Last
week, there was a big hullabaloo over the news that Don Cherry, former co-host
of CBC’s “Coach’s Corner”, was fired for his incendiary remarks while
broadcasting on “Hockey Night In Canada”. Cherry was ranting about the fact
that some Canadian immigrants, to whom he referred as “you people”, did not
wear poppies to commemorate Remembrance Day. He felt that it was unpatriotic
and disrespectful to the men and women who fought (and fight) to preserve
Canada’s freedom. Co host Ron MacLean sided with the CBC who abruptly fired
Cherry. Just judging from the reaction on the Hunters Bay Radio Facebook page,
this is a sore subject, and it unleashed a flurry of angry, indignant, sometimes
disrespectful comments. I’m not interested in weighing in on this issue,
because I’m not in a position to judge Don Cherry; I really know nothing about
the man other than the character who hosted “Coach’s Corner”. I very much doubt
that is a clear picture of who Don Cherry really is. Also, there seems to be
plenty of blame to go around for this mess. For decades, CBC certainly
capitalized on Cherry’s outspoken personality. I was saddened to read some of
the personal attacks and the nastiness that this controversy unleashed. We seem
to have reached a boiling point.
As
I began writing this report on Friday afternoon, the U.S. Presidential impeachment
hearings were airing on CNN, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch
was stoically enduring the verbal attacks of some bullying Republican lapdog of
the Commander-In-Tweet. The partisan vitriol spewed during that hearing was
incredible. As I watch seemingly credible career diplomats and other decent
individuals fall into the Trump grist mill, I am appalled by the partisan
circus presently spinning out of control. How did we get to this point? I’m
certainly no historian. Political science was never my strong suit, but if one
watches the news or consults social media, one hears a steady stream of divisive,
disrespectful, sometimes hateful rhetoric.
An
old classmate of mine, Bob O’ Connor, wrote a self-help book several years ago
entitled “Gumptionade”. The book is full of tools and exercises we can use to
be more productive and effective in our daily lives. The overall message is
that we should strive to do more good than harm. While this is a simple
message, how many of us can say we practice this behavior? The other day, I had
yet another perplexing computer problem wherein I lost some project on which I
was working, I am not sleeping properly because I worry about the constellation
of little problems I cannot solve, and because some SOB claiming to be a
Microsoft technician keeps calling me up in the wee hours of the morning to try
to scam us (from an untraceable number), the news is all bad, and on and on and
on. I don’t know wherefrom my anxiousness originates. I only know that it is
growing worse. If I don’t repair me, I can’t help or love anyone else. My goal
is to become more mindful of my purpose in life, and to learn how to do things
that make me feel empowered and help me to heal and repair. These are not
unattainable goals. I’m slowly learning that the only thing that truly gives me
peace is making someone else’s life better. Every time I speak negatively,
every time I gossip, every time I show anger and impatience, I am the one who
suffers the most. My so-called altruism is really just a selfish desire to feel
better.
I
spoke a few months ago about meditation, and that I am consciously making time
to concentrate on my breathing for five or ten minutes, twice per day. You
might laugh, because it sounds foolish to simply concentrate on breathing. We
all do that right? I don’t! I shallow breathe, especially when I am anxious,
and simply taking the time to focus on my breathing for a few moments a day has
been therapeutic for me. I’m also forcing myself to listen, even when my
instincts are to talk. It seems like the less talking I do the better I feel.
Do less harm. I don’t know who’s right and who’s wrong anymore. Everyone seems
to have an opinion, and everyone seems to be clawing for the moral high ground.
I’ve done a lot of things wrong in my life so far, and I own those wrongdoings.
I simply want to do better now. Maybe that involves making a friend laugh, or
stopping to listen to the problems of a relative stranger. Maybe it means not
calling someone an idiot because they don’t agree with my opinion of Don
Cherry’s dismissal, or Donald Trump’s impeachment hearings.
Jamie Oppenheimer,
Songwriter, Author, Blogger, Radio Producer, & Host has been writing THE
OPPENHEIMER REPORT every MONDAY since 1992 and has published the articles on
his blog since 2006. We are including Jamie's weekly reports, as a feature
of #HuntersBayRadio, The Bay 88.7FM.
HuntersBayRadio.com #MusicYouNeedToHear #EveryoneHasAStory #GotLocal? #WeAreMuskoka #WeAreAlmaguin #TheOpeenheimerReport #JamieOppenheimer
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