I have been busy. Christmas is a very busy time for me. I bake. I bake vast quantities of goodies that I send out to family and friends across the country. It's a tradition. This is the first year, though, that I haven't had any help because my kids are elsewhere. #cdnpoli 1/10
And I do the gift shopping. And get the house ready. And this is on top of all the regular things I do. And so, this year, I have been less active on social media, less of a news junkie than usual, for the past couple of weeks. 2/10
I haven't been closely following things as they develop. My stress level with what is on my plate at home is plenty high enough without looking out at the world. #ableg 3/10
I even have been binge-watching Netflix whilst knitting gifts for people (because I like to give something personal along with store-bought stuff). And I have been reading. Not knowledge-enriching things, but escapist things. 4/10
And you know what? It's been bloody glorious. And I get it now. I understand. I see why huge numbers of people pay no attention to politics. Why they barely pay any attention to the news. 5/10
Not knowing all the evil going on in the world is fucking fantastic. Not lying awake at night trying to figure out why Albertans voted en masse for a party under police investigation. Not agonising over how your fellow citizens are being manipulated by outright lies... 6/10
Not being mystified by how people can be so callous as to vote for politicians who espouse horrible, hateful views. Not feeling like you are constantly battering yourself against a brick wall of indifference... 7/10
I get it. It's glorious. It is also an indulgence we cannot afford as a society. Not for any length of time. As citizens, we have a responsibility to keep a watchful eye on our elected representatives and hold them to account. 8/10
If we don't do it, no one else will. Do we really want to live in a country ruled by autocrats whose primary goal is to funnel money to the already obscenely wealthy? 9/10
Do we really want those who would crush our hard-fought rights into dust and let the wolves take over, running things? I don't. I can't stay in my cozy cocoon of blissful ignorance. It's been a lovely holiday. But now there's work to be done. 10/10
