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Opinion – Olympic opening speaks volumes
Vancouver 2010 Inukshuk: janusz l / Janusz Leszczynski
Last night’s Olympic opening ceremony wasn’t my top priority. I wasn’t going to bother watching it but realized I should see what my country was up to.
After all, I graduated in sociology and should know how the Canadian Olympic officials chose to represent this country to the world.
I suppose considering the budget they did a pretty good job. But what I found sort of bush-league was how the emphasis fell on Canada’s greatness instead of the greatness of Olympic Sport.
When doing graduate work in India in the late 1980s I saw a similar phenomenon. Anything of merit in India was pumped up to emphasize how “world class” that country was.
Canada is much the same.
This might be a sign of some kind of grand national insecurity. I mean, if you’re really the best you don’t have to talk about it. You just do it… and most everyone gets that you’re number one.
Having said that, I am proud of some of the claims made about my country last night. I believe we are miles (oops kilometers) ahead of many other lands in terms of forging a working and peaceful cultural mosaic.
It’s easy to talk about the wonders of multiculturalism when you’re banning religious groups from your country or beating up on minorities. It’s quite another thing to actually live peacefully with many different kinds of peoples (and their divergent beliefs) in close proximity.
That’s probably what I’m most proud of. And it’s probably the future of not only Canada but hopefully the world.
So why the lingering social insecurity? Is it because the US media tends to ignore and sometimes mock us? And if so, who cares?
From my experience the Americans worth interacting with see past all that, just as the Canadians worth interacting with don’t construct an identity by saying “we’re not the US.”
How boring!
Defining oneself as Canadian by saying “we’re not America” is also a bit thin and hypocritical. Canadian media anchors, for example, often jump at the chance to appear ‘cool and hip’ by being on Twitter and Facebook.
Uh… what country developed those social media? Or WordPress, for that matter?
So let’s get real. Canada does get a lot of things right but also depends on the USA and many other countries to stay afloat.
It’s an international world. So why don’t we all start thinking that way?
–MC
Happy Thanksgiving, Canada!
Canadians have much to be thankful for... We enjoy freedom of religion, progressive multiculturalism and human rights, national health care, uncrowded natural landscapes and we're in the top 10 economic countries with a banking system rated #1 worldwide for stability. Let's keep it that way, Canada! Photo: MC, at flickr.com
Hindus ask Canada to urgently organize nationwide interfaith dialogue
Toronto at Night by Benson Kua
Special to Earthpages.org
Concerned at the recent religion poll, Hindus have called Canada to organize a nationwide interfaith dialogue as a high-priority.
In view of Maclean’s magazine’s recent poll “What Canadians think of Sikhs, Jews, Christians, Muslims . . .”, which Maclean’s itself calls “disturbing”, acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed today urged Canada government to form a nationwide council for interreligious dialogue, including the leaders of major religions and non-believers. Similar councils should be formed in all the ten provinces, three territories, and ten major cities.
Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, in a statement today in Nevada (USA), said that Canada should introduce study of comparative religion in all public and private schools so that “we could understand each other better, see interrelations and inter-reliance among religions and even resemblance in doctrines.”
Rajan Zed argues that religion is a complex element of our lives and religion comprises much more than one’s own individual experience or specific tradition. God, as a sign of God’s munificence and benevolence, constructively wished presence of different faiths.
Zed pointed out, “We are all looking for the truth and we are all gravitated towards the same direction. In our shared exploration for truth, we can learn from one another and thus come closer to the truth. Dialogue will bring us reciprocal enrichment. Dialogue helps us triumph over the biases, typecasting, and caricatures, handed down to us from previous generations.”
Rajan Zed listed cities where councils for interreligious dialogue should be formed initially as: Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Vancouver, London, Ottawa, Hamilton, and Quebec City. Later on these councils may be extended to other cities as well.
Canada, besides various Christian denominations, is home to considerable number of Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, aboriginal spirituality, etc., and about 16 percent with no religious affiliation. A 2006 Ipsos Reid Survey of Christian religious attitudes indicates that approximately 17 percent of the population attends a Christian church on a weekly basis. The Government observes Good Friday, Easter Monday, and Christmas Day as national holidays. Ontario funds Catholic religious education, while providing no funding for other religious schools.
Maclean’s, founded in 1905 and based in Toronto, claims to be Canada’s only national weekly current affairs magazine, which enlightens, engages and entertains 2.8 million readers. Kenneth Whyte is Editor-in-Chief. Canada, with Stephen Harper as Prime Minister, is second largest country of the world. Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksha (liberation) is its ultimate goal.
Ottawa mayor forwarding request to its Street Committee for naming a major street after Gandhi
Special to Earthpages.org
Mayor of Canada’s capital Ottawa is forwarding to City’s Street Naming Committee the request of Gandhi Monument Council to name one of Ottawa’s major streets after peace icon Mahatma Gandhi.
Right Reverend Gene Savoy Jr. and Rajan Zed, coordinators of Gandhi Monument Council (GMC) headquartered in USA, who made this request in a communiqué to the City of Ottawa, said that they would prefer the name of this proposed street to be “Mahatma Gandhi Marg” (marg means path). While Savoy is Head Bishop of International Community of Christ, Zed is the president of Universal Society of Hinduism.
Mayor Larry O’Brien, in his reply to GMC’s request, also informed that Ottawa City Council just passed a resolution that he fully supported, to raise a statue of Gandhi in a downtown park near Ottawa River. Zed and Savoy have applauded Mayor O’Brien, Ottawa City Council and citizens of Ottawa for honoring the Mahatma.
The Gandhi Monument Council is formed of Christian (various denominations), Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Baha’i, Native American, etc., clergy. According to Zed and Savoy, the purpose of this Council is to commemorate Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence, his commitment to world peace, and his work for the upliftment of the downtrodden.
Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) was one of the few men in history to fight simultaneously on moral, religious, political, social, economic, and cultural fronts. His life and thought had an enormous impact on the world, and he continues to be widely revered as one of the greatest moral, political, and peace leaders of the twentieth century.
Vibrant city of Ottawa, dominated by neo-Gothic Parliament Buildings, is one of the world’s top five sites for R&D and is home to Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Georgian Bay – The 6th Great Lake
Yes… our vacation lasted a little longer than we expected… but we’ve come back with the goods! Here’s a video of our time away. It was great being away from the web. And it’s great to be back.
- High Quality version » http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7byzqbTk1k
The Water of Life
Maude Barlow is a Canadian activist and author who’s published a book called Blue Covenant.
In an interview on TVO she said that lack of water is the #1 killer of children around the globe.
But that’s not all. You can watch the video here »
http://www.tvo.org/TVOsites/WebObjects/TvoMicrosite.woa?video10729
And read more in this excerpt from her book »
http://www.canadians.org/about/documents/Blue_Covenant_Excerpt_07.pdf
IT’S COLD UP THERE IN SASKATCHEWAN
IT’S COLD UP THERE IN SASKATCHEWAN
It’s cold up there in Saskatchewan
husband passed last year
kids gone south to seek their fortune
she remains in the old house
seven rooms
stove is in the kitchen
sitting-room, bathroom
off to the side
other five boarded up.
She has one, two, three
four, five chairs in those rooms,
each with a sweater or a coat
draped over the back.
That way, when she takes her coffee
to drink somewhere besides the table
she always has a garment near
to keep her warm.
She doesn’t need to hoist her old bones
limp to the front door rack
to fetch a wrapper.
Days creep by
only a few hours of daylight
when the cold comes.
She doesn’t mind the clutter
she’s the only one left
to heat the water
drink the coffee
stay by the computer
to connect with the world.
© Sharon Warden January 6, 2008
