Remembering liberty

I didn't grow up on this continent. I am part of the generation fortunate enough to have been born between major conflicts and was too old to take part in any of the recent ones. I count myself most fortunate.

However, there are still battles to be fought for today's war is not just with guns and tanks - the battlefield is also in the hearts and minds of our neighbours and friends. We have to fight ignorance from destroying the futures of our children by robbing them of the chance to have a balanced view of the truth (Bill 44). We have to fight prejudice (Bill C-389) from people who blindly condemn anything and anyone different, all in the name of their god. We have to fight the departments who are supposed to help people (Jason and Bonnie Devine).


Bill 44 is just wrong. The fact that the teachers themselves are opposed to it should be an obvious indication that it's wrong. Why would the teachers oppose something that would, in the end, cause less work for them because there's fewer kids to teach? Simple: because they care. They know that they are they primary change agent in the lives of the kids they teach. They prepare them for the real world. They also know just how unprepared the kids are to face the international area. It's not just in Canada either - do go and watch Waiting for Superman if you can find it. I volunteer as a science teacher in the local classrooms not because I have delusions of grandeur that I can turn around the educational system. No, I go and teach in the ardent hope that I can inspire one - just one - student to go into the sciences. If I can do that, then all the hours will be worth it. One. I'm not asking for more than one.

Bill C-389 is a little tougher. On the surface, you might think that this bill covers a tiny minority who are psychologically disturbed. However, when you dig deeper past the fear and lies the religious right have thrown over it, you'll find that the thrust of this bill is to provide legal protection for this minority who are simply trying to heal. They're not interested in your kids. They're not interested in your washrooms. They're not interested in you or yours at all. They merely want to live and to have the protection that you and I enjoy. Right now, they have no legal protection: if they get beaten up, the perpetrators may or may not be charged. I ask you this: have we as a society sunk so low that we have to debate whether to provide protection to an often medically-challenged minority so that they have legal recourse should they be physically assaulted? So it's all right for a fellow Canadian to get beaten up because he or she is different from you?

Jason Devine is an anti-racism activist in Alberta. Racists broke into his home and beat him up for daring to take a stand against them. Alberta Child Services then swooped in and took his kids away because they figured it was an unsafe environment for the children. Yes, you can look at it that way. ACS, while you're at it, why don't you swoop in and take away the children of all the policemen who work in the anti-corruption departments? Or the anti-organized crime officers? Or the children of abortion doctors? Oh, because there's an incident for Mr. Devine whereas the others haven't? I see...so...colour me naive but wouldn't the right course of action here would be to perhaps provide police protection so that Mr. Devine doesn't get beaten up? Yes, the kids have since been returned to their parents but come on, how screwed up and incompetent can you be to come between a parent who is a victim of assault and his kids? Do note that this is not an isolated incident where ACS have acted in a manner more reminiscent of jackbooted thugs tearing kids away from good parents, all in the name of protecting the children. Unless if the kids are in clear and present danger from their parents (and there are those situations, as heartbreaking as it may be), kids should be with their parents. Not in the hands of strangers. This appears to be something that ACS doesn't understand.

Do note that I do not in any way intend to diminish the sacrifices of our veterans. They paid the ultimate price for our freedom today. However, I am ashamed as a Canadian and an Albertan to see how we have taken their sacrifices and started upon the path to becoming the very society they laid down their lives to prevent.

I'm going to go cry now. Then I'm going to have a chat with my MP, who has a dismal record on human rights in the off chance that he actually has any sense of right and wrong somewhere on him these days.

Spin-off

FYI, I've created another blog strictly for ballet and will be spending some time getting it up and running. I'm still posting to this blog so there will be posts in the future. I haven't been posting here consistently anyway, so nothing will really change except that you won't be hearing much about dance here.

Growth

The past year and a half has been this long marathon through life with many dark valleys and hazards. I've finally gotten to a spot where I can catch a breather and take stock.

Of course, life decides to start teaching me again in the only way it knows how: challenges, crises and change. I think the fact that I've begun dancing ballet again has helped in my outlook in life quite a bit. It's very vigorous physical exercise and I can feel my stamina slowly increasing. It's also motivated me to treat myself better, something I've been neglecting quite a bit.

On the emotional front, I've had the chance to reflect on my life somewhat. I'm trying to learn from the past and while I have difficult times ahead, I think I can almost see a clear path forward now. It's going to take a lot of effort and there will be many changes to come, not just for me but also for my family. There was a major turning point in my life several years ago when I chose to stop running away from trouble. I feel that another such juncture is coming up once more, except that I'm a little older, sadder and wiser this time.

Staying positive is hard. I used to think that people who have a continually positive outlook in life as being slightly touched in the head. I don't believe people should be as hyperactively positive like a squirrel on crack but some optimism is needed to carry on through the dreary stretches, methinks.

I had an argument with a good friend tonight. It saddens me that there will need to be some distance between us now but that's the way the cookie crumbles. On the bright side, it's helped me realize a few lessons on the nature of friendship and how it applies to me. Acceptance is important; without it, there can be no friendship. Growth can hurt sometimes but I'll make sure that this lesson is learnt swiftly so it doesn't hurt as much next time.