I never thought it would take me three columns to develop these few thoughts about the Canada I love. And there could be more, but three's enough. It's a much broader subject than I realized, when I started out, two deadlines ago.
Grammar, maybe; word play, definitely. But love for one's country? That's so, so American, isn't it?
Well, being "so" American isn't all that bad, or at least it wasn't a decade or two ago, say, in the pre-Clinton era. I wouldn't want to identify with present America, at least not until that Obama-nation is removed.
Meanwhile, up here in Canada...
I know that my simple thesis is, once again, wishful thinking, but very much in a literal (not figurative) sense. Literally, these are real wishes that I'm hoping to come true, for the good of all. And figuratively, "wishful thinking" means "pie-in-the-sky-in-the-sweet-by-and-by." In other words, no real basis in reality.
I like to think that I speak for grassroots man and the common sense woman when I suggest that life in a small prairie town reflects what the rest of Canada should look like--naysayers and doomsdayers, notwithstanding.
So let me continue my flow of the "Canada I love":
The Canada I love should have that small town sense of community: I have attended countless meetings, workshops, celebrations, and fundraisers, and each one had that sense of community. I have a greater sense of community when I am involved in the community. The cold, distant nation that I often see and hear about is not one that I want to be part of.
We need a Canada where we can feel at home, drop our guard, celebrate each culture, and mesh as a cohesive unit. I know that sounds kind of wussy, but I once knew a Canada like that once.
"Familiarity" could be another word for "community," though I think the latter speaks to the broader issue. It's that sense of belonging, of being part of something. There is so much disconnect in today's Canada. And with that disconnect, there seems to be no sense of ownership and responsibility, and you know the lifestyle that that leads to.
The Canada I love should have that small town sense of security: That's sort of tied into "accountability," but it has its own application. I know for a fact that there are people who don't lock their houses at night, who leave their keys in their car. Not me—so don't get any ideas--but I understand the thinking.
It's an on-going trust, an unpretentious thinking, something you can't and shouldn't do in the big city. It is so reassuring to raise a family in that kind of environment. I would like to live in a land that is safe and secure, free from having to look over one's shoulder, bolting one's door, and taking excessive protective measures. I would like to restore that sense of security to our nation. We once had a Canada like that.
Sure there's trouble in small towns: Homes get broken in to, marriages fall apart, petty vandalism marks a bored punk culture—that sort of trouble is nowhere near the same level in a city. People are people, and there's more trouble when there's more of them.
The Canada I love should have a small town sense of morality: Remember the days of right and wrong, good and bad, male and female, and appropriate and inappropriate? I was raised that way—and I don't just mean in my parents' home. It was taught in every institution I knew.
People are moral or immoral no matter where they live. My point is that, or at least it seems to me, there appears to be a clearer moral distinction, a more definite line in the sand, when people are not lost in the haze of mass humanity. We need to restore our sense of morality as a nation.
When I think of the shape of the future of the Western world—forget the Middle East and Asia for now—I shudder. We've got it great here in Canada and we need to keep it that way. We need to remember, then restore, the values from the past to shape the vision for the future.
If you're not sure what I mean, go visit a small prairie town or stay in the one you're in—and keep on maintaining your town's values.
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