500 ways to improve your Karma?

Ok ... so I am going to diverge a little from my usual musings about politics and move into somethinga little more universal; Life, Love, and Karma.
I was walking down the back alley by my house tonight. Through the puddles and the rain I could see the dark shapes of the transient population making their way into the Knox shelter. The pebbles pressed hard against the soles of my feet and I could feel them through the thin shell of my shoes. I could feel the dampness seep through my socks finally resting against my toes and heels. It wasnt the first time I felt this way but for some reason it really struck me that this isnt my home. It is familliar and comfortable but something is amiss. I dont really enjoy being recognized everywhere I go. I am happy when I go out and dont see someone I know or feeling pressed to make pleasantries with casual aquaintances. There is an overwhelming sense of responsibility that accompanies being part of a community and the more time I spend here the more I recognize how suffocatingly small this city is.
I was on my way to a friend's house. She had just broken up with her boyfriend of a few months and was in an awful state. It was not because she had lost the only person she ever loved or because she was worried that he was the one and that that was it for her. Quite the opposite actually. It was because there was no justification or reason given. That seems to be a growing trend lately. There doesnt seem to be any reason or justification for most of what is happening in the world. The world as a whole seems to be in flux right now. Countries are being demolished and others are being built and the politics surrounding it all are being veiled and no one is sure about what is going on everywhere. The world is in flux. My world is in flux. As a wise person once said, "these are the times you really know that you are alive." But frankly, this is of no consolation. I dont see why things need to fall apart before you can know that they are real. This is not a plea for a eutopia... I am more realistic than that ... it is simply a statement of the obvious. I never would have imagined that the world as a whole would mimic my little microcosm in anyway... but I am starting to realize the effect that it is having on me and the people around me.
Chaos.
The is a book I passed by the other day that was tittled, "500 ways to improve your Karma." At the time I smiled and blew it off as an even mmore useless self help book than all of those "relationship books for dumies" or "soup for the soul" books you can find at any store. But the more I think about it the better it sounds. When one is at his wits end ... what else can you do but relinquish your sense of control to a higher power. This is where you find the creating of cults and other fringe groups. They offer the same kinds of advice and "relief" offered by this type of material. I wonder if perhaps we are all being brainwashed by catchy phrases and old cliches.
Some questions ... more of the rhetorical type but feel free to offer any wisdom or thoughts on the subjects.
What ever happened to monogymy? Why are so many people affraid to commit to anything in their lives (school, work, people, etc.)? How much impact does the rest of the world really have on the peripheral nations (like ours)? etc.
Just some rantings ...
~V

Frustration Superstation

Ok ... so I realize that I havent posted for a couple of days ... but now I have something post worthy to complain about lol. Actually, strap your boots on because there is A LOT!
Ok ... so first and foremost ... back to politics:
Anne McLellen was quoted on the news today as pleading with voters to vote for her and not the party. What does this mean for Canadian politics? We vote for the party platform ... THAT IS THE POINT! She is basically telling her constituents and her party that she doesnt care how the party feels or what they stand for. All she is looking for is job security (for her not us) and pointing out the flaws in the Canadian political system.
Aside from that we now have NPD MPs being accused of making anti-semetic comments in a paper 10 years ago. As horrible as that is and as much as I hope he is honestly remoursful... Just think ... if they cant find anything more recent than 10 years ago in an attempt to discredit him ... it just makes me wonder. If I write a paper arguing what I am instructed to argue by my professor and present a valid arguement, when will it come back to haunt me or you? When we have politicians like Ralph Klien who openly plagerize papers and refuse to disclose information to the public ... What are we as members of the community and citizenry supposed to think?
Now we are going to move to another topic: The impossibility of the University.
I, like all of you, work very hard in University. We work to make the grades. We work to pay the fees. We work to get to class and to be productive and active memebers of the microcosm that is our campus. But what is the University doing for us? Has the movement towards mass education made it impossible for the university to care about us as individuals? I went to the Arts office today to speak to someone about next year. When the woman behind the desk realized that I was not actually a memer of the Arts faculty right now (I was for 3 years prior and I will be in September) she pushed my paper back at me and turned around to face the wall. If there had been a door she would have slammed it in my face. Is this acceptable behaviour for people who's job it is to be of service? She didnt even bother to refer me to someone who could help me. There is no arguement that there are not a number of student services that could help me, but the problem is that there are so many in so many different places that I, assuming I am a typical student, have no idea where to go first or even where to find most of these services. All I wanted was for someone to sit down wityh me and give me a little guidance. The other point that should be acknowledged is , I suppose like any large private company, the incredible lack of communication and attention awarded to their customers. I am a customer of the University. I pay my bills and expect services promised. If I went to a store and was told by one salesperson that they can offer one service for one price, I payed the price and the next day when I showed up to pick up my purchase the next salesperson told me that they dont even have the unit I purchased and it would be twice as much as I had already payed. What would I do? Complain? Yes .... but then what? Go to another store? Yes, but unfortunately that isn't always a viable option where Education is concerned. So what now? When is it time for the University to accept some responsibility? When did we as a community decide that it was ok for educators to do anything but educate?
So what now? I dont know. I dont know what to do or where to go.
My only saving grace is the wonderful women in the Faculty of Education office who will always be there to help and will bend over backwards to help you.
we will see....
~ V