Print Edition: November 5, 2014
Buskers are not bums
I was recently in Seattle visiting the famous Pike Place Market and was shocked by how many people do not pay the buskers there. Some of these buskers are there all day.
As a musician, I understand how much practice goes into having enough material for that length of time, as well as actually performing for that long. They’re not just sitting there begging, they’re actually working for it. And in areas like Pike Place, not just anyone can set up and busk. These are real musicians trying to earn a living.
My philosophy is if a busker captivated my attention and made me want to stop and listen, they at deserve at least a dollar. Buskers are not as common in Abbotsford or Chilliwack, but next time you see one in the city, don’t forget to pay them for their work rather than just listening and walking away.
An excuse not to shave
I have a pretty busy semester, what with six classes and a part-time job. I don’t have much free time, especially in the mornings. Often I rush out of the house having forgotten to do something I was supposed to do. I usually forget to shave, so I have this perpetual scruff going on. Now, I don’t think it looks bad, but it doesn’t really look great either, which is why I’m glad November has arrived, as “Movember” affords me a perfectly legitimate excuse to forget about shaving for a month, and support a worthy cause at the same time. During any other month of the year my half-assed patches of scruff would be looked down upon, but Movember is great because my laziness can go unnoticed, or at least is grudgingly accepted.
A fight for the boxer
Despite living in an accepting society, it does not seem our ethical ideals transfer to dogs.
I own a purebred boxer, and have gladly taken the time to train both myself and my dog to behave well within our tightly knit suburb. Yet when he walks at my side as my companion, with an expression of unwitting bliss, I see the stares of prejudice toward my “untamed beast” due to the way a boxer looks. Passersby ask me to hold back my “animal,” they shield their children, and they put tremendous effort into avoiding us. If our society is so accepting, why do these irrational judgments plague us still, especially towards friendly dogs? As Gandhi once said, “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
Start treating dogs with respect. When you don’t, you reflect an untreated illness of our society.
Public rebuke
What’s with people calling each other out in public? Maybe it’s because it’s election season and people are adopting the political mentality where it seems acceptable to jump all over or attack what someone says. But how are your judgements justified when you are just as likely to be guilty of saying contradictory things or misjudging someone?
Too often we like to play judge because we think we are right. We seem to gain enjoyment in watching someone flounder in their defence while we sit there smugly confident that we’re right.
Stop trying to be right all the time because the reality is, you’re not. If you really want to call the shots, go to law school.
