Govern this

Share Button

Govern your life accordingly, something a judge uttered at a small crime court to the guilty one. And sometimes, the guilty pay their dues accordingly and learn a lesson from the experience. They contribute back to society and all goes well. Some, however, remain rebellious and buck the system. Sometimes, I think, we are self-destructive, a bomb with an unpredictable fuse. When? Who knows? Who cares?

Our energy is volatile, ready to blow at any time. There are so many youth with so much energy with nowhere to expend it. Like a bomb, which is tightly contained to release the most amount of energy in the shortest time. Most times, this explosion is destructive.

If we could take the same energy and channel it in a productive way, we would have a powerful engine to drive the economy. Once you get used to driving entire populations and industries, it’s time to make a homestead somewhere. Homesteads are like home bases where vast areas of land are used for that homestead.

Our homestead doesn’t have to be directly connected to the village or community by infrastructure services. Our homestead could be hundreds of kilometres away, a self-contained family structure deep in Eeyou Istchee. Heck, we used to be able to do this with an outhouse and cabin. But hey, who says it has to be a cabin?

Solar, wind, water and heat are energy sources on the land. They could all be harnessed to power a comfortable sprawling (because there’s no lots, no boundaries) mansion. In the city, this is what everyone dreams of. For us, for some reason, we look to the urban areas for inspiration. Huh? Go figure.

It’s a bit like the child who rushes to grow up and when adulthood comes around, wishes for the years of lost youth. We have to live our age and now we have to grow up and stand on our own. Time to govern ourselves accordingly.

Governance does have many benefits. Yes, the ability to tax. I can’t wait for the new tax department, whose main job would be to sort out everyone’s crumpled sales slips and send them to the government for a return! Yay! Tax, what’s that?

Another goodie would be the ability to actually access our own lands with our own piece of paper! Oh my God! Think of the possibilities! And then… tax return time! Wow, this is better than Child Tax! Yes, our own tax pain! (Sometimes referred to a tax gain). Better still, casinos! Wow! What power! Wait a minute, allow me revel for a few moments.

Of course, having said all that, the laws could change slightly. For example, the alcohol laws of Quebec would supersede our paranoiac bylaws, and finally, order will come to the house of bylaws. One of favourites will be to reinvent the need for soapstone, which for some strange reason, is the only material that is considered to be wholly owned by the Cree. Talcum anyone?

Maybe my gold mine will actually come true, and we will truly be walking the talk again in our backyard.

Share Button

Comments are closed.