Since then that bright future has faded. In all honesty, other than Henderson's goal, life here in Canada has been deadly dull. Let's face it, as a nation we lack both imagination and passion.
Ask yourself, what has been Canada's most memorable event since we celebrated Canada's one hundredth birthday?
The only exceptional event that I can recall is Terry Fox's attempted run across Canada. I'll never forget that young one-legged man with his hopping gait who set out to accomplish a dream that was as big as the country.
Unfortunately, trying to live the dream did him in, and I think that we never got or understood his message that regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in, we can dare to accomplish something extraordinary. I think he would have been disappointed to see how run-of-the-mill we have become.
We pretty much slog along doing things like they always have been done since our colonial days. Nothing really innovative. Nothing that would rock the boat.
On the political front, we are still a settler state that privileges the birth rights of two charter groups. On the one hand, we are still a constitutional monarchy that has the monarch of one of the charter groups as Canada's head of state, and on other, the desire of the other charter group to assert its collective sovereignty over the territory it occupies.
Talk about being trapped in a time warp. Even hockey has become dull.
No more Gretzky, no more Lemieux, just the boring dump it into the corner and then pass it back for a slap shot from the point, hoping that the puck will make it through the five opposing players who have collapsed in front of their net.
Wow, like watching the balls from Lotto 649 drop out.
We need to be jolted out of our collective stupor. Life is far too short and far too precious to be lived in its entirety always on the safe side.
Get yourself to Vancouver Island when the surf is booming in.. and stand on the rocks near Long Beach. Get back to me later.. tell me how boring that was. Stand in a field of rapeseed (canola) at dawn as the prairie breeze arrives. Ride the Funicular to Lower Town in Quebec City and tell me that Wolfe and Montcalm do not enter your consciousness. Watch a moose cross the road near the Great Divide through your windshield. Take in a Winnipeg Jets game.. take a ferry to Cape Breton in the fog.
ReplyDeleteOh .. you need a jolt you say !
Look quickly behind and around you.. that's a runaway and quite possibly illegal Harper government that is trying to create their version of postcards of Canada that they warned us we would not recognize.. If you're feeling dull, uninspired or logy regarding Grassy Narrows in Ontario, read up on Fort Chipewayn, downstream from the wondrous ethical tar sands.. that may wake you up. Read up on Dr. David Schindler and his appraisal. Stephen Harper has stated he and his cabinet will over-rule any obstacles to the Northern Gateway pipeline. (perhaps he sees this as his very own 'Last Spike' moment and photo op ?)
Later, if he has his way (which will never happen) the Chinese VLCC tankers will come in large numbers, daily to our Pacific archipelago's and on through to Kitimaat.. or via the Second Narrows passage of Vancouver.
Canada is COOL dude ...
You don't have to carry that weight or responsibility.. nor do I
Canada is under assault.. yes .. but Canada is COOL ...
Better yet,, we have the impeccable credentials.. bravery .. sacrifice .. and off the scale levels of courage ..
and do not need an ethically and factually shaky and inept government
to interfere or try to assist in this area of understanding or national identity
Hope I jolted you.. or the lamentables