WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 1989, PAGE 7 PAGE SEVEN THE WILL TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN Remember the story of The Little Engine that Could. All the big, shiny and important engines didn't want to haul the train across the mountain - they had all kinds of excuses, but the little engine was undaunted - as he chugged and huffed his way up the mountain, he repeated over and over again, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can ..." Children's books are full of such ideals - anything's possible if you work hard and have the will power to carry it through. When we grow up we forget about those early lessons. We take the easy way out; we too make excuses, "It isn't worth the effort," "It can't be done," 'You. can't fight city hall." On the international scene, the sanie attitude exists between nations. Countries grasp at meaningless straws as alternatives to constructive action. Canada still refuses to take a firm stand against apartheid because "it's important that we maintain the lines of communication." Hesitation has become the hallmark of democracy. But the grassroots are on the march and last year they moved mountains. People can make things happen. Splinter groups like Greenpeace have demonstrated time and again that a willingness to put their lives on the line in defence of fundamental principles can bring even superpowers to their senses. But the current success has more to do with the women's rights movëment. The single clarion event in the recent history of people power was the overthrow of the Marcos regime in the Phillipines - proof that revolutions can take place without guns - that the people ultimately do control their destiny. Dictatorships survive because of the acquiescence of the majority and the collaboration of only a few. An earlier, quieter but equally daunting display of will. was the daily vigil by Argentinian women for the sons and husbands who had simply disappeared. With nothing to lose but their lives and freedom, their numbers grew from a mere handful to a large, visible and constant thorn. Their courage was the inspiration that led Argentina's return to democracy. In the last year, women were prominent in defeating Gen. Pinochet's referandum in Chile, and Pakistan returned to democracy with the election of Benazir Bhutto. Women have been particularly successful in third world countries because of their traditional subservient role. Strongmen prefer to ignore their protests rather than accord them the legitimacy of a response. At the same time, any form of strongarm tactics against women would be very unpopular. So women have enjoyed a degree of immunity which they have exploited very effectively. Every review of events of last year makes reference to the fact that peace broke out all over the world - from Iran to Angola to Nicaragua to Cambodia to Afganistan. These were all long-standing conflicts; they remained virtually stalemated despite billions of dollars, and hundreds of thou- sands of deaths. In each case, a cease-fire meant for both sides an admission that the goals that sent them to war were unattainable - an admission that the time, money and wasted human life was all for nought. In each case, there was no political upheaval - the ceasefires were signed by the same governments that had waged the wars. Admissions of such failure are not the normal course of events, but they occurred in 1988 because the pressure from their own people became an irrestible force. 1988 saw the democratization of S. Korea after massive civil upheaval. It saw the Intafada in Israel - a rocks against guns popular revolution that has had more success in one year than in twenty years of bombings and hijackings. 1988 was a year when people took things into their own hands. Closer to home we saw 'new' recycling programs which in fact were started twenty years ago by people with the vision to see the problems of today. Inco and Falconbridge are finally lowering their sulphur dioxide emissions because of public pressure on the government. Even Mikhail Gorbachev who is credited with so much change in 1988 was tapping the strength of the popular will. The changes that Gorbachev has made in Soviet society in only three years are enormous considering the opposition he faces from an entrenched bureaucracy. He succeeds only because he is responding to the aspirations of the Soviet people in a way that leaves his opponents out in the cold. The single most important act of peace was the agreement between Russia and the United States to actually destroy medium range missiles. After thirty years of resisting disarmament on the grounds that "they cauldn't trust each other," ail it really took was the will ta actually do it. In world afairs, dictatorships are successful because of the willful and decisive men that lead them. Mohamar Gadaffi and the Ayatollah are very willful peaple. In comparison, democracies are indecisive wimps. The last few years have seen the emergence of people as a willful farce in bath demo- cratic and totalitarian countries. People have learned that they can fight city hall, they can even get rid of dictators. And the little engine went "I knew I could, I knew I coul, I knew I could ... " ail the way down the mauntain. w, RESIDENCE OF DR. DAVID PETERSON BOGART, C. 1907 This fine Victorian mansion was built in 1877 and located just west of Al Saints' Anglican Church on Dundas Street. It was demolished in 1955 to make way for the Whitby Professional Building, now the Gilmiller Building. Whitby Archives photo 10 YEARS AGO from the Wednesday, January 17, 1979 edition of the WHITBY FREE PRESS • An $87,760 contract has been let by the federal government to improve the breakwater at Whitby Harbor. • The Mary-Brock Building at Brock and Mary Streets, was officially opened by Mayor Jim Gartshore on Jan. 13. 25 YEARS AGO from the Thursday, January 16, 1964 edition of the WHITBY WEEKLY NEWS • Citizens are looking at the possibility of the old county court house being a mee for recreational groups once the county vacates the building later this year. • The William J. Anderson Company, which makes jewellery boxes, reports a 2 increase in production in 1963. • Robert Cawker is the new chairman of the Whitby Public Utilities' Commission. • John Spratt is chairman of the Whitby Planning Board. 75 YEARS AGO from the Thursday, January 15, 1914 edition of the WHITBY GAZETTE AND CHRONICLE • The coldest weather in 28 years closed some Whitby businesses when the temperature fell to 25 degrees below zero Farenheit. • A branch of the Victorian Order of Nurses will be formed in Whitby. An organization meeting was called in the town hall on Jan. 14 by the Whitby Women's Institute. ting place 5 per cent 1 gum