Let's get the formalities out of the way. This blog is my own, it does not represent any other person or organization real or imagined that may or may not have an association with me. Every other entity I work, live, worship, or socialize with is hereby released of any responsibility for the fierceness I am about to embark on.
My fierceness is a result of getting in touch with the social activist nanna that seems to be inhabiting my spirit more and more lately, and it has been fueled by reading Seth Godin's (2014) latest book, What To Do When It's Your Turn (and it's always your turn). I have been biting off little bits of the book since December because every time I read another line I get all fired up and it frightens me. On page eight in huge yellow font it says, "your turn to make a ruckus." So, because I read it, I am going to do it. I am going to make a political ruckus. I am going to take this blog on a little detour until the next provincial election, away from the safety of stories about the dog, the swake, and my family to the scary land of political commentary.
The difference between furious and fierce is that furious stems from the ego, makes for witty hash tags, and marches with mirrors in hand. Fierce takes a step back, to piece together a story of what is really happening and works to forge a path forward. Fierce demands that you step into your social activist shoes and speak truth. Fierce is about caring and making a difference in a rational meaningful way in the midst of the storm of fury. "Fierce means living with the simultaneous certainty that this is vitally important and this might not work" (Godin, p. 78).
Sources:
Elections Alberta. (2012). Reports, Statistics, General Elections 1975-2012. Retrieved from: http://www.elections.ab.ca/Public%20Website/750.htm
Godin, Seth. (2014). What To Do When It's Your Turn (and it's always your turn). Canada: Hemlock.
My fierceness is a result of getting in touch with the social activist nanna that seems to be inhabiting my spirit more and more lately, and it has been fueled by reading Seth Godin's (2014) latest book, What To Do When It's Your Turn (and it's always your turn). I have been biting off little bits of the book since December because every time I read another line I get all fired up and it frightens me. On page eight in huge yellow font it says, "your turn to make a ruckus." So, because I read it, I am going to do it. I am going to make a political ruckus. I am going to take this blog on a little detour until the next provincial election, away from the safety of stories about the dog, the swake, and my family to the scary land of political commentary.
#PrenticeBlamesAlbertans
About the same time that Premier Prentice verbalized a little political commentary on March 5th that elicited the fury of Albertans, I read page seventy-eight in the book. That page was headlined, "Furious is not the same as fierce." And, oh Albertans were furious. The world of social media, lit up and #PrenticeBlamesAlbertans got international attention for the dialogue it was triggering. I waded into that dialogue with a tweet that I hoped would register with a few people out there in Twitter land. It seemed like a vote of confidence was in order for the Premier. I believed he was right, but before you go off half-cocked and furious, hear me out.
Look in the Mirror
He suggested Albertans needed to look in the mirror and implied Albertans were to blame for the hole the province finds itself in. You know that huge $7B black hole? Well, I looked in the mirror and I discovered Prentice was right. There in the mirror was the reflection of one of the 2,387,485 Albertans who was on the list of eligible voters when the 2012 general election was held (www.elections.ab.ca). Since I was first eligible to vote in 1982, I have historically voted for whatever candidate seemed to be the most intelligent and demonstrated the strongest motivation to truly represent what was best for his/her constituents. That means that I have voted for a broad array of parties and am not party loyal.Leaving Votes on the Table
But let's get back to the last vote, and ask which Albertans are brave enough to look in the mirror and man/woman enough to take the blame. Only 54.37% of eligible voters cast a ballot in the last election. Yes, Prentice is right. There is blame to be had all around. Some of us voted PC, and some of us didn't vote at all. Albertans left 45.63% of possible votes on the table - unused. Shame on us, Alberta. Okay, go get furious. When you get over being furious come back and let's get fierce together, because it is time Albertans got over being furious and became fierce.The difference between furious and fierce is that furious stems from the ego, makes for witty hash tags, and marches with mirrors in hand. Fierce takes a step back, to piece together a story of what is really happening and works to forge a path forward. Fierce demands that you step into your social activist shoes and speak truth. Fierce is about caring and making a difference in a rational meaningful way in the midst of the storm of fury. "Fierce means living with the simultaneous certainty that this is vitally important and this might not work" (Godin, p. 78).
Sources:
Elections Alberta. (2012). Reports, Statistics, General Elections 1975-2012. Retrieved from: http://www.elections.ab.ca/Public%20Website/750.htm
Godin, Seth. (2014). What To Do When It's Your Turn (and it's always your turn). Canada: Hemlock.
Good for you, Joy. Keep talking. Let the fierce nanna speak. Looking forward to the next post.
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