[date Sat, Dec 24, 2011 at 12:56 PM]
PN:
A concept I have struggled with (one of many….) is religion.
Here we are, on the eve of Christmas. I am not much of a Christian.
However…..
The Judeo-Christian foundation our culture WAS based on is one I endorse, and I believe to be the best social framework in human history. It celebrates the rights of the individual, and promotes a strange behavior named “love”. Link to Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judeo-Christian
When I was at my apogee career-wise, my title was “Optimization Manager”. The core of that kind of work is straight forward – define end-to-end process, then analyze for bottlenecks and redundancies / loops / divergence. You know, all the activities that transpire between “inputs” and “outputs” of any process.
Where I often got in political hot water was disregarding the input of those not involved in the hands-on operations of the process (those folks who think they know how things work but don’t actually do it). For instance, documenting the shipping process in a logistics environment, I would talk to the people actually involved in processing / shipping orders. These are the people who know what works, what doesn’t, and often have strong opinions on how it would work better if they could change it.
Consider this picture –
The question is, do these men represent anything other than these men? If they don’t represent the Kafranbel Chamber of Commerce, does that negate their message? Does anyone else notice that these men are all clean shaven, and are not wearing bed sheets? Where do they fit in the “game of life”? Just ask Mongo…… [youtube http://youtube.com/w/?v=SKRma7PDW10]
I do not belong to any elite. I am lower middle class (if that). I’m competent and functional. One of the hoi polloi that must live with whatever experiment in social engineering the elite impose by law or policy in this great land (right next to a greater land). I am Canadian. Oh gosh.
While I relax in comfort in the company of family and friends this Christmas, I will be safe and secure in a cultural remnant that still has a modicum of common sense based ethical behavior. All directly precipitated from our incredible Judeo-Christian heritage.
I do, indeed, have it made in the shade.
Of course, I live in a backwater known as Vernon, BC. Hardly the hotbed of cultural activity the progressive agenda foists in centers like Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, or Pouce Coupe. I refer you to this cultural reference –
Don’t forget those mighty western centers of commerce and culture like Calgary, and Calgary, and don’t forget Calgary. It is not like Vernon in foreign countries. It’s not like Vernon in most of Canada. Hell, it’s not like Vernon in most of Vernon! I enjoy a laid back civility that would be the envy of billions if only they knew. I’m not about to tell them……………..
This is a picture of my Christmas tree – decorated by Kenda. Dark exposure intentional for artistic purposes (I wanted to see the Angel bright!) –
From my lair on the southern hills of the once mighty BX ranch (aka North Okanagan Regional District – Coldstream), I wish all y’all a
My toast to all: May 2012 be filled with health, happiness, prosperity, and joy for you, your families, and your friends.
Joe (Toasted) Mekanic