Chris Velan

What music are you listening to / art are you checking out these days?

On the music front I’ve been going back to the well, re-visiting some of my sources of inspiration - Toots and the Maytals’, Gregory Isaacs, Van Morrison, The Band, Otis Redding, early Dire Straits. I’m also listening to Thomas Mapfuno and music from Guinea. Wilco is getting a lot of play as well. I’m reading a book of short stories by Nadine Gordimer, a collection of Wallace Stevens’ poetry and I just finished (and very much enjoyed) Ian McEwan’s, Atonement. Art-wise, I’ve lately been checking out the work of Alphonse Mucha (getting in touch with my Czech roots).

Why should people, especially youth, vote?

It is such a blessing and privilege to be born into a society that enshrines individual freedoms and democratic institutions and processes. There are people all around the world who are risking their lives and dying for these ideals – free, multi-party elections, due process of law, freedom of expression and belief, etc.  I always remind myself of this when our elections roll around. There are all kinds of reasons that people give (and I’ve given them, too) for not making the small effort to get off their asses and go to their local polling booth. But all of these reasons are cop-outs. There is simply no good excuse. How can you care about the direction that your community/country/world is headed and not exercise your right to vote?

Young voters often feel the most alienated from the election process because they think that their vote simply does not make a difference. You know what? It won’t if you don’t cast it. Look, we’re the ones who are still passionate and idealistic and believe that change is possible. That sort of fire and progressive thinking needs desperately to be voiced at election time to counter the more conservative, narrow-minded ways of thinking that unfortunately befall individuals as they get older....
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What music are you listening to / art are you checking out these days?

On the music front I’ve been going back to the well, re-visiting some of my sources of inspiration - Toots and the Maytals’, Gregory Isaacs, Van Morrison, The Band, Otis Redding, early Dire Straits. I’m also listening to Thomas Mapfuno and music from Guinea. Wilco is getting a lot of play as well. I’m reading a book of short stories by Nadine Gordimer, a collection of Wallace Stevens’ poetry and I just finished (and very much enjoyed) Ian McEwan’s, Atonement. Art-wise, I’ve lately been checking out the work of Alphonse Mucha (getting in touch with my Czech roots).

Why should people, especially youth, vote?

It is such a blessing and privilege to be born into a society that enshrines individual freedoms and democratic institutions and processes. There are people all around the world who are risking their lives and dying for these ideals – free, multi-party elections, due process of law, freedom of expression and belief, etc.  I always remind myself of this when our elections roll around. There are all kinds of reasons that people give (and I’ve given them, too) for not making the small effort to get off their asses and go to their local polling booth. But all of these reasons are cop-outs. There is simply no good excuse. How can you care about the direction that your community/country/world is headed and not exercise your right to vote?

Young voters often feel the most alienated from the election process because they think that their vote simply does not make a difference. You know what? It won’t if you don’t cast it. Look, we’re the ones who are still passionate and idealistic and believe that change is possible. That sort of fire and progressive thinking needs desperately to be voiced at election time to counter the more conservative, narrow-minded ways of thinking that unfortunately befall individuals as they get older....
Show More

What music are you listening to / art are you checking out these days?

On the music front I’ve been going back to the well, re-visiting some of my sources of inspiration - Toots and the Maytals’, Gregory Isaacs, Van Morrison, The Band, Otis Redding, early Dire Straits. I’m also listening to Thomas Mapfuno and music from Guinea. Wilco is getting a lot of play as well. I’m reading a book of short stories by Nadine Gordimer, a collection of Wallace Stevens’ poetry and I just finished (and very much enjoyed) Ian McEwan’s, Atonement. Art-wise, I’ve lately been checking out the work of Alphonse Mucha (getting in touch with my Czech roots).

Why should people, especially youth, vote?

It is such a blessing and privilege to be born into a society that enshrines individual freedoms and democratic institutions and processes. There are people all around the world who are risking their lives and dying for these ideals – free, multi-party elections, due process of law, freedom of expression and belief, etc.  I always remind myself of this when our elections roll around. There are all kinds of reasons that people give (and I’ve given them, too) for not making the small effort to get off their asses and go to their local polling booth. But all of these reasons are cop-outs. There is simply no good excuse. How can you care about the direction that your community/country/world is headed and not exercise your right to vote?

Young voters often feel the most alienated from the election process because they think that their vote simply does not make a difference. You know what? It won’t if you don’t cast it. Look, we’re the ones who are still passionate and idealistic and believe that change is possible. That sort of fire and progressive thinking needs desperately to be voiced at election time to counter the more conservative, narrow-minded ways of thinking that unfortunately befall individuals as they get older.

“Bad officials are the ones elected by good citizens who do not vote.”

                    George Jean Nathan (American Critic)

For you, is there a connection between art and democracy? What is it?

I think that there is. Democracy means, among other things, a plurality of truths, beliefs, perspectives and opinions. In its pure form it’s revolutionary - constantly questioning itself and the world it reflects through criticism and dissent.  Art does the same thing. Both share the fundamental assumption that humans have an inalienable dignity that must be protected and given expression. And both allow room for disagreement as to the form of that protection and expression.  The more that art and democracy become complacent, the more they stagnate, turn in on themselves, and drift from their ideals.

“A free and open society is an ongoing conflict, interrupted periodically by compromises.”

Saul Alinsky

Why do you care about community, when it is so easy not to?

I think that the problem is not so much that people don’t care about community. It’s in our human nature to want to feel connected with others. The problem is more that people have a hard time making the effort to become active and involved in some way on the community level. And I think that’s because society and technology have evolved in such a way that it has become too easy to insulate and distance ourselves from even our neighbours.

I’ve come to realize that if I want a rich and fulfilling life, I NEED to become involved with community on whatever level I can. And that has to be more than just trading emails on an internet social network - because there isn’t a substitute for stepping out the door, and having real, face-to-face interactions with different people and working cooperatively towards some common goal. That’s how you learn that we are all the same, deep down. That’s how you cultivate empathy, understanding and tolerance towards others. The more I exercise that heart muscle, the more meaning and satisfaction I gain in my own life. That’s sort of a self-interested way of looking at it but of course it’s much more than that. If you accept it in your heart as true that we are all interconnected and rely upon each other in this undertaking called life, it’s hard to not care about others and this concept of community. Helping others becomes helping yourself.

What do you look for in a politician? What do you expect from your MP?

I yearn for a politician who is dedicated to the people he or she represents -not his or party, or legacy or even his or her particular ideological beliefs. I want a politician who understands that his or her job is not about “I” but about “We”. Give me someone who listens to the people he or she represents and seeks consensus from stakeholders but who does not try to please everybody when a decision is needed. Give me someone who exercises flexibility rather than rigidity of thought and who is open to new ideas and solutions. Give me someone who can take initiative and achieve results rather than just give lip service to politically popular ideas. Give me someone who has the courage to do what is morally right rather than what is politically expedient, no matter how much resistance he or she faces. Give me someone who doesn’t cow-tow to corporate interests and instead considers the interests of the people who have no voice and are in most need of protection. Give me someone who thinks long-term and cares about the repercussions of his or her decisions beyond the 4 years of his or her mandate. Give me someone who accepts responsibility for mistakes and does not try to sidestep blame. I’ll vote for that person in a heartbeat.

As far as my MP…I want someone who won’t just sit in their riding office and attend functions. I look for someone who is willing to get out into the community and learn what the concerns of his or her constituents are. I expect my MP to keep me updated on what he or she has done/is doing/plans to do and to let me know what the issues are facing the community. I believe that people want to get involved. Sometimes they just need a little push. I think MP’s have an important and active role to play in increasing voter participation. But they have to lead by example.


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