Living in total saturation of the political climate is exhausting and can't be healthy. I've found myself in a constant state of agitation, and often, outrage and defe0at. Your ideas to bring more tools to navigate what we're living through would be a welcome gift.
Critical theory is always good, but it’s hard to extract emotions when we are living in MaGA gangster universe. Yep, we are all exhausted, but the only way out is Revolution and they be political n emotional. I hear ppl express no interest in politics a lot n I think it’s a cop out. Only the privileged get to be non political right now. Your writing is excellent.
Canada should promote our own platforms n get Canadian ppl off Meta, X n Tik Tok — then we have guardrails, digital warriors who don’t let lies hate n misinformation in. This is something u would be good at. For Canada a very hot country right now n our allies… start an exit movement.
Amazing n we need excellent writing ones like yourself — I honestly get why ppl would want to be in a coma right now, but imagine if we could block so much of Putin MaGA bot rage… plus push a Canadian way— which ppl really want. I just heard about Gander n am gonna check it out. You would make an excellent digital frontier warrior, geez er n u could educate many ppl for Canada n our allies, growing by the minute.
Always really appreciate your standards and enjoy the quality, format and content of your Substack, Fred. It's informative and refreshing.
Your proposal for the next "chapter" sounds interesting. It's possible that I may have misinterpreted your intentions expressed here. However, just a small word of advice or caution: do not water down what you do by going off on so many tangents, hoping to attract more subs, that you lose the core of us who found and follow you for what you have been doing all these months.
There are a lot of Substack "generalists/ whatever's on my mind contributors" out there to follow. Many of the ones I checked out and followed initially, lost their original hook and ended up spreading their content too thinly. Personally, I stayed loyal to a very few, do hit and miss for some, and actually cancelled most. But that's just me.
Bottom line is that you have to be true to your personal motivation and desire to make a better production for you, or else you will no longer come across as the wise, genuine old geezer who cares tremendously about the world and especially his country.
That's thoughtful advice, and I genuinely appreciate it.
I don't want to become a generalist either.
Canada Strong isn't going anywhere because it's part of who I am.
What I'm exploring isn't a change in values... it's an expansion of the mission.
I'd like to add more timeless ideas around critical thinking, wisdom, AI, and the kinds of things that help us navigate life, not just today's headlines.
If anything, my goal is to become more focused, not less.
Thanks for reminding me to protect the core of what brought us all together in the first place.
Fred, I know where you are coming from. The politics are making me tired. I would like to follow your path. I find that I look for amusing and animal based videos in the day. I do not have the words to explain how disappointed and disjointed(?) I feel about the world just now.
I think a lot of us are carrying that same weight.
The world can feel overwhelming when every day brings another crisis, another outrage, another reason to be angry.
That's exactly why I'm thinking about broadening GeezerWise.
Politics still matters, but so do laughter, curiosity, learning, kindness, and those wonderful animal videos that remind us there's still plenty of good in the world.
If GeezerWise can help us stay informed without losing our joy, then I think we'll all be better for it. ❤️
I already shared some thoughts with you. No reply, fair enough, but then this message, possibly related. I get why you need to be cautious and you may have more reasons than I can guess because i m old and losing touch with modern communications. To some extent by attrition but also deliberate mistrust and a desire to keep my mind as much my own as I can. I m dwindling in life and yet had a pretty engaged past in social policy. It never lets go. I feel like there needs to be. a place for seniors, like the Senate -sober second thought, like First Nations have for Elders -consideration, advice ,blessing, but noone is doing that in the larger society. Churchs have faded away and local government and small councils and even the family role have all but vanished.What is the cost of that?
You in your admitted mid 70s might create some of that and I d asked what your background was. to see if it works there. I m not trying to pry, just get a feel for where people come from who stay engaged. I was in government others are in academia, media, internaitonal relations, even church and charities. I m better at writing than talking.
I do feel that beyond a personal need to keep up, there might well be a role for us elders because there seem to be. a gaping hole about how society works, about why we have the ideas and structures we do. I do not know about education of young people today and they certainly seem way more adept interpersonally than we ever were but at the same time they do not seem to value things that we fought for to keep them safe and progressing.
Is there a forum for ideas and exchanges and even social action that might work with where you want to be here? nest for ideas and progress?
Our generation has accumulated a lifetime of experience, and it would be a shame if that wisdom simply disappeared.
Part of what I'm exploring is whether GeezerWise can become more than a place to discuss current events.
I'd like it to become a place where thoughtful people exchange ideas, learn from one another, and leave the next generation a little better equipped than we found it.
I don't know exactly what that will look like yet, but conversations like this are helping shape the direction.
It is strictly up to you Fred. You may loose some readers, keep some, but could gain more readers. Diversification form the continium of the outrage is a healhy thing to do. Without it, it can negitively inpact our mental health I myself would like to learn more of what you said about diversified subject matter but, don't have the time, money and focus anymore to tahe courses. If you provide some more insights on the subject matter that interest me that would be great. Either way you do what is best for you! Cheers and good luck!
I think you hit on exactly what I've been feeling.
Politics matters, but living in a constant state of outrage isn't healthy for any of us.
My goal isn't to stop covering Canada Strong... it's to balance it with ideas that help us think more clearly, learn something useful, and maybe even smile a little more often.
If GeezerWise can become a place where people leave feeling a little wiser instead of just a little angrier, I think that's a direction worth pursuing.
Great writing will always draw engaged readers. Take the time it takes to produce sentences and paragraphs and essays that invite re-reading, savoring, maybe even copying into a commonplace book. Obviously you’re already mastered the skill of writing- maybe it would be fun to think about how skill becomes art.
You already have topics and ideas that attract readers. And it sounds like you have a lot of intriguing suggestions for broadening the agenda. So if it interests you, maybe ingest some of the great essayists (Stephen Leacock?) and go from there.
Living in total saturation of the political climate is exhausting and can't be healthy. I've found myself in a constant state of agitation, and often, outrage and defe0at. Your ideas to bring more tools to navigate what we're living through would be a welcome gift.
Thanks, Cori.
I think you've described what a lot of us are feeling.
Staying informed matters, but living in a constant state of agitation isn't good for anyone.
My hope is that GeezerWise can still help us understand what's happening while also giving us practical tools to think more clearly,
stay grounded, and not lose sight of the good that's still out there.
Thanks for encouraging this new direction. ❤️
Critical theory is always good, but it’s hard to extract emotions when we are living in MaGA gangster universe. Yep, we are all exhausted, but the only way out is Revolution and they be political n emotional. I hear ppl express no interest in politics a lot n I think it’s a cop out. Only the privileged get to be non political right now. Your writing is excellent.
Canada should promote our own platforms n get Canadian ppl off Meta, X n Tik Tok — then we have guardrails, digital warriors who don’t let lies hate n misinformation in. This is something u would be good at. For Canada a very hot country right now n our allies… start an exit movement.
Thanks, Gayma.
I don't think staying informed is a cop-out either.
Politics affects all of us, and Canada Strong will remain an important part of GeezerWise.
What I'm hoping to do is add another dimension.
Not less awareness, but more resilience.
More critical thinking.
More practical tools to help us navigate the noise without letting it consume us.
If we can stay informed and stay grounded, I think we'll all be better equipped for whatever comes next.
Thanks for sharing your perspective.
Amazing n we need excellent writing ones like yourself — I honestly get why ppl would want to be in a coma right now, but imagine if we could block so much of Putin MaGA bot rage… plus push a Canadian way— which ppl really want. I just heard about Gander n am gonna check it out. You would make an excellent digital frontier warrior, geez er n u could educate many ppl for Canada n our allies, growing by the minute.
Always really appreciate your standards and enjoy the quality, format and content of your Substack, Fred. It's informative and refreshing.
Your proposal for the next "chapter" sounds interesting. It's possible that I may have misinterpreted your intentions expressed here. However, just a small word of advice or caution: do not water down what you do by going off on so many tangents, hoping to attract more subs, that you lose the core of us who found and follow you for what you have been doing all these months.
There are a lot of Substack "generalists/ whatever's on my mind contributors" out there to follow. Many of the ones I checked out and followed initially, lost their original hook and ended up spreading their content too thinly. Personally, I stayed loyal to a very few, do hit and miss for some, and actually cancelled most. But that's just me.
Bottom line is that you have to be true to your personal motivation and desire to make a better production for you, or else you will no longer come across as the wise, genuine old geezer who cares tremendously about the world and especially his country.
❤️🇨🇦
Thank you, Cath.
That's thoughtful advice, and I genuinely appreciate it.
I don't want to become a generalist either.
Canada Strong isn't going anywhere because it's part of who I am.
What I'm exploring isn't a change in values... it's an expansion of the mission.
I'd like to add more timeless ideas around critical thinking, wisdom, AI, and the kinds of things that help us navigate life, not just today's headlines.
If anything, my goal is to become more focused, not less.
Thanks for reminding me to protect the core of what brought us all together in the first place.
Fred, I know where you are coming from. The politics are making me tired. I would like to follow your path. I find that I look for amusing and animal based videos in the day. I do not have the words to explain how disappointed and disjointed(?) I feel about the world just now.
Thanks, Penny.
I think a lot of us are carrying that same weight.
The world can feel overwhelming when every day brings another crisis, another outrage, another reason to be angry.
That's exactly why I'm thinking about broadening GeezerWise.
Politics still matters, but so do laughter, curiosity, learning, kindness, and those wonderful animal videos that remind us there's still plenty of good in the world.
If GeezerWise can help us stay informed without losing our joy, then I think we'll all be better for it. ❤️
I already shared some thoughts with you. No reply, fair enough, but then this message, possibly related. I get why you need to be cautious and you may have more reasons than I can guess because i m old and losing touch with modern communications. To some extent by attrition but also deliberate mistrust and a desire to keep my mind as much my own as I can. I m dwindling in life and yet had a pretty engaged past in social policy. It never lets go. I feel like there needs to be. a place for seniors, like the Senate -sober second thought, like First Nations have for Elders -consideration, advice ,blessing, but noone is doing that in the larger society. Churchs have faded away and local government and small councils and even the family role have all but vanished.What is the cost of that?
You in your admitted mid 70s might create some of that and I d asked what your background was. to see if it works there. I m not trying to pry, just get a feel for where people come from who stay engaged. I was in government others are in academia, media, internaitonal relations, even church and charities. I m better at writing than talking.
I do feel that beyond a personal need to keep up, there might well be a role for us elders because there seem to be. a gaping hole about how society works, about why we have the ideas and structures we do. I do not know about education of young people today and they certainly seem way more adept interpersonally than we ever were but at the same time they do not seem to value things that we fought for to keep them safe and progressing.
Is there a forum for ideas and exchanges and even social action that might work with where you want to be here? nest for ideas and progress?
Thanks, Bev.
I think you've touched on something important.
Our generation has accumulated a lifetime of experience, and it would be a shame if that wisdom simply disappeared.
Part of what I'm exploring is whether GeezerWise can become more than a place to discuss current events.
I'd like it to become a place where thoughtful people exchange ideas, learn from one another, and leave the next generation a little better equipped than we found it.
I don't know exactly what that will look like yet, but conversations like this are helping shape the direction.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
It is strictly up to you Fred. You may loose some readers, keep some, but could gain more readers. Diversification form the continium of the outrage is a healhy thing to do. Without it, it can negitively inpact our mental health I myself would like to learn more of what you said about diversified subject matter but, don't have the time, money and focus anymore to tahe courses. If you provide some more insights on the subject matter that interest me that would be great. Either way you do what is best for you! Cheers and good luck!
Thanks Keith.
I think you hit on exactly what I've been feeling.
Politics matters, but living in a constant state of outrage isn't healthy for any of us.
My goal isn't to stop covering Canada Strong... it's to balance it with ideas that help us think more clearly, learn something useful, and maybe even smile a little more often.
If GeezerWise can become a place where people leave feeling a little wiser instead of just a little angrier, I think that's a direction worth pursuing.
Thanks for the encouragement. 😊
Dear Fred, you are a breath of fresh air and I like your forward thinking..
I would say, "Go for it"!
Great writing will always draw engaged readers. Take the time it takes to produce sentences and paragraphs and essays that invite re-reading, savoring, maybe even copying into a commonplace book. Obviously you’re already mastered the skill of writing- maybe it would be fun to think about how skill becomes art.
You already have topics and ideas that attract readers. And it sounds like you have a lot of intriguing suggestions for broadening the agenda. So if it interests you, maybe ingest some of the great essayists (Stephen Leacock?) and go from there.
Cheers!