on isolation

i hit a button and it was gone. don't you love when you write a really long post and then manage to lost it because of some silly human error. anyway, i will now try and replicate what i just spent 15 minutes writing

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most of what i want to write about today is on the theme of isolation. isolation is an interesting concept because isolation can either be self-imposed or can be brought upon you. self-imposed isolation is essentially a retreat from the world in which we life. while often helpful for contemplative times, it can inevitably lead to a disconnect between you and the time/space/people you live in and with. isolation imposed upon you is a virtual prison- essentially robbing you of the power to control certain parts of the world around you. while occasionally necessary to diminish tension or anxiety (a time-out of sorts) it can eventually lead to a captive/master relationship and can fly in the face of self-determination. with this in mind, here are some isolated thoughts...

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the federation of students at my old uni (waterloo) have essentially had isolation imposed upon them. while i have often sympathized with the actions or at least the position university adminstrators have been placed in, i feel that the administration has systematically rejected the working relationship built up over decades with the feds. until further information is revealed, i have no other option but to believe that the administration has become hungry for a piece of the feds bar action and has manipulated a situation to achieve this end. this flies in the face of the continued comment from admin that the feds are the single and primary voice of students and suggests that they are somehow now more capable of determining what is good for the student body. isolating this autonomous body can only be unhealthy for the cohesion of the university and could end up being a rather nasty situation for admin. students run their own autonomous organization for a reason and this isolation could rip the university apart.

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an interesting editorial by jeffrey simpson in the globe today on canada's continued stray into the wilderness on foreign policy- decreased contributions but continued moral superiority. essentially canada wants to be in the world but not of it and continues to approach the world with moral smugness and empty pockets. it seems interesting that so much of the academic literature on foreign policy in the 70's and 80's focused on the detrimental effects of american isolationism and that canada has now fallen into the same trap. while canada still "plays along" on occassions (afghanistan, iraq) their continued lack of contribution to world problems seems unhealthly in an incresingly interdependent world where cooperation is key. perhaps we need to take a lesson from the past and start to cooperate...

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it looks like i have settled on a dissertation topic. i will be examining the level of interaction between individual programs within income support policies and whether they have improved success (over isolated programs) for high-need groups. i'll be focusing on australia and canada which should make for some fun field trips!

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i've been meaning to blog for some time about the life of pi by yann martel. compelling, subversive, charming and evocative, i found this book to be deeply moving. essentially the story of a boy in complete isolation from the world and his encounters with the divine/the world. i am intrigued by what seems like the systematic dismissal in organized religion for divine intervention. while contemporary mass religion seems perfectly willing to believe in some sort of divinely inspired text/events of the past, they seem to complete rule out the possibility of some sort of revelation in the hear and now. i find this especially relevant to reading the last chapter of life of pi (as my friend daryl pointed out, it's brilliant). is it possible for us to believe in an encounter with the divine that is personal and unique in today's and age? if we heard of someone's revelation would we think of them as loony?

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another interesting article in the globe yesterday about the big 10 universities and their growing isolation from the rest of the gang. i had similar concerns in my vped days about the big 5 in ontario. are we finding a systems solution to pse in ontario/canada or are we buckling to the desires of a few key players?

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enjoy the company of strangers