LET ME THINK NOW...WHO AM I? OH, I GET IT...I AM ME!

Who am I?  I've asked myself that rhetorical question more times than I can count and invariably the resultant mind picture is not a pretty one.  Could it be that I am too honest with myself?...Too honest, or realistic, for my own good.

Many of us are guilty of  the old defeatist rationalization: "I don't know who I am, but I do know that I was the same yesterday as I am today and undoubtedly will be tomorrow.  The more I think I've changed, the more I stay the same...warts, wrinkles and all."

Really, in retrospect, why do we put ourselves through the futility of such an exercise?  Lets take a closer look.

The question of "who am I" suggests that there is actually a plausible answer, almost as if one's being was a fixed thing. The irony is that the more you seek to identify who you are, the more fragile you are likely to feel about yourself. There may be an inverse correlation between the question being asked and the ease with which you experience your life. A wise individual may suggest that the emphasis should not be on discovering who you are (what is buried beneath) but on facilitating the emergence of what you'd like to experience.

Rationally, our identity should be seen as an ongoing process. Rather than a static snapshot, we should embrace a flowing sense of self, whereby we are perpetually re-framing, re-organizing, re-thinking and re-considering ourselves. How different would life be if rather than asking who am I?, we contemplated how we'd like to engage life?

Common sense tells me that as we engage the deepening complexity of understanding ourselves, we fare much better if we devote thinking to the unfolding process of life. Witnessing our thoughts, not reacting out of old habit, and becoming present enables us to better craft our lives, or what is left of it. As such, the identity that we seek fires the wave of life, enriched by the flow.

At the other end of the identity continuum are those who claim to know themselves very well. This other extreme also signifies a fragility about one's identity. To know yourself so well leaves no room for growth. Even more, it suggests a deep vulnerability that is being defended against, as if it were too dangerous to take a closer look.

It is perfectly reasonable to seek a deeper sense of self. To become intimately aware of your thoughts, feelings, hopes and fears is obviously advisable. The key, it seems to me, is to engage your sense of self as malleable, more like a willow tree than a sturdy oak. The willow is flexible and survives the storm as it bends with the wind, whereas the more rigid oak is the more likely it is to crack.

The universe purportedly exists in a state of flowing potential. And it is essential to understand that we are indeed part of that universe. The goal then is to access that potential, keeping the parts of our identity that continue to serve us well and shedding the old, habitual pieces that constrain us. This process is known as positive disintegration which permits us to find balance between the extremes previously discussed and enter into a relationship with self that commits to our personal evolution.

Positive disintegration was the brainchild of Kazimierz Dabrowski who emphasized the role of individuality and how important awareness and personality development are. Therefore, it is okay for everyone to be themselves; to have their own weirdness, to have made mistakes, to be unique, to enjoy the intensity of their experience and ability to be sensitive to the most subtle stimuli. The key is to follow what feels right.

From a personal standpoint, I don't think that I will ever truly have an answer to the complex question "who am I?"  I just know that "I am", so why waist time dwelling on the "who" of it.

The me that I am is made up of many things, some of which are unique.  No one else on God's green earth is like me and Dr. Seuss aside, that could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. However, "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." - Reinhold Niebuhr.

Come to think about it, not knowing who you are is like living in the body of a stranger who you keep meeting for the first time and, more often than not, being somewhat pleasantly surprised. I rather like that concept!

Working with each evolving "me" will be an on-going life-enhancing challenge, as long as it is met in a way that is in keeping with the me I want to be.  Maybe you see it the same way too!

MUMS THE WORD, SO I ANSWER MY OWN QUESTION ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

AN UPDATE FROM CANADIAN PRESS:

OTTAWA—Haitian-Canadian MP Emmanuel Dubourg travelled to Miami on Wednesday to try and counter misinformation which has driven thousands of Haitian asylum seekers to Canada in recent months. His trip comes as both the prime minister and Liberal cabinet ministers have sought in recent days to more forcefully address the major spike in illegal border crossings this summer, which has strained public resources and tested traditionally widespread support for Canada's immigration system.

Dubourg, a Liberal MP for a Montreal-area riding, was appointed last week to a newly established federal-provincial task force focusing on how to handle upwards of 7,000 people who've been stopped illegally crossing into Canada since June, the vast majority intent on seeking asylum.

In the last two months, many have been Haitian and Dubourg sees himself cast in the role of ambassador. He's already used his extensive connections with the Haitian diaspora and fluency in Creole for outreach there, he said.  The next step is to take it on the road.  “We have to go to the source,” Dubourg said Monday.

So he's going to Florida, to do Creole-language interviews and meet community leaders among Miami's Haitian diaspora. Not all those coming to Canada are from there, Dubourg said, but the city has more than 200,000 Haitians and a slew of influential media outlets.

The cold truth of Canadian policy, however, is that only about 50 per cent of Haitians who file for asylum in Canada receive it and the Canadian government has resumed deportations to that country.
“It's important to tell them that before they sell their things, before they take any kind of decision (to come),” Dubourg said.  “They have to know full well what can happen.”

The startling spike in arrivals and how the government is handling them has prompted anti-immigration groups to start mobilizing across the country. A protest — and counter-protest — were held in Quebec City over the weekend and other rallies are being scheduled in Canada in the coming weeks amidst criticism being levied against the Liberal government that they are losing control of the border.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered some of his strongest remarks on the subject in response to the weekend's events, when he said “entering Canada irregularly is not an advantage. There are rigorous immigration and customs rules that will be followed. Make no mistake.”

Earlier last week I commented on the sudden increase of asylum seekers from the U.S. taking the illegal entry route into Canada at crucial points along the border, particularly in Quebec (see item below).  At the conclusion of the post I sought explanations from readers on the sudden exodus into Canada, going so far as to request rational, unbiased and factual responses.

I cannot speak for Facebook, but I know for a fact that more than 90 individuals have viewed the item on my Wrights Lane blog, yet I have not heard from a single one.  This suggests at least one of three possible scenarios: 1) People cannot, or are reluctant, to comment on political issues if they are unable to call on biased opinion; 2) while the populace is divided down the middle on the acceptance of illegal immigrants, there is a general confusion on the matter and the implications for Canada, or 3) nobody takes me serious and there is little merit in responding to anything I write or feedback I solicit.

The answer to my original question, of course, lies in U.S. President Donald Trump’s tough stance on illegal immigration that has forced many undocumented immigrants to live in the American shadows and, subsequently, to seek illegal asylum in Canada.  The problem is, our Canadian government is doing nothing concrete to deter the practice of people entering Canada illegally. In fact, their silence on the matter — and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s tweet in January welcoming all asylum seekers into Canada — has had the effect of encouraging the practice. And that’s most unfortunate

If only Justin had added the words "...providing they go through proper legal immigration channels open to them" and continued to stress that point. Entering Canada through unofficial border crossings is illegal, period. And the federal government should announce and reinforce that Canada does not condone such action. Otherwise, it undermines the very laws that we demand new Canadians follow when they settle here.

We either have secure borders or we don’t.

Of course once border jumpers have crossed into Canada illegally, it’s not a simple matter of arresting them and sending them back (at taxpayer expense) to the U.S. Under Canadian law, based on Supreme Court of Canada rulings, everyone in Canada has protection under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, including the right to seek a refugee hearing.

No matter what action is taken by the federal government to crack down on illegal border crossing, there will always be some leakage. But that’s not the point. The point is, there is a growing number of people crossing the border illegally and the federal government, apart from setting up temporary living accommodations and bringing in more immigration staff to process the thousands of entries, has done little to discourage the practice, nor are they trying to find solutions with U.S. officials.

There are many options, including revisiting the Safe Third Country Agreement, that Ottawa could be looking at to discourage illegal crossing.

Under the STCA, asylum seekers must make refugee claims in the first safe country they arrive at. Under the agreement, Canada heretofore has considered the U.S. a safe country. As a result, asylum seekers fearing deportation in the U.S. who attempt to enter Canada at controlled border crossings are turned away. That’s why they enter illegally. Perhaps it’s time to change that to promote a more orderly system that encourages people to seek entry at controlled border crossings while discouraging illegal crossing. The Canadian (I hesitate to say Trudeau because he does not make decisions in isolation) government has so far refused to even discuss revisiting that agreement.

Canada has a long-standing reputation for its welcoming immigration policies...Asylum seekers are nothing new to Canadian soil.  But a disregard for the rule of law currently on file is undermining our border security as we speak.

I am all for the humanitarianism that our welcoming Prime Minister is advocating, but as a country we can't have it all ways.

Nice guys uphold the law!...Even federal governments.  Canadians ask for nothing else!

WHY THE WAVE OF ASYLUM-SEEKERS ENTERING CANADA?

Three families that claimed to be from Burundi walk across into Quebec at the U.S.-Canada border in Champlain, N.Y., on Thursday.

I read in the Toronto Star today that the tide of migrants crossing into Quebec in search of asylum has grown into a rolling wave, as the federal and provincial governments face pressure to deal with thousands of newcomers who have arrived in just the past six weeks.  Newly released figures show the number of people crossing into the province has skyrocketed this summer. The RCMP intercepted nearly 3,000 people as they walked across the border in Quebec last month. A further 3,800 have come in the first half of August, the RCMP said.

That's a big jump from June, when there were 781 RCMP interceptions in the province. It's also more than 10 times the 245 people intercepted by police there in January.  And that's not taking into consideration countless other illegal entry points across Canada.

Speaking to reporters Thursday in St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Que., federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau announced the government will open a new shelter for migrants in Cornwall, a city of 46,000 in eastern Ontario near the Quebec border. Hundreds of asylum seekers crossing from the U.S. have already been housed in Montreal's Olympic Stadium, as well as in emergency tents set up at the border by the Canadian military.

Garneau also said there would be 20 new staffers in Montreal to help process asylum applications and that there will be a ministerial task force, which includes Quebec's immigration minister, Kathleen Weill, her federal counterpart, Ahmed Hussen, and Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, to help manage the situation.  "There's no crisis, but it's a situation that is extraordinary," Garneau stated.

How can this borderline exodus be explained?  What is happening south of the border to warrant such an unusual phenomenom? I ask, knowing full well the disturbing answer.  But maybe I'm missing something.

Rational, unbiased, first-person fact-supported responses to the above mentioned questions are most welcome...And don't implicate the media for reporting fake news because that is a dead giveaway from whence you come.

AUSSIE MEN ASKED TO PROVE HOW BADLY THEY WANT A COFFEE

Oh boy...or Oh girl!...as the case may be":

A sign placed outside a café in Australia has created quite the stir. The “Handsome Her” coffee shop had only just opened when it was thrust into the limelight – but not necessarily in a positive sense. The female-owned and operated café put out a sign listing three “house rules”:

1. Women have priority seating.
2. Men will be charged an 18% premium to reflect the gender pay gap (2016) which is donated to a women’s service.
3. Respect goes both ways.

As is often the case these days, it didn’t take long for the backlash to begin. A picture of the sign went viral and generated a storm of criticism online. Detractors jumped on the 18% tax, calling it discriminatory against men and totally antithetical to the feminist movement.

Why Tax Men?

The café’s slogan is “a space for women, by women.” And they’re serious about it, says manager Belle Ngien. The tax, she explains, is intended to spread awareness about the wage gap between men and women. Why 18%? Well, an official study found that men earn an average of 17.7% more than women in Australia. Ngien and her coworkers simply want to even the playing field a bit by charging men more for coffee.

Ngien has reported that as of yet, no one has declined to pay the tax. Many patrons have even offered more. “18% is actually not a lot. Our coffee is $4, so 18% of that is 72 cents,” she explains. And that does not really surprise me...There will always be poor fool, patronizing men who will pay a "man tax" just to show that they are good guys and in the process win favor with the opposite fairer sex that is so necessary in meeting their macho needs.

Not Everyone Is Buying It

However, this explanation proved less than satisfactory for many online critics. They argue that it’s a classic case of reverse discrimination. Instituting a “gender tax” is not a step toward progress, they insist. If anything, it might actually make things worse.

I laugh to think about how Donald Trump would react if he ever found himself walking into Ngien's coffee shop.

TAKING TIME TO ENJOY OUR GREAT CANADIAN OUTDOORS...

I know it is difficult for some of us, but for the time it takes to read this post try putting aside political biases and concerns with the way our country is governed.  Take just a few minutes to clear your mind and to consider the often taken-for-granted benefits of living in the land called Canada.

A week or so ago I talked a bit about about the simple tranquility of sitting on my front porch on a warm July afternoon and enjoying looking out under a lush foliage canopy of maple trees casting shadows on an expanse of green grass as rays of the Lake Huron sun filter through, birds singing as squirrels and a baby rabbit scampered about.  Scenes such as this, and many more, are a constant reminder that the character of this wonderful nation is blissfully entangled with the great outdoors.

You have to look no further than to first and second generation Canadians to express what it means to live freely in a country abounding with natural resources and beauty.

To emphasize that point, 60 years ago Steve Galea's father chose Canada as the place where he would live out the rest of his life.  He left the old world for the benefits offered in the new one.  "My father came to Canada because he loved the thought of wilderness, prosperity and peace -- a place where he could raise his kids," Galea writes eloquently in the July issue of Ontario Out Of Doors magazine.  "He had lived through years of brutal bombings, horrible destruction and near starvation, all the while dreaming of better places."

Somewhere down the line, all our ancestors had similar experiences.  Whether by accident or good judgment, our forebears left discontent behind and gambled on hope.  They came to a fertile land blessed by broad expanses, limitless forests, countless waters and few people, given its immensity.

Due to the adventurous spirit of all who settled here, and the freedom provided, it was only natural that Canada became a nation of people who carry an innate love and appreciation of the outdoors.  "Show me a Canadian who has not slept on the floor of an old pup tent, paddled in a canoe, spent time at a cottage, sat by a campfire, fished with a red and white bobber, donned a back-pack, or marvelled at the incredible beauty of a clear night sky, and I'll show you a rare bird indeed," says Galea.

"We hold dear the idea that our waters are owned by all.  We cherish our wild areas and do our best to protect them.  Crown land and other progressive ideas have made this country the envy of the world."

He also points out that our national character was sculptured by rock, tree and water, and by diversity of the seasons, then adds: "But it was polished by practical ideas, that tolerance is a virtue, that old-country grudges have no place here, that peaceful resolution is better than war, and time outside does a person good."  Truer words were never written!

As nations go, Canada is still young...And with our youth comes the idealism that there can be justice and fairness and a place for everyone at our national table. I have reached a point in life where I am prepared to leave the fortunes of my home and native land to those who are younger, smarter and better positioned to govern our national affairs than me.  Each new generation builds on the previous and I have every reason to believe that will continue to be the case.

So, time is up my friend!  You can now go back to worrying about immigration policies, government spending and what is happening south of the border, if that is your inclination.

As for me...I'm heading out into that wonderful outdoors we just talked about.  My front porch, an easy chair, the birds and squirrels and Lake Huron sun beckon.  Think I'll take along a glass of my favorite Sauvignon Blanc while I'm at it.

I'll probably fall asleep eventually...and let the rest of the world go by.

Nuclear powers' life-saving Gamma Knife technology

SUPER GIRL: Nuclear technology has saved Jadyn Schill's life

For me, this remarkable close-to-home story qualifies under the category "You learn something new every day!"

Jadyn Schill, 14, is known as "Super-Girl" at Sick Kids’ Hospital in Toronto for her bravery in an ongoing, nine-year battle with cancer.

JADYN SCHILL
"I'm going to kick cancer in the butt!"

Having undergone the maximum radiation treatments that can be given to an individual and several years of chemotherapy, Jadyn recently underwent a technology known as Gamma Knife surgery. The technique uses High Specific Activity Cobalt 60 that will be harvested from nearby Bruce Power's nuclear reactors next year.  The non-invasive surgery concentrates on tumors, sparing the surrounding healthy brain tissue, killing cancer cells and shrinking tumors in a precise and powerful method that results in little after effects.

First diagnosed when she was five years old, her mother Christie took her to the hospital when she lost movement in the left side of her face. She was first diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy, but after an MRI, a tumour was found. She was subsequently diagnosed with Ependymoma, a rare brain cancer.

Jadyn’s mom says the teenager doesn’t really remember her life before cancer.  Despite this, Jadyn remains positive about her future.  “I just want to go to school like a normal kid,” she told the CBC last year. “...And try to get back into sports. I used to play soccer really well.”

Now, thanks to Gamma Knife Surgery, she's going to "kick" cancer just like she kicked that soccer ball.

View the following video to get a better feeling for Jadyn's story and her chance at a new life.

HOLY SMOKE! GLERGY TO TRIP OUT ON PSYCHEDELICS...FOR SCIENCE

Despite the lingering taboo surrounding drug use, researchers had little trouble finding religious volunteers to participate in their study.

I read the other day where researchers at John Hopkins University and New York University have convinced a group of religious leaders to try “magic” mushrooms in the name of science. The researchers will give two dozen priests, rabbis and pastors controlled doses of psilocybin, the active ingredient found in psychedelic mushrooms.

Their theory is that taking hallucinogenic substances will spur deeply religious people to have extraordinary spiritual experiences – somewhat akin to the “vision quests” undertaken in some Native North American cultures.

What next, you ask?

Lead researcher William Richards explains that the hallucinogenic drug naturally evokes spiritual imagery, even with laypeople:  “People see incredible things with their eyes closed that are often very, very beautiful,” including visions of Jesus. “That seems to happen whether people are of religious training or not. It doesn’t seem to be something that’s learned.”

However, the hallucinogen has never been administered to people with formal religious training before. Perhaps the visions will be even more intense – that’s what researchers are hoping, anyway.

Many religions frown upon illicit drug use, even if it’s “for science”. Certain religions like Islam and Mormonism ban all intoxicating substances outright. Although most Christians denominations take a softer line on the issue, you’d be hard-pressed to find a pastor or priest that would encourage experimentation with drugs.

Despite the lingering taboo, researchers had little trouble finding volunteers to participate in their study. On the contrary, members of the clergy were eager to partake in the hallucinogenic drug to help investigate his psychological hypothesis.

Some are commending these religious leaders for their brave foray into the unknown. But who knows, perhaps they’re just bored.  William Richards thinks that there is a very fundamental link between the effects of psychedelic mushrooms and the “mystical” experiences of religion.  He’s convinced that, far from being a sinful activity, drug trips can actually be a force for good. Williams thinks it will motivate clergy to pursue meditation and be more in-touch with their compassionate spiritual sides. “They know there is a top up on the mountain, and now they’re willing to hike up there,” he explains.

If the claims prove to be true, there actually might be a connection between the mind-bending drugs and the way in which people experience religion.  It’s certainly an interesting idea to consider. Should hallucinogenic drugs prove a reliable avenue to spiritual enlightenment, perhaps more people would consider experimenting with them.

But what would that mean for traditional houses of worship? If someone could get closer to God with a few mushrooms, why bother going to church in the first place? Sitting at home on the couch is certainly more comfortable than hard wooden pews.

Although there is plenty of hype surrounding this study, the experiment has its share of critics. Some people are skeptical that feeding drugs to religious leaders will produce any interesting results, and could cause lasting mental effects. Others argue that that religion is a strong enough drug on its own so what’s the point in adding more drugs to the mix?

I do not take this bit of news too seriously, but some wise apple recently contended that Eve did not really tempt Adam with a fruit of some description from the Garden of Eden, rather the actual product was in fact a mushroom.

All I can say to the religious leaders participating in the afforementioned drug study, is "be careful!"...The mushroom you experiment with may well be the Bible's forbidden fruit.

Sacraficial wine could pale by comparison.