The irony of peace.

A British Centurian tank with poppies adorning its main gun barrel.

I think it can be said that humans crave peace.  When there is peace people thrive.  Although there will always be the challenges which life throws our way, we have a chance to take care of the things that really matter when we live in peace.  People can also focus on self-improvement and prosperity.  These help build strong individuals, families, communities, economies, and countries.  Take peace away and this all crumbles. 

The funny thing about wanting peace though is that people have to agree to it.  This is essentially the heart of the problem.  For peace to exist there has to be order; order requires rules and someone to enforce them.  We all know what happens when order goes out the window.  Riots, looting, carnage, and even the loss of life. 

This is where the irony comes into play.  To facilitate peace tools of compliance must be utilized when needed.  It starts small, with parents guiding the behaviour of their children.  Then community-based management involving things like block watch and citizen's arrest.  The size of the problem requires greater and greater responses until, ultimately, the hounds of war are unleashed. 

I quite like the symbolism behind the poppies on the British tank in the picture I took.  Although a weapon of destruction and death, it can also be thought of as a weapon of peace.  Without force and its appropriate implementation peace is just a pipedream.  The trick, of course, is finding the right balance.  Too much force and you have a totalitarian regime, similar to what we see in North Korea.  Too little force and you get mobs and cartels ruling the roost. 

The unfortunate truth about peace is that it takes force to get it.  Ironic, but true.

Thanks for reading.   www.ericspix.com

Eric is benched again.

Eric on a bench at Rocky Point Park.  Photo by Paul Richards.

As the person behind the camera, it is rarely me having his picture taken.  I have hundreds, if not thousands, of candid shots of my friends and family, but relatively few of yours truly.  I will occasionally get out a tripod and shoot myself (would that be suicide by camera?), but those moments are rare.  The only way I am immortalized digitally usually involves a compatriot using my camera to capture my image.  Fortunately, I have not had any lenses crack or shatter when I become the subject rather than the digital composer.

When out shooting the world around me I will often take only one camera and lens.  As much as I like having all my stuff available to me on demand, the downside is that forty pounds of equipment is a lot to lug around, especially when no sherpas are available.  I would ask my traveling companions to do me the favour, but think my circle of friends would quickly evaporate as a result of the imposition.  And so I bring one simple unit. 

On this day I choose my Panasonic Bridge camera, an FZ2500 which performs modestly well for simple shots.  We found a nice alcove which was perfect for a portrait, and I asked my friend to take a couple of pictures of me.  Perhaps there was something deeper in play than what was superficially visible.  A machiavellian plot began glimmering in my mind - could this be the way to slowly get others to tote my gear?  A simple snap here and there, with an innocent suggestion of keeping the stuff just in case they wanted to capture another shot or two.  A moment becomes a couple of minutes, which turns into an hour, ending with the entire outing where I have a willing volunteer happily carrying my equipment.  Perhaps sherpas are more available than one would think.

Thanks for reading.  www.ericspix.com

Lewis and Clark Museum at Cape Disappointment

Dugout canoe similar to the one Lewis and Clark used on their trip to the Pacific.

Cape Disappointment does not live up to its moniker’s pronouncement.  It was not disappointing at all.  The beach was fabulous, with sand from one end to the other.  The lighthouse was easily within view, being perched upon a bluff where its lifesaving beams once reached out to nearby sailors.  Along the precipices were numerous colonies of three different cormorant species other oceanic fishers.  Abundant hiking trails, well maintained, provide ample leg stretching activities for those so inclined.  Then, on top of all that, was the fort and museum.

The fort was a relic of two world wars.  Its job was to protect the entrance to the mouth of the Columbia River.  Battlements rested high atop vertical cliff faces to give spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean where the great river emptied its sediment.  Also visible were the bird colonies, much closer at hand than they were from the beach’s viewpoint.  Next to the concrete bunkers comprising the fort was the Lewis and Clark Museum.

We spent the better part of an hour mulling about the displays.  Lewis and Clark made history by being the first to travel the distance across the burgeoning continent and reach the Pacific Ocean.  Their travels are legendary throughout the US and their feat no less impressive.  The museum holds numerous artifacts and displays to awe the patron.  Particularly impressive are the many hands-on opportunities for little fingers.  All ages are sure to be delighted with the discoveries which await them.

The photo above is one of the exhibits.  It is a 50% scale of a dugout canoe, the type Lewis and Clark made with the help of aboriginals after their trek across the continental divide.  The photo does not do justice to the impressions I got while standing there.  Hewn from massive trees, they were the mode of transportation for the explorers for a good portion of their journey.  Before the Columbia River was tamed, there were many rapids and boiling cauldrons of death which had to be run or bypassed through portage.  It must have been a harrowing adventure.

A family’s foray build bonds for the future.

Bikes on the asphalt pathway, Longbeach, Washington.

A family of seven finds fun

At a place underneath the sun

Where waves and bicycles roll

And adults and children stroll

When the ocean meets the land.

The littlest is just a baby

The oldest a teen, maybe

Mother and father explore

With their children galore

Miles and miles of sand.

Fourteen wheels on tubular frames

Heads filled with fun and games

Riding their bicycles together

This time will last them forever

Bonding over memories grand.

This, a story which takes place

For any creed, colour, or race

Spend time together; have fun

Anywhere under the sun

To help make your family stand.

Together and not apart

Activities that will start

To build tight bonds together

That will hold in bad weather

When hard times come at hand.

The girl who couldn’t read.

Eric sitting beside a statue of the girl who couldn't read.

Illiteracy is a terrible thing.  Many, especially young people, do not appreciate the value of being able to read and write.  Then there are those that, for whatever reason, never learned to read and write even though they are adults.  Canada boasts a literacy rate of 99%, which is a testament to how much we value the written word.  Canada is also a first world country, one of the G7, and considered by many as the best place on the planet to live.  It is not coincidental that all these facts coincide. 

Being literate means being able to acquire information from a variety of sources.  It increases one’s ability to think and explore alternatives.  It is a skill set as valuable to an individual as nails, screws, and glue are to a woodworker.  Think of the careers which are unavailable to an illiterate person.  The general population in many third world countries cannot read or write.  As a result, that same group will not likely ever rise out of poverty and will destine their own children to a similar fate.  

The above photo represents a young girl who wants to read, but cannot.  The bronze statue has been vandalized; the book in the young lady’s lap has been stolen.  When I first saw her, I wondered what it was that she was doing.  A quick observation led me to the conclusion that she had been robbed.  With no opportunity to develop her reading, how would she ever utilize her potential?  Doomed to a static existence; literacy unrealized and underdeveloped, she represents much of the world.  They would read if they had the resources and the time.  Fate would give them neither.

The thing about fate is that it is often made by one’s situation.  Children are the adults of tomorrow.  Instead of fostering their abilities and teaching them basics like literacy, they are enslaved in work environments meant to empower others.  Child labour, subsistence farming, begging or even stealing to appease the aggression of overlords, their fate is sealed.  A book, a gentle touch, and some time could make all the difference in the world.

Thanks for reading.   www.ericspix.com

Forming Bonds.

People who play together stay together.

Chemistry is all about individual atoms, their properties, and the bonds that hold them together.  The strength of any molecule is dependent upon the nature of those bonds.  Certain molecules, such as tri-nitro-toluene (TNT) have unstable bonds and will react explosively with only the slightest provocation.  Other bonds, such as the one found in nitrogen gas (N2), are extremely hardy and difficult to break.  In fact, it is only very powerful agents such as lightning or specialized enzymes found in certain bacteria which are capable of it.

So, why all this talk about chemistry and bonds?  It is an analogy, a parable if you like, about the way people work together in a business.  It doesn't matter the job, whether education-related or construction or even super-geeks at some high tech enterprise; the parallels stick.  People are the atoms, some similar and others different.  Even similar ones have differences, as it is with isotopes.  The bonds that hold them together are the relationships between them.  Some have more power over others (chlorine vs sodium in salt) while others share power (such as in O3 - ozone).  The business, or form of relationship they are in, is represented by the molecule.

If you talk to a successful entrepreneur, he or she will tell you that the people making up their company are important.  A good boss who is respected and keeps staff turnovers to a minimum will tell you that employees are the backbone supporting the productive nature of the environment.  The nature of the people themselves is important, as it only takes one individual to turn something good like water (H2O) into something toxic like hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).  It is the stability between individuals though which really define the climate in the workplace.

How happy are the people working there?  Do they get along?  Do they spend time together outside of the work environment?  How much support does each individual get from administration and what is there to help them when crisis hits in their personal lives?  A good company/boss will care for the employees.  There is a reason for the axiom, "Happy wife, happy life."  Care for your partner, whether equal with you or not, show respect and think about their needs.  It works both ways, as a minion's underlying motivation should be, "How can I do a good job and get along with my cohorts?" and the manager's should be, "What do my employees need, and how can I make their life better but still get my job done?" 

One of the things which kills companies is staff turnover.  If people are happy, get along with fellow employees, and feel cared for and respected they stay.  They need opportunity, challenge, and support.  If that isn't true, they leave, looking for the place where they will be welcomed and fostered.  Businesses with high turnover are less productive because of the constant training which must be done and the loss of people with specific work-related skills.  The cost of keeping people happy is much less than the cost of replacing unhappy ones.

People have chemistry between them.  It is the nature of the bonds holding them together which makes them stay.  Organizations which foster the needs and relationships of its employees will be much more successful than those that don't.  There are those that criticize team building exercises.  Think again.  Would you rather belong to a cohesive group or a fractured one?  Find a place where the people are supported and get along and you will find happy people who are satisfied with their jobs.

People - it all just boils down to chemistry.

Thanks for reading.   www.ericspix.com

When conflicts arise.

A pair of white-tailed deer bucks - conflict without injury.

John Lenon's idea of a utopian society is laudable, but not possible.  The concept assumes that people would master their needs and desires for resources; human nature at its core is about the acquisition of them.  Nature, in fact, is exactly the same.  Any desirable resource limited in quantity will spark conflict.  Food, mates, space, nesting sites, hierarchy, and so on will always be needed and therefore something to be fought over, human or otherwise.

The question then becomes, "How to manage conflict" rather than, "How to avoid it."  At its core is the concept of civility, and civility is based on respect.  Manners are important, of course, but there are lots of well-mannered jerks about.  The crux must be on respect for humanity, right down to the unit of an individual.  We can be benevolent towards our fellow man in general, but when we don't get along with our neighbour, something is amiss.

Respect has to be a practical thing with real-world actions.  Its anthesis falls into the aphorism, "Do as I say, not as I do."  Goodwill towards men should not be a once-a-year event, rather it should be the basis for our choices every day, for everyone.  This does not mean no conflicts though, because that in itself is unrealistic.  Resources, goals, ambitions, and desires will always exist, especially in a world pushing towards a population of eight billion on the verge of a global warming catastrophe.  The key is respect.

I used the photo I took of a pair of tussling white-tailed deer.  They use what they have to establish dominance in a bid for territory and breeding rights.  The key though is that no one gets hurt.  Our skill set includes cognitive reasoning and communication.  If we use these in a respectful way, with the desire to manage a conflict towards an end everybody can live with, we all win.  I am not perfect at this, but it is a model which befits the objective.  Love your neighbour as yourself.  Gosh, where have I heard that before?