U.S. Unity vs. Diversity

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So I'm sitting in New Orleans.
A place that has had challenges,
some recent, some much longer lived.

Many people talk about how they were abandoned by the country, even before the Hurricane. How they deserve a greater share of their natural resources, about how different they are from the rest of the country, their culture, their food, music, way of life, indeed, the colour of their skin. Their history one of slavery and civil war, poverty and racism.

And yet, not one person talks about separation.
That is crazy talk: they are Americans. Period.

When you make a bond that has any meaning, it is a foundation from which you can draw strength and unity from even in the the face of diversity and adversity. The diversity of the United States is quite extreme and in fact quite bloody at times. And yet they find strength in unity. Even now, many disagree with their governments, and yet, federalism survives and a national identity continues, even with such vast diversity of geography and demographics.

Some might say that perhaps some parts of the U.S., geographic or demographic, should separate, should assert their rights. Well that is happening, through the democratic and legal institutions. Perhaps it is slow, but it is a real alternative to bloodshed. Perhaps it was the violent history of the Civil War that has the U.S. united never to do that again, at least not to themselves.

So it seems strange, sitting here, in a place with so many problems and then I think of home, Canada, and the places I love in Ontario, Quebec and PEI where I grew up and still live a lot of the time. Where are these gross injustices, these terrible challenges, these human rights abuses that would justify separation? There are none. Argue all you want, you will never convince me that there is anything that is so wrong with Canada or Quebec or any particular part the justifies or even brings some benefit from separation. The only benefit is for a small group of provincial politicians that have been getting elected by pulling this emotional chord without a rational plan or good reason other than a drive for personal power. That's it, it's about one group of politicians wanting to grab power for themselves, and they'll mutate the issues to make it seem like it's everything else but that. And they'll take their federal pensions along the way.

Rather than being actual freedom fighters, reading the news I see those who claim to be so oppressed are themselves taking so well to being the oppressor, with mean spirited moves to prevent Muslim women from wearing their veils by choice and now a hierarchy of democractic and human rights based on the languages you speak.

Shameful and ridiculous and so inconsistent with a country like Canada.

This world needs unity, it needs to be constructed level by level with families, towns and cities, provinces, countries, continents, and the human race coming together, unifying as best we can. Canada needs to be an example of unity, not an example of an opportunity for peace and prosperity thrown away.

That's how it looks from here.