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Issues, Politics

We Live In Strange Times

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A thorough, and at times disturbing, discourse concerning advances in technology.

It’s probably prudent to be skeptical in response to the accelerating flurry of discordant online views, opinions and rantings concerning the covid-19 pandemic, and our government’s actions. Even so, when I first read the email passed on to me by my friend, I was troubled. Was this real, or just another conspiracy theory with some truth thrown in to encourage belief? I was reluctant to delete it, in case what appeared to be preposterous turned out to contain a dose of reality. The main message of the email is that at the highest levels of the Canadian government, there are plans to bring in disruptive changes that would make a lot of citizens deeply uncomfortable. Equally disturbing is the email’s assertion that influential figures from a variety of sectors worldwide are collaborating with governments in an international effort to unhinge our way of life.

It was after reading The Fourth Industrial Revolution by Klaus Schwab, that I decided to delve a little deeper. Schwab is founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, whose membership includes many of the globe’s largest corporations and leaders with immense clout in various realms. There are indications that even before there was a pandemic, members of the Forum were already making plans to combat it. As is well known, some conspiracy theorists, and also others, believe the virus was developed in a lab and may have been accidentally or deliberately allowed to escape.

The afore mentioned email (dated Oct. 10, 2020) came from a government employee in Ottawa. It was purported to have been written by an MP sitting on a government committee. The writer does not self-identify, but outlines what supposedly is the government’s plan to deal with resistance to the vaccine, lockdown plans and other measures. It begins with “I’m not happy doing this, but as a Canadian and as a parent I want a better future for our children. 30 percent of a committee on which I sit are not pleased with the direction government policy will take Canada, but our opinions have been ignored.”

According to the email, the road map laid out by the PMO contains the following. Phase in secondary lockdown restrictions on a rolling basis, rush the acquisition or construction of isolation facilities across Canada, projected covid-19 mutation and/or co-infection with secondary virus (covid-21). Daily new cases to exceed medical care facilities capacity, resulting in many more deaths. Enhanced lock down restrictions (Third Lock Down) implemented. Full travel restrictions, (including inter-province and inter-city). Projected supply chain breakdowns, inventory shortages, large economic instability. The email provides a timetable for how this is expected to unfold.

The email states further that “in order to offset an economic collapse on an international scale, the government will offer to eliminate all personal debts (mortgages, loans, credit cards, etc.), with all funding provided by the IMF, under what will become known as the World Debt Reset Program. In exchange for this total debt forgiveness, the individual must forfeit ownership of any property and assets forever. Such individuals would also agree to accept the covid-19 vaccine. Any individual refusing to cooperate would be relocated to an isolation facility. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has made it clear nothing will stop their planned outcome.”

At this time I’m not yet convinced the email is authentic, even though some of what it alludes to is already happening. I do believe however, we are on the cusp of unprecedented global change. Pronouncements by some world leaders indicate they view the pandemic as an opportunity to bring about and shape the change. A statement on the World Economic Forum website supports this view. It says, “There is an urgent need for global stakeholders to cooperate in simultaneously managing the direct consequences of the COVID-19 crisis. To improve the state of the world, the World Economic Forum is starting the Great Reset initiative.”

Will this Great Reset, (whatever it is) impact citizens of the Similkameen Valley? Accelerating technological change almost certainly ensures it will. Whether the change will be beneficial or detrimental remains to be seen. In the meantime, I plan to focus on what is good in my life. I will also remain skeptical. We certainly do live in strange times.

Issues

Is This Our Future?

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“BC wakes up to smoke filled skies.” (photo BC Wildfire Service)


Travelling to the coast on the most serious smoke day a couple of weeks ago, I was surprised at the scarcity of vehicles going west. Equally surprising was the incessant flow in the east bound lane. Was everyone in Vancouver leaving due to the dense smoke? I was reminded of rats scurrying from a ship about to sink.

In Abbotsford the smoke hung like a thick, virtually impenetrable shroud over the city. Wanting to walk after several hours of constant sitting, I donned a mask and ventured out into this world of grey. We were staying with Linda’s Mom who lives in a 55 plus complex. Usually I encounter seniors walking their miniature versions of man’s best friend. Their pace is invariably interrupted by myriad inspections of hydrants and other sources of alluring aromas. On this day the streets were bereft of these elderly walkers. They weren’t willing to endanger their own health or that of their little companions. Overnight, the world had become unsafe.

It’s well known that the smoke came to us courtesy of our neighbours south of the 49th Parallel. Most environmental specialists believe the fires in California, Oregon and Washington are increasing in frequency and ferocity due to global warming, much of it caused by humans. I told my friend Howie about our experience with the smoke. I also somewhat unthinkingly mentioned that Linda and I restrict our driving because we don’t want to burden Mother Earth with more toxins.

Howie is a committed curmudgeon, an ardent admirer of Donald Trump’s views, and invariably ready with a diatribe against any suggestion individuals can take action to protect the environment. Howie coughed several times, sputtered with indignation and said, “don’t you know there are millions of cars in the world? Think of the hordes of people in China and India who drive cars.” He snorted his derision and said, “anything you do won’t make a difference. Besides, there was global warming thousands of years ago. You need to read history.”

Some prominent world leaders harbour similar views. In Brazil huge swaths of wetlands are currently on fire. Thousands of animals, including jaguars, deer, monkeys, reptiles and serpents have been burned or displaced. In some areas many thousands of birds are falling from the sky. Even so, President Bolsonaro has weakened environmental protection. He claims reports of environmental degradation in Brazil are a lie.

The Australian fires have received extensive media attention, but fires in other places like Siberia and Argentina are receiving only scant coverage. In Canada we witnessed significant devastation from the Fort McMurray and Kelowna fires, but now that they are out, our focus has again shifted to personal pursuits. When a crisis is over, it’s easy to forget and become complacent.

Although I believe Howie views environmental history through a biased lens, he’s correct in urging me to look at past catastrophes. In “Collapse,” Jared Diamond cites numerous examples of societies whose activities devastated their environment and way of life. “Easter Island is a clear example of a society destroying itself by the over exploitation of resources,” he states. “They cut down all the trees on the island and no longer had wood for fires to keep warm, cook food, or construct canoes for fishing and trading. In time rats were the only source of wild food.”

Growing up in Abbotsford, my friends and I had no inkling such a future was possible. We roamed in the woods, drank from the streams, and never detected foul odours in the air, except near farms. Eight years ago Linda and I moved from there because the air had become unhealthy and unpleasant. In some mega cities the air has become dangerously polluted and citizens need to wear masks to survive.

According to the Climate Clock in Manhattan’s Union Square, humans have about 7 years to change course. After that the damage to the planet will be irreversible. We should expect that in time, the devastation may reach even into the Similkameen Valley. Thinking back now to the dense smoke and unpleasant air in Abbotsford, I wonder, “Is this our future?”

In spite of my curmudgeon friend’s scorn, I believe each of us can do something to protect our planet and ourselves. David Miller of the World Wild Life Federation put it succinctly when he advised us to “take care of nature, so nature can take care of us.”

Drone photo of a river in an area devastated by forest fires. (Photo: EPA)
Issues, People

Harry Explains Evolution To A Skeptic

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Evolution of Man
sapientiaexamino.wordpress.com

When I met Harry in the Penticton library 3 years ago, I couldn’t avoid noticing that he possessed some of the physical attributes of a Sumo wrestler. In time I would conclude he didn’t have the aggressive thinking required for that sport. He was actually a wonderfully gentle soul. At one time a science lecturer in a small Saskatchewan college, when his third wife walked out for the final time, he had needed a diversion. After migrating to Penticton and settling into a cheap one bedroom apartment, he took up the study of evolution, something he had long wanted to do.

When Harry realized I lacked enthusiasm for his new pursuit, he quickly deemed it his responsibility to enlighten me. In spite of his zeal for the subject, he was patient. I liked Harry and decided to let him teach me, and also do my own research. On my infrequent trips to Penticton, we met for coffee at the Shades On Main restaurant. He was always waiting for me at the most remote table. This allowed us to eat the 4 Tim Hortons donuts he invariably brought in a brown paper bag.

Harry began without the usual pleasantries the first time we met. I could tell he had been totally immersed in the subject, probably rarely straying from his tiny apartment except for trips to the library. Eager to share his new found knowledge, he said, “Evolution happened over many millions of years. Natural selection is a key aspect of Darwin’s concept. It takes place slowly, by accumulating slight, successive, favourable variations. Darwin said no sudden modifications are possible.” I sensed he had memorized this for my benefit. Pausing to add more sugar and milk to his already enriched coffee, he continued, “In The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins says natural selection is the only workable alternative to chance that has ever been suggested.”

That week I checked into this and learned about the “Cambrian Explosion” which scientists believe happened approximately 600 million years ago. During this event major groups of animals, called phyla, appeared suddenly in the fossil record. Darwin knew the fossil record failed to support his Tree of Life concept which predicts a long history of gradual divergences from a common ancestor, with the differences slowly increasing.

I felt considerable puzzlement at this. When Harry came to Hedley a few weeks later, over lunch in the sun room of our home, I asked him if evolutionary scientists have a credible response. Waving a hand as though it wasn’t a reason for concern, he said, “Darwin hoped that future fossil discoveries would explain this. To this time that hasn’t happened but the research is continuing. If I learn anything more I’ll let you know.”

At our next meeting Harry showed up with his brown bag as usual. I sensed his excitement immediately. He had come across the 2001 U.S. Public Broadcasting System’s 7 part series, Evolution. “At the end of the program,” he announced with evangelistic conviction, “they said all known scientific evidence supports evolution. They also said virtually every reputable scientist in the world believes this is true.” He leaned toward me, smiling with anticipation and waiting for my response, certain I couldn’t disagree with so many scientific heavy weights on his side. I felt the heat of his massive body.

I knew he was trying to be helpful and I didn’t want to seem ungrateful. “That’s pretty impressive Harry,” I said. “I’ll definitely continue with my research.”

That week I unearthed a 2 page advertisement in the The Weekly Standard, published on October 1, 2001. One hundred scientists, many of them highly regarded professors with doctorates from prestigious universities like Cambridge, Stanford, Yale and Rutgers, had issued a response to the PBS program. Entitled A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism, it said in part, “We are skeptical of the claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged.”

Over the next year, Harry several times countered my reservations about evolution by asking, “If there is a Designer, what is his or her origin?” Certainly both Evolution and Intelligent Design pose significant questions for which neither science or religion have satisfactory answers. Several months ago Harry fell in love again and returned to Saskatchewan. In spite of his sincere efforts, concerning evolution, I remain a skeptic.