Just recently, I have begun to feel a tectonic shift in my world. As a “boomer” with friends on either side of that divide, I have begun to attend retirement parties. It prompts mixed feelings – happiness for my older friends who seem ecstatic to have arrived at this point; yet, also, a sense of being remote from this stage, being still full of zeal and fresh ideas – and having a mortgage many years from its burning ceremony.
Besides, I have just enrolled in a course at Algonquin College in Ottawa, Canada on how to build a social media strategy. While I have a presence in a number of social media arenas, and enjoy the stimulation and benefits, taking this course has expanded my mind and led me into infinite new worlds.
It is an exciting time, with the promise of more new developments ahead. I marvel at how this form of interaction has contributed to bringing down repressive regimes in the Arab world; how it has helped people connect with relatives they thought were lost forever in time; how it has both expanded, yet focused, business circles, political reach and spiritual interaction. At the same time it bonds sports fans, provides a forum for cat-lovers, motor-bike fanatics, admirers of early Italian literature – you name it, it’s reach and potential are boundless.
As pervasive and influential as this media is, we shouldn’t overlook that the power behind it is people. And it it is the people, and their potential to shape Canada’s future, here in my little microcosm in Ottawa, that I want to share with you. These are not necessarily the über-achievers in the arts, politics, or academics. Rather, they are folks, young and old alike, who in their quiet, understated, yet determined manner, are all important contributors to shaping the future of this country.
Both the youngsters in the side-wings, and the retirees, have much to contribute to the immediate future of Canada. And some are passing on the torch.
So, drawing on some of the individuals that I am so fortunate to know, let’s look at both the seasoned athletes who have hit their stride, and the exuberant youngsters at the starting line, with vision and energy to burn. How are they lighting the way to a better future?
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