Old Man with old ways

I spend too much time on face book . As a result I see a lot of posts that can disturb me . What I keep seeing is way too much rage , anger , fear and greed . I am not currently equipped to deal with the barage that comes my way . The only coping mechanism I have is to escape . 4 years most of the North American society has been floundering and the camps of different approach are firmly entrenched . Before you go to posting and sharing every silly f'ing thing you come across stop for more than a moment . Ask yourself some direct questions : Is this REALLY how I feel ? Will this contribute to the greater good of society ? Is it negative or hostile towards anyone ? Frankly , I do not care if you are put out , angry or even offended by the above statement . As time moves on I will be removing these people from my contacts Everything we do is strictly for own own convenience or gain ,rarely do you find one who will sacrifice for the betterment of others . Can someone can tell me what has happened to us in the past 60 years ?

It would seem that some of my friends are very much against one of the major ag. corps. As usual I could not abstain from commenting . There are many things in this world I am not in favor of on a personal level but where I live we still have the privilege of deciding for ourselves . With that should come the respect of those who choose differently . Some would rather not have it that way in certain instances . Like I mentioned yesterday we have a tendency to become self absorbed . What we are passionate about or what we believe should be adhered to by all . End of discussion . Except it is not the end cause if we do it for one we do for everything and I ask who makes those decisions . I may be wrong , perhaps there are people who wish to live under a dictatorship or in a police state . Maybe by writing a blog I am attempting to impose my beliefs on others in a forceful way . That is not at all what my intention was . My deepest apologies .

New season

That time of year has come again . The annual ritual of planting is well underway where I live . It seems to me that the planting dates have been later lately than early in my farming career and in my youth . Now a days I plant vegetables and help with the flowers . No longer do I need to concern myself with wheat , barley ,canola .
When you leave something it can be easy to forget that part of the world . One tends to self absorbed and were it not for daily commute through some of the best farm land I likely would forget . The commute has really opened my eyes to how much change has occurred in the time I have been "in the game". The size of the equipment , the number of outfits per fields . Hard to get my head around what has happened . These people are seeding 15000 acres or more all in a period of 3-4 weeks . I wonder how much further technology can take us .While I sit in awe of the farming operations and business like approach I also am frustrated at the under utilization of our land . Between where I live and where I work is the largest irrigation area in the province and yet creativity seems to be no where to be seen . Every one jumps from band wagon to another en masse . There is a research facility in the near by town growing all sorts of different crops and fruits and vegetables . They hold an annual field day and their doors are open to questions and advice when ever you need it . But nothing becomes of it . Particularly in the fruit and vegetable sector .
There are so many people right near me who for one reason or another can not grow a veg. garden yet love the taste of fresh from the garden . They would probably even freeze or preserve if they had excess. I can't help but think with all the land sitting idle and is near a water source that if some one were to put that to use and grow something how much better off all would be and how much healthier we would be . Could it be just a fantasy attached to my enthusiasm for gardening ?
As much change that has come to us in the past 25 years , that much or more is to come in the next 20 years and it just may be that the change will be in a different direction than we have been going . I may be one of the first to implement the change . If so I do it with the best intentions and pride in what I do . Actually now that I think about it I am merely returning to an era of the past when people cared for the neighbors and extended family . Well now that makes me even more proud .

It is easter weekend . In the christian religion this the most important event . Some people get upset because it is another christian based holiday that has turned in to a secular celebration . I have no problem with that , those who do not believe have something in it . For the believers it is a time of deep contemplation possibly some guilt and/or remorse . I am a believer so the the last sentence is a personal one . So many times I find I am doing things wrong in accordance to the teachings . Each day I start over try harder .
I am back in to agriculture or agribusiness . It is work I enjoy and understand for the most part . It will be interesting to see what happens while I am with this company. They are bigger than what I have worked for in the past , so theoretically there should be more opportunity for advancement . I do wonder to myself why , at my age am I concerned about advancement . That is one of the unknown things of what makes me ,me . Of course my cynical side has a role in this as always . The slow start to spring may force farmers to seed far fewer lentils than they normally would . The next 14 days will be the make or break period .
I waited a long time for a position that I thought would suit me . Most people find this line of work anything but interesting . Lentils going through machines to remove undesirable seeds . I find it so challenging the sample keeps changing and I have to keep watch and stay within certain percentages of dockage . It just baffles me how much food the world consumes . Never got my head around that concept . I am proud to do the best I can with what I have to work with so that customers have food to eat . I always hope that the global consumer realizes that each step along the way everyone is doing the best they can . Sometimes the odds do not work in our favor and the end product is less than perfect .

Is it just me , or is the world making less and less sense with each passing day ? So many events nationally and globally that I have to wonder , what are they thinking . Then as if to add insult to injury they have educated answers that are orated by spin doctors . The cynical side of me says this is all part of the plan . Bring the world to its knees so the mega corps can control even more . Or could it be the education and success makes them believe that they are all mighty . Whatever the case , one observation that is obvious is that common sense has all but become extinct . There is always the self serving interests that takes precedence . Short term gain with nary a thought towards the ramifications for the future . How did we get to here ? When did it begin to change ? I do not know precisely what the future holds , what I do know is if we continue down this path we will self destruct faster than any civilization before us .
My father lived by a belief that if you spent your spent your time helping others, when you can , then loving yourself came with it . Nowadays we have experts telling us to love yourself first look after your own cause no one else will . I followed that line for a lot of years , what I got from it was misery and a lot of people taking advantage of me because I did not fully believe that creed . The lessons that my father taught me either through osmosis or verbally stayed in the back of mind . Here I am well into middle age having discovered it , "finally" . Will I help the greedy when they falter and lose everything ? If I can yes , my actions need to speak louder than my words (written or spoken) . I truly hope that when I find work that this thinking follows me . Perhaps writing these thoughts in a blog will help to reinforce my values . I will never become wealthy nor will I ever become a person of stature in society . I leave that to other members of my extended family , as that is their desire . I will spend the remaining days doing as my father spent all his years hoping I would do . At least I will make a far greater effort from now on .
If my dad and my maternal step grandfather and my step mother could read this they would all smile , nod and maybe even choke back a tear . Who knows maybe they are as I write .
Miss you all and thanks for everything .

Game , Set , Match

Advantage Canada . It now costs $1.03 to purchase a US $ . The fiat currency market is being tossed about on the waves violently . It could be that the markets are signalling to Canada that given the fact that your economy is doing better than holding on , that is , seeing real growth the interest rate should rise . They have a point , however the reasons for holding the line are just as convincing . Growth is regional and is barely begun . Inflation , compliments of the US Federal Reserve has arrived , so any rise in rates could theoretically put the economy back into recession . How likely ? That depends on where you live . If you live in parts of B.C. , Alberta , or Saskatchewan the chances are slim to none . Any other part of the country ,game on ! It could be said that the western part of Canada is busy inflating its own bubble . I will not question the decisions made by the Bank of Canada . Mark Carney has implemented a solid approach and has delivered us from potential chaos and/or ruin . Make no mistake though the risk has not gone away . WE have merely skirted around the risks yet again putting off the issues that need to be addressed . What issues would Canada have have ? Why , the same issues every other developed nation has , Inflation and the addiction to growth .
Growth is something that is self providing . If the population continues to increase and people have creativeness then growth happens . Perhaps not as smooth as economists would like to see or in the "right" locations , but it happens . Worst case you stand still just to survive . It is only when the govt. interferes with stimulus programs and ad hoc financing that the view of growth is distorted and after 30 + years it is no longer distinguishable so a new image is brought forward , more to liking of business and govt. . What needs to happen is there needs to be a one person think tank , figure out what the strengths are and build upon that . No country can be all things to its people .
Which takes me to foreign aid . Since its inception it has been done wrong . The Nations with capital have gone to places that need help and boldly said "this is what we did and we are providing the money , so do it our way" WRONG , people . People that need capital will always be there but the object is to not have repeat customers . Go to them money in hand and ask "what is it you want to do and where can I help ?" They may need to have a one person think tank before accepting the help but it assures a far higher success rate .
A look back over the history of the developed world shows that a lot of things were done wrong . With those lessons in hand perhaps it is best if the economies shrink back and the re building process can begin . Maybe we will even get it right.
What are the lesson that will be in hand ? Lesson 1 is nothing lasts forever .Economies are like plants . They germinate grow ,bloom ,mature , go to seed and die , letting a new plant take its place . Very few of our people in positions of influence want to recognize this fact . That , or there is the perpetual thought that we are in growth or bloom stage . My assessment is that Europe has gone to seed , America is dying , Canada and Australia are mature . I'm sure that sounds harsh and there will be thousands if not millions that disagree with me , I did say it was "my" assessment . All these countries are now behind the 8 ball when it comes to planning a new direction . Growth is out of the question the best all can hope for is a winding down and those individuals in a position to rebuild will see opportunity to do so.
What of the people that are in that position ? In America and to a lesser extent the rest of the developed world these people have been aided by govt. to increase their own personal wealth and that of the corp. they oversee . I do not object to them building wealth . My objection is that they built it on the backs of one country and transfer it to another with higher returns (emerging markets) . A vast majority of the population in these developed economies have no idea how much assistance they are providing to the corporations . These same corps. constantly hold the threat of leaving or closing up should the tax rate rise to ANY degree . Step 1 quietly close the openings that allow transfer of wealth to another country without the approval of the ruling govt. Step 2 set up a protocol for corporations that want to transfer or wind down . Offering a alternative such as restructuring . Hold firm to the rules .
What's done is done . We cannot go and claw back into the errors from the past , for what kind of confidence does that bring ? The best we can do is learn and start over . Let the "chips fall where they may" so to speak . There will be much anguish amongst the people and the banks , the losses will be astronomical , but mark my words failure to address the problem head on and write down a large portion will only cause the entire planet to implode from the greed and unwillingness to learn and bend .
The cynical or realistic thinking (which ever you choose) would say that we have a deep mistrust towards one another . We tend to eye each other with deep suspicion . I think it will only get worse as the gap widens between the "haves" and "have nots" . Protests , uprisings , and outright revolts certainly capture the attention of the political leaders and the media . What the end result usually is , is a few concessions given to those who objected and more given to those who were silent .
There are many external factors that will play out in time . The cost of transporting goods , will global trade continue at a higher cost or will trade be sharply reduced ? I tend to look back at the past 30-40 years and think what if trade had not accelerated at the pace it did ? Would everyone be worse off ? The lifestyle we have become accustomed to may not have happened . Maybe we would have a healthier life or the innovators would have looked for other opportunities .
We are about to find out what might have been the hard way ,as our economy contracts . The question you will have to answer for yourself is will you help your neighbor who is in the same situation as you despite your longing for what you used to have ? In some ways I am fearful of what is come and at the same time exited for a new beginning an era of people working together for the good of each other . A government that holds all its corporate citizens accountable and responsible thereby over time developing a whole new mind set .
It all sounds so pie in the sky but if the will is there from top to bottom we can rebuild with success and a good feeling in our hearts

Where to Now , may I ask ?

I am marginalized but it is of my own making .
I have failed to rise to a level of competence .
I have the ability to observe and to sympathize but these skills are not required in a society where the mantra is " dog eat dog " .
Oh how I yearn to see those who are worse off than I , for it gives me a feeling of hope , all be it an illusion or false hope .