Resolve Rioting

Stanley Cup riot in Vancouver. St. Patrick's Day riot in London. Montreal student riots.

The common thread in these events is that people are looking for an outlet - they need a place to vent their frustrations. All of that negative energy has to go somewhere. So why not provide a controlled outlet beforehand? Imagine if we gave the Vancouver rioters access to the building on the SW corner of Robson & Granville and let them demolish it. Imagine an old vehicle getting towed into the middle of the road and allowing people to destroy it?

In my dream, someone rolled a huge ball of yarn, ten feet in diameter, to the middle of a busy intersection and allowed people to roll it around, and tear it apart.

In a civilized society, we should be prepared for crises and times of concentrated hostility and frustration. And when certain people lose control of certain faculties, they need a kind of scapegoat or pinata to beat up.

So why not set something up beforehand so that property remains intact and these individuals don't injure themselves or others?

Solutions

Accidents (or near accidents) happen when the unexpected happens. 

Can we control the unexpected? Whether on wheels or on foot,there are some pretty simple ways:

1. Slow Down. Why you are running late again? Make sure it doesn't happen again!
   
   
2. Make eye contact. If you don't see the other person's eyes, they probably don't know you're coming. 
   
   
3. Make Gestures & Signals. Not all drivers make use of them. Most cyclists don't. Pedestrians should start. Instead of blindly entering the path of a car, bike, or, yes, another pedestrian, stick out your hand or your cane - slowly, so you don't inadvertently smack someone. 
   
   
4. How about a shoulder check before changing trajectory?
   
   
5. Keep to the right and make warning noises when passing. For a cyclist, learn to say "Passing on your left, please." Repeat, if necessary. Then, pass on the left. This approach is also useful for pedestrians on busy side-walks trying to get around.
   
   
6. Follow the rules. They're there for a reason. They're not optional or open to interpretation.
   
   
7. Teach those who are ignorant of the rules. Inform those who simply missed the sign. Maybe we need more signs. Maybe we need ambassadors out there to inform the ignoramusses. You don't have to shout! (But sometimes you do.) May the class be with you!

Near Miss

We are stopped on Cambie at Broadway, heading south. A pedestrian just reaches the middle of the road when his Walk signal stops flashing. The little red stick figure is frozen red. But the man hurries past the first lane and the middle lane (mine), while we all stare patiently at our green light. Meanwhile, a car is barrelling down the third lane (next to the curb); he sees green too, and his lane is clear, so he's gunning it, just as the pedestrian enters that lane.

I doubt the driver even touches the brakes as he swerves around the pedestrian and motors through the intersection and up the hill while the rest of us are catching our breath(s). The pedestrian doesn't break stride either. His upper body spins completely around with his arms in the air like a giant V. Human Tilt-A-Whirl.

Whenever this happens, I wonder what role by-standers have in close calls. Am I responsible for these near misses? I see so many of them – it's a wonder nobody gets hurt. Although I've yet to see a casualty, the pedestrian we just saw cross the street is now clutching his chest, staggering across the sidewalk and lunging for the building.

I could have feigned a move into the right lane, forcing the speed demon to lay off the gas pedal so he wouldn't flatten a guy. But I didn't do anything. I let things unfold as they would.

Later someone said, “Hm, you must be a guardian angel. You're not causing accidents. You're preventing them.”

Isn't it amazing what simply being present can accomplish?

Standard Time

On November 7th, the clocks fell back to Standard Time, meaning most of us got an extra hour to catch up on our sleep. That extra hour in bed might have brought our lives some extra chaos too.

With Daylight Savings Time, cycling over Burrard Bridge meant I could stop for a while to admire the sunset. At home, I could rake the leaves, tend the garden, wash the car. Life was livable.

With Standard Time, what did I have to look forward to?

• Glowing, brutal street lights.
• Collapsing to my hands and knees to recover the dropped keys that had vanished among the leaves. 
• Overlooking chores, though not because of laziness.
• Shopping for batteries.

Lately, the trend has been to give us more Daylight Savings and less Standard Time. When I was a kid it was exactly six months of each. This year, we started Daylight Savings on March 8th and ended on November 7th - that's almost 8 months! One day, I think (with the help of PR) Daylight Savings will become the new Standard. Just you watch!

Beginnings

What's it like to be on the verge of middle age, far from home, working on the third iteration of one's career, in a city that once again reinventing itself? On this blog, I ponder my transition to a career in Public Relations while finding my place in this ever-changing world.

Let me give you a snapshot about how I found myself in these circumstances. Years ago, I decided to come from out east to see the mountains and the sea, and explore whatever else was willing to reveal itself to me. And when I finally moved to BC 8 years ago, I had an unexpected welcoming committee show me how to proceed.

First, a retired skating coach, with whom I sat on the James Bay seaside in Victoria, affirmed, "People have been coming out west to re-invent themselves for years. You're doing the right thing." He then drew attention to the horizontal strokes in the distance (where the sea met the sky, or the land) and instructed me to focus on these as a channel of peace. “You might need it.”

Later, a businesswoman on the Douglas St. bus explained the intricacies of tree-hugging. "Any tree will do. Even a tree that's been cut down may still have a spirit present. Listen to it. Feel its texture. Press as much of you into that tree as you can.” She drew a single stroke from the top of her head down to her knees. Then she paused a moment before adding, “No humping.”

In a short while, I learned to keep an open heart and mind to the wisdom that people from all over the world were willing to share with me. Over time, I became a good listener, not only about things that would benefit me. Soon, I was getting involved in a variety of issues some of these wise people were discussing. Yet I found that no matter how serious the issue or how great the idea for a solution, the process of communicating change was arduous and often involved untying the knots left by people moving in the opposite direction.

So, that's where I would help - communicating the ideas, making sure the proper message got out to the right people, using the right tools, methods, words. I found a program that taught these principles, and brought people together to work on them and discuss them.

Of the ten steps you are required to take in order to be awarded a Diploma in Public Relations, I am currently in the middle of step 5 and 6.