To be Canadian...
Just been thinking about what it is to be Canadian. After living in Asia, as well as, England, and the US, I know that there is something distinctive about being Canadian. I had to learn how life is done in different places and the challenges weren't just over language barriers, food or dress.
I realized that living here I will always be and outsider. One of the best compliments I ever received was from a neighbour, who described me to her mother as being more Indian than American. I didn't bother trying to correct her to say that I wasn't American anyway.
The thing is, and I am not trying to be offensive, the thing is I am the wrong colour to belong here. I know this because I have met Caucasians who have lived here, even been born here and they are often asked where they come from. And if they say they are Indian, the questioning continues, ...but what is your father? ...he is Indian ...but... There is no peace for the questioner. Even more difficult is when you know the language and you can hear people talking about you...usually it is not flattering.
So I was thinking that my girls need somewhere to belong...can they belong to Canada? One of the things we have grown to appreciate more and more about Canada is the diversity that calls itself Canadian...no ethnicity, no religion, no political view can define what it is to be Canadian. As a whole we tend more towards the left politically, we take pride in our National Health Programs. As a whole we like to identify ourselves as a Cultural Mosaic, we pride ourselves on our country of origin as well as our country of residence.
Living in the US...I was shocked to learn that no one knew what a perogy was...a yummy dish that finds it's roots in Eastern Europe, but is so part of Canadian cuisine that you can buy them by the bag in the frozen section of the grocery store. In fact perogies bear some similarities to a Tibetan dish called momos...and sauerkraut has an Asian incarnation in Kim chi...spaghetti is an European take on Oriental noodles or chow mein. What is Canadian food? ...bannock ...moose ...poutine ...whale blubber ...maybe the answer is yes, but all of this is just the beginning. Bannock and Moose come from our heritage in the First Nations People, while Poutine and meat pies come from our French heritage; whale blubber with smoked fish and dried meat find their roots in our Inuit heritage.
Now I am not a member of a First Nations People...I have no French blood in me...I or any of my ancestors have not lived in the land of the Midnight Sun. But by being Canadian I would include all of these traditions as influences that have formed me.
I wonder if we as Canadians, who like to identify ourselves as Peace Keepers, should seriously embrace the fact that we are a Nations of Immigrants. In doing this we could model for the world a society that understands that we are as different as we are alike, but we are bound together by sharing living space. And in that sharing of space we are blessed by learning about each other, our picture of what it is to be human will be widened. In our humanity, we will defend each other's right embrace different worldviews with the expectation of dialogue and compassion. To be Canadian might just be the ability to love and respect someone who we don't and can't agree with.Looking at Canada from the outside I see it as full of resources both in it's land and people; and yet I see complacency that keeps us from being a global force for good.
I'd love to hear what it means to you to be Canadian...whether or not you are a Canadian...whether or not you are in or out of Canada.
posted by marla @ 8:19 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
I think one aspect of being Canadian is being an oberserver of what goes on in the world. It is almost as if Canada is a place where all these people have come, only to turn an eye on what is happening elsewhere. Some of the complacency comes from that too. We observe, but don't always participate, satisfied in learning but not always doing. That's not always true, as Canadians have made great global contributions. But if Americans are entrepreneurs, and Old World Countries have strong cultural traditions, I think that we are observers.
A lot comes to mind when I think of national identity, Canadian or otherwise. Particularly, I think of idolatry.
First of all, it is evident that man has a natural attachment to the land that he is either born in, grows up in, or immigrates to. However, from the point of view of God’s word, all national and political identities are temporal. Further, those born again in the spirit have been given a new identity as citizens of God’s kingdom.
At this point, I have yet to see in God’s word that nationalist sentiments have any place in the disciple’s life. What the Bible does teach is to respect the laws of the land and honour and pray for our leaders.
Listen to most national anthems, and you’ll hear words elevating the country to a place that belongs to God alone (I mean, let’s face it: do you ever see any of God’s people in scripture sing words to their country like “with glowing hearts we see thee rise”?). And that, by definition, is idolatry.
As for an examination of Canadian culture, Doug’s assessment sounds pretty reasonable: lots of observation and learning, with a smattering of accomplishments on a global level.
I would go further and say that, on these notes, Canadians are overly self-congratulatory. Canadians are exceedingly blessed with a grand geography, abundant resources and a heritage rich with peace, order and good government -- on top of the fact that the Gospel has been abundantly preached here. The key word here is “blessed”, meaning Canadians can take credit for precious little of this –- and in light of our lack of thankfulness and giving glory to God, it’s no surprise to see the kind of degeneration in Canada that Romans 1 describes.
I shudder to think of when Jesus returns and calls Canadians to give an account of what has been entrusted to us.
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