Worth

How much is a life worth? The answer that comes to mind for most all of us is that it is impossible to place a monetary value on the life of a human being.

But we do it all the time. We as individuals, and governments acting in our names make such determinations on a daily basis. What we give to charity and to which charity is an indication of what value we place on a life or lives.

The recent tragedy in Haiti has proven that when crisis hits we are capable of giving in ways we perhaps were not sure were possible. The Canadian government has pledged to match all donations to Haiti by Canadians dollar for dollar and recent meetings about Haiti in Montreal have suggested the global community is looking to make upwards of a $10 billion investment in the stricken country over the next 10 years.

This is amazing and needed news. The earthquake and aftermath in Haiti is absolutely devastating and we must, as part of our obligation to each other, help them rebuild in a sustainable way.

But what value are we placing on the life of Congolese women and girls?

Readers of this space know that for over a year now I have been seized with the situation in the DRC - home to the worst sexual violence in the world. Just stop and think about that sentence for a moment - worst sexual violence in the world. No matter how horrific the stories of rape you hear coming from other countries, there exists a place on this planet where it is worse.

And we have done nothing. We have not responded in any tangible way to the crisis in the DRC that is now closing in on a decade and a half. For 13 years the women and girls in Eastern DRC have been raped and re-raped. Raped once, twice, three times. By men in uniform. By men out of uniform. By men who are supposed to protect them.

Their insides have been physically destroyed. Their insides have been spiritually damaged. The women don't scream because no one will come. After 13 years they know the global community is not coming to rescue them or protect them. They have been ignored and they have been told by us their lives are worth less.

In this great article from the Times, Dr. Mukwege of Panzi Hospital proves that one person can bring hope where none seems to exist. (We're just going to skip over the fact that it's in the Life and Style section as opposed to the News section)

Like many girls, Ruth was held in the forest as a sex slave where she was tied to a tree and raped by passing soldiers for several days at a time. Months passed, but eventually Ruth was released and allowed to begin the arduous journey to Panzi hospital. She was pregnant.

“It was tragic,” Dr Mukwege says. “The baby was stillborn. But her internal injuries were too severe to repair. As her doctor I am pleased that I could restore urinary continence and fit her with a colostomy. But she does not have a vagina, she will never have a period. In her own eyes she is no longer a woman.”

He is engaged in a rebuilding project that is as complex and long term as that in Haiti, for Dr. Mukwege is rebuilding not just women's reproductive and urinary functions but he is helping them rebuild their souls.

The longer we allow this situation to continue the longer we tell a whole population of women and girls that their lives have no value.

If we are to be judged based on how we treat the weakest of our society then we should be judged as failures. All of the good works and good intentions to deliver the people of Haiti from tragedy does not and will not give us a free pass on our inability and unwillingness to deliver the women and girls of the DRC from the horror they have lived every day for 13 years.

***

If you're in Ottawa and want to help, please join me on March 13th at the Canadian Museum of Civilization for a benefit reading of A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer. All funds raised will be given to Panzi Hospital, CARE Canada and Family Services Ottawa

Hmmm

Is it a thank you or a goodbye?

This fancy frame arrived at my office last week to celebrate my 15 years of indentured servitude service to the Canadian government.

In looking at it, I think it reads more like a period at the end of a long ass sentence as opposed to an exclamation mark.

Maybe it's time for other pastures?

A friendly reminder for me....

"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

- Rumi

Milestone moments

As I mentioned in my first post of 2o10, I'm celebrating a milestone birthday this year (let's face it, all birthdays, each time we celebrating being here, is a milestone but this one is special) and in honour of this milestone, I've prepared a list of things I want to do to mark it and remember it. I had originally thought of posting the list all at once but I would rather do it as plans firm up.

I'm really thrilled that my first two milestone moments are in motion!

Milestone moment #1:

V-Day in the Capital. For the second year in a row, Laura and I, and our friends, will be producing A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer to raise money and awareness for the women and girls of the DRC and for CARE Canada and Family Services Ottawa. The show is March 13th. Want more info? Check out www.hopeangercourage.com

Milestone moment #2:

10km Race, National Capital Race weekend. Prior to 2004 I used to run quite a bit. I ran in several 5km runs and completed a 10km. I was training for a half marathon when a soccer game went really wrong for me. Two knee re-constructions, three years of physio and ongoing chronic pain have limited my running but I miss it. Running is meditation in motion.

Somehow I've also managed to convince Laura to join me in this milestone moment so look for us on Saturday May 29th. We'll see you at the finish line!

Being me

Just this week I was reminded that I am, at heart, a free spirit.

My life has been one of distinctly marching to the beat of not just my own drummer but my very own marching band. Even in high school, that bastion of submission and assimilation, I went my own way and stuck to those qualities that made me who I am.

But it can be easy to be pulled from the path. Other people's affirmation is important. I never believe anyone who says that don't care what other people think of them. We all care, on some level, what people think of us. Not what all people think of us but some.

I like bright colours - pinks, reds, blues, purples. I like flashes of colour -I like the way they slash through darkness. For a long time I had a pink wallet. It had been a gift from a friend and I used it until it was literally coming apart at the seams.

On a trip to Los Angeles, I mentioned the desire to buy a new wallet and someone purporting to be a friend made it very clear to me that what I needed was a sensible, classic black wallet. I'm not a fan of black wallets. Truthfully, when it comes to accessories, I'm not a fan of being sensible. I have to be sensible and serious in large parts of my life already and so where I can be whimsical, I want to be.

But, because I wanted the affirmation of this person and (wrongly) assumed they wanted the best for me, I allowed myself to be talked into the classic, boring, sensible black wallet. I've had it for two years and hated it ever since I had it.

Today though, I am back to being me. I have thrown off the shackles of the limiting sensible wallet and gone with what makes me happy:

Isn't it beautiful???

Canada's Most unDemocratic Moment

Near my office building is a tree that was planted to celebrate the first full and free elections of South Africa. The tree is meant to represent democracy. It's only just over a decade old, so it's not very tall yet but it's sturdy and its roots grow deeper in to the ground with every passing day meaning no matter the elements thrown at it, the tree will endure.

But it's not enough just to have planted the tree; this beautiful natural symbol requires regular care and nurturing.

So yes. The tree is very much like democracy.

Democracy is active, not static. Much like faith that I spoke about here, democracy requires practice. In order for it work, in order for it to be most effective, it must be cared for, respected and engaged in.

The current status of Canada's Parliament, locked out prorogued, is not an example of caring, respect or engagement. It is the very antithesis of all of those things.

Prorogation is part of our democratic process to be sure. It is used, in a pro forma way, when the government and the opposition are agreed the work of that Parliament is done and the only logical next step is to move for a new Speech from the Throne and set a new agenda.

It is also used to avoid defeat on confidence motions in rare circumstances (see December 08, just in case you forgot).

But to use it to avoid answering difficult questions on Afghan detainees, to use it to avoid asking the Defence Minister for his resignation for apparently lying to Parliament, to use it so you can go hang at the Olympics and avoid any difficult questions in front of other world leaders is cheap.

It's cowardly.

It's sneaky.

It's wrong.

It's appalling.

And it is most certainly, without a doubt, undemocratic.

We are, as Rick Mercer so eloquently puts it here, in a state of taxation without representation.

This is a time when we need leadership. The economy may be on the road to recovery but it's a fragile thing and the last thing it needs right now is people taking a break.

There is also something inherently deceptive about a government continuing to make large, significant announcements (hello full body scanners) when there is no opposition to question them, when WE the PEOPLE have been denied the right for our representatives to ACTUALLY represent us on this or any other issue.

Our PM and his talking heads dismiss the outrage by saying this is not something ordinary Canadians care about.

That answer has the depth of a mud puddle.

Is the PM suggesting that all of his decisions are governed by what people care about. Politics may be a popularity contest but governing is not. Governing is about doing what is necessary, not what is always popular.

That's what leaders do.

That's what democracy is.

This moment, this undemocratic moment, is a dark one for this country.

But we have a chance to light a candle. Write to your MP and demand that they get to work.

Have a little faith

A hearty welcome to 2010!


I love the blank page of a new year just waiting to have stories written upon it.

It's that newness, that unknown that makes us want to resolve to do better, to do differently, to be different. And it's easy to make a laundry list of things we want to improve upon with the fresh start of a new year - change habits, alter behaviour, etc and I confess to having reams of resolutions in years past. The last couple of years I have made to do lists rather than resolutions but this year I'm going to do something different; rather than lists or resolutions I'm picking a theme that I hope will guide my actions in this year.

For me, 2010 is the year of faith.

Faith in myself.

Faith in those around me.

Faith that good will eventually triumph over evil.

Faith that what we do to and for each other matters.

Faith in the Divine - however it is expressed.

Faith is often described as the belief in things unseen but it also can be the belief in things seen and experienced. Many believe that faith is a passive state rather than an active state - it requires a level of trust to just let go and believe. But for faith - any kind of faith - to be truly effective it must be active, it must practiced and it must evolve in response to the circumstances in which it exists.

This is what 2010 will be for me - the active practice of faith.

This year also marks a milestone birthday for me - one that I welcome and relish and I have spent several months ruminating over the way or ways I'd like to mark it. A very wise friend often reminds me that our birthday is the first day we made a contribution to the world and with that in mind I've come up with a number of activities that I would like to do to mark this birthday - some are frivolous and some are serious and over the course of this year, I'll be writing about them here.

I hope you'll join me throughout the year - either in person or here in this space.