The cold weather and my timidity continuing unabated, I broke down last month and bought a treadmill, a NordicTrac middle grade machine. I have been using it steadily and am slowly getting back in shape. I can't say that running on it is all that much fun, but it is a lot better than not running at all. Soon though it will be Spring and I can head outdoors again, especially for the long runs. I have missed several races this year that I would normally do, but the training is not there at all.
The political scene continues to fascinate me, largely because of how disfunctional it is, here in Canada as well as the United States. Demagogues of various stripes are mixed in with a lot of people who seem to be saying "My mind is made up, don't confuse me with the facts." And the sheer amounts of money floating through the system, especially in the United States, really influences behaviours and judgments. But I started this paragraph, this line of thought because of this article on Dignity in public discourse. I also have been struck by how much of our public discussion of issues is embedded in language that attacks and demeans the opposition rather than acknowledging our common humanity and freedom.
On a slightly different tack, I have been struck by several of the stories I have heard coming out of the sudden eruption of conflicts in the Arab world about people who have left good safe jobs to got to areas of great danger to start of participate in humanitarian activities, bringing in food, shelter, medicines, treating the wounded, caring for the sick because "it needed to be done." People like that are inspiring and awe-inspiring., a treasure in short supply in our world.