Creative play

In an earlier post, I said, if you have a grandchild or a child who has a creative imagination, help them build their worlds and create. Help them to understand that fiction is something they can build using 26 letters and a handful of punctuation marks, and they, and they alone, using their imagination, can create a world and people to fill this world. Using writing they get to feel things, visit places and worlds they would never otherwise know, and they can share these with their friends, family, and maybe one day the world.

I believe this to be true, but I did not mention children who use their imagination to draw, paint, or sketch the worlds they imagine. Artists use imagery to touch our souls, to help us understand the depth of human desire, rage, anguish, pain, love, and joy. The skills the writer uses to manipulate the 26 letters of the alphabet to create stories, moods, characters, and memories can be surpassed by the ability of the artist to use the primary colours, of red, yellow, and blue to create a story, a mood, and memories. They use art to show us how to feel and how to visit places we may never go or imagine ourselves. Encourage them to share their visions with friends, family and maybe one day the world.

Now we are aware that humans only see a small part of the light spectrum, some scientists say we see less than 1%. With that 1%, we create magical worlds that allow the viewer to be transported, using their imagination to a different time, place, or mood. Encourage the artist, in your grandchildren who see the world differently and who express their view through their drawings, paintings, or sketching.

The creativity of children can be expressed through art, writing, acting, and playing and sometimes as adults we miss out. So, when we see creativity in action, we should talk about it with the child. Ask open-ended questions like “Tell me about your picture, your story.”

You can also describe specific things your child is doing by saying things such as, “You’re making short lines, I see you are using red, green and blue.” You can also describe the actions your child is taking or the materials they are using by saying things such as, “You are using a soft paintbrush, I noticed you are making small circles, and you are using two crayons at the same time! I believe that we should encourage role play and imaginative play in children no matter what age.

 

 

Apathy vis Compacency

My friend is frustrated, with what he sees as a senior population that is turning apathetic. He sites low voter turnout in the last Municipal election. (The reality is that the voter turnout for the past 5 years in BC is within 2 points of 50% above in some years, and below in others. This year was no different.) He cited low vaccination rates for COVID boosters. (Yet according to Statista, as of October 9, 2022, roughly 83 percent of the population of Canada had received at least one COVID-19 vaccination dose of those around 80 percent were fully vaccinated.) This statistic illustrates the percentage of the Canadian population with at least one dose, partial, or full vaccination against COVID-19 as of October 9, 2022. So, our vaccination rate is not low as he thought. He was concerned that people were not getting their flu vaccination. But at the time of his concern, the flu vaccine was just starting to be given to people. I think my friend was frustrated because people are becoming complacent about issues that he feels passionate about and that he with which he takes a leadership role.

Apathy. Complacency. These two words frustrate leaders when working with people. With these two realities, it feels that those we lead are either going through the motions or settling for a low bar. The lacklustre actions that embody a culture where people seem to lack passion or drive feel overwhelming to many leaders.

Apathy is a complete lack of emotion or motivation about a person, activity, or object; depression; lack of interest or enthusiasm; disinterest. Whereas complacency is a feeling of contented self-satisfaction, especially when unaware of upcoming trouble and lack of conviction to strive for anything

As a leader, my friend must see beyond the apathy or complacency of those who he hopes to motivate to action. He has to look within and draw from his successes, not his failures. Many of those who are in leadership positions when they are feeling frustrated focus on the negatives, not the positives. For example, instead of being concerned that only 70% of people did not vote, we should celebrate the 30% who did vote and work with them to see how we can get them to motivate others. Life is too short to dwell on the negative, focus on the positive and move on.

 

Do you fact check?

I like some of the emails and news clippings my friends send me, but I am careful about resending them. In Canada, the Criminal code states in section 372 subsections 1, 2, and 3 that 

(1) Everyone commits an offence who, with intent to injure or alarm a person, conveys information that they know is false or causes such information to be conveyed by letter or any means of telecommunication.

(2) Everyone commits an offence who, with intent to alarm or annoy a person, makes an indecent communication to that person or to any other person by a means of telecommunication.

(3) Everyone commits an offence who, without lawful excuse and with intent to harass a person, repeatedly communicates, or causes repeated communications to be made, with them by a means of telecommunication.

(4) Everyone who commits an offence under this section is

(a) guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than two years; or

(b) guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.

So if you receive info via email, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and you want to pass it on, be aware of the laws of your country and also Fact Check the information. Here are a few places to help you start

The Reporters' Lab is a center for journalism research in the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. Our core projects focus on fact-checking, ...

List of fact-checking websites from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia lists fact checking sites from many countries around the world.

A fascinating resource is Medawise. This non-partisan outfit offers free tutorials on how to spot fake news from any source and make yourself a more discerning consumer of information. It has a separate Teen Network for helping young people navigate the dangerous waters of social media. something a grandchild or a parent might find helpful. There are sections designed especially for seniors. It is worth taking a look.

An approach I find helpful to separate the real from the fanciful is to read from several sources on each side of the major political divide. Look for key giveaways like "alleged," "one source reports, "unconfirmed information." Each of these gives me a clue that the story or piece of a story is potentially speculative or unproven. Those trigger phrases prompt me to check more sources to see who else may have more details. 

If I can't verify what I have read, I do not resend it, repost it, or use it as the basis for a snarky putdown on Facebook. I am not saying this statement is untrue, I am simply refusing to further its spread until I am convinced of its veracity.

If the poll numbers I quoted at the beginning of this post are accurate (and I did check that this story was not from just one source), then the bulk of us understand the harm misinformation can cause. As individuals, what we can do is not be part of the problem by spreading, amplifying, or keeping alive something that can hurt people. 

Support your local Foodbank

A record number of people used food banks in Canada this year, with high inflation and low social assistance rates cited as key factors in the rise, according to a new report.

The annual report from Food Banks Canada said there were nearly 1.5 million visits to food banks in March, 15 percent more than the same month last year and 35 percent more than in March 2019, prior to the pandemic.

The Food Banks Canada report is based on data from more than 4,750 food banks and community organizations.

The report said the skyrocketing cost of food and housing, as well as high inflation and low social assistance rates, have contributed to the rise in food bank usage.

The report says there has been: a 35% increase in usage in 2 years 4 million meals/snacks served in March 2022 1 in 7 users are employed 49% are on social assistance 33% of users are children 9% are seniors

Fixed-income groups like seniors and employed but low-income people such as students have been hit harder because their paycheques can't keep up with inflation

The report also said that around 500,000 food bank clients — about one-third — are children, who make up around 20 percent of the country's total population. So, if you can support the Foodbank with a cash donation that would be appreciated.