While Alberta is not without its charm, it is blatant delusion to believe that the flavours and cultures of the world can be experienced fully in nicely packaged festivals in the area and at Edmonton's William Hawrelak Park. I want to expand my frame of reference. First, I'll move to a bigger city, perhaps Vancouver, Toronto, Seattle, San Francisco, New York, or London. (I'll save Taipei for later.)

Of course, Alberta is a fresh new land, still bursting with natural resources and possibility and, right now, it is booming.

But that is part of the problem. All the cities I mentioned are, according to what I have heard from people who live or have lived in them, wildly expensive places to hang one's hat.

I have met people who came back to live in Edmonton because they could no longer afford Vancouver, who promised me just one beer when I visited the United Kingdom because it is far too expensive there, who enjoy Seattle because they are flagrantly wealthy and successful… the list goes on.

Why is it so affordable to live here in Alberta? First of all, there are relatively few people here. We do not have to share the local resources with as many people as older, more populated cities, like Europe. There is less crime than in a lot of other places, too. Shootings here still make the news, do they not? Of course, that means there are fewer different people to meet, befriend, learn from, and enjoy.

There still exists a lot of natural wealth here. Albertans are up to their eyeballs in petrol, fertile farmland, clean water, minable terrain, forests, natural tourist attractions, and cows. Plenitude allows for low prices.

But we are unable to enjoy these resources if nobody can harvest them. Thus there is a lot of money in that harvest, and it appears that Alberta is focusing almost exclusively on industry .

It feels as though we are in a period of war. Why the hurry, why the hustle and bustle? Since the province is doing so well now, should we not relax? The chores are done and it is time for some recreation. We are healthy and strong, so let us get smart.

Alberta is becoming an idyllic garden of plenty where things cannot go wrong. Thus we are becoming less and less able to cope when something does go wrong. When the happy Albertan prosperity falters briefly and someone gets sick, health care cannot be relied upon.

Violent crime seems to be more prevalent because human understanding is declining. There is no money for anyone not trained towards material industry; those educated in history, language, culture, and medicine are being forced out, leaving the province increasingly uneducated in anything remotely human.

A place full of industrial workers and devoid of wise, learned people is a powder keg. We understand the future to the extent we do the past. The wealthy and wise are getting educated, then getting out, and the elderly are getting sick and dying. On it current path Alberta will eventually be a barren desert full of poor, disgruntled, uneducated workers looking for someone to blame and this has historically been an easily manipulated demographic. Alberta may be affordable now, but we reap what we sow.