End of June

 

I watched the presidential debate last night, but I could take no more than an hour of it. It was painful to watch - Trump spouting his usual vile lies, Biden looking fragile and confused. I felt bad for the thousands of good American people who must be so disappointed by what occurred, and fearful that there might be those fooled into thinking Biden’s age negates the fact that he is a good person and has good people behind him; that there could be others who might be taken in by Trump’s bombastic bluster.

It brings to light (again) how performance can mean everything, regardless of underlying core values, intelligence and decency. Appearing old and frail immediately brings down the heavy hand of judgement and stereotyping: you are no longer ‘with it’; you are out of step with the times; you don’t have anything worth saying or worth listening to or worth contributing.

It’s a cruel world, increasingly blind to what goes on beneath the outward show; a world where the ability to talk pompously, to grandstand and bluff your way through often trumps integrity.

And women have known this forever, on the street, in boardrooms, around the water cooler, at cocktail parties. It’s all about the show, the glib, smooth talking. Sad. Frustrating. True.

In other news: My reading has picked up again and my current book is ‘Starter Dog’ by Rona Maynard, a Canadian writer who once was editor-in-chief at Chatelaine magazine. I stopped reading magazines a long time ago, but I do remember reading Chatelaine, along with a few other women’s magazines. I have no idea what the equivalent magazines are today, but I’m wondering if they still have a good amount of ‘How-To’s’ for women around cooking, fashion, relationships, diets, makeovers. All that advice and direction! Who needs it. Not me. Not now. I’m assuming those types of magazines have evolved and no doubt there are weightier topics included but, really, I’d rather just stick to books. More and more, it becomes increasingly important to be mindful of how one spends one’s time, where you put your energy and thoughts.  

In other happenings: this week I was in an online two-hour departmental meeting and was prepared to settle in and multi-task, only half listen. But – wow! An Indigenous Anishinaabe artist displayed his art, speaking about several of his pieces, describing the symbolism in each of them. I was captivated, hearing how he built meaning into each piece, noticing things I would never have known or seen on my own.

He spoke about the seven Grandfather teachings (love, respect, honesty, bravery, humility, truth, wisdom) and how some native people will choose one and practice it for a week or a month or even a year. Some of his pieces reflected these teachings and the healing of the next seven generations, which is important to consider whenever we take action. Because the actions we take now will affect the next seven generations.

If only the political leaders of today were required to adhere to the seven Grandfather teachings and consider the consequences of their actions, not only on today, but on future generations.

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