Me and the outside world

Each day, my attention swings around to my BP monitor when it comes time to sit down and check the pressure. It seems to rise significantly when I am internally concerned about something. The “something” can be a very large item, like the latest retrograde move on the part of our Federal government in the process of limiting our democracy, or a small thing like “what should I pack”?” If the anxiety is internal, my BP climbs to unhealthy heights. I find myself using June’s deep breathing exercises to bring the BP down. In a way, that’s cheating, trying to get a good mark when I’m tested.  My solution is to walk more, work out more, and keep my mind focused on things I can control.

More and more, I’m finding, the impact of the outside world is what proves unhealthy for me. The news undoes me more than anything. I get so distressed at the actions of my own government! That the present Conservatives tallied only 22% of the registered voters in Canada, and still got elected, is a fact that infuriates me. Of course, that includes the vast numbers of people who simply didn’t vote. I think the voting population was something like 61%. Harper got considerably less that half of that, yet he is PM! Clearly, we need a change in the electoral system. However, a government that can manage to be elected with only 22% of those who voted is not going to change the system, because they can only lose by it. A more democratic system would give them far less power.

Which is exactly what raises my blood pressure. . My fear…especially when I’m feeling anxious…is that slowly we’ll slide from being a parliamentary democracy to being a sort of republic, with a single powerful leader, and a circle of advisers (Cabinet) to do the background work. I fantasize that Harper would lay out a completely cool and rational reason for limiting elections – they are soooo expensive! – so that we’d have one every 6, 8 or even 10 years. Chavez in Venezuela did something like that.

I know, I know: “That could never happen in Canada!” Really? As long as people are kept focused only on the economy – the Conservative’s current strategy – we’ll all keep watching how most of us get richer…while a lot get poorer. Who cares about democracy when you are busy paying off a house, two vehicles, a Fifth wheel, a boat and a pair of snowmobiles? This is the Canadian dream-life, at least here in central Alberta.

I don’t know how bad it has to get before people wake up and realize that things have changed drastically. Niggardly Conservative values have suddenly become Canadian values. Note; These are the values of the current incarnation of the Conservative Party of Canada, not necessarily the values of truly conservative folk who seek stability and a handle on the good things from our communal past.

Somehow, for me, “recovery” in the personal sense needs to be tied to things that I can actually DO to influence this kind of negative slide in our nation. I need to write letters to the Editor more often. I’ve written to my MP and the PM. Neither has responded with anything more than a duplicated copy of the latest Press release. It’s a waste of time. Our current government is not interested in what the citizenry has to say. They appear to care only for what their favourite Corporations have to say – Big Oil at the top of the list.

Now I have to go take my BP. Guess what I’m going to find out? See you…hopefully.