"All we are saying is
give peace a chance..." John Lennon.
Peace is attainable if we give it a chance
and that time is now. We must be the change we want in the world.
I have recognized the importance of gathering those who are
capable of making positive change into the most effective power.
Consider this your personal invitation to become part of the
positive change we know is possible. Yes the time has come for
that important decision. Your country needs you and the world
needs a strong peace making Canada. By offering your talents,
skills, wisdom and knowledge, we shall be more able to speak
with one voice in the most positive form.
Martin Luther-King was not a solitary dreamer.
In fact his dream has transcended time and space because it
was a dream of universal proportions. It is the dream that lives
in our hearts today. A dream for a better world, a safer world
and a sustainable world, and it did not die with him. It lives
because the dream itself is the future. Whether we choose that
future today for our children's children or they are forced
to eek out a harsh survival for themselves, is simply a matter
of choice. We can make the sacrifice today to ensure a smoother
transition for the next generation or we can hand them a mess
to clean up. That dream for equality and life sustaining governments,
is as real to me as if I had been standing at the Lincoln Memorial
in Washington D.C. on
August 28, 1963 when Martin Luther King delivered his speech.
It is the dream of John Lennon's songs, Anne Murray's 'Little
Good News' song, Ghandi's India, Mohamed and Jesus Christ's
lifeblood, as well as many other prophets, and saints from time
immemorial. These teachings and examples of living in peace
and love by being peace and love is the universal dream. It
is only a dream as long as we keep it hidden from ourselves
and each other. Humanity is the only species that has the ability
to make that dream a reality. No other species has the ability
to cause so far reaching negative or positive an impact on the
earth as humans do.
We owe the earth an enormous debt for our
abuses of her resources and
lack of care for future generations. We do not own this planet.
We are
custodians and must learn to seek solutions from within ourselves
to live in harmony with all other inhabitants. I shall call
this new awakening 'Globalovation'. The seeds of loving our
environment were planted many years ago. A renewal began in
the 1960's, but the forces against a world where people lived
in harmony and only consumed what they needed, was snuffed out
before it could really become a way of life. It has been generations
since people only purchased what they needed and could afford.
Today debt is our companion. Peace and love became 'dirty' words.
The sneers and criticism were well marketed and those who subscribed
to the fundamental values needed to sustain us, were shunned.
Peace seekers became peace-niks, and those who embraced love
and respect for the planet, became tree huggers and hippies!
Those who did not wish to take another's life blood became 'wimps',
'cowards'
and unpatriotic! How successfully the marketers turned the good
in humanity into a negative life choice. How unfortunate for
us all.
But! I say but, the times they are a changin'.
We have revisited those values. Many Canadians subscribe to
the same values and ideals for peace and equality as Canadian
Action Party members. CAP was born out of hope for the future.
CAP was formed in 1997 by Canadians who knew that if we continued
to allow our democracy to be controlled by a few and if government
allowed the influenced of corporations to create policy, Canadians
would become nothing more than slaves to the corporate elite
and our environment would be sacrificed. The over $500 billion
National Debt unnecessarily created by succumbing to the powerful
bankers, is something which could be eradicated and CAP will
do so by returning to using the Bank of Canada as it was intended.
A family or nation cannot thrive under an unreasonable burden
of debt. CAP is the only political party with the will to address
this immediately.
My involvement with CAP comes from a desire
to carry that initial light of hope forward. Canadians can once
again be a shining example for the world. We can lead the trend
towards real freedom and democracy if we let go of our fear.
It is fear that is preventing us from moving forward as a people
and a nation. It is fear that creates the individualistic attitude.
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction is an accepted
principle, but that it also has a ripple effect is often overlooked.
It is the positive ripple effect we must renew.
Barbara Marx Hubbard's words: "It is
time for all of us to evolve into the higher universal human
we are capable of becoming. We need to demonstrate compassionate,
loving action towards all life. It is time for us to co-create,
with God, a better world and use our God-given creative genius
to solve the problems at hand." That time is now. You may
not agree with all of her concepts but it is hard to argue with
this statement. We must be the change we want in the world.
By joining together and offering our collective talents, skills,
wisdom and knowledge we are able to speak with one voice in
the most positive form.
There is not a person breathing on this planet
or in this country that does not feel affected by the turmoil
going on at this point in history. Some people feel angry, others
helpless and many have given up on humanity, but many, many
more have been awakened to hope. Hope gives birth to real change.
It is that energy that I wish to speak of and to invite all
people to share in the fruits of this incredible mission.
You may be one of the many who have become
disillusioned by the political process or by the greed and inequality
that seems to be most prevalent. We have been treated to the
images of a negative realitym which does not have to be. We
do not have to live in a world that was created by those who
subscribe to a consumer/producer mentality. There are a number
of people who recognize that the planet cannot sustain us if
we continue at the same level of abuse we have unleashed on
her for the last several centuries.
I am personally, on behalf of CAP inviting
you to join us. It is time to put prayer and good intention
into action. Some say that it will take Divine intervention
to change the course of our path. I say the Divine has intervened,
'He/She sent you'! The turmoil we are witnessing is a by-product
of our collective decision to ignore reality. Truth is staring
us in the face but many hide behind the false truths of a false
reality. It matters not if you follow one of the traditional
religions, or you accept God as male/female or if you use the
word Spirit or Universe or any other name to describe a higher
power. The fact that you
recognize that we are part of a bigger world and you have an
obligation to contribute to the greater good is all that is
needed. How many of you have attempted to discuss the need for
alternative fuels, the need for healthy food choices, the horrors
of what we are doing to our children, the rising rates of autism
and childhood obesity, the need for alternative medicines if
we want to be healthy not just un-sick and so many more issues
and you have been met with hostility, denial or 'conspiracy
theorist' labelling? How many of you have felt betrayed by your
organized religion not standing up to the carnage in the world?
You are those wise individuals who have something to offer but
have never been consulted in the past. You are those individuals
who respect
humanity and consider all people equal.
Some of you call yourselves spiritual activists,
some are environmentalists, others are pro-peace, some are naturalists,
however a label cannot fully describe you or your commitment
to live in harmony on this planet. Perhaps you have rejected
politics because you see it as conforming to the establishment.
Many of you are devoutly spiritual, you do not subscribe to
traditional religion because you find them to single minded.
On the other hand you may practice one of the traditional religions
and feel it gives you the strength to serve God through humanity.
Spirituality and religion are personal matters. Acting on that
inspiration becomes part of the community life force. Many of
you prefer to explore the universe as an interconnected consciousness
which depends on every other life form and is affected by every
other decision. For you and so many others the wars raging on
this planet are unnecessary, unacceptable and a sin against
our nature. You know they are not simply about control of one
area or region, they are certainly not 'religious or biblically
based' although that is a word used to incite others to join
the effort. As the acts of war unleash poisons and toxins on
the earth, she will continue to attempt to cleanse herself,
but there will be a saturation point of which we cannot return.
Every living species on this planet depends on the rest, but
no species has a more significant impact on every other species
than does the human impact. If we act
negatively the results are negative, but if we act responsibly
and positively we shall all reap the rewards.
So you have made a lifestyle choice which
is healthy for you and your children. You have taken control
of the things you can control. I am inviting you to expand that
area to include having input into how the future unfolds for
you and future generations. Canadian Action Party is not a life
force, it is a name given to a political vehicle which like
minded people use, to take action and be action through the
political system which impacts our lives.
Perhaps you have never been asked 'what do
you think?', before. We are
asking now. We are inviting you to take a leap of faith on behalf
of peace seeking generations, on behalf of the children of tomorrow
and you and your family today. As people awaken all across this
nation they will be looking for hope and positive direction,
choices and attitudes. You can offer your wisdom, knowledge
and talents to the greater cause, the common good and have a
real impact on this nation and by example the world. Canada
is inhabited by very intelligent people, scientist, inventors,
medical practitioners, teachers, parents, labourers, mathematicians,
biologists, inspired singers, song writers and so on. We know
that CAP can, with your help, bring to the political process
all of the concepts for improvements, peace and harmony for
this country. We are at a point in history where one policy
for health or environment, or any other social policy will not
have significant impact unless we change our collective mindset
and introduce responsible policy within a responsible interactive
democratic political system.
We can continue to fund our healthcare system
and we know how to do it.
It is vital to the nation, but wouldn't it be superior to create
policy which creates the environment for a healthy population
with less dependency on the system, pharmaceuticals and continued
treatment of symptoms? Wouldn't it be a better choice to create
policy that ensures our air, water and soil is pure and therefore
our food supply is not only sustainable but really nourishes
us? Every other policy from military uses, weapons manufacturing,
energy needs, foreign policy and domestic decisions must put
people in a safe, sustainable and healthy
environment first and foremost. If we chose that approach and
together make government a reflection of our values we will
indeed be on the way to being the change we want on the earth.
You are invited to bring your ideas for positive
change to us and work through us and with us. You are invited
to join us in many ways. You may want to provide information
on the various methods of new alternative fuel sources and inventions.
You may want to offer your services to stand as a candidate
in the next election. You may wish to be part of a support network
to recruit and find suitable candidates for your riding. You
may provide financial support and spread the message to other
Canadians who do not know this choice is available. Whatever
you do today is your choice, but you can no longer point a finger
out towards the world and say, 'what are you going to do for
me and how are you going to fix the problems?', because there
is no one out there at the
present time who is willing or able to be the change you can
be. If 'they' existed, they would have done it by now. The only
change we can expect in the next few years, will be the change
we affect through each of our actions. It is time to put the
dream into reality. It is time to stop 'imaging' and start realizing.
Together we can have a very positive affect on our world. I
invite you to join us today.
yours in peace,
Catherine Whelan Costen
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