Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Item #53: Human Life

Just a few weeks ago now, the third weekend in July 2011 was a weekend of loss. 92 people corralled and executed in Norway, many under the age of 25 years. Talented British musician Amy Winehouse died, at the age of 27. And the tragic daily deaths continued to mount due to an unprecedented drought in Africa.


The loss of life fed discussions, debate, and even disdain from people across the corners of the world. Many expressed belief that it was an inevitable outcome for Amy, that she should’ve gone to rehab, even that it was her own choice and her own weak doing. Others were appalled that Amy Winehouse would receive more attention than the Norway deaths. And a few railed at the lack of attention being paid to the lives being lost daily in Africa.


In the midst of this, I came across an unrelated article. It’s a theoretical opinion piece whereby the author observes a growing discourse about humanity and the value of human life. To the statement that ‘every human life is valuable’, he questions, is that true? And based on what tenets? Is it a religious reduction? He wonders if it bears its roots in the biblical belief that every human life is sacred and that by definition, it is a spiritual concept, versus a scientific one.


Is every human life valuable? Equally? And if so, why?


The heart of every one of us should break equally at each of the losses that weekend in July, for Amy Winehouse, for each of the 92 killed in Norway and for every single death in Africa. And for every loss to come today and tomorrow, with whatever inevitable crisis erupts in this societal chaos we are living in the midst of.


Because yes, every human life is valuable.


Because every human life is in part our own human life. Because every one of us is valuable and a death of any one of us is in some way a death in all of us. Because the degree to which we each, every human, tap into, and feel the importance of every human life, and the impact of the loss of every human life, is the degree to which we will each independently and collectively be fully human.


Every single human life has equal potential. We are all the same: genetic material brought together inside a womb, a heart, a soul, a spirit; altogether a being of potential. We are each born into immensely varied situations in many different parts of the world, and we live days and lives of radically different experiences. Of hurt and loss. Hopefully of joy and laughter too. But none of us humans choose what we are born into.


Because no single human life ever ‘chooses’ death. Those living in Africa would rather have lived; were the land they live on capable of keeping them alive, life is what they have. Those youth in Norway would rather have lived; had the hateful person not shot them each with a bullet, life is what they would have. Amy would rather have lived; had her heart and her spirit not been eating her from inside, life is what she would have. We humans are all the same. We all, we humans, want to live.


And that’s what makes us human. That’s why every human life is valuable. We are all each born of the same parts, with hearts, souls, spirits and equal potential. And we all, each of us, want to live. This is not religious belief. This is biological reality. We are all humans, built of the same components. Not one human living a productive, happy, healthy, safe life would rather die. And if every human had the opportunity to be productive, happy, safe and healthy, every single human would choose life every time.

















Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Item #52: Follow the Yellow Brick Road GUEST POST

Follow the yellow brick road?

As a child my parents bought me my very own pair of ruby red slippers. I would put them on every night and click my heels. I would click and click and click, but after all that clicking, I would still be standing clutching my blankie in the hallway with the blue carpet. Really, I think my main problem was that I was already home – dummy – I hadn’t yet started down my yellow brick road (YBR), I couldn’t even cross the street. I was 6 with an overactive imagination.












In high school, I had an aptitude towards creative writing, but I never really thought anything of it. I’d day dream about writing a book though - that and becoming a world famous figure skating pop star that EVERYONE in the entire world admired. Britney and Christina had nothin’ on me!

Reality checked in around 17 and I applied for university in Hotel and Food Administration.

After 6-ish years of post secondary education (4 years Uni + a 1 year victory lap, 1 year off working and then 1 more year of college), I was ready to begin my professional life as a big city Ad Girl. I was going to make it and I was going to make it big!


















While busting my butt off working insane hours in the fast paced, intense industry of Advertising, I decided that I should take on more hours and work on a side project. With inspiration from a former colleague (Max Sawka), I decided that the world needed (yes, I said needed) me to write down my ridiculous scenarios and unnecessary opinions.

Jenerally Speaking (aka. www.jentalkstoomuch.com) was born and the internets (all three of them* ) became filled with my incessant ramblings and wild and/or mild adventures.

What’s next?

Where is my YBR headed? Well, to write that book (obviously). I’m currently working with the talented illustrator from Windsor, Jen Huggins, who has turned me into a cartoon:


















She also is beautifully and creatively taking the words from my stories, and visualizing them in imaginative, hilarious ways.

















To successfully accomplish this new goal, I now have a series of next steps to go though:
- Continue to work hard and love advertising/ marketing.
- Write, write, write.
- Determine printing costs. To do this I need to determine page count.
- Determine page count.
- Find money. (I hear there’s a money tree planted in Trinity Bellwoods – DIBS - if it’s not there when I get home tonight, I’ll come after you. I know where you live.)
- Find an editor. Just because I love to write, doesn’t mean I don’t make tons of grammar mistakes.
- Determine if I’m to work with a real publisher, or publish it on my own. Yikes.
- Get training again so I can be that world famous figure skating pop star. Twenty-nine’s not too old to be a teenage pop star right?

So, with some zigzagging and jigjagging, I now know what I’m supposed to do. No matter where I am in my life (professionally or unprofessionally), I need to write. It’s what I’m supposed to do. I feel it, writing is my YBR!

If you’ve managed to read this far and are interested in this new endeavour of mine or just feel like contacting me, my info is below:

http://www.jentalkstoomuch.com/
@jennyus
http://ca.linkedin.com/in/jenlwoodall
http://www.facebook.com/jentalkstoomuch
jenlwoodall@hotmail.com

*Max gets joke cred on that one!