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Ecowrappin'
I WONDER WHY?
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
As I get older, and naturally more cynical, I wonder why some things go the directions they go, or in the ways that they do? I wonder why some things that should be changed never seem to suffer any corrective measures. Following, I offer a few of these "wonderings" that come readily to mind at this juncture in my life. Some of these do not mean a lot in the overall scheme of things but might still be worth contemplating. I have offered some of my own rationale or opinion on them. I would like to hear from anyone who has wondered about these things too; and any rationale or counterpoints that you may have to offer. And there certainly must be a lot more of these---I wonder whys---out there that I haven't contemplated or discovered as of yet.I wonder why, that in any volunteer organization or club, there is a minority of the membership that do all the work in maintaining and promoting the organization while the majority does nothing more than simply reap the organizational benefits as provided by the minority? I suppose it could be dedication to cause and effort versus just simply belonging. Of the several organizations that I have been associated with over many years this has always been the case. Whether geared to a recreational pursuit or a specific cause, the few carry the load while the most go along for the ride. And in my experience, the few change little over the years. If the organization is fortunate, there is always a little new, dedicated blood showing up to replace those of long service that are reaching advanced years and the frequently accompanying infirmities. But by and large it is the same small cadre of stalwarts that keep things going year after year. When new, dedicated blood doesn't show up, the organization often falters and eventually dies.
I wonder why health issues that were extremely rare or unheard of during my youth are so prevalent today? Sure, the population is larger and much more concentrated. Lifestyles that lack exercise--- or hard, physical work---and a trend to poorer nutrition are much more prevalent. This might explain current rates of cancer, diabetes and heart disease. But consider the following ailments that are more difficult to explain.
When I was a lad I never heard of anyone being allergic to nuts. While I was very young I was warned about choking on them, or getting indigestion. Looking back, I think this was to discourage me from eating many so there would be more for the adults! Nowadays, warnings abound in restaurants and on numerous grocery products about the content, or the possible content, of nutmeats; or the possible exposure of various foodstuffs to nutmeats or oils. This has now come as far as being a marketing ploy or advertising gimmick. Have you seen the latest TV ads for Mars chocolate bars?
Back in my youth, asthma was suffered by a very few. At that time I knew of only two or three others that were prone to the occasional, light asthma attack. Sure, there were some allergies like hay fever around. Maybe there was some confusion in those days between hay fever and asthma.
I recently heard about studies undertaken in Europe giving strong evidence that significant increases in asthma has been linked to many of the children of today not getting dirty enough through direct exposure to good old mother earth. In my youth we spent a good deal of our time playing in the dirt. A television set could not be found in every home. If you did have a TV you were subject to limited channels and programming. Home computers, video games, VCRs, etc., etc., did not exist. And what about the dirt? It seems that there are a host of bacteria in common topsoil, some of which are very good in their subtle way at building up resistance in the human body to all manner of ailments. I believe there is a lot of credence in this. The movement of large numbers of rural inhabitants to urban centres during the middle of the last century has greatly reduced the exposure of subsequent generations to good, plain dirt. Witness, in more recent decades, the phobias around cleanliness and disinfectant. The majority of our population, during their formative years, are no longer exposed to mother nature the way earlier generations were as a matter lifestyle and location. This lack of exposure results in a corresponding lack of resistance to harmful pathogens. I remember pulling carrots or potatoes in the garden, brushing what dirt we could off them and eating them right there! There was still some dirt on them. I guess this is in keeping with a saying my Grandfather used to have---ìyou have to eat a peck of dirt before you dieî.
I wonder why there are now so many shows on television telling us how to care for our infants and raise our children? More than 76 billion people have lived on earth. More than 70 billion of these souls are dead. This suggests to me that the infant care and child-rearing business has been going on for some time. There will always be those that lack in parenting skills in spite of all the advice and assistance that might be available to the contrary. Parenting skills are observed and learned. They are somewhat inherent and instinctive. There is a considerable degree of common sense involved. In what used to be virtually the exclusive domain of women, many men are now as practiced and more skilful when it comes to infant care as are many women. I don't know how I rated, but I did have my share of infant care. From all reports, I did a pretty fair job.
I wonder why so many of our young people seem to lack a sense of purpose? I don't have to look any farther than my own household to see a lethargy and lack of work ethic that my brothers or I were not subject to. But then we were raised on a farm, not in the city. And we had no notion of, or access to, the electronic wizardry mentioned earlier. A lack of basic communication skills seems to come with all this entertainment technology. There is too much exposure to television and video screen fantasy and not enough intercourse (oh, better correct that one!)---not enough dialogue on real issues that would improve conversational skills. How many of the younger generation could sit down, properly set up and write a meaningful letter? With all the new means of electronic communication, they don't have to. Whether this is good or bad is debatable. But writing skills are going in the dump. Just last month I had to write a covering letter for a resume for my high school graduate son. He had no idea how to go about it or what to say. With some minimal input from him I did one up from scratch in about five minutes! From my experience as a manager and communicator, I believe you need to be a college or university graduate to write as well now as most of my generation could before they completed high school.
I wonder why there is so much constant change? I don't mean the kind of basic change that has always been and will always be. I mean change for nothing more than the sake of change. I believe a lot of change occurs for no other reason than to give the illusion that upper management and administration are in control and actually doing something. Some people seem to be able to make a career out of promoting and implementing change; it is their primary objective and self-imposed reason to be. This may be due in part to a job description that lacks specific goals and objectives related to work or product. It may be nothing more than ignoring goals and objectives or having the ability to skilfully wrap these up in the illusion of change. Maybe they just need to have something to do, or that they can do, period. People that promote and implement constant change usually lack confidence in any path of their own choosing and have little in the way of leadership and human relations skills. Perpetual change and those that survive on it borders on the fraudulent.
We are all familiar with the term re-structuring. This word has been used and frequently abused for at least two decades as reason for supposedly taking new direction, the re-alignment work operations, and most commonly, the downsizing of staff resources. Prior to re-structuring the word was change and meant just that, change. I guess re-structuring has been worn out because a new term is now in vogue---transformation. This is the latest buzzword for change. You can expect to see a lot more of it, even if you cannot see any real justification or need for it to be put into action.
I wonder why we have a habit of worrying about possibilities while ignoring probabilities? I suppose this has something to do with a growing reluctance to take risks. It may also explain why so much of our society has evolved towards spending $10 on assessments, evaluations, planning and development; i.e., bureaucracy and administration, while spending $1 on the product or result; i.e., effective action. And how often is this spending a dollar to invest a dime being allocated to things that have already been done dozens, if not hundreds, of times before?
I wonder why, when people turn on a water tap, they turn it on full bore? When shaving or brushing your teeth, will a gentle, water and energy conserving trickle of water not do? Why does the tap have to be continually running at all while carrying out such daily functions?
I wonder why I even bother thinking about these things? Does not caring result in a more mundane or meaningless life? Does taking notice of such things suggest being more tuned in to the world around you? Will wondering about and forming opinions around these things make any real difference? I wonder?
I was born on the Bruce Peninsula on July 20, 1951 and raised on a farm just south of the village of Lionís Head, which is located about halfway up the peninsula on the Georgian Bay shoreline. I graduated from Georgian College of Applied Arts and Technology in Barrie in 1973 as a Resources Engineering Technologist. I was hired by Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) in April of 1975 as the first DUC employee in Ontario. Throughout almost 29 years I was involved with the implementation of more than 500 wetland projects and project complexes in southwestern and south central Ontario. Some of these habitat projects included important waterfowl and migratory bird habitat along the eastern shoreline of Lake St. Clair. Just three weeks short of completing 29 years with DUC, I accepted an early retirement opportunity effective March 31, 2004.
