In this country, we have more laws, rules and regulations than Tim Hortons has Timbits.
These laws cover just about everything that controls our living within a community. Most of them are good or maybe just fair laws, but enough to allow us a great freedom that not all countries experience. But now there is a whole new group of laws coming at us that are beginning to stifle those freedoms.
Recently, there were a couple of articles printed about people feeling slighted because they felt they were wronged.
It doesn’t matter that rules were in place to prevent interference from others; one person simply felt they were being picked on.
Made public, this forces a company or group to change their practices, or face public wrath. If they don’t change, and the issue gains enough public sympathy, the government of that community or city, province or the entire country, will introduce a new law to accommodate that particular slighting.
In all likelihood, there might soon be a new law prohibiting discrimination in the form of gift giving. The giver may no longer give to whom he chooses — it’s to all or none. It might not happen, but the potential is always there. Already, our freedom of speech has been severely curtailed, as will other freedoms that we should be able to enjoy, just because they might offend others.
What is it in this country that makes so many people feel slighted or discriminated against? Are we really so desperate for inclusion that we find all these slightings a means to gain recognition?
On CBC’s The National newscast, they are doing a series on the disjointedness seemingly sweeping the nation.
The segments blame everything but the folks feeling disjointed: lack of job security, being overworked and underpaid, the cost of living, social media (if I need you, I’ll text you), poor financial responsibilities, and many other things.
At what point do I acknowledge that me feeling that I am being left out is, in part, my own doing? How much of what affects me am I not able to control, versus what I can control?
Speaking from experience, social media, including the idiot box, are totally within my control. I know this, because while at our children’s place, where they do not watch subscribed television, only controllable movies and such, I had no news that upset me or created anxiety.
Therefore, I was much more relaxed.
Whereas at home, I pay a huge monthly bill just to watch the news and one or two informative programs. Having said that, if I didn’t watch the news, I would have very little to vent about.
This, then, just gives an example of what I could change to decrease the stress in my life, which by the way, everyone could do. As well, would I not gain much more by being face to face with different folks?
Many times in my life, I have been slighted, discriminated against, and just shut out of events for various reasons, and I could have pursued a public airing of the incident, but as I look back, accepting what may have happened, and being able to sort out the fair and good from the garbage, has allowed me to understand that a lot of these events, offensive as they might have been at the time, were left under my control to do with as I chose.
Never in my life have I ever wanted legislation put in place to accommodate my offended sensibilities. When I die, that legislation would end up as another useless rule that will be forgotten.
We have to stop running our country in such a fashion.
Chris Salomons is a retired Red Deer resident with a concern for the downtrodden.