I wrote this 1st draft of a blog in November 2012
I felt uneasy about posting it then
I feel my unease is no longer right
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| White Dove & Obama in Venice, 11/12 ~ detail |
In the midst of these presidential primaries, I feel it is important to share my point of view.
It's hard to imagine, but I also feel sharing these thoughts is even more important now, than it was in 2012.
A double mastectomy in 2014 further contributed to the evolution this blog.
Please read the blog in its entirety ~
Then should you see fit ~
Please share it!
I am -
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| 'Man & His World' ~ detail |
. A hopeful citizen
. A white individual
. A woman & a girl
. A balancer of Head & Heart
. A dog lover & cat admirer
. A healthy, epicurean, explorative foodie
. A two-time university graduate ~
in
business administration & fine arts
. A former marketing strategist ~
in the automotive, advertising & pharmaceutical industries
. A current visual artist of the soul of the landscape
. A socially-conscious capitalist
. A trilingual (almost!)
traveller of the World
. A French~Canadian American ~ by choice
. A first-time voter in the 2012
presidential election
. A fortunate, exploring human being
. The daughter of a man, who was struck by breast cancer,
prostate cancer, a heart attack, and in the end, bone cancer
. The grand-daughter of his mother, who died at 48 of breast cancer, as did her daughter ~ my aunt ~ at the same age
. A woman, once with a high-risk of breast cancer, yet, no more, following a double mastectomy
I was -
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| 'Man & His World' ~ detail |
. Born Canadian, 1/16th Abenaki
. Graced with a birthday shared with Abraham Lincoln ~ Each with the dual sign of Aquarius ~ Snake!
. The child of a hopeful French Canadian couple ~ She was a girl whose smile could make your heart dream impossible
dreams ~ He was a brave Air Force pilot, a young hockey player, an 'old-school' businessman ~ Together, they were married for 55.5
years
. Given a long, complicated, French name
at birth,
yet a short, easy-to-remember, universal nickname in life
. Raised in the only French household of an English neighborhood
. Bilingual at the age of three, known as the French kid in the neighborhood, then the English kid in French school
. Demonstrated by my father to be
independent and fearless
. Proudly sitting by his side during baseball games behind Larry Parrish's third base, thanks to our Montreal Expos season tickets
. Educated by my mother in the art and responsibility of being a lady
. Shown by her ~ and as a matter of course, growing up ~ the necessary skills in the creation of Boeuf Bourguignon, Vichyssoise, Crêpes Suzette...
. Taught by my parents that people of all backgrounds were welcomed in our home ~ and into our lives
. All my childhood, a 'Rotary Club brat', where my father, a District Governor, was proactive in the movement to allow women into the club
. Encouraged ~ always ~ by my mother and father both, to be all that I could ~ and wished to be
. Instilled that voting was a right and a duty ~ 'un devoir' (literally: a must) ~ NEVER to be ignored
. A tomboy, supposedly cuter than she
would have liked, yet never very popular with boys
. A lifeguard at 15, a Hilton part-time employee at 18, a 'college grad recruit' by Ford Motor Company at 22, an advertising executive at 26, an entrepreneur at 32, a soul-driven artist all my life
. A slightly obsessive (AKA focused!) high achiever
. The granddaughter of my mother's mother, who gave birth to 10 kids at home, who never stayed a single night in the hospital, and who died peacefully in her sleep at the age of 100
. Naturalized in 2011 at the historic
Faneuil Hall in Boston, where the female judge emphasized that our choosing to
become American -- with the long, somewhat difficult and costly process that it requires ~ can be said to be somewhat 'more notable' than being born American, thus in my eyes, entails respect, commitment and responsibility
I feel -
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| 'Man & His World' ~ detail |
. People are innately good
. Human beings aspire to be productive
members of society
. No one wishes to exploit medical
services unnecessarily
. Costs rather than actual health are
top-of-mind for Americans, when managing their health, or worse, in need of immediate medical attention
. Medical practitioners in the US are unable to practice healthcare optimally, because they work in an insurance-controlled, financially-driven industry system ~ rather than a health-care industry system
. US medical practitioners cannot
think ONLY of your health ~ when you walk into their office
. American medical enterprise see you
as: 1) insured or not; THEN 2) evaluate your potential appeal as a patient/client based on type & breadth of coverage, and potential ease of payment; THEN 3) a patient
. Paying for
insurance, all the while knowing that the 'actual service of insurance' may or may
not be supplied, has become an accepted reality of functioning in
American society
. Capitalism does not mean
making money for over-consumption ~ often at the cost of human evolution
. Regardless of the high level of US
medical expertise, if profit is the underlying premise of the healthcare system,
then optimal health CARE cannot be the result, thus diminishing the health of ALL Americans
. Many people in the US sadly do not believe
that healthcare is a right of all human beings
. US Medical practitioners are surprised to see me in their office for preventative reasons, that is, when I am not ill
I believe -
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| 'Man & His World' ~ detail |
. In compassion, spirituality, peace
of mind, society and a consciously-lived life
. Money, as the goal, hurts the
process
. Money follows when actions reflect one's conscious true path of life ~ véritable raison d'être!
. 'Stuff' clouds our vision, that is,
our ability to see what is truly needed for happiness
. Social programs offer Americans support and hence, more choices in order to achieve a happy, prosperous, healthy life
. Government support does not
take away freedom, but rather, offers more freedom to live a more worry-free life that is conscious & that has purpose ~ on our true path of life
. Government involvement in healthcare
provides a system where economies of scale are created
. A laissez-faire approach to
enterprise, accompanied with involvement in people's personal lives consists of a
paradox that actually leads to control and a society with fewer choices
. Society benefits from
entrepreneurship framed within a respected set of rules, by offering more
sustainable competitiveness, dynamic performance and long-term success
. Free enterprise ~ AKA capitalism ~ can be socially aware & societally healthy,
rather than free-for-all, cut-throat or me-myself-and-I
. Change is necessary for growth, evolution, fruition and hence ~ HEALTH
. Our elders should live the last part of their life's journey with dignity ~ free to nurture their health, rather than worry about how to take care of it
. Healthcare, as a right of all human
beings, reflects social consciousness ~ love of thy neighbor ~ AND ~ Love of Thy Self ~
I know -
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| 'Man & His World' ~ detail |
. People are healthier in Canada
than they are in the US
. Contrary to many beliefs, you can see a doctor in Canada
. Canadian patients need not sign counter-intuitive medical waivers when seeing a doctor
. People do not, for the most part,
sue their doctors in Canada
. A Canadian is seen by their doctor ~ first and foremost ~ as a human being with medical/health needs
. No one worries about ~ or even has the thought of ~ going
bankrupt when they are ill in Canada
. A Canadian insurance policy is not
cancelled, as a result of being used for its protective claim, that is, the reason for which it was purchased and actually created in the first place
. A government-guided healthcare
system has the underlying premise of proactive HEALTH
. Government involvement in
healthcare offers peace of mind and therefore better HEALTH
. Without money, you cannot take proactive care of your health in the US, as you can in Canada
. Social programs, such as universal
healthcare, do not mean Socialism, which is a socio-political ideology with specific economic qualifiers, but
rather, they reflect values of social consciousness, beyond individual self ~ from which every Self ~ All of We ~ benefits
. Branding and its labels, words and the people offering those words, are powerful and become our truths, influence our own behavior and change our way of life ~ thus should be used with cautious & conscious care
. Capitalism ~ an economic system, also with specific qualities ~ means healthy
competition between relevant, high-performing products and services, which answer the needs of its society
. Our US Nation is made up of people who are among the most socially-conscious, caring individuals in the world
. Society-minded structures, systems and organizations will not result in the creation of Socialism or a change to the already existing social values of Americans
. We, the people, need not be afraid of National support, which reflects our social consciousness ~ as individuals & as a Nation living a conscious life
What are American Values ~ How are they reflected?
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'Man & His World' ~ by MCJ
Acrylic on canvas ~ 48" X 36" |
Michelangelo's ~ Moses, David, Pietà
Man's ~ Head, Heart, Soul
Earth's ~ Wisdom, Love, Compassion
Our Nation's ~ Respect, Hope, Dignity
It is time to STOP ~ SEE, FEEL, KNOW ~
What quality of life means to us ~
What well-lived life it is, to which we aspire ~
As Conscious Caring American Human Citizens ~
Of the World.
This restless plea ~ written to all of
us ~ germinated at the end of a journey through Italy ~ after
struggling for many years ~ to crystalize soul-driven words ~ resonating in my heart ~ growing stronger in my mind ~ during my lengthy and challenging journey of becoming a Conscious
American Human Citizen.
The journey continues ~ ~ ~
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| White Dove & Obama in Venice, 11/12 |
This photo ~ Symbolic of ~
Respect ~ Hope ~ Dignity
I share with great pride
And a joyful heart.
It was taken in Venice, Italy
A few hours after
Barack Obama won
The 2012 US Presidential election.
I am ~
A hopeful citizen of the World.
