Now and then, I hear folks in the community complain about actions city council is taking to make this a better community.
Often they attack the city councillors themselves. Examining these situations, I note the hundreds of hours council puts in, and then I search to see how involved the critics might be, if at all.
Alas, some of those taking swipes at council members have only rarely been on a committee or involved in a major organization. They simply get onto Facebook or other social media and have a “grand time” berating those who put their personal lives on hold while trying to move Castlegar forward.
Never attending council meetings and yet denigrating those working to better our community is merely a coward’s way of operating. I say to these sometimes vicious commentators: get involved. Find out what’s really happening by putting your name forward for election. Get voted into council and discover how difficult the job is. Stop living on the outside and whining.
It’s strange, but in this age of so many ways to get involved, many people simply refuse to do so, or they function within a limited sphere and call that “life.” I suppose it is in a way, and if happiness is a key part of that shrunken domain, then so be it. But if it ends up in “sour grapes” commentary somewhere on the Internet, then that’s clearly the behaviour of losers.
That’s not how my friends and I view the world and want to function. We want to extend and expand and to be in the heart of things. For example, I’ve been involved in a lot of dance lessons, both ballroom and line dancing. Many of the people taking these lessons are simply happy to take the lessons and then never show up on a dance floor. Others will practise what they’ve learned if it’s a small group dance put on by the lesson givers.
My point is that if you’ve taken the time to learn how to cha-cha or now can manage a decent waltz, you should attend community dances and become part of the larger action. You can dance at the New Year’s ball, you can swing at the Sunfest band night, and you can spin around the floor to tunes played by the Swingsations big band sound.
I have met people who tell me how much money they’ve made on the stock market. Then I find out the stock market they’re playing is an electronic one where they don’t have to invest any money. Initially, they’re given thousands of play dollars and have racked up millions in winnings. However, they never take that interest in stocks into the mainstream.
In fact, some of them declare they would never buy a stock or waste their money hoping to make more money. They keep their money safe and remain outside the main chance. They will play games as if it is the stock market, but they will never play the “real” stock market.
I know others who play 70 hours a week on slot gambling sites online. They, too, rack up millions in winnings and spend hours sending bonus amounts to friends. All of this, of course, is accomplished without any real investment of money-only an investment in time.
They brag about their winnings, so I suggest we go out to the Castlegar Gaming Centre and play the real machines. “Never” is the reply, and again I realize there are people who love their fantasies but won’t venture out into the real world.
They tell me it’s a lot safer in the world they’ve chosen-and it probably is.