'We make choices by not making choices And we live with unbearable consequences We hear alarm bells, but do not respond We cling to uncertainty like a sad song We act as if unaware and innocent We are cognitively dissonant' Claude Schryer, September 28, 2021, Duhamel, QCone step at a time(September 28, 2021)We make choices by not making choices And we live with unbearable consequences We hear alarm bells, but do not respondWe cling to uncertainty like a sad song We act as if unaware and innocent We are cognitively dissonantWe write feeble poems, like this one, to lessen our pain We accept our fate and wait for the last day We know that exploitation is the causeAnd we know that we are it’s childrenWe try to change our ways but the draw is too strong We are so comfortable, so selfish and so tragically wrong We know that one day soon we will have to tell our kidsThat we knew far too much and did far too littleWe think that art can change the world if only we listened But we know that listening is an inconvenient truthWe made a choice by not choosing And now we live with the consequences And yet, we know that it’s never too late to start a newWe know, deep inside, that this, is true One step at a time One step at a timeStop, listenOne step at a time One more step at a timeStop, listen more deeply One step at a time One step. Stop. Listen.Me recording a monologue while I walking in the forest...
*END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODESHey conscient listeners, I’ve been producing the conscient podcast as a learning and unlearning journey since May 2020. It’s my way to give back.This Indigenous Land Acknowledgement statement was developed by members of the Algonquin community for my former employer the Canada Council for the Arts. I have adapted slightly to make it my own.I acknowledge that my studio, located in Ottawa, is on the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation whose presence here reaches back to time immemorial.I recognize the Algonquins as the customary keepers and defenders of the Ottawa River Watershed and its tributaries. I honour their long history of welcoming many Nations to this beautiful territory and uphold and uplift the voice and values of our Host Nation.Further, I offer my respect and affirm the inherent and Treaty Rights of all Indigenous Peoples across this land and honour commitments to self-determination and sovereignty that have been made to Indigenous Nations and Peoples.I acknowledge the historical oppression of lands, cultures and the original Peoples in what we now know as Canada and fervently believe the Arts contribute to the healing and decolonizing journey we all share togetherIn parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and its francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I I publish a free ‘a calm presence' monthly Substack see https://acalmpresence.substack.com.Your feedback is always welcome at [email protected] and/or on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Threads, BlueSky, Mastodon, Tik Tok, YouTube and Substack.Share what you like, etcI am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. Claude SchryerLatest update on January 9, 2026

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