Dear Western Democracy - I think you misled me. I was under the impression that my vote mattered, that my vote was my own, that my vote was my choice: voluntarily given, free from compulsion or coercion. But I was misled. You’ve taken the world and divided it into two, gave each side a color, … Continue reading From a Frustrated Voter on Election Day
Refugee on Native Land
My family found refuge on Canadian soil in 1983. I was still an infant (that's me on the left!), and completely unaware of the drama that would mark the opening act of my life. At the time, my young parents were oblivious of the fact that they had arrived in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded … Continue reading Refugee on Native Land
Yearning for a Good Canadian Stew
Internationally, the Canadian identity elicits feelings of trust, kindness, and equity. Canadians are seen to be uncontroversial, cooperative, polite to a fault, habitually apologetic, and reliable in times of need. Some might say that at our worse we are uninvolved. Maybe complacent. Never violent, except when we are, in which case – we're truly sorry. … Continue reading Yearning for a Good Canadian Stew
That’s What Happens in a Tolerant Society
The only people who should be surprised by the chaos kicking off the 21st century -- the surge in religious fanaticism, right-wing nationalism, and populism -- are those who mistakenly conflated relative peace with an emerging unity. But the root causes of intolerance were never addressed, so why are we surprised? Let's not be naive. What's … Continue reading That’s What Happens in a Tolerant Society
Everything is fine.
Everything is fine. I'm fine. I say as I wander aimlessly from distraction to distraction, trembling and loath to confront it. But deep within me like a claw scraping at my guts, there is terror. There is despair. It haunts me, "the end is nigh, you will fade into darkness, dust to the wind." "Silence," … Continue reading Everything is fine.
