Season 2 Episode 1 Lessons from the Pandemic :
Toastmaster's Talk
Toastmaster's Talk
The pandemic has changed the lives of all of us. Surprisingly, some of the changes I have experienced have been for the better. Last March, as the virus made its way to Canada, I was skiing across a silent frozen wilderness on the shores of James Bay. Returning to Montreal, I found that the silence I had experienced in the wild had spread to the city. The streets were so quiet you could hear the birds singing over the diminished traffic noise. As the weather warmed I saw my neighbors walking spread out all over the road, as we maintained social distancing from each other. The air in Montreal has never been cleaner, nor the skies more blue. Last summer, instead of risking eating inside a restaurant, my wife and I enjoyed picnicing in city parks. Now that we are back into winter these same parks are filled with toboggan runs and cross country skiers. For me, the pandemic has been a perfect time to take up new interests I always wanted to do but never did, like bird watching and photography. I did this simply by walking up to Mont Royal or biking further afield to our summer picnic parks.
Mr Chairman, fellow Toastmasters and most welcome guests, welcome to the best of times, and the worst of times.
The worst of times? Certainly for seniors who live amongst us the pandemic has been the worst of times. Even for those who have not caught the virus, many are forced to live in fear and isolation. If indeed we are all in this together, then isolation has become our common denominator.
The pandemic has had dramatic effects and has revealed both the strengths and the weaknesses of our 21 first century societies. I hope that the world has learned from this experience and will take its lessons seriously.
The first lesson is for our governments. This pandemic was entirely predictable. Scientists knew something like this was going to happen, warned us of that multiple times, but our governments did little to prepare for it. We need to heed their warnings of the effects of other issues such as climate change and wealth inequality as well.
But should we be blaming our governments for lack of preparation? Let us look at ourselves and what we choose to believe. Our internet chat rooms are full of conspiracy theories, anger and half truths. Are we so gullible that we are unable to recognize this flaw within ourselves? The pandemic has shown that countries get the leaders they deserve. The contrast between places that were capable of making intelligent plans and those places that did not could hardly be more stark. Canada is better than some of the more obvious failures but is nowhere near top of the class. We should more carefully choose our leaders knowing now the consequences of bad choices.
That was the international perspective, but what happened at the local level? Some businesses like restaurants and live entertainment have been hit hard. Other aspects of the economy have boomed as there is unprecedented demand for household pets, and online shopping. Those of us who are lucky enough to have steady sources of income have seen their spending drop and their savings soar, while at the same time the demands on our food banks have never been higher.
How will it be different when the pandemic ends? Personally, what is it I can do to help rebuild better? As some of you may know, I have a passion for the promotion of the camaraderie that comes as the result of cycle touring. Could I direct some of this passion towards helping our hard hit seniors?
Last November I became aware of an Danish organization called Cycling Without Age. They offer outings to seniors who are no longer able to ride bicycles by themselves. I looked into it further and found that although this organization had grown to over 50 countries, there are as yet no chapters in Quebec. This was an opportunity calling me.
I filled out an application to found a chapter here in Westmount. I then pitched the idea to members of the Rotary Club as well as my Bicycle Club. We are now ready to start fundraising to purchase a machine. But what should we call this tricycle with 2 passenger seats in the front and a pilot peddling in the rear? Cycling Without Age International calls this machine a trishaw….a word obviously derived from rickshaw.
Hmmm...hardly the best branding choice for a world of growing wealth inequality.
I wanted something with a connection to Montreal’s cycling past and I found it here in this 1885 photograph of the Montreal Bicycle Club.
Perfect…... the Sociable, the name used for tandem tricycles in the 1800’s. The term has a local history as well as a message in combating isolation. Could I use this word when describing this new project? For example, starting fundraising talk with….
Mr Chairman, fellow toastmasters and most welcome guests, when we build back better, let us choose to be sociable.
Mr Chairman, fellow Toastmasters and most welcome guests, welcome to the best of times, and the worst of times.
The worst of times? Certainly for seniors who live amongst us the pandemic has been the worst of times. Even for those who have not caught the virus, many are forced to live in fear and isolation. If indeed we are all in this together, then isolation has become our common denominator.
The pandemic has had dramatic effects and has revealed both the strengths and the weaknesses of our 21 first century societies. I hope that the world has learned from this experience and will take its lessons seriously.
The first lesson is for our governments. This pandemic was entirely predictable. Scientists knew something like this was going to happen, warned us of that multiple times, but our governments did little to prepare for it. We need to heed their warnings of the effects of other issues such as climate change and wealth inequality as well.
But should we be blaming our governments for lack of preparation? Let us look at ourselves and what we choose to believe. Our internet chat rooms are full of conspiracy theories, anger and half truths. Are we so gullible that we are unable to recognize this flaw within ourselves? The pandemic has shown that countries get the leaders they deserve. The contrast between places that were capable of making intelligent plans and those places that did not could hardly be more stark. Canada is better than some of the more obvious failures but is nowhere near top of the class. We should more carefully choose our leaders knowing now the consequences of bad choices.
That was the international perspective, but what happened at the local level? Some businesses like restaurants and live entertainment have been hit hard. Other aspects of the economy have boomed as there is unprecedented demand for household pets, and online shopping. Those of us who are lucky enough to have steady sources of income have seen their spending drop and their savings soar, while at the same time the demands on our food banks have never been higher.
How will it be different when the pandemic ends? Personally, what is it I can do to help rebuild better? As some of you may know, I have a passion for the promotion of the camaraderie that comes as the result of cycle touring. Could I direct some of this passion towards helping our hard hit seniors?
Last November I became aware of an Danish organization called Cycling Without Age. They offer outings to seniors who are no longer able to ride bicycles by themselves. I looked into it further and found that although this organization had grown to over 50 countries, there are as yet no chapters in Quebec. This was an opportunity calling me.
I filled out an application to found a chapter here in Westmount. I then pitched the idea to members of the Rotary Club as well as my Bicycle Club. We are now ready to start fundraising to purchase a machine. But what should we call this tricycle with 2 passenger seats in the front and a pilot peddling in the rear? Cycling Without Age International calls this machine a trishaw….a word obviously derived from rickshaw.
Hmmm...hardly the best branding choice for a world of growing wealth inequality.
I wanted something with a connection to Montreal’s cycling past and I found it here in this 1885 photograph of the Montreal Bicycle Club.
Perfect…... the Sociable, the name used for tandem tricycles in the 1800’s. The term has a local history as well as a message in combating isolation. Could I use this word when describing this new project? For example, starting fundraising talk with….
Mr Chairman, fellow toastmasters and most welcome guests, when we build back better, let us choose to be sociable.