Hello, hello, and welcome to the Borealis

experience podcast. I'm very, very excited to be talking to

James Olsen. Today we will address racism and the issues

that we see in society when it comes to indigenous people. And

yeah, the people around I feel there's a lot of assumptions, a

lot of fear, a lot of aggression. And, yeah, I have a

lot of listeners from Germany from all over the place. And

they don't know about some of the issues that we face here at

time. And they're very relatable, though. It's not

we're not an exception here in Canada. I think it's an issue

that is now all over the world. And we want to talk about it

today. And maybe, yeah, clean up some misconceptions, or Yeah,

have a raw and genuine conversation about it. Because I

think that's what has to happen. We have to start talking about

it in order to heal and resolve those problems that exist. So

James, awesome, thank you so much for taking the time to be

with us here. Just jump into the topic, and we will go from

there.

Thanks, Aurora. Yeah. Well, thanks for having me on. Yeah,

it. Stephanie, a topic that I think I can really relate to.

For your listeners that don't know, I'm, I'm a Blackfoot

native from siksika. nation. I've been on your show before,

we haven't talked about racism or anything like that of those,

you know, that that kind of area, but I've experienced it in

my life before or, you know, taken on the assumption that it

was it was racism, by the way that I was treated. Yeah, and I,

I think, like you said, I agree with what you said that, that

they definitely is affected by it. I think humans is is, you

know, creatures naturally have some prejudice or or, or how

would you say ideas, without fact based I guess or or just to

jump to assumptions of how someone's going to be, or an

experience is going to be based on just a general fact. Rather

than actually, you know, allowing yourself to have an

experience and take it in without prejudice, you know,

prejudice, prejudging basically, coming to assumptions before

your, your experience. I find when it happens with people,

that's kind of where as humans we run into problem. Yeah, so it

it's definitely a topic that I, I, I can I have experience

personally with? And Lethbridge is a place where I think that

that it is it is a part of that culture, society or, or that

city? I think there's there's a, there's definite, that's that is

part of it, you know? Yeah. So I don't know, I've, I put some

thought into this. You talk to me about this topic. I think

last time we spoke and I put some thought into it, and kind

of the ideas that I come up with are my own my own ideas. I don't

want you to think that I like I've these are, I'm just

basically putting together thoughts. So I don't you know,

these are facts. These aren't, you know, I don't have any of

that based on another my own experience and in my own ideas.

One of the ideas that I have is, is that racism or prejudice

seems to me that by looking at society and And where seems

Providence and try to come together with an idea why it's

happening? I would assume or I would suggest maybe it's, it's

the complication between the majority and the biggest

minority. So New York, or, you know, big urban place like that

out of the states, it seems to me it's white, and blacks. And

they kind of like the button hat. But it always seems for

them to be the majority, the biggest, basically the biggest

minority. So whatever, whatever the majority is, and then the

biggest minority, that seems to be the complicated relationship

that it happens, if that makes any sense. And that's just an

assumption of mine. I have no proof of that at all. I just

something that I can, you know, looking at it when it happens

and why it's just it seems like a reasonable assumption. So

Lethbridge, being just outside of a reservation in a native

reservation, the native population seems to be the

biggest minority. You know, I don't see a lot of it had, you

know, here's an example. Last, Bridgette seems to be the

conflict between the weights and the names. You go to Calgary and

it seemed like,

I don't know if anybody else has experienced, but I, I see a

complication between the whites and the East Indians. Because

that seems to be the biggest, biggest majority there. It was a

weird experience for me when I was younger, I moved to Calgary.

And all sorts of that racial tension for me disappeared,

vanished. There just didn't I was like mad calories, like,

totally different plate. But I saw a lot of racial conflict

between the the East Indians and and that was the kind of that I

experiences and a native experience, I guess. And that's

racial experience. So that's kind of where it came up that

assumption. I don't know if there's any facts based or if

there's any, anything that can prove that, but that's just what

I see.

But as I went over all the, what I thought, or how do I, yeah,

what I thought were racist experiences in my own life. I

was I sat there to try to go over all the events that I felt

like I was, you know, being treated badly because of the

color of my skin. Every, every single one of them. I, I have no

proof that that was really what happened.

But that's how you

I did feel that but that was my under my own assumption is my

point. And I'm gonna say what I have a story. Yeah. No, I

will. Yeah, so that's, that's what

it is that I believe it's valid. But I'll give you an example.

And it this would this was recently this was like last

week. I I just moved move to, to BC, to a little town called

eltra. And one of the close towns by me, is ferny. And you

know, we go there for shopping like they have bigger, you know,

grocery stores and things of that nature. So, me my

girlfriend and my, my child were in Fernie. And we went to the

pharmacy, we went to a pharmacy drugstore and we were in there.

I wasn't really looking for anything out of the pharmacy.

But I had some questions for the pharmacist about about

transferring over all my stuff to BC. And one of it was getting

a doctor in BC because I'm a resident of BC now. And so I

kind of I kind of had a question about what that what that looked

like what you know, am I gonna run into problems? do you

suggest it and more? I had the reason I had those questions was

because I remember when I got my doctor in Lethbridge. It was

really hard because the There was to get a family medical

doctor was was kind of complicated because there were

so many people and so few doctors. So it was it took a

while for me to, to get a family doctor. And I was wondering if

that same situation was happening BC. So I kind of had a

question inside a question type of thing. So I went up to this,

this pharmacist and this drugstore and he said, You know,

I'm new. I'm a new resident here. What do you what do you

think about me getting a doctor in town here? Should I stay with

the one I got? Should I, you know, I, I've, I have asthma. I

need my puffers. Like, can I transfer my prescriptions here?

Kind of, you know, just, I'm looking for Jen, you know, if

he's got pros and cons type helped me make a decision type

of thing, thinking he would have some information because he's a

pharmacist. And he kind of, he genuinely said, Well, I don't, I

don't, it's kind of up to you. But I would suggest that you go

talk to your doctor about it, see what he says, which was

reasonable, but in COVID times, it's difficult to get into your

doctor, it's even difficult to get him on the phone. And so I

said that to him. And he was like, Well, I don't know what to

tell you like. And we started kind of, we just weren't lining

up on what I was looking for his advice. And he was kind of, in

the position of, it's kind of, I don't have any advice to give.

And I was getting too angry. I was like, not because do you

kind of be in deflective, and really wasn't giving any he was

gesturing to like, turning away and doing other things as he was

speaking to me, and just didn't feel like being engaged. And

part of the problem was, was I wasn't clear on my questioning.

And then part of them was the, you know, really, in the moment,

I just thought he had poor manners, you know, kind of

turning his back to me as in the middle of his conversation. And,

and I was, I was getting upset. You know, I was I was annoyed.

And my girlfriend was standing behind me watching this. And she

came in, and he interjected and started basically answering for

him and like, and I was like, Well, I know that stuff. Like,

you don't need to, like, I'm aware of that. You know, that

I'm talking to her. And she's like, Well, come on, let's just

go. And so we go outside, and I'm frustrated, and I'm upset.

And I'm like, that goes a debt. Like, what the hell and, and

he's, she's like,

I think he was being racist. And I'm like, ah, I, naturally, I

could have gotten there very easily. But then, like, the

logic in me was, like, first of all, I got a mask on, you know,

you can see, you know, like, I'm not super dark. You know, my

complexion isn't super dark. It is noticeable. But I just

assumed that that he wasn't. And when you brought this topic up,

that you reminded me of that story, how easily I could turn

the narrative how someone treats me into racism. And, and I, as I

looked back on my experience, that I felt like I was being

treated, treated race racist. A lot of them reflected that

story. where it was, I could easily assume that that's what

was going on. And it might not have been and that's kind of so

I'm not saying that there's no such thing as racism. I'm just

saying that that in a lot of my experiences, it's just the easy

assumption. Well

yeah, I must say that I really did. Didn't expect anything like

I knew we were going to talk about this topic, but for you to

voice This is so big. I hope you know that because me as a white

person. Now I know that if I talk to you, you will see like

all different shades you will see Oh, Aurora is being rude.

She's being an ass. As a human being, or Aurora is being plain

racist, and yeah, it's two different things that you can

mix up so easily. But some people are just rude. Like some

people just absolutely no behavior. And I feel for your

own good, then it's, it's better for you to see, okay, that was

an asshole instead of all I was being treated racist, because

that's even more painful to realize, right?

It is in its it creates resentments and anger, you know,

like it's in then the reverse happens when I go home, any

like, I don't want to give the wrong idea that racism doesn't

exist. But what I this, this approach when I when I actually

think about it, all I've seen is I'm not going to jump to that

conclusion till I know that they state that fact. And if they

state that back, then I think there's a conversation in need,

if they're willing to have it. Like, let's talk about it. Like,

if you feel that way. And like, like, let's have a discussion.

Like, like, if, if you run into me, and all you see is my skin

color, and you take it you take, not even if I can get five

minutes out of you believe me that my skin color is going to

be the last thing you think about? I'm going to make you

question why you have these prejudice? Yeah, and that that's

my objective. You know, and I think that that position is a

more powerful position than then the hatred caused by racism,

yes,

is, is you know, like, because it's sort of a victimized

position, and you hate me because of my skin. Or you,

because of my culture, my people or what you've seen in my

people, you know, like, you can't do anything about it,

you're you, you're really a victim in that situation. And

it's a shame. But I think in the position that I'm just gonna

assume that race has nothing to do with it. And if you do, if

you do think that way, then then I feel for you, and I want it. I

honestly want to hear why. And see if we there's any sort of

discussion about. And so for me, what it is, is taking, getting

out of the position of a victim where I'm prejudged as my skin

color culture, my, the people that I come from, to a position

of as a human being, I want to know why you can't see me as a

fellow human being rather than, than this, this my nationality.

And, and let's talk on a personal one to one. But part of

that position of always assuming that someone is is just a person

and just mean in rude and bad manners, rather than the hate

all natives are Indians, whatever you want to say. What

it does for me is it creates a position of, of power in the

fact that I am not letting your problems affect me. If you have

a problem back to your personal problem, and not mind that I

need to carry, because what it does is it if you if you go

around it, that everybody hates you because of your skin color,

then the only position to feel any sort of control is to hate

him back. And it causes almost reverse racism. And I see it a

lot where a lot of poorly treated natives are come to the

conclusion that all white people suck. You know, they're just

judging they, they treat me bad. And that's a that's a terrible,

terrible position to be in because you're a victim to a

society. You're not you can't join you in so it causes

separation. It causes resentments. It causes prejudice

turned back on itself. Yeah. And there's just it just you're,

you're trapped in a in a in a society that doesn't like you.

That's That's awesome. Yeah,

yeah. And you created

Yeah, well, it's I don't think it's created in your own head.

Sure something happened that did and you might have run into a

racist person, but as a whole in the, especially with the current

current climate around that topic. I mean, there was, you

know, the move black, you know, Black Lives Matter and thing

where, you know, I don't think any celebrity that announces

that he's racism, I'm almost positive that your career is

done in that moment. It Like, just like, the general what, in

my point being the general public doesn't agree with their

they're very offended by racism. And so, on that point alone, I'm

just gonna assume that the general public isn't isn't

racist. Right? And that there's a few bad apples. But I can't

let myself just assume that because of your skin color that

you you, you just automatically feel that way or have those

beliefs. Because it holds me back. And it not only does hold

me back, but it puts me in a place of somebody else's has

control over me.

Exactly. I

can't I, for myself, I can't exist like that. I have control

over my Yeah. And there's a there's a ceiling, there's a

saying that the references that talk, you know, that idea, and

then it's assumed ignorance before malevolence. And what

they mean by that, like, like, just assume that they don't

know. And malevolence just means the act of being evil. for the

reason of being, right. And so before we assume that humans are

malevolent, and mean and evil, assume that they're just dark.

They don't know. They're actually, you know, and I mean,

more than often, it's a great ship like that, that that works

in so many different ways that that same, you know, that that

is just, they're dumb when it comes to matters that that

pharmacist kept turning his back on me as we're having a

conversation. He just sucked at having conversations and didn't

know how to be engaging in the conversation. It wasn't that he

he saw my skin color past my mask and my hat that I was

wearing, and all one of these guys, you know, like, Yeah, she

was just rude. He was, you know, but, and it's not gonna work for

everything. But I think when, like, let's completely identify

the fact that someone is racist, and then address that, rather

than the assumption. And like, leaving it inside, you know,

because if you assume that and you walk away, you're now you're

carrying it around. Exactly. It's in your head. You didn't

address it, and you're carrying around or you wrongly accused

it? You know, you could I could only imagine what if someone

came up to you, and said, I think you're racist, you know,

how that would affect you and bother you? And try, like, how

do you prove that you're not? Like, make what do you have?

Like, it's, it's one of those things that you can just paint a

hole, you know, but the problem is, is the discussion, it's not

open for discussion. You're, you've stabbed a label on

somebody. And like, we said, it's something that needs to be

discussed. If you have a prejudice against natives, I'd

say because I can, I can relate to that. Let's go further and

discuss like, I want to discuss it with you. I want to know how

you got there. And what I've seen, because I know, I know

people that that have prejudice, and that are that are racist.

And as far as I can tell, it's been handed down by the parents.

I find it relatable to, let's say, child abuse. What I mean by

that is, is there's been studies about how many kids that have

experienced child abuse, and then ended up abusing their own

kids. If you think about it, if it's taught, it's learned, they

have every reason they have every reason to continue that so

but the study shows that that it's a small percent that does,

that actually went through child abuse and then chose to abuse

their own children. It's an actual small percent that does.

And if it, you know, in one study, they said, if it wasn't

an everyone that was it had experienced child abuse, abuse

their children, that in something like seven

generations, every child parent relationship would be abusive.

That's how, how they get it, it just grows. So that kind of that

idea kind of states that the resilience of humans, you know,

like, I went through something bad and I choose not to continue

that, that cycle. And I think that that's, that also goes

with, with the racial thing, the fact the race, the racism,

sorry, that just because your parents had some screwed up

ideas about things or people and they they announced it as a

child, you yourself get to choose what you're going to do

with that. It's not what I was taught that this is how it is.

I, you know, I think it's so it's kind of a weak idea to

think that just because you were shown it as a child that, that

that's enough that you're going to make those assumptions

yourself. Right, you know, I think that it that like

Lethbridge, I think a great part of the bad relationships between

whites and natives. A lot of it comes from the homeless

population. The homeless have an overall number, the majority of

the homeless population in Lethbridge is native. And you

can see that it reflects badly on you know, natives, but I

mean, not every homeless person in the world is native. It goes,

it changes from location to location. And, you know, I think

that it's just a poor connection, it's it's an, it's

an unreasonable, you know, line between two dots homeless and

NATO's. It's just a put, like, so then to generalize, in that

let your, you create an identity from that is just a lack of

information or lack of willingness to do any sort of,

you know, research on your own or really look into it. Right,

it's kind of a lazy assumption is what I'm getting. So my point

being is that I really think the way to solve racism would be you

know, I related to the the environment there's a lot of

people out there trying to change the world and good for

them. And I I feel for the ones out there, you know, try to save

the oceans try to save the climate, try to save the

forests. That's a big, like, if you want to pick a fight, that's

the biggest fight you know, I'm going to change the world. Well,

good for you. And like I wish you the best. But I hope you

have yourself organized. I hope that you have your own issues

taken care of before you change the world. And my The reason I

hope that is because the best I'm a big believer myself is the

best way to change the world is yourself. If everybody took

responsibility for their self, a lot of a lot of the world's

issues would go away and that's what so my my position It is

really a position of mastering self. When you start taking care

of your own backyard, the world's a little bit prettier in

your neighborhood. And if everybody else starts taking

care of their own backyard, and being accountable for their own

actions, it can be world changing, really. And it like,

from right from, you know, the environment to racism, I think

in my position, or that is just because you can't change others,

you're smashing yourself on a on a break, if you want to change

the ideas of others. I'm sorry, I hate to burst your bubble, but

you're not going to eradicate racism, there's always going to

be a few, that buellton usually you can change your mind. And it

sucks that they're there that, that, but he feels that way, but

it's a fact. But what you can do, is be accountable for your

own ideas and your own beliefs and, and really put, like, you

know, someone I listened to is, before you save the world, make

sure your room is clean. And what that means is your head is

orderly or literally your room. Yeah, how dare you bro and judge

the rest of the world, when you can't even make your bed, get

organized, get yourself straight. And then if you still

feel like there's something to be done, do that. But when you

walk in, when you're out there, you know, virtue signaling, that

you you just make sure that you you know, if somebody goes,

starts diving into your background, that it's you've got

it all cleaned and tidy. You know, because it's, you lose,

you lose the power of what you try to do. When you haven't

taken care of your own backyard. And you're complaining about the

way the neighborhood is, you know, like, you don't have you,

if you're on a soapbox, it's not very strong. Because you, you're

on false pretenses, you know, like, anybody, you know, you

just have, it's just a better way, if you got if you have a

strong foundation, then it you, you it's not going to be shaken.

But when you're when you're when you're judging others for their

behaviors and your own, your own are weak. It's not a very sturdy

position to be in.

Yeah.

The problem sometimes is that we take our thoughts, our beliefs,

so serious, we believe them to be so true, that we would never

start in question. Because if we did, our reality would crumble,

we would have to, like create a new reality on how we see life

and the world. And that's so scary. Like, it's so much easier

to look at the neighbor and say, all day long and this, but if

you look at yourself, and to get to that point is such a big

journey, too. Because, yeah, like I said, we we think our

thoughts are normal. We think the way we feel about certain

things is normal. And till we question like what was given

from my parents into my little backpack? That I should actually

question in order to make evolution happen and make, like

racism maybe disappear one day? And you're totally right, I get

exactly what you mean that we have to look at ourselves first,

and that some people? Don't, they just tried to change

others. Yeah,

it's so much easier to change. It's so much easier to look at

their faults. Because you don't need when you're looking at

seeing somebody else's faults. You don't have to do any work.

Yeah, you just make it determined. Well, that person

should take care of that they should be accountable for that.

They should do the work to fix it. But when you look at

yourself, you're the one on the hook. You're the one that needs

to do the work. That's a lot of that's a harder position than

judging somebody else for not taking care of themselves. Now

you need to step up and start working on yourself and change

you to things about yourself. Yeah, so we were like water, we

take the easiest route all the time. It's just a natural

behavior of And so, but the problem is, is when, when you're

taking the easy route, the results suck, you get the, the

results, and the amount of effort something takes are an

exact correlation. Mm hmm. Anything of worse, has to be

earned or for is hard to gain. It's, it's factual, like, you

know, it's, if you give somebody a car, in three weeks, it's

going to be the wrong the wrong color. If they spent five years

earning the money for it, you know, that little jalopy is

gonna be the their prized possession. Yes, they worked and

earned it. And the, that's just factual of humans being so it's,

it's, we get a lot of fulfillment out of earning and

hard work at gaining something. And it and it's, it's so true,

even with our existence, our that we fought for it and worked

on and, and ideas that we gained by, you know, researching or

studying, those are, those are sort of assumptions of like, the

racial assumption is just, it's, it's easy. You just connected to

dots, where they're factual or not, you didn't put a lot of

research into like, any sort of, you know, looked into evidence

that you've you put some time and effort into, would have

proven you wrong. You would, because if you look at I don't

care, you know, what your skin color is, every one of us is

different. Where we can't group a customer skin color, where

we're from, or or it's, each individual is an individual End

of story. You know, and so, if you took, took that as this as a

fact, and just look at every individual as an individual, the

world like racism would disappear. But the only way you

can do that is starting with yourself.

You know, and I feel like the power position that you're

taking, like, I hope so many people will hear this because

both sides have to hear that white people have to hear that.

And native people have to hear that. Because what you're saying

is so powerful that you refuse to put yourself in the victim

position of a victim, and you give people the benefit of the

doubt. Right, you

Yeah, it's well, it goes back to to the the, the golden rule of

treat others where you want to be treated. I would never want

anyone to come to me and say, You've judged me on the color of

my skin. So I've documented you that with someone else. And what

it does is it creates dialogue. And if I could, it's so easily

when, you know, just assume that when my girlfriend mentioned it

about that pharmacist, that's what his property just judged

me. He, you know, I just don't I don't see any positives in that.

Now I now I have now I have a resentment against this. This

guy. What am I gonna do with it? Well, nothing is just going to

torment me and dark place. Yeah, I'm gonna, you know, I'm gonna

be fixed up. I see a pharmacist simulate. Well, that last one

was he was racist. Like, I hate these pharmacists, you know, it

just create more problems in anything cause.

Exactly, exactly.

And so like, I guess a good like, a good reference is what's

the difference between anger and resentment? And so it's a good

analogy I heard was, if you're in the garage, and you smash

your finger with a hammer, you're going to throw that

hammer across the garage, and that's going to be anger. But a

resentment is you smack your head with a hammer, and then

three weeks later, you're trying to figure out a way to get back

at that hammer. Well, that's what you do with people when you

pick up a resentment. It consumed it's taken up your

time. It's taken up your You're you want to get back you want

revenge you want, you know, and it's just, it's negative energy

that's consuming your your day and your thoughts. And it really

it's I, there's not a positives, there's not a lot of positives.

It's so much easier just to go back to that what you know that

one quote of you know, assume ignorance over malevolence that

he was just dumb. Like, he just didn't know how to hold the

conversation. He didn't. He didn't know how to interact with

people. I don't believe that he's, he's hateful. And if he

is, he's the one losing out. Yeah, that's his. That's his

cross to bear. Yeah, I don't want to pick it up. Like Sorry,

but I just don't want to. It's, for me, it's, it's master of

self.

Yes.

What can I change for the better?

Yeah.

Master of my own eternal destiny. I can be a better part

of society, because I choose to carry these positive beliefs or

or to not continue with this. this. them and they, you know,

that minutes?

Yeah.

I'm gonna see everyone is as a different situation.

Yeah. And that's the only way I feel I do that with cashiers.

Like, sometimes when a cashier is being rude with me, I just

think, oh, she's having a bad day. I'm not going to take a

personal but because, and then I invent stories. Maybe her dad

died, maybe her brother is an asshole or something, to not

make it about myself anymore. Because people tend to do that

we take two things too serious and too personal, and then

really react and add fire to the fire and it's just a complete

mess. Can I share with

you position? The position? Yes.

Yeah, no.

I was gonna say was the position of a victim is you've you've

given all your power to that. Yes. You don't have any. You

don't have any

role. Exactly.

Can you state? Your

Yeah, they control your happiness and how you feel about

yourself. But you also give them the control, right?

Absolutely. Yeah.

I would like to share with you and it's the first time I share

this with with a native person here in Canada. My pre pre

Judas, how do you say prejudice?

prejudice, prejudice,

prejudice that I had when I came here, I moved here seven years

ago. And growing up in Germany, we saw these movies, where

Europeans were coming into America and the slaughter and

other violence and like horrible things that happened. I get

here. Yeah. And that was seven years ago, I was so surprised

that nobody even addresses that topic. Like, I saw white people

looking down to native people and say, I they're drug addicts,

homeless, blah, blah, blah. And I, I kept being more and more

curious, because coming from Germany, my generation is used

to reflect about World War Two, and to make sure that this will

never ever happen again. So I come to Canada and kind of Oh,

this is how everybody deals with bullshit from the from history.

But here I I realized nobody is addressing it. Like, you guys

look down on like, What the fuck is going on? Really? I was

getting mad. And I started meeting with natives and it was

weird for them, you know, this white chick from Germany? Why is

she interested in us, but I needed to make sense of it. And

I went to that. I forgot his name, but he holds a speech at

the university about resent residential schools. And then I

started to think Okay, now we're getting to the point now, but

there was nobody in that classroom that were five people.

And we I think we were all immigrants. We will all from

Europe, supporting this native guy. What is going on? Why are

Canadians not looking at Like, you have to look at it, feel bad

about it, and then find solutions, but you can't run

away. It's the it's not possible. So I started and then

I think with Trudeau, he's not awesome. I'm not going to pull

out politics here. But he started to disclose more and

more stories about residential. What happened back then with

residential schools. And I was okay, now now we're getting

better. Like now we're reflecting. And then I lived in

Lethbridge, and saw for myself like I worked in a little

grocery store. And there was a lot of stealing and bullshit

going on. And 90% of the time, it was people with native

background, the assumption I made was that native people have

went through so much trauma.

And they were forced in the schools and they went through so

much, like horrible things there that traumatized them. And that

trauma is inherited. you inherit the pain that you suffer, and

you give the story to your children. And they have that

pain on their DNA, so to say, and, of course, and I was, I was

just like you I had so much troubles in school. So a big

part of me was able to relate to people that were being, like,

forced through this school system. And I just, that's my

assumptions that I made is that spiritual people have no place

in this white society, they're being pushed to the edge, and

being shown that they're not valuable. And I see myself as a

spiritual person. But the native community even more like more in

tune with nature, more in tune with health and medicine. And I

feel like the travels that we have right now, like the

solution, the key to to positivity again, lies in the

native community, because you know, how to heal and how to

live with nature, and not, yeah, destroy nature, and live a

healthy life in tune with nature. But there's no place for

that in society. So what I like the conclusion I made is that

those people find escape and prostitution and alcoholism,

because they feel they don't belong, and they feel they

don't. They're not being valued for that they can bring to

society. And some people say I can, I can totally see how that

could be a reality. And some people say, No, I think that's a

little bit too far fetched. Does it make sense? what I'm sharing

with you, like, can you

get the AI does and I think that there's there's a multitude of

of problems there that you you addressed, you know, the frog's

feeling to, you know, you said the majority was native to, you

know, the problems of addiction and homelessness and, and so,

again, I'm going to return to the fact of, you know, we could

take the world on and all the world's problems, or we could be

accountable for ourselves. And that's my message. Well, you

know, you could, you could sit there and say, you know, like,

let's fix these problems or problems of, you know, you going

back to to you know, my mother was in residential school and it

directly affected you know, her and what happened with her the

problem that I have with it, and I'm not speaking for her anybody

that was in residential school, because I have no experience in

that. The only thing I have experience in is identified

myself as a victim of somebody else's poor behavior. And I, and

I, I fight that position because of this. It's a helpless

position. You can't do a damn thing about you can't do a damn

Thinking about the past, you can't do a damn thing about

being wronged. You can't change others, the only way to get back

from victim to survivor is to say, what can I do about myself,

I choose to pass these things that happened to me on or to my

children, in spite of what happened to me I choose to try

be the best mom I can be, I try to be the best person in

society, I can be I and and it's only you can't, you can't, if

you're hoping to fix the wrongs of the world. Good for you. I

hope you do. But what my position that I the message that

I that I have about this, and a lot of other issues is what are

you doing to fix yourself. Because when the reality of the

situation is, the only thing in this world you can change is

yourself. The only thing that's an absolute for me that and if

everybody took that position, that's where world change

happens. But it doesn't. So like they, you can absolutely change

how you are and how you act, it's going to take time, it's

going to take effort, it's going to take searching, trying to

figure out how to do it. But what you do, and when you when

you become positive, and when you become your own master the

world around you gets better your children have a better

father, you're you're a better child, you're better at who you

are a better employee, employee, you're in a better employer,

you're a better friend. And that little part of you that work,

which is that part of the world that you take everything around,

you gets better. Because you made a choice to make yourself

better. And if everybody did that, and what it also does, is

creates attraction. People look at you and they're like, I don't

know what it is about Aurora, but some of that woman I like

how can I be more nice for edit, it's attractive in in in

attraction is where other people are going to want to do what

you're doing. And that's how they really believe that's how

the world changes is taking a position of I'm going to leave

the world a little bit better than the way that I found it.

And I'm going to start with that today. By changing myself.

Well, like, I hope you know that you are such like inspiration

and such a warrior. And I hope that you have listeners like

beside my podcast you that you have a platform where you

express yourself you shine your light like you do here. Do you

have that?

Yes, you know, I I have friends that I work with and I have, you

know, people that I work with in the you know, in the addiction

community that Yeah, I definitely share that message.

And it's a big part of my recovery stories. being

accountable for my own actions and changing what I can change.

That's me.

Yeah, and for me what I just shared to know that no, you

don't want pity. You don't want to go back and see Oh, yeah, all

that trauma. And this is why I'm a victim today. You want to be

empowered, and you want to feel understood.

Absolutely. Yeah. Everybody does. Everybody what I think

that that's why, you know, some of the strongest words in in the

human vocabulary is me too. That means somebody is listening to

you. Somebody understands, and somebody identifies with you.

Yeah, it creates it creates a connection. Yeah. It I think

those those are, that's a powerful position. Yeah, is to

be able to identify with somebody else's struggle and

share those hardships. And there's a connection built where

you can once a year, can you share a hardship You can also

share a triumph as well. You know, in that, for me, that's

what community is, you know, to be a part of the lows and the

highs. Yeah.

Yeah. But being accountable for yourself for your actions,

reflecting about your thoughts and your reactions in daily

life. And to ask questions to be curious, whenever you sense,

races vibes, go in there and ask questions without being

aggressive, like, just assume that the person doesn't know how

they just made you feel. And and go from there. Because this is

how you keep your powerful position. You don't you don't go

into defensiveness and victim mentality, you keep your

powerful position, when you just assume the other person doesn't

know better. And if they are racist. Yeah, then leave it at

their like in their How do you say on their side? And don't

take it on? And?

Yeah, like I said, if if you read into me it denounced that

you are racist. The first and only thing I want to do is I

want to have a discussion about it. Tell me about it. Tell me

how you got to that position. Let's discuss what where you

came up with these beliefs. Like I just curiosity fact I want to

know. And then, let's, let's take a rational look at like,

let's let's throw some logic out of that, that fire yours. And

let's see what comes out. Yeah. And I'm not there to change your

mind. But I'm there to make you think about something. I

guarantee you if you came to me, and were judging me on my skin,

when you left that conversation, my skin's The last thing you're

going to be thinking about. Yeah, you know, I'm gonna plant

some ideas in your head. Is that? That, you know, that's

that's the point is, is if you ask questions, you're in a

position that you're going to make somebody else. Think about

what their own actions. Yeah. And that's, that's the Genesis

to change. That's the Genesis to accountability. What am I doing?

Why am I doing that? I think that's the real the real message

there. Yeah, thanks for having me on.

Yeah, man. This was a very powerful conversation. I'm so

glad that we connected once more like another topic that you

totally aced. Thank you so much for listening to this episode.

You people out there and I hope you can spread this beautiful

message of empowerment and yeah, inspiration motivation to make

this world a better place with less racism.