A recent opinion poll says that Canadians are worried about their future. They do not feel as secure as they did one year ago.
Life is getting very depressing for many Canadians. How do you feel?
Summer is supposed to be one of the best times of the year. But this year, things dont seem to be the same or do I have a short memory? You know what I am talking about. We complained about the late snow and rain. Now we have the heat wave. Then there are mosquitoes. Their bites are itchy they burn for days! That can be depressing.
But compared to the rest of the world, we are in heaven. The economy is booming. Crime rate is not as bad as other countries. There is no civil war the one within the Liberal Party is not killing anyone. And most Canadians are enjoying the standard of living which some, in other parts of the world, can only dream of.
And look at the rest of the world!
The world at large continues to be in turmoil. The death and destruction in the Middle East, the Indian sub-continent and Northern Ireland continues. There are many other wars which kill thousands of people but never get reported.
AIDS is taking its toll in Africa and other places. Poverty, famine, floods, disease and deaths in thousands continue to plague the vast majority of the world.
Women and children continue to be kidnapped and murdered. Sex, violence and profanity continue to be glorified in music, movies and TV. The war against drugs and alcohol continues without any sign of success.
The big corporations continue to swindle the poor stock holders who trust their lifes savings on the basis of glorified but sometimes false reports of success. The same corporations dish out large sums of money to our politicians and the political parties. They keep the democracy alive! Its all in the family! What can we teach our children about business and about their future careers?
Did I leave anything out? We do face some of these problems here as well. But everything is relative.
What about the millions of unspoken heroes who continue to battle unfairness in everyday life? What about their contribution to make this world a better place to live? Without them there would be no hope. One would feel less depressed if one would think about and follow the examples of these unsung heroes.
So there is hope. Every season comes to an end. Daylight comes whether we keep a wake-up alarm or not. In life certain things are going to be out of our control. But wonderful things can happen if we take care of what we can do in a positive way.
Sometime ago, my niece, Rehana, sent me an e-mail titled, Control your destiny. In part it said:
Wonderful things can happen when we decide to be responsible for:
Everything we put into our mouths,
Everything we put into our minds,
And everything we put into our hearts.
So, dont worry, be happy. Do your bit and have a wonderful summer dont forget your mosquito repellent, sunscreen and a cold drink. This column will take a break for summer as well.
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