About

Substack asked what categories I fit into - and I had to pick two from a list. I settled on Politics and Culture. As wide as those categories are I still feel restricted. I have lived a long and active life and to cram everything experienced into two categories requires more than a little imagination. Academically speaking, Political Science, Environmental Studies, and Business Admin are where my qualifications reside, but circumstance has led me to be involved in many strange and challenging efforts. Thankfully, I always wrote down what I learned. Praise be to word processors.

Writing is almost obsessive for me and what excites me about it is clarity. I would guess that sounds deadly dull to most people, but I find it exciting because so few writers actually achieve a level of clarity that is both informative and engaging. Usually you sacrifice one for the other making those who find both special. That is my goal.

As an essayist having something to say that will benefit the reader is the ultimate - along with saying it in a way that attracts the largest audience. I have spent my life looking for that level of clarity, not just so I can write about it but because it helps me, personally, make sense out of living. Now, in my last years, the task is to share this reality in as clear and readable a fashion as I am able. It's a chore because I am so poor at marketing. My ego tells me to speak out but my shyness tells me it’s best not to let anyone hear it - a bad combination by any measure, which I am trying to overcome. Don’t be afraid to let me know how I’m doing.

Ross Urquhart

Lytton BC