I had planned to write a stirring post on civics and politics but I’ll save that for a day where my brain is less mushy.

Instead, I’ll catch you up on the month that’s passed since my last post. I do feel some guilt for not blogging for an entire month, but I’m sure you’ll all forgive me. My time has been held captive by the editing process, as I worked to polish up my second novel to a sheen suitable for publishing. The process has gone well, very well in fact, and I should hopefully have the thing out in the digital world in the next few days.

But as the novel fought for my attention, and as the editing process held me caught in it’s relentless pace, my other pursuits fell off of the priority list. and that includes this blog. I’ve had a handful of topics to cover (though I’m hard-pressed to remember them now) but after a day of editing, I’ve had little interest in getting back onto the computer.

To be honest, I hadn’t realized how much time was passing with the world being deprived of my blogging. I vaguely remember making some kind of promise to post on a schedule, but I say a lot of things. But, as much as its thrilling to focus on one task to the point of fixation, I think it’s healthier to set aside time to blog. And so I shall!

Cynicism is an incredibly tempting belief system. It gives you the freedom to dismiss any and all other groups that you don’t agree with by simply assuming that they’re all driven by selfish motives. It lets you ridicule and disapprove of anyone who has the gall to work towards a better world, instead of joining in with them to help. It’s an easy path to a feeling of superiority that’s based on absolutely nothing.

And we all have a weakness for cynicism. It’s a part of our human nature, and it takes effort to resist it. You have to choose to invest people with the trust that they will try to do their best, even when you are faced with an example of their worst.

And it isn’t a one-time fight. What I’ve realized, and what I think a lot of my peers are discovering as well, is that you’ll face the lure of cynicism at every new stage of your civic engagement. From spectator, to new recruit, to seasoned veteran, and eventually to leader, you’re repeatedly challenged by the small number of people setting a bad example for everyone else.

Eventually, you have to accept that there are always going to be people acting against the common good in any given scenario, but you cannot use this as an excuse to give up on the rest of us. Instead of allowing the selfish to steal away your passion and commitment, you have to focus on the wonderful and caring people around you, and give them the same support that they’re giving you.

There should be hockey all over the television right now. I should be waking up to last night’s scores and highlights, but I’m not. Instead, I have to watch dour predictions and explanations of an incredibly boring labour dispute. Forgive me for being low on sympathy, but I don’t care which incredibly rich group of people is on the right side of the disagreement. All of my sympathy is reserved for the real victims of this lock-out: the arena employees, the hospitality workers, the hard-working regular folk who depend on the NHL season for their livelihood. The overall economic impact is massive, and will create considerable suffering and hardship for people who are innocent bystanders.

We’ve all grumbled about the lack of hockey, and I’ve heard talk of boycotting the league when play finally resumes, but take a minute and think about that. The only people who would feel the effect of that kind of boycott would be the same ones suffering now.

Here’s a better way to protest the lock-out: take your business elsewhere. Take the money that you had planned to spend on NHL hockey and hockey-related activities and instead, pump into your local economy. There are a wealth of other, great entertainment choices right in your own city, and they would all love to see you come through the doors. Don’t worry about showing the millionaires (and billionaires) that you’re displeased with them. Go have a good time in your own neighbourhood.