Well.
Last week I was feeling a little bit, well, "negative".
I think people that are involved in politics, that write about politics or that are at least passionate about politics and the role it plays in society have a tendency if they are not careful in becoming a little bit negative in how they see the world.
There always seems to be something happening that creates angst or irritation, and particularly as a blogger, you spend a little time each day looking at that sore spot, and poking it a few times, before putting down your thoughts on your blog.
And then I go to work, and as a lawyer, I basically make my living helping people resolve battles of one sort of the other.
And it's easy to get caught up in negativity.
But.
Today, I'm not going to complain about anything. I'm going to make a list of the 10 things that I'm thankful for as a result of living in Canada. If you want to add to the list, feel free..
So.
Rob's Top 10 Reasons He's Thankful for Living In Canada
1. Natural Beauty - the sheer beauty of this Country is staggering. Living an hour north of Waterton Park, an hour east of the Crowsnest Pass and an hour and a half south of Banff is amazing. Whether I'm skiing in the winter or camping in the summer - how fortunate to be born and raised in this part of the world.
2. Rational Resolution of Differences - with the exception of the FLQ crisis in my formative years, this is a country where differences are resolved by discussion and debate, not with guns and bombs. This past month, while vacationing in Arizona, this point was made frighteningly clear with yet another nutjob who appeared to feel the key to making his point was using a 9mm handgun. While we have our occasional gathering of mental midgets who use political process as an excuse for criminal behavior, they are relatively few and far between.
3. A Healthy National Ego - Canada is the kind of country where we do not need to brag to be proud. In general, when we travel abroad, we are proud Canadians, but carry our pride quietly, almost apologetically, unlike our neighbors to the South who seem to have a need to express how great the good ol' U.S. of A is at every opportunity. Methinks it betrays a hidden insecurity.. you know, like the guy with the monster truck who doesn't maybe "measure up".
4. A Relatively "Thinking" Electorate - again, unlike our neighbors to the South, I think Canadians are more likely to reconsider their voting options, as opposed to voting for the party their father and their father's father voted for. I've met many, many people who are "former" something or other.. open to critically examine the party they voted for - which I think makes for a healthier democracy and requires parties to do more than just be "one trick ponies". We have an NDP who acknowledges the need for a balanced budget, and we have a Conservative party that understands the need for healthy immigration and a functioning universal health care system.
5. While I live in Canada, I don't live in Quebec.
6. We don't spend 20% of our Federal Budget on Weapons and Defence.
7. Neil Young.
8. Wayne Gretzky instead of Barry Bonds.
9. Moderate Regulation of our Financial System - that just chugs along, and shows the world that sometimes "less" is more.
10. Canadian Beer.
0 comments:
Post a Comment