrine Canada was deemed “terra nullius” or “empty land” which when claimed for the Crown gave sovereigns the legal right to occupy, govern, defend and exploit that land. In the long sad history… Continue reading Lobsters, Legacies and Legalities in the 21st Century
Category: Rules of Engagement
Ladies and Gentlemen, a Supper Club
by Dan Kingsbury Recently the Suzuki Elders hosted a Grief and Praise Luncheon/Supper Club online in the Zoom environment for our Spring Social Event in these COVID times. It was attended by about 20 Elders who shared a virtual meal and then worked with the theme of both Grief and Praise as one word, i.e.… Continue reading Ladies and Gentlemen, a Supper Club
Hope amid these times is for chances to help decide what follows
This is the all-time challenge for our species. Will we show the wisdom to act with the guidance of science? Will we have the compassion to help those most impacted by the unavoidable global warming already happening? Will we have the intelligence to find new opportunities in transforming our sources of energy and the way… Continue reading Hope amid these times is for chances to help decide what follows
Is there a limit to optimism when it comes to climate change?
by Fiacha Heneghan ‘We’re doomed’: a common refrain in casual conversation about climate change. It signals an awareness that we cannot, strictly speaking, avert climate change. It is already here. All we can hope for is to minimise climate change by keeping global average temperature changes to less than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels in order… Continue reading Is there a limit to optimism when it comes to climate change?
Upping the Elder Game
by Stan Hirst I admit I first entitled this post “Love in the Time of Covid19”, but then thought better of it. For one thing it lacked a certain impact; secondly, I was secretly afraid of a visitation from the ghost of Gabriel García Márquez. Then I tried “From elders to Elders” but the chintzy… Continue reading Upping the Elder Game
Would you rather have a fish or know how to fish?
by Jonny Robinson Imagine the following. You are living a life with enough money and health and time so as to allow an hour or two of careless relaxation, sitting on the sofa at the end of the day in front of a large television, half-heartedly watching a documentary about solar energy with a glass… Continue reading Would you rather have a fish or know how to fish?
On Lethal Overwatch
by Bob Worcester Many of us were rightfully shocked to read a recent report that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) were prepared to assign snipers to the removal of the Wet’suwet’en roadblock opposing the northern liquid natural gas (LNG) pipeline. Reports suggested that “lethal overwatch” (a newspeak term for the deployment of armed snipers)… Continue reading On Lethal Overwatch
Reach out, listen, be patient. Good arguments can stop extremism
by Walter Sinnott-Armstrong Many of my best friends think that some of my deeply held beliefs about important issues are obviously false or even nonsense. Sometimes, they tell me so to my face. How can we still be friends? Part of the answer is that these friends and I are philosophers, and philosophers learn how… Continue reading Reach out, listen, be patient. Good arguments can stop extremism
Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations
Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations by Amy Chua Penguin Random House | 2018 | 304 pages Amy Chua is probably best known through social media as the Tiger Mom following widespread publication of her 2011 Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. More importantly from the perspective of this book review, she… Continue reading Political Tribes: Group Instinct and the Fate of Nations
Climate change conversations: how to have them without everyone walking out of the room
by Don Marshall and David MacQuarrie 2019 Salon on Climate Change Conversations The Suzuki Elders presented a Salon on February 28, 2019 on climate change conversations. The important byline was “How to have them without everyone walking out of the room”. Attended by 33 participants, the Salon was essentially a pilot exercise to explore the… Continue reading Climate change conversations: how to have them without everyone walking out of the room