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Notes from a Garage

With John Gardiner

On getting along; on using local talent; and on writing this column….or blog…or whatever….

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Is there any way to save the planet we call our home? Is there any way to get people to get along and stop hating each other? Is there any way to convince people to live in peace and harmony and to act in the best interests of us all? Likely not. And it’s a sad state of affairs. Life on this planet is an absolute miracle. Regardless what religion you follow or if you don’t follow any religion at all, you’ve got to realize how beautiful all life really is. If you have an appreciation for this – that life is a miracle – there is no way you can murder, rape and brutalize the people you share the planet with. The way things are going now, there is little hope that we’ll end up living in any type of peaceful way. With almost every passing day, there is another terrorist threat, and security around the world gets tighter and tighter. Soon, we will live in a complete and total police state and we will be glad for it because we’re all frightened out of our wits. The question in all of this shouldn’t be how to stop terrorist attacks from happening, it should be how to stop the people bent on destroying us from being so angry or frustrated that they feel they have to destroy us. Somehow, we’ve got to get some type of dialogue going that can bring an end to the whole war on terror and have us making some type of effort to get along. The way things are going now, I think my generation will be okay, but I’m sorely afraid of what my children and grandchildren will have to face as they travel through life. I’m not very happy with how life is going on the planet. It’s a mess, plain and simple. In the past, our penchant for violence was somehow contained because we weren’t living so much in each other’s faces. These days, we’re up close and personal with pretty well everyone in the world so we can do a whole lot more damage than we could in the past. I am a firm and committed peacenik…..we really don’t have any other options if we’re going to survive……And you likely didn’t read that here first.

You know, it’s interesting watching Chatham-Kent try to develop an arts-based economy. And I know there are a lot of well-intentioned folks out there right now trying to make good things happen. But it’s my feeling that the people who are directing the effort really don’t get it. First, we have a Chatham-Kent jingle developed for the community…..and now we see the new book on the history of the Capitol Theatre being released. Both of these arts-based projects, I think, were carried out by people from outside the community. This despite the fact that we have a plethora of local artists who could have used the work and exposure and could have done these jobs quite nicely. Don’t know what they’re thinking. It’s like when the whole arts initiative started……with the Cultural Mapping project. Done mainly with high-priced help from outside the community, when the task could have been easily completed with some local legwork. I think sometimes there is a feeling that if it’s locally-produced, it can never really be quite as good as if somebody from somewhere else produced it. And I think this is a common feeling in most communities. But it’s something we really need to get over. The people who live in this community care passionately about the community and will almost always do the best job promoting and representing it. I know this is likely just a bit of useless carping, but it’s the way I feel. Keep the work at home if there’s any way you can. You’ll get something you can hang your hat on and you’ll really help out the local community.

I’ve been writing a weekly column for over 33 years….For most of that time, it was called “Beating Around the Bush” and I’m sure there are a few people in Hanover, Delhi and Wallaceburg who will remember that moniker. These days it’s “Notes From a Garage”, although I’m actually in my basement. I enjoy writing the column, but don’t feel I have any special insight. Just feel like I’m an everyman and represent the views of ordinary people…..and my wife would laugh at that. Anyway, thanks for reading along and hope you enjoy my weekly diatribe…..

Out of time for another week and heading toward Christmas. Grandchildren will be home in 19 days….but who’s counting, eh? Take care and remember…..”Hew to the line; let the chips fall where they may.”



John Gardiner is a 25-year-veteran of the community newspaper business, but he is also a prolific writer of moralistic short fiction he refers to as "emotional thoughtscapes" or "adult fables". Samples of his fiction can be found at:

He has also produced a noteworthy piece of humanist philosophy which can be found at: http://www.xs4all.nl/~aboiten/ad502.htm He welcomes comments on his work.