THUNDER BAY – “Take hope from the heart of man and you make him a beast of prey”, wrote English author Ouida. In our world, the importance of hope cannot be overstated.
If you look at some of the issues facing the Thunder Bay region, with crime, drug use, and alcohol abuse, perhaps those are really symptoms of people who need to have more hope in their lives. If you look at the wider world, hope is a key component of making for effective change in our world too.
Few people choose a life of despair, but if left without cause for hope that things can, and will get better, people will often remain mired in their hopelessness. Toss in some of the less desirable ingredients of racism, and prejudice that many feel in our community, and our world, it is a recipe that needs fixing.
Our world is filled with people who have become “beasts of prey”.
Fortunately for the Thunder Bay region, one of the reasons we are continuing to evolve and change are both the more open minded people in our community along with those who have returned to the region after time living in other centres, or other countries.
Why? Those who have left and come back, or those who have sought higher learning are in many cases more open to new ideas. Today, new ideas flow into our region at a rate never before seen.
Through new communications our region is reaching out to the wider world further than ever before too. That networking via social-media, is global.
One of the groups based in Thunder Bay is the Global Conscience Circle. This group which was started at Lakehead University has evolved, and continues to evolve. The members have extended the reach of our community across the globe.
Founder, Lakehead University Professor Douglas Thom has assembled a network that is as broad in scope as any network anywhere in the world.
The GGC is not a formal organization with a board of directors, or an annual budget either. It is a group formed with the goal of assisting each other, and sharing good ideas. “The world strives to be one responsible family, each member of which is worthy of human dignity and freedom,” shares Professor Thom.
The scope is massive. Often looking at situations with a fresh set of eyes, one can find possible solutions. Take some rail cars sitting at the Bombardier plant in Thunder Bay.
Professor Thom shares, “Bombardier management are exploring shipping rail cars that have been sitting in Thunder Bay for some ten years and are owned by Via Rail to Ghana, West Africa upon Bishop Tony Poku’s request. Tony is with Torchbearers Worldwide Ministry in London, UK and has an African aid network that is based in Ghana; his group could use these rail cars that were made for the UK but were never delivered, in its development work”.
The rail cars are sitting in Thunder Bay, they could well end up in Ghana making a difference in that country, and likely opening up the market place for Bombardier.
Over the past several years, through the efforts of GCC members, working together, local groups have benefited as well. There are many businesses in our community which have been connected through the efforts of the GCC allowing them to prosper and boost local business activity.
There are so many projects where GCC member groups are through their co-ordinated efforts making positive differences that it is easier to direct you to the Facebook page for the GCC. (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2378827251)
In the Emerging Thunder Bay region, it is people like Professor Doug Thom who are helping to make our community, region and world a better place.
James Murray