BESTSELF™ ICEBREAKER | Beliefs 17

WHAT DO YOU THINK SOCIETY OWES ITS CITIZENS?

I believe as a member of society, I’ve entered into a social contract with everyone in it.

I’ve witnessed the slow disintegration of that contract, magnified over the almost 1,000 days of the pandemic that continues to rage regardless of how inconvenient it is for everyone.

Above all else, I believe a healthy and functioning society owes its citizens safety. Safety is at the core of everything. Without feeling safe, we have nothing. In my experience, living in a socialist economy (and most thriving democracies are in a similar economic system), I believe that safety includes health care, education, housing, food (and water) access, and wages that enable citizens to thrive.

There are so many backward, mean-spirited, irresponsible, racist, white-privileged actions I’m witnessing right now, primarily thanks to our provincial Premiere, Doug Ford (whom I did vote against), and the new leader of the federal Conservative Party, Pierre Poilievre (for whom I did join the party and donated in order to vote against). They are cynical representations of what I can only hope is the last-ditch effort of a dying-out white male sense of superiority. It’s like a crazed ‘raze and burn everything to the ground’ attitude has addled the brains of the patriarchy, and they’re greedily taking all they can before inevitable extinction. You can feel the desperate energy emanating from all of them. They are manufacturing situations and spewing irresponsible lies and rhetoric to whip up the anger and panic of a small group of incredibly loud and pitiful people who gobble up the lies like candy - or some drug that promises them eternal power and superiority.

What are they attacking first? Our sense of safety. First is the dismantling of our public health care system while simultaneously they are destroying our public education system.

It’s far more blatant in the US, where the recent attack on women’s health and unstopped gun violence clearly violate the safety of the citizenry, all in the name of power for few.

This is all being assisted by inflation and increased costs of everything: food, gas, and other items we need to live our lives. I’m astounded that no one is addressing the rampant PRICE GAUGING by food, gas, and all the other manufacturers making record profits caused by the fear and panic that is being instilled in the citizenry of the world.

Society owes its citizens safety and all that comes with it.