Adam's Guide To Modern Living

Hey everyone!

I’m going to have to make this one quick. I’m here in Cold Lake working on this TV show and am left with very little time or energy for my real passion and work! It’s so frustrating and has been the story of my life for the past 5 years. The need to make a living and pay of my student loan has always drained my efforts to affect change. I’m very curious how other aspiring change makers dealt with this issue. Did Gandhi have a day job? I guess you could say that Jesus was a carpenter. (NOTE: I am NOT comparing myself to Gandhi or the J-Man).

One thing I can say about being here. It has left me with a lot of extra mental space to play with and I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and soul searching. To tell you the truth, I’m feeling happier then I have in a long time. In Vancouver, between work, and friends, and chasing girls, I was left with almost no space to sit back and take it all in (well, I guess I didn’t take time to make that space). Anyway, now I find that space almost everyday and am making real progress on my own inner journey. I’m choosing to be happy every morning and putting my health above all else. Something else this space has reminded me of is my original intention when I started to try and make this movie!

The truth of this matter, my ultimate reason for making the movie is because it could make the world a better place. Capitalism, in all its glory and progress and injustice and mess, is at the base of our modern world. If our civilization is to see the next century intact then a fundamental rethinking of capitalism is going to be essential. A fundamental rethinking of any system is key to its positive evolution.

If we can get people thinking about this, entertain and enlighten them while also educating... we could do something really important. Something honorable that will be remembered and respected. I want to thank-you for helping to make this a reality in whatever way you do.

God, I feel like I could write here for hours and not say everything I want to… but it’s 9:30 and my call time tomorrow morning is fast approaching.

Before I left Vancouver for here I spend a few days on Cortes Island. I visited both the Social Venture Institute and the orientation for the Bainbridge Graduate Institute. SO many progressive, passionate, brilliant people on one island made my head spin. I’ll have to find time to write about that more later.

I went to see the Newfoundland musical troupe Buddy Wassisname and the Other Fellers and hung around afterwards to talk to Ray Johnson about rural Newfoundland. We had a nice chat and are now in touch regarding the future of my home province. Ray is a real Champion of Rural Newfoundland.

My friend Maia is having her awesome film Grass Through Concrete play in Vancouver this Friday night. I copied the details below.

What else, what else? Global Television turned down out film for their Global Currents television. It’s looking more and more likely that we’ll have to raise the money independently. We might try and pitch it at Doc Talk at the end of November in Whister. One piece of AWESOME news, if we do go down the independent path, one major contributor has already stepped forward. This first person is so important to this option! And a all around great guy too. More on that later.

I went to Yoga tonight and have been making really good chocolate chip cookies the past days. You know, if you make a cookie with the right ingredients (fair trade, organic, etc.) it becomes a metaphor for a better world. I’ll have to post my recipe on here sometime soon.

Right. To recap. Liking my job but feeling frustrated with the lack time for Fixing. Doing lots of soul searching and feeling genuinely excited about life and activism for the first time in years. Visited Cortes Island before I left the west coast. You should too. Cookies are good for you.

I’ll try to find time to write a proper entry soon.

Much peace and luck, be sure to check out Maia’s documentary this Friday if you are in Vancouver!

Adam Cormier


Here's the info on Grass Through Concrete:


You are cordially invited to a screening of:

Grass Through Concrete: The Struggle to Protect the Red Hill Valley

A feature documentary by Maia Iotzova

The film documents the dramatic and unique cooperation
between First Nations and citizens of Hamilton,
Ontario, to protect the last large green space in the
heavily industrialized east end of the city.
(www.grassthroughconcrete.com)

Presented by Necessary Visions and the Vancouver
Public Library
Friday, Oct 20th 7:30 pm, Alice MacKay Room, Central
Branch, Vancouver Public Library, 350 West Georgia

Q&A with the filmmaker
Discussion on local issues of urban sprawl and Hwy 1
expansion
with David Fields from Society Promoting Environmental
Conservation and Laura Princic from Smart Growth BC.

Press Contact:
Maia Iotzova
maiavideo@yahoo.com