I find it easy to get caught up in all the speculation about the political scandal that’s brewing around the Prime Minister’s office (not to mention the Toronto mayor, the London mayor, election manipulation through deceptive robo-calls, and the political payoffs in Montreal). The storyline reads like that of a detective novel: Why did Nigel Wright, the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff, give $90,000 to Senator Mike Duffy (a man who shouldn’t even be a senator from PEI because he doesn’t reside in PEI)? Who did what? Who knows what? And when did they know it? Each night I watch the news to hear the plot as it unfolds. It’s human nature to get caught in the story.

But it’s also human nature to bring more than mere curiosity to the intrigue. If I look through a spiritual and ethical lens, I begin to wonder how I am connected to the scandal. Am I just an observer? Or does my connection go much deeper? Do we, as citizens, contribute to these scandals by our lack of democratic participation, our lack of attention to the political sphere? Do politicians and their staff think they can get away with things because they’re assuming that Canadians are interested only in the issues that affect their own financial bottom-line? Are they right?

Perhaps, the deeper scandal is the way that we, as Canadians, have taken our democracy for granted --- so much so that it is slipping away from us without our even noticing it.

Sue Wilson, CSJ

"We have known for a long time that poverty can destroy the body and render the soul deaf and insensitive. What has yet to be learned is that overabundance of things and enjoyments also devours the soul. An appropriate relation to things, one that does not overwhelm the senses, cannot grow when things are ever-present for our consumption....An appropriate relation to things, one that allows the erotic dimension of our being to come into its own, cannot develop as long as we consume things indiscriminately simply because they are always over abundantly available. Overabundance destroys the intensity of people and their capacity to enjoy and to be related."

P.221, The Silent Cry: Mysticism and Resistance, by Dorothee Soelle, Fortress Press, Minenapolis, 2001.

In his ever buoyant fashion, Joe Schlesinger describes the perils and pearls of aging in which he is now engaged. “I have a new job. I've been a journalist for 65 years. Nowadays, though, my main job is being a patient, seeing doctors and other medical practitioners.” First, there is my GP, of course. Behind him, an army of specialists: a rheumatologist, a cardiologist, several orthopedists and neurologists, a dermatologist, periodontist, as well as a dentist, an optometrist, audiologist, pharmacist, naturopath and physiotherapist, to say nothing of the trainer who tries to keep mobile what Shakespeare called the "shrunk shank" of old age.”

For many of us, engaged in the aging process personally or who journey with an aged loved one, we recognize the many facets of aging described by Joe. When physical limitations creep up and eventually take over one’s normal life-style, the challenge of facing life becomes even greater. Life is not just in the limbs, because as Joe points out, with our modern technology, there are many ways in which our living is enhanced. (for example, hip, knee, ankle, shoulder replacements, etc.) Joe himself says he is on his third hip replacement and it is doing well.

There is a psychological change that accompanies the need to have to resort to using a wheel chair, walker or cane. We no longer experience ourselves, as we were, nor do others see us as we have been known. This changes our view of life in general: we can either give up and be totally dependent on others OR we can choose to be as independent as possible and create a beautiful bond of interdependence with our care-givers.

When this happens, and it inevitably will, what keeps a person going? One of the treasures of aging well, is the ability to look upon life as GIFT and whatever can be done through our modern science and technology as another gift for us to embrace. This attitude of being gifted helps one to not just cope with debilitation, but to actually find meaning in new ways: for example, to accept the need of help from others who lovingly give it as needed; to learn how one can continue to be a presence with and for others; to learn new ways of making this world a better place. Above all, this involves a very intentional decision to foster the good in life, to keep positive amidst the challenges. The waning of mental abilities also brings its own challenges with memory loss being a big part of this.

For Joe, it is “…a loving family, cherished friends and the treasures of nice dinners, music and reading. Those are the elixirs that make life worth living .... But there is one more thing that occupies my mind, and that is keeping up as best I can with the turbulence of the world I've inhabited these 85 years.

One of the best ways to give the brain a thorough workout is to try to unravel the complexities of the politics of countries such as Israel, Iran and Italy. So I keep on exploring what's happening in distant parts of the world, often saddened by the turn of events and outraged by outbursts of brutality, but now and then also delighted by the triumphs of the human spirit.

I have, in a way, the whole world in my hands, the world of all that is near and dear to me as well as much of what lies far beyond the horizon.  All this thanks to a lot of doctors and all those pills I swallow.”

Thanks, Joe for your inspiration and courage as we, who are aging, journey with you in spirit and in some cases in reality.

See also Joe’s interview with Adrienne Arseneault 

Kathleen Lichti csj

Watching the news over the last couple of weeks, a clearer and disturbing trend seems to be emerging around the question of work. First we had the employee of RBC protesting the loss of his job with the bank to temporary foreign workers that the bank was bringing into Canada to train at a lower wage, and then sending them back to India where the IT job went with them. We see how Loblaw’s Joe Fresh brand of cheap clothing was being made by workers in Bangladesh who lost their lives in a factory that had been identified as unsafe but who had been forced to work in a locked building. And since then, it seems these were not isolated examples of employment, but we see that many work places are using similar practices. The gains for good secure jobs the union movement worked so hard over decades to secure, is rapidly disappearing. Precarious work is changing the employment picture for hundreds of thousands of workers in Canada and millions around the world.

It seems employers want a cheap workforce and at almost any cost. In place of regular work, more and more jobs have become temporary, agency, part-time, irregular, forced self-employment, limited contract and low income. These are precarious jobs. Work is stripped of benefits and protections. Workers are stripped of their rights and security. 

This trend is not new. Bad jobs have been around for a long time. But now employers are using the economic crisis to accelerate this disturbing trend. And it seems that governments, including Canada, are supporting employers in their demand for cheap labour by weakening labour laws and employment standards and eroding the social safety net. Statistical information from 2008 shows that only 64% of jobs are full time and permanent jobs. Over 36% of employed workers are in temporary, part-time or self-employment. This represents a dramatic change from the past.

In the absence of good jobs and adequate income supports many laid-off workers, and an even a higher proportion of women, older workers, immigrants and workers of colour, and young people wanting to enter the work force, are forced into these precarious jobs.

Not only are the workers themselves adversely affected, all of us are affected by such employment trends. Today’s secure job can easily become tomorrow’s precarious work.  Good jobs are undermined by low wages, poor benefits and unstable hours of work.  Economic recovery and renewal can’t be built on precarious jobs. In fact, the expansion of bad jobs threatens the security of families, the fabric of our communities and our hopes for a better tomorrow. As Canadians we must raise our voices to reverse this trend.

Joan Atkinson, CSJ

As Mother’s Day approaches, our thoughts naturally turn to memories of our mom. Many of us, fortunately, can recall with grateful hearts the nurturing love and guidance we received from the one who birthed us. Mom was the one who literally or figuratively, kissed our hurts, trying to make us feel better. She was that special individual in our lives whose constant love steadied us with love, guidance and example. Mother’s Day is a day rightfully set aside annually to give special honour to mothers.  

However, Mother’s Day, also offers us an opportunity to acknowledge and be grateful for the other women in our lives who have been our maternal supporters: those special women who have stood by us with their constant concern and caring, those women who have mentored us in our careers, those feminine sages whose wisdom has supported us in our life choices, and those women who have inspired us by the quality of their lives.

In celebrating Mother’s Day this year, perhaps we could find a way to gratefully acknowledge the love of the other women who have shaped the person we have become.

Nancy Wales csj

Quote: “A mom's hug lasts long after she lets go.” ~Author Unknown

We are aware of the horrendous treatment of women in some countries, such as exclusion from opportunities to be educated or to be elected to political office.  Yet we also note the world’s reaction to a young woman who was almost killed because she advocated education of girls, the huge protests against the police and government in India following the rapes of a young woman and a six year old child. The public and even international reactions to these events are catalysts in a changing society.

The Idle-No-More movement of our aboriginal Canadians has been awakening in us an awareness of historical injustice to our aboriginal people, the plight of those who live on reserves, and the dangers of omnibus bills that remove protection to rivers and lakes across Canada. I find it hard to imagine that this movement, and predecessors such as the Occupy movement, could have occurred ten years ago. These events cause us to reflect on our responsibility for creating a country in which all citizens have opportunities to thrive in a just world and sustainable environment.

For several years now our parliamentary form of government has been deteriorating. Dissemination of information has become increasingly controlled. Scientists and other civil servants are forbidden to talk freely about their work or express opinions; research programs are cancelled; members of parliament speak from “talking points”; omnibus bills bury inconvenient truths from honest examination and debate. But signs of a new Canadian Spring are pushing through the murky obfuscation of government.  Ordinary MP’s are challenging the authority of party leaders and insisting on their right to speak in parliament. Former civil servants, whether they are scientists, senior bureaucrats, or members of the RCMP are speaking out. Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his office have enforced an iron discipline over what MPs say and do on the floor of the Commons, in committees and while speaking to the media. Mark Warawa initiated a caucus revolt last month when he was prevented from making a statement in the House of Commons about gender selective abortions. Warawa and his supporters have argued the issue at play is one of free speech in the Commons.

One heart warming sign of a Canadian Spring is the quality of university students with whom I have contact. They illustrate how emphasis on critical thinking and experiential learning is producing adults who are intimately involved in social and environmental concerns. These students are volunteering their time to initiate projects, spend time serving in underdeveloped countries, and using their education for worthier goals than financial gain. They learn to work with others in ventures and jobs that emphasize participatory decision-making and they are not content with accepting authority which rules rather than leads.

Many of us are involved with evolutionary consciousness.  We are aware that not only is the physical world evolving, but our social and spiritual worlds are evolving as well.  As human beings we have both the capacity and the responsibility for contributing to our evolution as human beings and to the evolution of the world in which we live. The Canadian Spring is not just happening by itself.  Each one of us is bringing it into being.

Patricia McKeon csj 

When I received a donation from the Youth Group of St. Anselm's Parish in Toronto with instructions that is was to be used for Art for our students attending St. Peter's Secondary School in Mzuzu, of course I wondered how and when this could happen so I actually put it on hold for about a year.

With the assistance of two Malawian artists, a program was designed and offered to Form One students during our Easter break. From their perspective, it was an opportunity to have the students tap into a creative side of themselves and see what might come from a little instruction and a lot of encouragement. They knew from their vast experiences over many years that many people only see art as painting or drawing yet it can and is so much more and they wanted the students “to see art in all of what is around them.” 

So our week began with twenty eager students wanting to participate in this class. A quote that certainly is the philosophy of the two artists the students worked with that week comes from Robert Henri, "I am interested in art as a means of having a life; not as a means of making a living." This philosophy came through from both Myck and Manuel as they assisted the students for the morning hours that week. Taking a cooking spoon and decorating it with color or a piece of sandpaper and creating a picture or giving life to a rather plain clay pot all became an expression of bringing life to something inanimate and watching it come alive with color.

As the days wore on, the students became more daring in their creativity and began to see with new eyes the beauty around them and realized that all creation is made with God's colours and creativity.

Selecting the top three pieces at the end of the week was a challenge because we wanted all the participants to be winners. With the funds sent from St. Anselm's Youth Group everyone was given two hardcover notebooks as well as a Certificate of Participation. The top winners, Thomas, Simon and Thandie, were given cash prizes which went towards their school fees for this Third Term.

Thanks to the Canadian donors for their support as it was a great experience for our students here in Mzuzu and a great way to spend some of the holiday time.

Ann MacDonald csj
Mzuzu, Malawi
Central Africa

There is an abundance of organizations in “western” countries such as Canada, that work abroad to help solve perceived problems there. Some of these organizations build wells, houses, or schools while others may promote human rights or female education in these countries.

However, an element lacking in some of these organizations is their willingness to listen to the very community they are helping. What are the community’s priorities? What do they require first? What are their needs and current resources?

This is why I joined Heart-Links in my second year at Western University. These are important questions that are sometimes neglected in the attempt to cater to project ideas, to appeal to donors in developed countries, or to cater to donor preference for finding criteria for measuring improvements in the community.

Through my volunteering with Heart-Links, in planning and participating in their events, I learned that Heart-Links is a small charitable non-governmental organization based in London that works in communities in northern Peru. They support participatory programs in Peru that help feed children and youth in the community, promote literacy, and address issues of family and child violence, among other things. An important aspect of their mission is to “link Peruvians and Canadians through friendship and support for mutual growth and enrichment” and to “collaborate with community initiatives in the fields of education, nutrition, health and income generation to promote self-sufficiency” (from the Heart-Links website, www.heart-links.org.

This approach to aid and development is what I have found so powerful about Heart-Links. Many Heart-Links members, who have gone to Peru as part of the three-week Work/Awareness Trip, will tell you how much they have learned from working alongside the Peruvian women in the community kitchens, among other things. This idea of mutual help is a very human one, recognizing that even those of us who are financially better off in life can benefit by sharing time and resources with those in other parts of the world.

It is from these relationships that the Heart-Links cookbook was born. Heart-Links had already been working closely with mothers in Peru, providing training with nutritionists for many years to support the operations of community kitchens. These kitchens, called comedores, help provide meals for undernourished children in three Peruvian communities:  Aviacion, Mocupe and Zaña.

In the summer of 2012,  the women working in the comedores took the initiative to write a cookbook, with Heart-Links’ collaboration. The cookbook features many Peruvian recipes that the women had developed over the years, and is a proud testament and compilation of years of work. The cookbook, titled “A Taste of Peru" has been translated to English by Heart-Links volunteers and each copy has recipes in both Spanish and English, side-by-side. The cookbook is a prime example of the mutual and collaborative work that Heart-Links promotes in these Peruvian communities.

It is this kind of aid/development work that I find inspiring: a work that enables those of us from more developed countries to bring training and resources to communities thereby helping them achieve their dreams. More importantly, this humble approach to aid and development in other countries fosters active participation of the communities, recognizing the mutual benefits of the organization and community working together.

Heart-Links will be hosting an event on April 28^th titled “Celebrating Mothers – A Taste of Peru” to launch the cookbook. It will be held in Grosvenor Lodge on 1017 Western Road, London, from 2-4 pm. Please contact us at info@heart-links.org or 519 645 2845 to learn more about Heart-Links or about the cookbook launch. More information can be found at their website, www.heart-links.org.

Guest Blogger Gaelle Groux