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MWTW, you make wonderful and thought-filled points. BTW, I thank you for your initial question because it stirred in me a process of attentive feeling and thinking that I had not done before about Canada in general and my Canada in particular. Very enjoyable. Thank you And, of course, I realized that Toronto and Vancouver have little to do with each other besides nationality, and cannot be compared. Toronto and NYC, yes. Alberta and Saskatchewan, and Montana and North Dakota, yes. And Vancouver and Seattle, yes. Those would be choices.
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Originally Posted by movingwiththewind
For 2 years now, I've been thinking about should I stay or should I go.
I first thought I have to choose between Canada and US...
a settling place...
Y'know, any choice you make doesn't have to last forever... But any choice you make has to feel good to you, because then you will be open to receive all its gifts.
If you have the opportunity, and the freedom, to wander and try on various different lives during this lifetime, why not do so? Places call to you (and latitudes and longitudes [as in astrocartography]), from your more-ancient past; they are excited that you're back and want to reaquaint with you and energize you with what they have that will nourish you. Perhaps your life is about experiencing. If so, you will wind up in many places, doing many things, and keep rolling from one life to another in this life.
Nothing is forever, so anything can be tried for a while, eh? The Pacific Northwest calls to you and wants you back, and you long to be back there, so why not aim for one PNW place where you stand a good chance of being able to work, and play in the others? Then you can let the Universe unfold the rest of the life you came to live...
Float in the flow, oh you who would move with the wind, and let Life live you. What is the standard of joy that you are demanding for yourself?
In my observation, most people expect joy on birthdays, anniversaries, big games, big dates, arrival of bonus checks, when that amazing person smiles at me, and so forth -- usually when there is an event involving outside forces that, somehow, "cause" the joy. I think that is a kind of cultural norm, or maybe still a human norm.
I think there's another standard, which realizes that all emotions are created, generated, blossomed, maintained, and replaced, by the self, not by anyone or anything outside of the self. That would make joy (and boredom, anger, fear, judgment, eagerness, etc.) a result of choice. Those of use who know this, choise joy minute by minute, even when alone, immobile, unstimulated by anything, waiting for the light to change. Choice... just standing at the corner, staring at the light, smiling, feeling joy. Because it feels so good.
So by one standard, joy is uncontrollable, random, rare, and outer-caused. By the other standard, joy is inner-caused, deliberate, potentially limitless, and as frequent as one chooses. My dinners at Vancouver's Japanese restaurants, and the ride between Seattle and Van, make much, much easier my generation of joy because I love it all so I make it easy to deliberately savor it all, including the stops at Immigration. But Cheerios and milk at home make an equally meaningless stimulus... because the only stimulus there is, is me; my life is not about what is outside me -- my life is about me, always in all ways.
That's my standard for my joy -- absolutely as unlimited and as frequent and as ebullient joy as I remember and choose to be, moment by moment, day after day. Because there is only now. Because joy feels so good, and none of the alternatives is worthy of my energy, my Chi. And I forget. Sitting here thinking and typing, I forget to be deliberate, because I chose to do something I do well and so do it with a joy that's quiet. But the moment I stop thinking and typing, I see a pop-up sign: What now? That reminds me my consciousness is available again to choose...
The standard is how much one chooses to love... self, life, recessions, car crashes, dropped and broken dishes, the look of love in a loved one's eyes, everything. In other words, one's standard is the choice one exercises to shape one's moment-by-moment awareness. Einstein once said, "The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly universe or a hostile universe." Every experience (emotion) we ever have stems from that choice, and we can change our choice at any time. In my friendly universe, I control what I feel, thus I control my experience. So I choose a high, frequent, deliberate, verdant standard of joy. You came along and added to everything I feel joyous about.
Vancouver/Seattle: enough physical calm and space, and enough natural beauty, to actually be helpful for one to get good at practicing being in that kind of constant, deliberate, shaping control.
Toronto/NYC: enough crowded, competing, deafening energies and distractions to feel amused, entertained, excited, and as though something matters, somewhere, somehow.
If you take away nothing else from this post, remember to "choose to savor". That will change your life.
To all the TO bashers can you explain why the GTA continues to grow rapidly n has a higher population than the province of BC.
Also to all the weather obsessed ppl on this forum sounthern Ontario has better weather than every western province besides BC year round. But we have better weather than BC during the months of May to Septmber, nice and hot.
To all the TO bashers can you explain why the GTA continues to grow rapidly n has a higher population than the province of BC.
Also to all the weather obsessed ppl on this forum sounthern Ontario has better weather than every western province besides BC year round. But we have better weather than BC during the months of May to Septmber, nice and hot.
I'm not a TO basher, but it's pretty simple. People move to Toronto because it's where there's the greatest variety of job opportunities exist, and people will always move to where the jobs are. It's not so much about the city than it is about jobs. It's why people also move to places like Fort McMurray or Calgary - it's where the jobs are. Toronto just happens to have more of them than elsewhere in Canada, hence the larger growth, the larger population, etc, etc. People typically don't move to Toronto for the scenery, for the lifestyle, or for the weather - they typically move there for work, or if it is for the lifestyle, it's because they're seeking a busy, thriving, urban environment.
Vancouver's much more limited when it comes to work - the job market is more niche. It's great if you're in real estate, video games, mining, tourism - not so great if you're trying to climb the corporate ladder outside of those industries. However, it's also more expensive than Toronto and is not so much about work - Vancouver's all about accessibility to a varied outdoor lifestyle year round. It attracts an entirely different kind of immigrant than Toronto would.
As far as I'm concerned, the cities are entirely different places and are about entire different things. Toronto's a better place if you live to work, if you're career-oriented, whereas Vancouver's a better place if you work to live, and want to pursue outdoor activities.
I'm not a TO basher, but it's pretty simple. People move to Toronto because it's where there's the greatest variety of job opportunities exist, and people will always move to where the jobs are. It's not so much about the city than it is about jobs. It's why people also move to places like Fort McMurray or Calgary - it's where the jobs are. Toronto just happens to have more of them than elsewhere in Canada, hence the larger growth, the larger population, etc, etc. People typically don't move to Toronto for the scenery, for the lifestyle, or for the weather - they typically move there for work, or if it is for the lifestyle, it's because they're seeking a busy, thriving, urban environment.
Vancouver's much more limited when it comes to work - the job market is more niche. It's great if you're in real estate, video games, mining, tourism - not so great if you're trying to climb the corporate ladder outside of those industries. However, it's also more expensive than Toronto and is not so much about work - Vancouver's all about accessibility to a varied outdoor lifestyle year round. It attracts an entirely different kind of immigrant than Toronto would.
As far as I'm concerned, the cities are entirely different places and are about entire different things. Toronto's a better place if you live to work, if you're career-oriented, whereas Vancouver's a better place if you work to live, and want to pursue outdoor activities.
Welcome to City-Data.com forum! Make sure to register - it's free and very quick! You have to register before you can post and participate in our discussions with 700,000 other registered members. User profiles and some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your free account you will be able to customize many options, you will have the full access to over 15,000 posts/day about local topics and you will see fewer ads. 
And, of course, I realized that Toronto and Vancouver have little to do with each other besides nationality, and cannot be compared. Toronto and NYC, yes. Alberta and Saskatchewan, and Montana and North Dakota, yes. And Vancouver and Seattle, yes. Those would be choices.
And, amazingly, I turned out okay....
I have to think very hard about it...
Thanks, 'Cats
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