Balancing Act, 5

Today is the Fourth of July. Uncle Sam Day. Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. Our violent neighbours to the south. But only some of them are violent, which is to say the large minority of mouth-breathers who elected that odious mouth-breather, Dump, to squat in the White House until he has to be shoveled out. I have some lovely friends who are Americans and it is for them that I am writing this blog. For those many sane, right-minded and forward-thinking Americans. For those Americans who love progress, human rights, decency, culture and the natural environment. For those many Americans not seduced or swallowed up by mindless consumerism and greed. For those Americans who are aware of and respect and love other countries in the world, and strive to be part of a global movement of people of good will and cultural sharing and exchange. For those Americans who do not believe that dropping bombs on other countries is the way to peace. For those Americans who wouldn't only make good Canadians, but whom themselves are an example of peace, justice, fairness, creativity and innovation and internationalism that many Canadians could aspire to. You do exist. I know this. I know some of you. I have also read some of your books, and heard some of your presentations on CBC. The negative propaganda that comes from the US is hard to avoid, and understandable. The gun violence is, of course, out of control, as well as the rampant consumerism. On the radio news this morning I heard it announced that our neighbours to the south are preparing with firearms for the Fourth of July celebrations today, and then I had to do a double take, because, of course, the announcer wasn't saying firearms, but fireworks. For those of my friends in the US who live and cope every day with the despair of having for president that orange-skinned aberration now occupying the Oval Office, that large wrinkled and scowling two year old in a seventy-two year old body with the bad comb-over, that vector of mindless hate and bigotry who is trying to set your country backward by a half century, I want you to take heart. This is not the norm for your country, nor in this world. Trump is an aberration. You are the same country that blessed the world with eight years of the Obama presidency (no, he wasn't perfect, but so much better than his predecessor and successor, as well as giving us the first ever American president of African heritage) Right now the Deplorables are having their day, but they will soon burn themselves out and times of healing will return. Don't give up! Here is another offering from an essay I wrote in 2001, and have only just rediscovered: " This is where globalization becomes a bit of a problem, and for the simple reason that it’s largely based around trade and commerce, which does nothing to affirm cultural roots and quite a lot to undermine them. On the other hand there is also a growing movement and exchange of peoples, causing in many countries, quite an open exchange and fusion of a huge variety of cultural attributes. So if what we have now is diversity and fusion, then one could say that our sense of self, whoever and wherever we are, is embarking on a huge transition of major historical dimensions. With the technological and information revolution still in its infancy, then what we are currently experiencing is but the beginning of change. There are problems here, especially with the huge emphasis on business, trade and commerce, as well as the cult of individualism. In short, the American Way. It seems to follow then, that globalization is having quite a disruptive effect on communities, and on people’s sense of community. This makes sense, given that, most traditional communities have always been a natural outgrowth of extended families, and networks or villages of such families being held together by common language, traditions, religion and ethnicity. We still have common language, and English is the global tongue of commerce. Religion has been displaced by commerce, and thanks to the increased acceptance of diversity, racism is no longer tolerated.