“The way in which a man accepts his fate and all the suffering it entails, the way in which he takes up his cross, gives him ample opportunity – even under the most difficult circumstances to add a deeper meaning to his life.”
Victor Frankl
Sometimes it takes a crisis.
If you look at every personal growth spurt in your life, chances are every one was preceded by a great and uncomfortable challenge.
It is our failures, our struggles, our pain that make us stronger, wiser, more resilient, and, if we allow it, happier.
I call it spiritual hormesis — what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
I am not making light of the fact that people have died from lack and denial of COVID-19 early treatment and from experimental injections that have proven to be useless at stopping transmission.
I am not diminishing the monstrous mandate outcomes of rises in domestic abuse, unemployment, the closure of small businesses, and youth self-harm and suicide, or the learning disabilities and physical and psychological scars of children for decades to come.
There is much to mourn and many wounds to heal.
These crimes against humanity must be acknowledged and those responsible must be held to account.
And, those of us who are alive and witnessing this unprecedented time have an opportunity.
To evolve ourselves and teach our children by example.
The ego is a powerful force made deadly by the collective ego of those who would rather save their reputations, careers, and profit than admit they were wrong.
But we can and must admit our mistakes and atone for the lies.
There is a disturbing duality happening right now.
As I marched with more than 12000 people down the longest street in Canada in -13°C weather, there was more support than ever from onlookers and even drivers inconvenienced by the crowd.
But there were those masked pedestrians (though even the most egregious politicians here have not mandated outdoor masking) who looked upon us with what must have been bewilderment.
They are following the mainstream media and government narrative, and they are following orders.
They are being told that nearly 2 years after hitting the country, a virus that did not change excess deaths or alter life expectancy in any significant way still requires us to lockdown, contact trace, close small businesses, show vax passes, and social distance — even though they were told that getting the jab would end all that.
They are bombarded with propaganda to cleave them from friends, family, and fellow citizens who have made a different medical choice by being told the unvaccinated are unscientific, ignorant, racist misogynists who don’t deserve our basic rights and should face fines and possibly jail time.
Seeing our happy, healthy, unmasked faces has got to create cognitive dissonance.
This was not a crowd of radicals.
Those of us who gathered are mothers and fathers, medical professionals and others with long-standing careers, working class and middle class.
I spoke to several people for whom this was the first demonstration of their lives.
Because nothing in our lives has ever been more important.
Nothing ever will be.
And this could be good news.
Personally, I have never felt such a keen and empowering sense of citizenship as I do now, as a result of the government’s overreach and apparent lust for authoritarianism -- and my willingness to examine and evaluate my beliefs and opinions newly.
I have never witnessed such a vigorous and vocal uprising from my fellow Canadians -- from those willing to take action they've never before considered taking.
Despite our propensity for compliance, instilled in our nation’s motto, “peace, order, and good government,” people are rising up and taking a stand for what matters.
Dozens of organizations, protests, and lawsuits are underway.
This weekend’s World Wide Freedom Rallies (you can scroll to the bottom of their site and find videos from around the world) included no less than 29 locations in Canada, and over 150 cities around the world.
Toronto rose up…
We came from across the political spectrum and from across generations.
We are not afraid and we will not be silenced.
Those who are still following all the rules without question seem to be the most scared.
Our Prime Minister may be the last to know, but he has ignited a spark that has grown into a fire in the hearts and minds of Canadians.
It is this growing flame that fuels the Freedom Convoy rolling towards Ottawa right now.
On Sunday morning, thousands gathered in Vancouver to cheer on the truckers as they headed out of British Columbia towards the capital.
When I started writing this blog in the morning, they had raised $2 million to fund their drive, and by evening had raised nearly $3 million for fuel, food, and lodging.
Thousands more are coming from the east coast as well, and from the south in Windsor.
Every day, the convoy will pick up fellow travellers and will converge on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Saturday, January 29th to demand an end to life-crushing mandates and to ask for Trudeau’s resignation.
You can follow their routes here 👇
While the legacy media has censored most dissension from the mainstream narrative, and the government has continued to ignore or berate opposition, people have been pushed to inventive new actions.
My hopes and prayers are with the truckers.
My hopes and prayers are that they will raise awareness through peaceful non-compliance.
My hopes and prayers are that they will draw attention to the pain and suffering of ordinary Canadians and that the mainstream media will hear them out and begin to give voice to the truth of these mandates.
They are ineffective and cruel and are destroying our democracy.
And here I circle back to our opportunity.
We have lived in relative luxury compared with much of the rest of the world.
We have reaped the rewards of democracy without having to take responsibility for our freedoms.
Until now.
As with all challenges we face in life, it is the uncomfortable stretching and strengthening of our responsibility — our ability to respond — that gives us real power.
There is an upside to tyranny.
It is the opportunity to stand for one's values and experience freedom, no matter what the circumstance.
Let them truckers roll.
——————————
JAN25 Update: There are now several sources embedded with the convoy, so this blog will be updated as they roll on.
This is history in the making...
JAN26 update: You can listen in on live CB radio messages to and from the truckers from anywhere in the world on an app called Zello. Follow this link once you've downloaded it for free...
Nothing like perking up your day with children saying, "Thank you for protecting our freedom!"
Also, the convoy is now ~100km long and the longest in history.
And, the GoFundMe fund is now over $5 million!
You can follow these embedded sources --- Bright Light News, Rebel News, and The Counter Signal, for up-to-date reports and videos.
Here's more inspiration from women preparing food for the truckers...
JAN27 update: The mainstream media can no longer ignore history unfolding, but they are not participating without a fight.
The usual labels of "extremists" and "dangerous misinformation" fly in the face of the joyful images and supportive audio messages being shared across the country and all over social media.
But if it's official support you're looking for, look no further than the prestigious Taking Back Our Freedoms, an organization chaired by former Newfoundland-Labrador Premier Brian Peckford, with an impressive Advisory Board of many C-19 heroes I've written about here.
You do not want to miss Mr. Peckford's bombshell announcement yesterday on Dr. Jordan B. Peterson's podcast, and through a press release from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms -- he is suing the Canadian government for travel bans!
This is an incredible interview and civics lesson from the last living signatory of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and gives credibility to the Freedom Convoy's stated intention to demand an end to unconstitutional mandates...
JAN28 update: Despite the government and Canadian legacy media's disdain and attempted discrediting of the Freedom Convoy as fringe extremists, ordinary Canadians are gathering by the thousands, and now over 1 million people are expected to converge in Ottawa!
This divisive narrative is cracking and people outside the country are standing in support.
"Canadian truckers rule."
"I am so worked up about the Canadian truckers! Sometimes in the midst of something downright awful, there comes a moment so sublime it almost makes the awful worthwhile. The Canadian convoy is one of those moments."
Check out Russel Brand's latest...
JAN29 update: What an emotional ride! (pun intended)
I have been outraged by government and media lies and continued divisiveness, and wept at the love and generosity of Canadians coming together to support freedom and choice -- regardless of vaccine status, political affiliation, religious belief, or any other limiting box others have tried to put us in.
As one trucker's posted about the overwhelming Convoy support along the way...
"This is what Canada is supposed to be like."
Though the attacks and epithets grow stronger and louder, we are buoyed by a bond of brotherhood and sisterhood of shared values and principles that has inspired the world.
Whatever happens next, we have already accomplished the goal of knowing we are not alone, and we will not stop until everyone is free to choose.
This will be my last update here, as there are so many better equipped sources now.
The prestigious Taking Back Our Freedoms, whose Advisory Board is headed by former Newfoundland-Labrador Premier Brian Peckford, will be webcasting updates.
And Bright Light News is webcasting live coverage of Ottawa speeches, starting at noon ET today.
On Sunday, they'll cover Freedom Convoy speeches by medical and scientific experts, and on
Monday, political supporters will speak.
In addition to previously mentioned coverage by Rebel News, with 7 embedded reporters, and The Counter Signal, with live Twitter interviews with Convoy organizers, True North is also embedded.
With these sources available to you around the world, I will watch in awe and gratitude for my fellow citizens and their clearly declared committed to peaceful protest.
I'll leave you with one last post of inspiration shared by my Irish favourite Ivor Cummins.
Prepare to be moved!
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