Thursday, December 5, 2019

Things Fall Apart



The idea of entropy comes from a principle of thermodynamics dealing with energy. It usually refers to the idea that everything in the universe eventually moves from order to disorder, and entropy is the measurement of that change.
-vocaulary.com

The above is one definition of entropy. Here is another, perhaps more germane to this post: a doctrine of inevitable social decline and degeneration.

While I am not sure of the inevitability of such decline, it seems to be a perfect definition for the disorder that has plagued Ontario since Doug Ford and his crew were elected to 'govern' Ontario. And the latest reports show that things are growing worse by the day. In this self-proclaimed "open for business" province, workers are suffering:
Just 1 per cent of workplaces across the province are being proactively inspected to ensure they are safe — and the Ministry of Labour’s enforcement efforts are failing to prevent employers from repeatedly violating safety protections, according to this year’s auditor general report.

In reviewing health and safety initiatives in Ontario, the auditor general looked at companies that had been inspected by the ministry at least three times in the past six years. It found many employers were ordered to fix the same hazard year after year, citing details reported by the Star on a North York industrial bakery where five temporary help agency workers have died.

“The concern is they’re really not enforcing as they should be,” said Patty Coates, the newly elected head of the Ontario Federation of Labour. “They’re not strong enough with employers and that’s what they really need to focus on.”

“This government needs to put some money into prevention but also to properly investigate, as well as lay charges and fines,” Coates said.
But wait. There's more! In addition to the present chaos in education, brought on by a leadership that is intent on devaluing education, are the following:
- Premier Doug Ford’s climate change plan is based on faulty calculations and will fall well short of the Paris Agreement targets to reduce greenhouse gases by 2030.

- 67,000 of the 1 million patients discharged from hospitals annually have suffered some type of harm.

- Nurses are “repeatedly” fired or banned by hospitals for incompetence are rehired by other hospitals, posing risks to patient safety.

- Wait times for addictions treatment, emergency department visits for opioid emergencies, and addiction death rates continue to rise despite increased funding.

- Nursing home menus are alarmingly high in sugar — contributing to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer — as well as sodium, and low in fibre.
Thermodynamics may dictate an inevitable trend in the physical world from order to disorder. There is no such law in the realm of human behaviour. That is entirely on us.

6 comments:

  1. Why this particular construction of words seems entirely appropriate at all times is a mystery to me:

    Turning and turning in the widening gyre
    The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
    Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
    Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
    The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
    The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
    The best lack all conviction, while the worst
    Are full of passionate intensity.

    Perhaps Yeats did tap into the Universe's angst?

    Still, I remain optimistic. I think humankind is better than this. Ironically. I suspect I will not live long enough to see that theory proven. But, I am seeing it tested. That's the first step? smile

    j a m e s

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    1. As I was writing this post, James, that poem came to mind. It seems especially apt for the times we live in.

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  2. It's not just Ontario, Lorne. Most states, provinces and regions around the world are experiencing chaos in some form and degree. The wheels are coming off the wagon. The coming decade promises to introduce us to widespread chaos as we've never, certainly not in our privileged lifetimes, experienced it.

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    1. I fear your assessment is all too accurate, Mound. It's one of the reasons I frequently refer these days to the 'gift' of mortality.

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  3. When we elect hollow men and women -- with "headpeices filled with straw" -- is it any wonder that things fall apart?

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    1. We have become enablers of the worst kind, Owen.

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