Of even greater concern, this is the very first generation of young people that have reported a lower health status than preceding generations. Furthermore, virtually all Canadians in the job market have expressed a great deal of difficulty balancing the demands of work and their family lives. Right across the board, there is ample evidence suggesting that our nation is experiencing great stress at all levels.

As we look into the future, there is seemingly very little cause for optimism, and much to be deeply concerned about – as though we are facing the convergence of several storm fronts that we can only hope don’t collide in unison. I am speaking, of course, about the reality of global warming that is already well underway, the depletion of our natural resources including peak oil, the havoc this is having on our economy, and with that fueling the menace we know today as terrorism.

 Time for A New Compass

All of the above, of course, begs the question, how did we end up in this mess? How is it that so many Canadians whom served as loyal soldiers, wound up in the proverbial shoals? Farmers, small business people, nurses, students, you name it, the bottom line is there have been very few winners over the past two decades.

While there are no simple answers to such questions, of one thing we can be sure; namely, we have been steering our ship to a false north – seduced, as it were, by the twin sirens of materialism and distraction. And with a compass that is out of whack, as all mariners know, it is only a matter of time before one ends up in trouble. Sometimes, serious trouble.

Enter the Canadian Index of Well Being, and a host of similar counterparts internationally. Essentially, this is a tool designed to provide Canadians with a far more accurate gauge of what constitutes social progress. A measure of well being that is consistent with what it is that they value, and deem to be important in the context of their everyday lives.

And what is it that Canadians really value?

It is precisely the things that are captured in the major domains of Canadian Index of Well Being, such as having access to health care and good quality schools for their children. It is about having a means of income that ensures that such basic needs as food and shelter can be met, and where everyone has a sense of community. (For further information, please see http://www.ciw.ca/)

Suffice it to say, in the nationwide consultations that eventually gave rise to the Canadian Index of Well Being, there wasn’t one person who stated that what they value the most is the GDP! And yet, like it or not, many government policies are formulated precisely as knee jerk reactive gestures to rises and falls in the GDP, often exacerbating the very problems they are trying to solve.

 A New Lens & Perspective

Not only does the Canadian Index of Well Being afford Canadians with a new measure of well being that is reflective of their values, so too it provides a new lens and perspective. This being vitally important, since it is our perspective of what we perceive to be “the issue” that has a major influence on our response.

Bear in mind, it has been my experience that very often that which presents itself to be the issue is rarely the actual issue, but rather, often tends to be the manifestation of a deeper issue. Hence, it is vitally important to have a measurement tool which enables us to view complex issues in a holistic manner.

And what is it that is meant by the word holistic, as this tends to conjure up all sorts of connotations? Essentially, holistic in this context means enabling people to see the connections between the various domains, such as the impact of living standards on health status. That is, to connect the dots.

Far from being deterministic, as this might seem, there is a flip side to this coin; namely, because everything is joined at the hip, it only stands to reason that making a change in just one area of a community can create a positive ripple effect in many other areas. A phenomena known to scientists as the butterfly effect.

If one translates this to the local level, what might make sense therefore is for community groups to harness their scarce resources in very focused ways and in areas in which they have some level of influence and traction, versus trying to solve problems head on, which more often than not results in nothing more than frustration.

In addition, the Canadian Index of Well Being provides Canadians with a long term view of the consequences of the policies being proposed by their various levels of government. It has this capability largely because many of the domain reports contain not just recent data, but a considerable amount of historical data. Hence, it provides us with instructive lessons about what works, and what doesn’t.

As a case in point, contained in the Living Standards Domain is ample evidence suggesting that the steady erosion of employment support programs over the past three decades has resulted in increasingly prolonged recessions and recovery periods. Hence the decision to slash government supports inadvertently results in increased deficits.

Shared Destiny

Absolutely, pivotal to the work of the Canadian Index of Well Being is the concept of Shared Destiny, which simply defined speaks to the fact that whether we like it or not we are all in this together. This being especially true now, due to the incredible magnitude of the crises we face.

Hence, we can no longer afford to pursue personal liberty at the expense of the communities in which we live, any more than we can regard ourselves as immune from the consequences of our collective actions. At the risk of sounding crass, we can no longer beshit our environment and not pay a severe price. We cannot disregard the plight of our young people, as this is the ultimate litmus test of any civilization.

Hence, implicit in the notion of Shared Destiny is the appreciation that if we resolve to set aside our differences, and not allow ourselves to be distracted by trivial issues such as is often the case of political campaigns, but rather dig down deep and work together to build more resilient and vital communities, than we may stand a chance.

Speaking of which, there is one very important factor in which we can garner some level of hope. This being, our species has shown in the past not only a remarkable capacity to make sacrifices for one another during times of great crisis such as it did through the world wars, but also, these tend to be the times that spark the greatest amount of not just technical but also social ingenuity.

In the prophetic words of Thomas Homer Dixon, “there is an upside to down”. The key is to cultivate the type of prospective mindset that allows for people to see the opportunities for growth and change that are always present during times of great transition such is currently the case.

 Adapted from Speech Delivered By Gary Machan, Health Promoter, Barrie Community Health Centre, Award Recipient of the 2^nd Stage of Medicare Award 2010.

Come to the Transition Oasis at this Saturday, June 12^th at Ecofest and you can relax with water or coffee and chat with us about Transition Town Barrie.

 Transition Oasis will be having lots of wonderful mini-presentations and live music offered at various times throughout the day.  Check out our presentation board at the tent entrance for presentation times.  A list of the presentations are below:

• Water for health
• Raw foods
• Urban harvesting
• Square foot gardening
• Plastic mats for Haiti
• Ecological Farmers
• Site 41
• Movement
• Yoga breathing
• Rugs from recycled materials
• Crafts from recycled materials
• Build an electric bike
• Make sauerkraut
• Make artisan bread
• Learn about Transition Towns

http://www.windowfarms.org/

Click here to register:
http://awakeningthedreamer.org/component/option,com_events/type,event/task,details/id,1624

See the attached poster to find out the details of the event.  Call Karen Fox 721-6867 or Ruth Blaicher 737-5768,  if you need more information.