The importance of hope
October 23, 2010
By CJ: Raj
I have been thinking a lot about racism and intolerance this week. Last Monday, my hometown elected a progressive who just happens to be Muslim as mayor. I was incredibly skeptical that this individual had any chance of winning. His campaign was honest, sincere, and inclusive, not politics as usual here in Calgary. Naheed Nenshi is a powerful symbol of what can be achieved when enough people believe in an idea. I think that the last time I saw such overwhelming hope and joy was during the 2008 US election when Obama became a symbol of new thinking. There can be no doubt that these men being elected are signs of progress in both our countries.
Sadly, there are also signs where acceptance of differences has not been as successful, as in the case of Germany’s leadership declaring that multiculturalism “has utterly failed”. I grew up in a Canada that celebrated differences officially but struggled in private with multiculturalism. Having lived in the United States for almost seven years I saw a striking contrast between the United States melting pot concept and Canada’s mosaic, vertical or otherwise. John Porter wrote about the vertical mosaic in the 1960′s as a system by which the Canadians of British origins benefited unduly under a system and other ethnic groups struggled including the French, aboriginal peoples, and new immigrants who were primarily non-European. What I didn’t see growing up was the idea that differences between people were insurmountable and the official policy of multiculturalism did help in that. Things have changed for the better since the 1960′s but Canada still has a long way to go.
I am writing this while I watch Invictus and I am surprised at how emotional I am getting. The movie has simplified the very complex situation in South Africa and has focused instead on how Nelson Mandela recognized an opportunity to connect the people of South Africa through sport. If I had to suggest someone who is my personal here, Nelson Mandela would top the list. He is not perfect and has flaws but his unwavering belief in the possibility of change after facing tremendous adversity both personally and professionally is profoundly moving. One of my best friends in high school was South African and she and I had the opportunity to work with an anti-apartheid group in Calgary in the late 1980′s. I still remember the hope that she and other South Africans had upon Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, hope that may have been strained over the years since. I shared in their sense of hope for their country as well as my own.
I think that every country has to find its own way forward but I believe that officials using words like failure aren’t going to be helpful in getting there. One of my undergraduate classes was developed around the idea of Canadian identity, and many of my classmates were proud that Canada was a tolerant country. Tolerance infers that there is something to be tolerated and overlooked which I believe describes how many Americans deal with differences in their society. I want to live in a country where differences are irrelevant as they were in the mayoral election here last week. Where someone who had the best ideas and not the right shade of skin could win a leadership role in our community. Hope is a powerful force for change and sometimes its easy to forget how far we have come and how far we are capable of going in the future.
