Being Human In An Age of Madness

Posted on May 11, 2026 by Skid

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A respected friend and mentor recently exchanged some thoughts with me on the state of the world, globally and locally, in which we now find ourselves. He used the analogy of Sophie’s Choice, a novel in which a woman in a concentration camp is presented with an impossible choice: which of her two children will she hand over to the guards for immediate death?

She has to choose if her son or her daughter will live; who will live and who will be sent to the gas chambers. If she fails to choose, both will be killed immediately. Imagine being faced with such a horrifying and impossible choice. I preferred William Styron’s novel, but Meryl Streep’s performance in the movie version won her an Academy Award. Movie critic Roger Ebert commented that the film version captured the angst of all of us who flounder “in the bewilderment of being human in an age of madness.”

Our current global drama certainly qualifies as an Age of Madness. From the Sudan to the Middle East to North and South America we see war, genocide, and the rise of totalitarianism. Our communications are confused by manipulated and misleading information, by technologically advanced AI generated reality, and by the economic disparity that sees the 0.1% of the filthy rich leaving the rest of us wondering WTF!?

On the other side of the sword’s edge is being human. Those random acts of kindness, establishing meaningful relationships with at least one other person, exuding a genuine sense that you care for other people of good will. Unabashed curiosity, questioning the bullshizzle, and engaging in intelligent reflection on root causes. These are the things that make us human. But the icing on the cake is integrity.

Integrity makes us act on our beliefs. If a person abuses his partner, we protect. If a corporation abuses the health of the planet, we protect. If a politician lies and steals, we protest and vote them out of office. If voting doesn’t change the rulers, we revolt. And when we revolt, heads of office fall. If we are silent, we have failed.

We, who care, do not intend to be silent. The way I see it.

Econexus: May 12, 2026

Posted on May 5, 2026 by Skid

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We should all be aware by now, that a healthy environment is found at the nexus of ecological and economic systems. The Greek word “ecos” meaning “home” is the root of both ecology and economy, and the “nexus” is the point where they come into balance.

Imagine a teeter-totter in perfect balance, both kids suspended peacefully in the air. on one side sits Ecology, the child who understands how all the natural systems of Earth web and flow; on the other side is Economy, the child who understands how all the resources of those systems are utilized. Working cooperatively and in consensus, the teeter-totter remains beautifully balanced.

However, should the Economy child start to gobble up the resources of the Ecology child too quickly and get obese on its richness, he will crash to the ground. On the other side, the Ecology child will get thrown off. She will be injured and angry. It will take a long time for the children to recover the balance point.

Almost every one of the Ontario Provincial government’s recent bills have been fattening up the Economy. This has been happening in municipal governments as well. We are not Protecting Ontario from the teeter-totter collapsing if we exempt “economic zones” from environmental oversight. We are not protecting the balance point if our Municipal governments pass special By-laws to allow the destruction of rehabilitated greenspaces.

There will be a reckoning. It will come in the form of a forensic audit that will expose all the waste, graft and greed of private contracts and developer influence that has infected the politics of our communities. Some may try to take the money and run. But when the teeter-totter hits the ground, there will be a lot of people looking for accountability and justice.

Keep an eye on Ontario’s upcoming municipal elections as a bellwether. If you see skunks changing their stripes, or rats leaving the ship, you’ll know something is coming. Politicians who introduced legislation detrimental to environmental security who now start waving their ‘green flags” should be the first to go. Politicians who restricted the voices of democracy who now start touting public participation should be next in the exit strategy.

From the Ring of Fire to Swan Lake, from Ontario Place spa makeovers to Billy Bishop Airport private jet runways, from deteriorating Ontario Science Centre myths to stalled Caledon East housing construction projects, from a still unapproved 413 highway to a still unplanned tunnel under the 401, from secret ministerial cell phone records to unaccountable municipal payouts to Strong Mayor staff, the list goes on.

On May 12, 2026, the Auditor General of Ontario is issuing four special reports. Karma has a long list. Patience is a virtue, and the nexus will come. The way I see it.

The Flower Moon

Posted on May 3, 2026 by Skid

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The 5:00 a.m. walk with my Border Collie usually requires a lighted collar, but this morning needed no artificial illumination. The May full Flower Moon was just setting in the western sky like a perfect tiny cosmic spotlight casting moon shadows over the fields. This first week of May under a full moon also ushers in the Gaelic festival of Bealtaine, or Beltane as the English call it.

While Oestara and the Vernal Equinox mark the end of winter and the return of longer days in the sun, Bealtaine celebrates the beginning of summer and the fertility of the growing season. What makes this day special is that the full moon cycle and the cross-quarter days of the Celtic sun cycle coincide. As with many nature based cultures, the Celtic sun cycle marks four main quarter celebrations on the Solstice and Equinox days, and then four cross-quarter celebrations at the mid-points between each solstice and equinox.

Confused? Here’s a simple recent example: The Vernal Equinox, Oestara, just passed on March 20. That’s a quarter holyday. It was followed by Bealtaine on May 1. That’s a cross-quarter holyday followed by Midsommer, which is the next quarter holyday. Bealtaine is the mid-point between the Vernal Equinox and the Summer Solstice. In total, that adds up to eight celebrations roughly six weeks apart to break up the drudgery of our regular yearly schedules. And some of these celebrations can last for a week!

When you combine the Nordic with the Celtic nature based cultures, you have the origins for almost all the holydays conscripted by the Judeo-Christian invasion. When you take it back to basics, it all comes down to the sun, the moon, and the human storytellers trying to make sense of a mysterious and wondrous universe. No matter how we tell our stories, a walk under the light of the full Flower Moon is a sacred experience. The way I see it.

*****

*image from Glamour

Bill 100’s STRONG CHAIR Powers

Posted on April 25, 2026 by Skid

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Danger, Will Robinson! I have your Robot! - dplivingston.com “Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!” Fans of the 1960’s sci-fi TV show Lost in Space will instantly recognize those words of warning issued by Robot to protect young Will Robinson. In 2026 , Robot would be blasting out that warning to a new generation of Ontarians as the Ford Conservative manic majority government pushes through Bill 100, the Better Regional Governance Act, 2026.

For an extra dose of danger, couple Bill 100 with Bill 97, Plan to Protect Ontario (Budget Measures) Act, which was just pushed closer to passing in a rare late night meeting of our provincial government. Bill 97 would amend the Freedom of Information Act, restrict public access to information and “explicitly excludes records held by the Premier, Cabinet Ministers, and their political staff.”

Doubling down on danger, Will Robinson!

This attitude has infected municipal politics as well. Claire Ayigh, my research assistant, has noted. “Reports have highlighted that ‘misinformation’ and ‘confidential’ complaints are being used to shut down debate and prevent public scrutiny on key issues, such as land-use planning and legal proceedings.

Consider that the recently passed Bill 97 applies retroactively for 40 years! That mean the office and phone records of Premiers and cabinet ministers shrouded in secrecy for decades, effectively keeping the Mike Harris reign of terror years under wraps. Birds of a feather lie, steal and cheat together. “Hey Mike, what happened to those Ipperwash, Dudley George murder, Municipal health care budget cuts and Walkerton death files?” “Gee whiz Doug, I guess we’ll never know now.” Hearty old boys’ club laughter.

The beat goes on. Yesterday, when I asked my research assistant who would most likely be the government appointed new Chair for the Region of Peel, this is the answer I received:
“[Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing] Rob Flack is anticipated to appoint [Strong Mayor Annette] Groves as the new Chair of Peel. This aligns with the [Conservative Ford] government’s strategy to streamline regional governance and enhance decision making efficiency.”

That statement is possibly an AI error in accessing questionable sources, but it sure fits Bill 100. If it comes true, Robot’s warning may already be too late. The way I see it.

***

NOTE: At the private Annette Groves Community Fundraising Gala (NOT a Mayor’s event sanctioned by the Town of Caledon) held yesterday, Premier Ford announced that current Chair Nando Iannicca would likely be nominated to retain his position. This choice had been indicated previously by the now disgraced former Municipal Affairs Minister, Steve Clark, Ford’s scapegoat for the Greenbelt Scandal that opened up previously protected lands to favoured developers.

UPDATE: Breaking on Facebook: Annette Groves has announced her retirement as Mayor of Caledon. Stay tuned for verification and commentary. And don’t trust AI.

National Poetry Month

Posted on April 17, 2026 by Skid

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As T.S. Elliot wrote in his epic poem The Wasteland, “April is the cruelest month of all.”

If you are a devote Christian, that poetic line could refer to the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ, religiously estimated to be sometime in April between 30 and 33 CE. Or it could refer to a delusional President Trump posting images of himself as Dr. Jesus. If you are Canadian, the line definitely refers to the weather. If you are a member of the Conservative Party of Canada, it painfully refers to Monday, April 14, 2026. To honour that day, the following poems … starting with a Limerick …

There once was a Con named Pierre
Who was so puffed up with hot air
He floated away on Majority Day
“Unfair! Cons care” cried Pierre.

One by one the Cons crossed the floor
To sit down at Carney’s front door
In the Liberal tent, they could do more than vent
Those three word rhymes we abhor.

Puffy Pierre just floated away
And hasn’t been seen since that day
But his voice can be heard, still sounding absurd
“Axe the Tax”, “Jail not Bail”, Crime Don’t Pay!

And of course, every struggling English student’s favourite, the more sublime Haiku:

A bright flash of red
A song high from the tree top
The promise of spring.

And for the classicist, a Shakespearean Sonnet:

Is this the way the world will always turn?
From lightness to dark, from darkness to day.
After the ice time, the fire we yearn
After the war work, in peace will we play?
Who will we follow, the wise or the fools,
Who will inform us, humans or machines?
Will we home learn, or in corporate schools?
Will we have teachers or computer screens?
If the world needs changing it starts with “we”,
We need to rise up, and not break or bow,
“If not us, who; if not now, when?” we plea.
it must be us, and it must be us now!
The torch has been passed, we hold it up high
Hope in the darkness, a light to live by.

That’s all for now, but during International Womens’ Week I heard a song that stuck like an ear worm in my mind. The Celtic tune remains, and the lyrics ended something like this:

“You’ve tried to break me but I have a choice,
I’ll not bow my head, I’ll not bend my knee,
And I will not lower my voice.”

A noble torch to carry in these chaotic days. The way I see it.