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The Citizen, 1992-03-11, Page 5THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11 ,1992. PAGE 5. The Let's ponder the letters P and C The great thing about the future is that it comes just one day at a time. - Abraham Lincoln Well, that may have been true in Abe's day, but no more. Nowadays, when I contemplate the future I think of that famous Alex Colville painting - the one that shows an enormous freight train hurtling along the tracks. And running straight towards the oncoming train, a galloping stallion. I think of the train as the future. I'm the horse. Or some portion thereof. The future has never been more overwhelming - or overlapping. Consider: there are people alive right now who were bom before a single airplane or television signal sullied the heavens. Let's ponder something much smaller than that. Let's ponder the letters P and C. When I was born, “PC” stood for a flatfoot, a cop, a patrolman. As in “Police Constable O'Casey who apprehended the miscreant and took him down to the station. I H International Scene Ideas from elsewhere BY RAYMOND CANON Leo Buscaglia, whose probing mind I have , come to respect over the years, tells the story, in his description of the Zen Buddhism form of psychology of the monk who was fleeing from both a bear and a lion. This led him to the extreme measure of hanging on to a branch of wood on the side of a cliff, while the two animals, who were very close, were doing their best to get at him. The monk noticed a small clump of wild strawberries growing on the cliff near where he was hanging. He calmly reached out, picked the most succulent-looking of the berries and popped them into his mouth. “How delicious!” he said. This is most assuredly not the approach that the vast majority of people in the western world would take in such a situation. I would also hazard a guess that most readers would be of the opinion that this was a fine time indeed to think of such things as the wonderful taste of wild strawberries. However, it goes to show, or at least I hope it does, that we do not approach situations in the same manner in all parts of the world. Taking that a step further, we might even come to the realization that it might pay to look at some of these different attitudes to see if there is something that might be learned from it all. In this respect I recall one of the most memorable statements made by Chou EnLai, the right hand man of the famous Communist leader of China, Mao Tse-tung. Chou, who was considered by most western leaders to be an extremely pragmatic and perceptive man, was once asked by an A little later in my life, PC took on party affiliation: Progressive Conservative. John Dicfcnbakcr was PC. So was Robert Stanfield and Flora MacDonald and Joe ... Joe.... Oh, you know who I mean. Then, just a few years ago, PC underwent another metamorphosis. Suddenly, “PC” no longer described that herd of brontosauruses grazing mindlessly on the far right edge of the Canadian political savannah - now it was the designation for a mysterious slab of moulded plastic which unfolded to reveal a screen and keyboard. Enter “PC” - the Personal Computer. And while I was still struggling to find the ON switch of my laptop, damned if the letters didn't hopscotch into the void only to re-appear in yet another incarnation. Nowadays, “PC” stands for Political Correctness. It's the new Puritanism and it's raging like a forest fire through the groves of Academe. Squads of self-appointed PC Thought Police scour the dorms and the classrooms for any sign of deviation from the Gospel According to Political Correctness. Thus, a professor at Harvard is taken to task for dwelling on Shakespeare, Milton and Blake (Dead White Males are not Politically Correct.) Thus, a private Catholic hospital in Oak By Raymond Canon interviewer what he thought of Napoleon. Chou's reply was immediately forthcoming, “It's too early to tell.” Such an answer could never have come from a Western thinker. We are all in favour of the instant assessment. Hardly does something happen when there is an immediate rush to issue an opinion, either praising it as a work of art or, if praise is pot called for, the work of the devil. Not for us is the long term assessment favoured by Orientals such as Chou En-lai. Before someone rushes to claim that this is an oversimplification of the situation, let me point out that, while Christianity may have experienced growth in the Western world, it had its origin in the Middle East as did Islam. We have thus had to borrow an outside belief to form the cornerstone or our spiritual thinking and I doubt that very many people who call themselves Christian let the foreign origin get in the way of practising There are other things from outside our Western civilization that might merit some of our attention. I am not suggesting that they can serve as a replacement to what they believe. Christianity but simply to underline the point I am trying to make - there are many things that we can learn from the other half of the planet. Space will prevent me from touching on more than one but it will be sufficient to illustrate the point. For a number of years I have been interested in the concepts of Transcendental Meditation. It started with some comments made by Dr. Hans Selye, who some of my older readers may recognize as the former director of the Institute of Experimental Medicine and Surgery of the University of Montreal. Dr. Selye, during his lifetime, was one of the greatest of Canadian thinkers, and spoke positively of the effects TM had on the body, especially in a very stressful civilization such as ours. There have been a number of studies done over the year to Park, Illinois is not allowed to erect a cross on its own smokestack because, according to the town council, “some local residents would be offended.” It gets sillier than that. A merchandise catalogue featuring a drawing of Porky Pig urging customers “D-d-d-don't delay: D-d- do your holiday shopping today” attracted the wrath of a Stutterer's Rights groups. The merchandiser promised to drop Porky in the next edition. Remember the re-issue of the Disney classic movie Fantasia last year? Well, listen to the rap sheet that cartoon racked up: Dieters United objected that the depiction of tutu-clad hippos ridicules fat people; radical conservationists protested the conspicuous waste of water in the “Sorcerer's Apprentice” section; an anti-drug lobbyist railed that the dancing mushrooms in the Nutcracker Suite portion were clearly hallucinogenic. Oh yes, and one child was frightened by the graphics that accompanied “Night on Bald Mountain”. Personally, I'm hoping that PC will re­ invent itself again before the PC Nazis gain much more ground; some “P.C.” thing that would evolve smoothly and naturally out of the Political Correctness movement as we know it. May I suggest Pure Crap? / demonstrate the benefits of the TM program, some of which show that it reduces such things as blood pressure, cholesterol, the aging process, not to mention mental health in general. Much of the material I have read on it came from Western medical doctors who have been won over by the effectiveness of the program. It has an advantage that perhaps some of the more observant readers have already noticed. If it can do even some of the things claimed for it, it could well be a good approach to reversing the steadily increasing health care costs in our society. One study involving two companies which introduced TM reported significant improvements in overall physical health, mental well-being and vitality. Since there are no life-style changes involved in the program, anybody can easily start. Foreign ways of thinking are, therefore, not suspect. In fact, a change in your way of thinking could well be the best prescription of what ails you. Letters Advertising pays, says reader THE EDITOR, Don’t let anyone say it does not pay to advertise. Shortly after The Citizen was delivered, I received a call on my answering machine. Thanks Tom and Bernice for catching my wandering exercise mat, and thanks to The Citizen for giving me the means to advertise. Nelva Scott Brussels. By Bonnie Gropp Life skills, an important education The other day I was invited to attend, a Life Skills class in Clinton, which our MPP Paul Klopp was also going to attend. As it happened when the day arrived, it was not one during which I was going to have a lot of time to spare, so I thought I would just nip in and grab a picture. I had a vague idea of what Life Skills is about- a group of adults, who for one reason or another, can not find employment and are trying to re-educate themselves to better suit today's competitive job market. When I arrived at the classroom door I was greeted by an enthusiastic, energized group of adults, and after listening for a few brief minutes, I wished I had had more time to give them. While I was there, Mr. Klopp said little, listening instead to the feelings and concerns that motivate this group. They spoke passionately to him about the positive aspects of the Life Skills Program and the effect it has on society and themselves as individuals. They expressed, some with nostalgic regret, their reasons for being in the program and what they hope to achieve. In the short time I was present, I heard a very real concern expressed by the majority that with all the government restraints and the cutbacks to education, this program may be cut from the board's curriculum. It could happen. Il's certainly no secret there is no money to be had anywhere. It's no secret that somewhere we have to cut back. It's no secret that everything is being studied carefully to see if it really is something we can't live without. Also, it is no secret that if a lifeline is to be cut, it will not likely be, and shouldn't be, the one leading to the child when there is another sustaining an adult. The need to nurture and educate a young mind, is undoubtably a first priority. We would sacrifice much to not have our children suffer for the financial problems we are facing. There arc only so many areas, however, where cuts can be made, without affecting the education and the quality of life of our children. We can only hope, though, that if the Life Skills program is considered as a possible area to save money, its value is not minimized because the participants are no longer young. What they are, is people with integrity, with the desire to work and the ability to offer something to the area. One woman in the class is a university graduate, who has in the time since, tried in vain to find employment- a frightening reality. Others had to leave the jobs they had for one reason or another and are hoping to gain knowledge through the program that will train them for other types of work. Some have been out of school for many years, some for a short time. But, all those who spoke, expressed a goal to contribute and be part of the workforce, not sit back and take. Should this particular program be cut, it is a bit like cutting off a nose to spite a face, for while the money will no longer be spent in funding the re-education of these adults, we are only too well aware where it will be spent, should their drcams for upgrading and improving themselves be taken away. Not to • mention all the emphasis being placed on job retraining. It is our only hope. The Life Skills program gives confidence and strength to people. The adults who benefit from it, will one day, quite likely benefit us.