What is Canada to You?

Evan, that friend of mine who said I should start a blog, posed an interesting question about Canada. Since Canada Day is just about a month away, I thought I'd put this up so that we can really ponder it over the next month.

Evan was born in the States and we got talking about a country's identity as a whole. He said that whenever he asked Americans what America was to them, they would go on listing all sorts of things: valour, courage, the Statue of Liberty, war, the Constitution.

It can't be denied that Americans have a great sense of collective hisotry as well as collective purpose. As a whole they are very patriotic and will defend their country and their freedom to no end.

But when Evan has asked Canadians what Canada is to them, they ususally just sit there and look at him sort of lost for a moment, not really sure WHAT it means to them. Evan said the best responses he could find were "it's where my family is" and "it's beautiful." He started to find that Canadians see Canada as a geographical place, not a united body of citizens with a common purpose.

We were sitting in my old apartment living room while he was telling me all this. On one wall there was a sliding glass door as well as another door-sized window, only twice as wide. I could see straight off the balcony and across the apartment courtyard where a tall oak tree stood swaying a little in the wind.

I looked at Evan and said that to me Canada is a tree, old and tall, but youthful, strong and beautiful. When the wind comes it bends with it, never laying down or breaking in two. The branches bump into each other, sometimes quite forcefully, but they all move together in the same direction.

There were a bunch of there talking together in the room and when I finished they all just looked at me for a moment before they teased me for showing off and for being "such a writer". Once everyone calmed down Evan said that was the best description he'd heard.

Canada is an old and vast land, but a fairly new country. The land and the people are strong and beautiful. Everything and everybody varries from ocean to ocean to ocean, but we fight for our freedom and brave the cold each winter.

When the wind of adversity comes our way, be it political, economical, elemental or so on, we aren't known to stand firm and unshaken; we are passive. But we aren't doormats. We won't be pushed down or broken in half. And though we each have personal opinions, we recognize the quiet unity that comes from being Canadian.

The difference I see between Americans and Canadians is our perspectives. When it comes down to it, what are we all fighting for? What is the reward we're seeking? A safe and happy place to be with our families. We fight wars for safety, we have courage and perseverance to provide for our families. We sacrifice, we keep our chins up, we love.

It seems to me that Americans are still fighting for that peaceful and happy place, though I think they're probably already there. But for a country that often ends up a target, it's admittedly difficult to let go of fear and see the beauty all around.

As for Canada, "it's where my family is". It looks like Canadians are at the end. We've reached that safe and happy place and we're not really very worried about having to fight anymore.

So, aside from what I think, what is Canada to you?