LETTER
From Letters come ... solutions!
Dear Editor,
In my previous letters I introduced “Duoset”, a concept from Eastern philosophy containing two opposing understandings, Yin and Yang. This is a logical notion, not the emotional interpretation often used to distract attention based on superficial similarities. Of course it is more complicated than this, but apply it to Democracy, and extend it to “variable-set” and you enter the puzzle of the real vs the pseudo. Artists portray it as the snake in the Garden of Eden, with both good and bad implications. Everything presents itself in multiple versions!
And this brings us to the ‘Rule of Law’ as a collection of experiences over human history, including our collective rules for peaceful coexistence on all levels, national and international. All we do is in service of life – all.
Democracy is structured on our selection of representatives by us citizens to govern our affairs, by the tools called Parliament. This is where it all gets complicated by party allegiances, where the representatives no more represent us, the citizens, but drown everything in emotional ideological warfare. The trust in time evaporates and the representatives in time lose focus on the priorities of the Rule of Law as a societal instrument of coexistence. The democratic process is like the Grandfather clock which moves left-right, stops, until we wind it up again, and again ...
Later my short Aesopian story created confusion on our way into chaos, yet a simple solution was presented in the next letter: just put it to the Council, apply a free vote. Mr Mulcair offered this as a solution, no surprise to me, and in another letter I suggested making him the “Vice-PM” – to give oversight and input into governmental functioning. With this there may have been fewer problems of international proportion, no China headache – and we could learn from them (like how to put thousands of electric buses in service).
In the end anybody can make a mistake, but they can be repaired. Let me tell you how my mom dealt with a problem I had in a new school – I hurt some bullies, no fault of mine. The next day she went with me to my school and asked me in front of the class to eat humble pie, ask forgiveness from those bullies – and I did. In time we became good friends. Would you believe that I had not seen them for decades, and when I finally met them I was heartily welcomed into my old town – and it was emotional! Solutions, solutions – listen to everyone, read all our letters, search for solutions! They will be in the duo-set form!
Rasto Hlavina,
Pontiac
