Grandpa (tell me ‘bout the good old days)

That’s the title of I song I recently listened to.  It got me thinking about the ‘good old days.’  What exactly were the good old days?  It is probably a bit different for each of us.  But it does have one theme, things were better then.  For the military person it probably was the days of unfettered use of corporal punishment or the last glorious war (although it’s too bad for old Willie and Sam who were killed in it).  For the athlete it was the days when he was in his prime wanted by every team in the league.  For the rich businessman it was probably the days when there was no government interference in his quest for more riches.  For the retired auto worker, it was undoubtedly the days before robotic machines took his job. For many North Americans it was the days when we were all white (a day that never existed). There were always the good old days.

This in turn got me thinking about the current populist movement in many countries, including Canada.  However, they express it, their real desire is to return to ‘them good old days’. Turn back the clock to some glorious past when there weren’t so many complications.  All of course as long as they can still enjoy their 65-inch HD televisions.  They want a day when there were no immigrants, or at least nothing but white immigrants.  The days when those of African descent knew their place (unless they were good athletes or singers).  The days when there was lots of manual jobs in factories in your own country. The days when you knew your family doctor who made house calls and you never got around to paying your bills.  The days when there was no LGBTQ community because everyone knew they did not exist.  The days when cars didn’t have those fancy things in the dashboard but did have carburetors that you could tinker with every Saturday (Eric excepted).  The days when there did not seem to have wars, civil or otherwise, that we had to interfere in.  The days when life was just so much simpler.

But was it ever thus?  How about the good old days when there were no unions in factories or mines, so the working conditions were brutal and the pay inadequate?  Or the days when an illness could wipe you out financially?  How about the days when an African-American or Canadian could not become a General or Admiral, a politician or a business executive? How about the days when only the “elite” could get a good university education?  Or the days when your car was bound to break down every couple of thousand miles and needed oil every thousand?    Is that what we really want?

Donald Trump’s campaign slogan “Make America Great Again” says it all.  Populists want to make things great again. They don’t want to make the future great.  They want to make the past great again. They don’t realize that you cannot do that.  You cannot have affordable 65-inch televisions, reliable cars and health care (sorry to my American friends) and go back to the good old days.  You cannot prevent people from all ethnic and religious groups from seeking safety and security in ‘your’ country from wars, famines and lawlessness that western countries helped to foster.  You cannot prevent world-wide trade in a system that you created.  I’m 75 years old and only yearn for the future.  The ‘good old days, don’t really have any appeal to me. As a friend of mine once said, “You cannot walk backwards into the future”.

Old and Angry Men

I have generally attempted to stay away from writing about the ongoing debacle that plagues the US government these days, but I finally reached my breaking point.  So here goes with my latest thoughts on the matter.

Another “victim” has been arrested as a result of the ongoing Mueller inquiry, one Roger Stone, a Trump insider (Mr. Trump, “Roger who?  I never heard of him.”).  Mr. Stone’s performance before the crowd and press after being released on bail was pure angry man.  And he is no youngster either.  He is so like so many of Mr. Trump’s inner circle and particularly his cabinet; old, privileged and angry.  Their main concern seems to be, “How can we get back to good, old days?”  The answer should probably be “because you’re not young anymore.”

Now perhaps there is something to be said for FDR’s statement when he was accused of nominating a “son of a bitch” to his cabinet, “There are enough of them in the country so maybe they deserve representation.”  But surely an entire government leadership and key advisors that are old and angry men is a bit too much. Oh, and most of them are very well off. Of course, it does reflect the nature of their leader.  And when you see many of Mr. Trump’s audiences, you see that same preponderance of old, angry men and women.  They are those that lost their jobs to technology, who wish for the days when the big, dirty steel mills and auto factories would come back.  Days when we didn’t worry about climate change and pollution.  Make America Great Again meant bringing back those “good old” (bad old) days.

 

In many ways, we are lucky in Canada with our present government.  Not only do we have the much- touted gender balanced cabinet but we have a healthy mix of ages represented in out cabinet.  We have cabinet ministers that range in age from their 30s to their 70s.  The recent exit of John McCallum could be seen as part of the passing of the old brigade.  That’s not to say that some of the older ministers such as Mark Garneau and Ralph Goodale are not doing a good job (unless you’re a Conservative), but they are balanced by an age-diverse group of other ministers. And for that, whether you are young or old, we should be thankful.

Peace on Earth

You hear that wish a lot this time of year.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if it could come true?  But it seems such an impossible thing to do.  “What can I do to make peace on earth?”  you probably ask.  “I’m only one person with no power whatsoever.”  But are you really powerless to get the process started?  Remember that saying about every journey starting with one step.  Think of the things that you can do.

How about starting in the family?  You know that son/daughter/brother/sister/mother/father/in-laws/cousin/aunt/uncle you haven’t talked to in some time because of some slight in the past.  Why not reach out and see if you can mend the situation?  Welcome an apology if one comes or apologize if that is the answer.  Get together with them to talk things over without getting into another argument.  Pay a loan if that is the issue.  Forgive a loan if that is appropriate.  At the very least it could bring peace into your life.

Make peace in the neighbourhood.  You know that neighbour who you don’t talk to anymore?  Reach out and try to find common ground. If the difference is over politics, talk about something else.  If it is over the look of one of your properties, see what you can agree on to make things better.  If their kids and yours don’t get along, have all the adults and kids sit down together to see where the antagonism arises.  Reach out to any neighbours who appear to be having problems or who are new to the neighbourhood.  Help where you can.  Such efforts could bring a more harmonious feeling among all you neighbours.

How about that service club/church group/fraternal organization/business group/sports club that is having problems with an internal dispute?  Try and broker a resolution meeting or suggest a way to solve the issue.  If you cannot come up with a solution yourself, suggest ways that could lead to solution to the satisfaction of both/all sides.  Remember that the idea is to come to a resolution to the satisfaction of all sides.  That needs compromise and pragmatism.  You want peace within the organization.

When you get to politics peace can be more difficult.  Feelings run higher.  Democracy is a contest.  But it need not be bloody contest.  One individual cannot make much of a difference.  But if we nominate and elect politicians who practice respect instead of antagonism, things might get better.  If we let it be known that we will not stand for attack politics and that we expect that politicians will do their best for all people, things might just get better.

But the real challenge is peace between nations and other belligerent groups.  To do that peacefully, that is without any attempt at peace through subjugation, will require a great deal of political will and diplomacy.  That means we must elect people with great skills in diplomacy and statesmanship.  Unfortunately, I don’t see any world leaders that fill that bill.  There is no doubt that the current Canadian Prime Minister would like to accomplish that goal, but he lacks the statesmanship characteristics required.  And there is no other person who is likely to rise to that role.  We must firmly reject politics that depend on division and belligerence for their platform.  There is no sign that likely candidates for leadership of any countries with such diplomatic characteristics are on the horizon.  But if we find them, we should hold on to them.

In every case where we try to bring forth peace, it is vitally important that we try to sit down and talk to our rivals.  Each side needs to listen as the other side explains their wants and problems.  From an understanding of these issues, a road to reconciliation can probably be found.  Wars, whether local, national, political, cultural, religious or ethnic are usually promoted by people who are only willing to see one side of an issue.

One bright spot among too many dark ones this year was the President of the United States sitting down with the leader of North Korea and talking about their issues.  It may very well have defused a possible hostile situation.  The follow-on dialogue between the leaders of each of the Koreas also shows promise of easing tensions in at least one part of the world. 

So, whether you start in the family, the neighbourhood, local or national politics, or on a world-wide scale, you can do your part to eventually bring peace to people.  Don’t blow it!