….that I was gonna shut up for awhile, that was pertaining to race and racial politics. I am just not as ‘woke’ enough on the subject as I should be to comment very much. But I think we all know that I can’t shut up on everything. Or for very long. And, don’t make the mistake of thinking that I am well-steeped in the rest of the subjects that I write about, either. I am not. I am just steeped enough to have an opinion on those other topics but the racial issue is a deeper-felt and complicated subject than is OTG’ing or general politics. General politics is fair game for the ignorant and ill-informed as much as anyone and I definitely qualify for that.
NOT talking about racial issues is not the right answer, either. But, as I implied, now is the time to listen more. And, if you are listening, you are NOT talking. Or writing. Soooo………
What can I talk about? What do I know? What and where is my expertise? Hmmmmm…..maybe I really should just shut up? But I do have some opinions on electric vehicles, weather, the environment, Trump and Trudeau (of course), the police, the economy and living OTG. I have opinions about marriage, men and women, relationships and family, too, but so does everyone so…….and that is what the comment section is for.
Let’s do a tiny bit on the economy. Canada added 290,000 jobs in May! The loon is up! Seems some people, despite Covid, are doing boffo. A contractor friend of mine is doing exceptionally well right now building suites in homes. He figures (from talking to the owners) that the ‘mortgage helpers’ are less about the general rental market and more about getting elderly parents out of rest homes. In a weird way, Covid-19 may bring some families together a bit more.
I have a couple of other friends whose adult children are moving back home and they, too, are adding bedrooms or suites. Or buying motorhomes for the back yard.
Some of those new jobs are in delivering goods and packages. Our little community has pretty much embraced the food delivery, package delivery, materials delivery phenomena much more than ever before. We have ‘cut down’ unnecessary travel by at least half and, judging from the vehicle parking lot we use on the other island, probably more. Those cars aren’t moving much at all. We haven’t driven in two months! We are saving fuel, time, wear and tear on the vehicle and we are saving money in the process as well – people are just buying less. All that has to play out as a bit of a palliative for the environment. Maybe even part of the cure? It sure has injected new life into the ‘gig’ economy.
The restaurant industry, on the other hand, is struggling and I do not see that bouncing back too soon. Same for tourism-based businesses. Same for air travel.
Our fish stocks will likely do better around here this year simply because the numbers of American and Canadian Sportsmen fishing for salmon and foraging for shellfish is way, way down. I wouldn’t mind a few years of that. There have been few – if any – whale watching boats so far and that would be good for the whales ‘cept part of the reason for no boats is that we have not seen any whales this year. Well, one pod of Orcas about two weeks ago.
The e-bike revolution has started and it is gonna be big. Urban traffic will be a bit confused for awhile but, eventually, e-bikes will make a big difference. We may be moving to the New York model where the well-off have a car that they do not use except on the weekends. It is fascinating to watch the development and the iterations of that old transportation component (now with more bicycles and e-vehicles) being revitalized. That technical adjustment to the way society works is a good one and I am a huge fan.
On the gardening front, we are exploding with new veggies, plants and flowers. Our bees runneth over. I have not been an advocate for planting flowers since I prefer to eat what I grow but the the plight of bees is still with us. I am helping to add more flowers – just for them. Seems they need us more than ever.
Sal’s new knee is better than her old, good one. She says she is more confident with the new one when she has to push the limit a bit. That is marvelous news. She’s off to ‘first yoga’ today.
And that is it for we OTG’ers the 5th of June, 2020. Things are alright with our mostly isolated world.
Our Off the Grid Home 
Let me offer you the Socratic Paradox. Attributed to Socrates, “I know that I know nothing.” Some people who might prefer to think that Socrates was just being ironic. It is a thought with many levels and perhaps at one level it appears merely ironic but there is more to It than not knowing. The recognition by Socrates that he does not know. But he remains open to discovery. Skepticism leading to discovery but not skepticism leading to nihilism. ‘No man is an island entire of itself…’’
All of us are invested in the fate of humanity. The diminishing of one diminished us all.
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So….? I am dumb like Soc? I could very possibly be dumber, you know? But we won’t pick nits. Me and Soc stumbling blind but still with our eyes open.
I think it is incumbent on one’s self to know a bit about what you don’t know. And learning a bit usually illuminates the larger deficit.
The hardest person to mediate was the stupid one – not because they were stupid but because they KNEW they were not as smart as their opponent and had learned the one trick stupid people employ when that happens: they distrust everyone and approach all conversations with suspicion. They close what little mind they have. Hard to get past that sometimes.
Rumsfeld said, “There are known-knowns, known-unknowns and unknown-unknowns.”
It is the latter that gets ya.
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Talking about Trump are you? 😉
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Well said being aware that unknown unknowns exist is central. Stupid is not the best word to use to discover the unknown unknowns. Someone said there is a “crack in everything and that lets the light shine in.” Recognizing that one’s reach exceeds one’s grasp’’ seeking the unknown unknowns. Not perfected yet but still hopeful. Still striving.
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