The reflection of a nation...

I was born into a lower middle class family and grew up in what could accurately be called white suburbia just outside of Toronto. At the time my knowledge of our indigenous population consisted of the stereotypes that came from westerns in the movies and on television and that Tecumseh was an Indian Chief who fought along side Sir Issac Brock to help defeat the Americans in the War of 1812 (it was actually more of a conflict we didn’t lose). They also offered great inspiration for professional sports franchises and of course, they lived on reserves far away from the schools I attended. I only bring this up to level set my ignorance.

Recently the psyche of a nation was put on display with the report of a mass grave of 215 indigenous children found on the grounds of a now boarded up Residential School, and soon after, other reports of unmarked graves found on the grounds of other such schools — the whispers of murdered children and cultural genocide were getting louder each day. This Residential School System, unique to Canada’s indigenous population, involved physically removing children from their families for years, stripping the children of their culture and language, and attempting to beat the Christian faith into them (and I say this most literally).

I am the first to say that a person should not pay for the “sins of their father” but since the last Residential School closed in the 1990s it’s impossible not to look in the mirror and question my complicity as a Canadian — even if it’s just for my ignorance. The complexity of the discussion is broad and is a layered compilation that spans over two centuries — European colonialism, religious expansionism, institutional racism, broken and misguided bureaucratic initiatives, cultural genocide, broken agreements, and broken promises. It begs the simple question, ‘“Where do I start”? My daughter asked me the other day what we can do about this and the only answer I could give was we need to shine a very bright light on the situation — we need to understand, we need to listen, and we need to acknowledge our history. We definitely can not let this slip back into the shadows where it’s destined to continue. In all of this, I’ve also come to conclusion Canada is a country that does not protect its children, and for this sin, will never become the country it says it is.

As well as shining that bright light on the situation, my humble suggestion is to better focus on our children; all our children. As a country, we need to ensure they are all safe, healthy and thriving. This will not address the sins of the past but it is a good place to start and will secure a better future.

So this is how I spent my Canada Day — reflecting and simmering with outrage.

It also struck me that Canadians may be (pound for pound) among the most dangerous people in the world… we are smart, have ample resources, and look how ruthlessly we treat our own children. When we say sorry, I wouldn’t assume we actually mean it.

iamgpe

Moments — Dwell on the beauty...

“Dwell on the beauty of Life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.”

If the Internet is to be believed this quote and insight is from Marcus Aurelius who was one of the better Roman Emperors that I’ve read about (he was the last of what is known as the Five Good Emperors). When I first read this quote I simply assumed its author was a contemporary “new age philosopher” using memes to develop a following. I was taken aback a little by the fact that it originated on the streets of Rome eighteen hundred years ago.

A modern day bias to be sure, or maybe something that has always come with those generations that happen to occupy the top of the food chain at that moment in time — “we are the most civilized, most knowledgeable, and the most enlightened… ever!” I will also admit hearing the name Marcus Aurelius doesn’t conjure up images of a man who pursued philosophical or motivational musings — another obvious bias on my part. It leaves me humbled to know I’m biased and misinformed, with just a little splash of arrogance for taste — although I am hoping there is some redemption that comes with this recognition. As emperor of what was arguably the largest empire in the known world at the time, and with a devastating war machine at his disposal, I wonder if Marcus Aurelius suffered from this same bias.

“Life is harshly beautiful” is something very meme worthy that a couple of “new age philosophy students"* came up with a while ago and something I think a man like Marcus Aurelius would understand intimately — at one moment embracing the love of his family and in another unleashing the dogs of war. There is little doubt he was intimate with what the four horsemen of the apocalypse can accomplish, and with it, a deep understanding of life’s beauty needed to balance the scales.

The more I think about it, it makes sense this quote came from Marcus Aurelius — he would have been in a very good position to offer insights into what’s important in life and what real beauty is.

iamgpe

* we still haven’t gotten around to creating any memes.

Please stay healthy. Please stay safe. We will get through this.

The 2020, and soon to be 2021 pandemic is figuratively a party that everyone has been invited to — upon reflection I think you’d be hard pressed to find someone who has not been effected by COVID-19. Tens of millions of people infected, millions of people dead, untold economic hardship, public health strategies impacting our daily lives, isolation, anxiety… the list regarding the pandemic’s impact goes on and on. Every country, every community, and every person is dealing with it in some way.

 SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19 is like most viruses; very good at what it does — and what it does is opportunistically infect people. As we start to move into the winter months there is already an increase in cases, an increase in the resulting hospital visits and tragically, an increase in deaths; the cold weather is driving us indoors and the timing could not be worse because the virus is easily spread indoors by droplets in the air and poor ventilation. Public health in many jurisdictions have ordered lockdowns and is advising against gatherings except in the smallest of groups — all this at a time when COVID-19 fatigue is at its worst and we’re heading into the Holiday season. It may be a dark winter indeed.

The promise of vaccines is weeks away and the talk has moved from if there will be a vaccine to how we can effectively distribute the vaccines to our most vulnerable as quickly as possible. There has also been an increase in therapeutics to combat COVID-19 if you do become inflected. The brain trust of our scientific, medical and business communities have brought us a way to fight back in record time, and governments are looking to authorize these vaccines and therapeutics as soon as, and as safely as possible.

 It is now just a matter of time with a simple strategy; vaccinate the population faster than the virus can spread, and in turn reduce the number of cases, reduce the number of deaths and allow us to get back to what we remember as normal. The next three months will be difficult by any standard, but by then the momentum will have shifted in our favour and that light we’ll see, will truly be at the end of this COVID-19 tunnel.

 In the mean time —

Work very hard not to get COVID-19 — remember this virus is opportunistic. 

Be Kind — we are all dealing with this pandemic in our own way. 

Be Patient — there truly is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Take advantage of all this “free time” and learn something new — it makes it easier to keep track of what day it is, particularly if assignments are involved. 

We are all in this together. Please stay healthy. Please stay safe. We will get through this.

 iamgpe