Numerous Narratives 🍁

Atomic essays, mini explorations, and a digital garden of diverse ideas – welcome! This is my space for creative experimentation, a place where fiction and reality collide. You'll find reflections on everything from economics and politics to culture and technology, alongside the development of my novel and nonfiction projects. My tools of choice? I am an advocate for Open Source Software such as Ubuntu and ZorinOS Linux working in a Gnome desktop Linux environment on all my personal laptops, Standard Notes, Signal with journalists, Manuskript, and the secure writing environment of theQuill.app. The views shared here are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of my employer or any organizations I am affiliated with. My perspectives may evolve over time as I strive to maintain an open mind. This blog offers a snapshot of my thoughts at specific moments, capturing ideas that resonated with me then. Please note that some older posts may no longer align with my current views. - - -

@GaryArmstrong GaryArmstrong.blog

Two Sons: One Emotional Chaos & One Emotional Calm

June 13, 2025•581 words

“One man is a storm, quick to thunder. The other, a still pond — dangerous only when disturbed.” ~ Rudyard Kipling “Temper is the only thing you can’t get rid of by losing it.” ~ Jack Nicholson “He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.” ~ Lao Tzu “The strong man is not the one who can use force, but the one who can control himself when angry.” ~ Prophet Muhammad “In the clash of brothers, one burns like wildfire, the other freezes like stone...

The Sleek, Modern, Fast, Linux GNOME Desktop Environment

June 12, 2025•443 words

"GNOME is designed to be streamlined and distraction-free, helping users focus on their tasks rather than managing their desktop." ~ Allan Day, GNOME Design Team "GNOME offers a clean, modern user experience that emphasizes simplicity, speed, and getting out of the user's way." ~ Jim Hall, FreeDOS Project Founder and Linux Writer "GNOME might very well be the most efficient desktop interface available, especially for those who prefer keyboard-driven workflows." ~ Jack Wallen, TechRepublic "G...

Christian Leaders Respond in Writing to Trump’s Travel Ban and Immoral Immigration Crackdown

June 12, 2025•453 words

"We follow Jesus, who was himself a refugee, and we will resist any policy that denies others the refuge he and his family were given." ~ Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde (Episcopal Diocese of Washington) "This ban is not about safety. It’s about hate. It’s about scapegoating Muslims and immigrants for political gain. And religious leaders must call it what it is—immoral." ~ Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II (President, Repairers of the Breach) "These actions go against the values we hold as a nation a...

When Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Are Banned

June 10, 2025•575 words

"To be anti-racist is to recognize that policies not only reflect inequality—they create it. Banning equity initiatives doesn't remove bias, it reinforces it." ~ Ibram X. Kendi "When you strike down diversity programs, you strike down the very tools we use to confront structural inequality. Silencing DEI is silencing progress." ~ Kimberlé Crenshaw "A society that bans equity and inclusion initiatives reveals its deep commitment to maintaining the status quo of injustice." ~ Cornel West "With...

Amnesty International Has Condemned the Measure As ‘Discriminatory, Racist, and Downright Cruel’

June 9, 2025•256 words

In response to President Trump imposing a new discriminatory travel ban on visitors from Afghanistan, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, and a partial travel ban on people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela By endorsing Trump's travel ban, you are committing to policies that are seen as unfair, racist, and discriminatory. Those from Black, Brown, or Muslim-majority countries...

Theft of Food and Survival in Gaza

June 9, 2025•272 words

"Where there is hunger, law and order collapse. Theft becomes survival." ~ Raj Patel "The man who is hungry steals, not because he is a thief, but because he is hungry." ~ Victor Hugo "A hungry man is not a free man." ~ Adlai E. Stevenson II "When you are hungry, you will break any law and cross any boundary." Chris Hedges "If you steal food to survive, is it a crime or a consequence of society’s failure?" ~ Noam Chomsky You are in a place where people are fighting for their lives every ...

Thief of Food

June 8, 2025•232 words

You accuse an individual of theft at the same time you give them food, and then you turn around and accuse them of stealing the very food you just gave. Think about that. How can that make sense? As Christians, or Muslims, or Buddhists, or Jewish, or Sikhs gave someone food, you willingly handed it over. You can’t then claim they stole it. That’s a contradiction. You can’t say “this is yours” and then act like they took it without permission. If you do, you’re twisting the truth to fit your own...

The diabolic emotions of jealousy, hatred, and RACISM!

June 7, 2025•221 words

These are diabolic emotions, rooted in internalized racism, marked by discrimination, and driven by hatred. Jealousy may seem paradoxical, why would anyone envy a people who have faced historical oppression? Yet it comes from a deeper resentment, the spiritual resilience, cultural richness, and unbroken connection to land that Indigenous people still hold. Those who’ve lost their own sense of rootedness may, instead of confronting their emptiness, project it outward, masking envy with contempt...

Grace, Modesty, & Thankfulness

June 6, 2025•236 words

"Grace is not a little prayer you chant before a meal. It is the life of God being poured into you." ~ Joyce Meyer "Modesty is the gentle way to power." ~ Charles R. Swindoll "Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." ~ Marcel Proust When you face suffering or misfortune, choosing to endure it without loud complaint or bitterness is a quiet act of grace. This grace isn't just about staying calm, it's about carrying yourself...

Common Day Machiavellian

June 5, 2025•271 words

Reading The Prince, it makes a person think about actual dysfunctional relational aggressive individuals... Imagine you find yourself in a situation where someone begins spreading lies about you, not because of anything you've done but because of the way they perceive you. Maybe you have achieved something they haven’t, or you receive attention they feel they deserve. In their eyes, your success becomes a threat, and tearing you down becomes a way for them to regain control or feel superior. ...

Underhanded Tactics and the Abuse of Power

June 4, 2025•209 words

Reading Robert Greene and so much is true about unethical underhanded tactics. When you're dealing with someone who craves control and thrives on chaos, you often become the target of subtle, underhanded tactics. A narcissist rarely confronts you directly, doing so would require acknowledging you as an equal. Instead, they operate from the shadows, manipulating, twisting, and deceiving while keeping their true motives hidden, behind closed doors, strategizing for another attack. You may find ...

America As Warfighters For Hegemony

June 3, 2025•244 words

“The rush of battle is a potent and often lethal addiction, for war is a drug.” ~ Chris Hedges, War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning "We sent them to war. They come back different. And we don’t understand why.” ~ Sebastian Junger, Tribe The video is mainly focused on the former radical far right Fox network commentator, now Secretary of Defense of the most powerful military in the world, discussing how most of America are warfighters and they are ready to fight against China?! Crazy, ridicul...

A Golden Dome Bribe Is a Bribe and Canada Won’t Take It

June 2, 2025•226 words

“The prospect of an arms race in outer space is a matter of serious concern.” ~ Kofi Annan “The weaponization of space will ultimately lead to the weaponization of Earth.” ~ Craig Eisendrath “Preventing an arms race in space is not a luxury—it’s a necessity for the survival of our species.” ~ Alice Slater “The biggest threat to satellite security is not science fiction—it’s geopolitical rivalry.” ~ Brian Weeden “Space is becoming congested, contested, and competitive.” ~ U.S. Department of ...

Logotherapy, Short-term Goals, & Long-term Goals

June 1, 2025•315 words

"Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any 'how'." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche "When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves." ~ Viktor E. Frankl "Logotherapy focuses on the meaning of human existence as well as on man's search for such a meaning." ~ Viktor E. Frankl "Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose." ~ Viktor E. Frankl "Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, ...

What Economic Low-Cost Strategy Can Reduce the High Crime Rates in the Rural Areas of Canada?

May 31, 2025•434 words

"Criminality is always the result of poverty." ~ Jacob Zuma "A large part of crime is economics - if people are working and and have a home and family to support, then I believe you can reduce the crime rate." ~ Frank Vincent "With the frenzied pace in our own country, with the degenerating school system, with a crime rate that rises 30% a year, and with politicians that seem more interested in posturing than in governing, it has become more difficult, or should I say challenging, to achieve ...

Enjoying A Live Pro Basketball Game With My Boy

May 31, 2025•226 words

“Watching a live basketball game is like riding a wave of adrenaline. You never know when the tide will turn.” ~ Charles Barkley “The beauty of live basketball is its unpredictability. One shot, one moment, and the whole game changes.” ~ Doc Rivers “In the arena, with the crowd roaring and the game clock ticking, that's where legends are born.” ~ Kobe Bryant For me, going to a professional basketball game can be a calming experience. The precise rules, goals, and concentrated skill on disp...

Ambiguity in Education and Learning

May 30, 2025•356 words

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” ~ William Butler Yeats “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” ~ Alvin Toffler “One of the greatest problems of our time is that many are schooled but few are educated.” ~ Thomas More “To teach is to make a space where the community of truth is practiced.” ~ Parker J. Palmer, The Courage to Teach The lecture is still fresh in your...

Ambiguity & Leadership

May 29, 2025•408 words

“A leader’s job is not to have all the answers but to be comfortable with ambiguity and to create the space for others to find clarity.” ~ Brené Brown “In times of great uncertainty, leaders must have the courage to act—and the humility to learn.” ~ Roselinde Torres “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald We usually think of ambiguity, or not knowing exactly what...

Ambiguity Quietly Influences Your Life

May 28, 2025•221 words

"Our chronic discomfort with ambiguity - which, ironically, is critical to both our creativity and the richness of our lives - leads us to lock down safe, comfortable, familiar interpretations, even if they are only partial representations of or fully disconnected from reality." ~ Maria Popova "The denial of "self" challenges only the notion of a static self independent of body and mind-not the ordinary sense of ourself as a person distinct from everyone else. The notion of a static self is th...

We Can Learn From Icelandic People's Mindset of InnSaei

May 26, 2025•344 words

"Rules for Happiness: something to do, someone to love, something to hope for." ~ Immanuel Kant "Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." ~ Marcel Proust "When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life."...

Never Jump to Conclusions; Always Seek Multiple Sources Before Forming an Opinion

May 25, 2025•54 words

Withhold judgment until you've gathered information from diverse, reliable sources. Truth rarely lives in one perspective alone. Always seek understanding, not certainty, consult multiple sources before reaching any conclusion. Where is this information coming from? And why is this information coming from this individual? And is there any reason why this information is expressed? ...

Vitamin D

May 25, 2025•286 words

"It now appears most of us need about 5,000 units a day if we avoid the sun. The government was off by a factor of ten; an 'order-of-magnitude error.' Mistakes of this scale are rare in medicine." - John Cannell, MD, author of Athlete's Edge: Faster, Quicker, Stronger with Vitamin D "It is becoming increasingly clear to researchers in the field that vitamin D is strongly linked to several diseases. Its biological sphere of influence is much broader than we originally thought. The nutritional g...

A Living Canadian Constitution, hmmmm

May 23, 2025•469 words

"I think the court belongs to the Canadian people and it should reflect the Canadian people... The law is an 'organic' entity that grows and transforms in keeping with the evolution of societal views, known as the 'living tree' doctrine." - Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada "Our Constitution is not a static, immutable text. It is a living document, and its meaning must be discerned and applied in light of the evolving values and circumstance...

You Suddenly Acquire Knee Pain

May 22, 2025•434 words

"Guys get injuries and there's a reason why these injuries happen. A lot of time you're going to get your knee injuries and your ankle injuries, but sometimes if a guy's back is hurting it might be because his core isn't balanced with his back." ~ Andre Reed "The knee is a marvel of engineering, and when it fails, it reminds us how much we rely on its intricate mechanics for every simple movement." - Dr. Robert Johnson (Orthopedic Surgeon) "Every step becomes a negotiation when your knees are...

Strikes and Lockouts Generally Benefit Workers and the Economy

May 21, 2025•297 words

“Strikes are the expression of a healthy democracy; they are pressure valves that keep economic injustices from festering.” - Thomas Geoghegan “In the long run, labor disputes help modernize labor relations and force companies to address inefficiencies they would otherwise ignore.” – Richard Freeman, economist “Lockouts and strikes are painful, but they clear the ground for innovation, renegotiation, and a reset of expectations that benefit productivity in the long term.” - Joseph Stiglitz, ...

Over 100 Days in Office and Trump Has Not Stopped the Russian—Ukraine War

May 20, 2025•392 words

“I gave Ukraine anti-tank busters, and Obama gave them blankets.” - Trump “We’re helping Ukraine. Just so you understand, we’re sending them military help and equipment.” - Trump “We’re supporting them with weapons. That’s more than the last administration did.” - Trump “My administration provided lethal aid to Ukraine, while the last one refused to.” - Trump “I’m the one who gave Ukraine the anti-tank weapons. No one else did that.” - Trump “I’m proud to say, for decades, I was the first ...

Africa's Trading Partner is China For a Reason

May 19, 2025•491 words

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron." - Dwight D. Eisenhower "A natio...

A Canadian Pragmatic Approach to Managing Trumpism Economic Pressures

May 18, 2025•325 words

"When goods do not cross borders, soldiers will." Frédéric Bastiat "We should beware of the demagogues who are ready to declare a trade war — apparently to protect some special interest — and who expect our trading partners not to retaliate." - Ronald Reagan "We cannot turn back. We cannot close ourselves off from the world. That’s not the way the world works. Our future lies in open economies and open trade." - Barack Obama "Tariffs are simply taxes on consumers, and their burden falls most...

Amass Power by Constructing or Becoming Involved in Grass-Roots and Legal Coalitions

May 17, 2025•233 words

"The tyranny of a prince in an oligarchy is not so dangerous to the public welfare as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy." - Montesquieu "We've become, now, an oligarchy instead of a democracy. I think that's been the worst damage to the basic moral and ethical standards to the American political system that I've ever seen in my life." - Jimmy Carter "Dictatorship naturally arises out of democracy, and the most aggravated form of tyranny and slavery out of the most extreme liberty." - Pla...

Constant Vigilance Is Needed For A Democracy

May 16, 2025•246 words

"The struggle for freedom is ultimately not resistance to autocrats or oligarchs but resistance to the despotism of public opinion." ~ Ludwig von Mises "The history of liberty is a history of resistance." ~ Woodrow Wilson "It is from the numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a mill...