If the USA does something stupid, Canada has to follow suit. See how ridiculous this is, and get the spiritual metaphor, in this week’s edition of “Isn’t That Ironic?”.
Not to be outdone by Donald Trump, the great political poker stars in Ottawa, "I'll see your tariff and raise you."
Part 2 of “The Aluminum Wars”. Last week I pointed out how the American tariff on Canadian aluminum will mainly transfer wealth from the American middle class to the American rich. As Forrest Gump famously said, “Stupid is as stupid does.” But wait! Hold the presses! Canada won’t be left out of the “stupid” category. “The Mouse That Roared” has declared an aluminum war with the United States of America. Yeah... I’m sure that will work out well. Maybe I’m just simple-minded, but it sure seems ironic to me.
Now the Government of Canada will extract an extra $3.6 billion from ordinary Canadian consumers—supposedly to punish the Americans. I’m having trouble understanding the logic here. If we ordinary, middle-class Canadians give our government another $3.6 billion, how will that hurt Donald Trump. How will it make us better off? And I’m sure our political leaders and their cronies will spend that money just as wisely as they spend the rest of the $350,000,000,000 they take from us. Forgive me if I don’t feel better just yet.
As well as showing the tariff game at its worst (typically the rich benefit and the common people pay), the whole sordid spectacle demonstrates an important principle of life, which is also a spiritual principle. In the spirit, and in this physical world, we become what we fight against. You cannot overcome the problems or the injustice of a tariff with another tariff. You just produce more problems and injustice. Revolutions usually produce a government worse than the one they replace. Fighting totalitarianism will lead you to act like a totalitarian. The war on terror uses the tactics of terror. (Of course, terror is a tactic so you can never defeat it. It’s a perfect excuse for the forever war.)
Back in my hippie days we used to say, “Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity”. You can only spread peace by acting peacefully. You can only overcome injustice by acting justly. Even in medicine, you cannot really become healthy by “fighting” a disease. You have to do things that promote health. Nothing is gained by trying to “fight” against evil. You only become the evil you are fighting against. Do not curse the darkness. Light a candle.
This is an important spiritual principle. As Gandhi is claimed to have said (but this isn’t what he really said), “You have the be the change you want to see in the world.” So, do not curse the sins of others, or fight against them. Rather, in all your thoughts, words, and actions, be love, peace, justice, compassion, understanding, tolerance, and every other good thing you can imagine. You will be better—thus the world will also be better.
God Bless You!
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