The only thing that makes life possible is permanent, intolerable uncertainty; not knowing what comes next. Ursula K. Le Guin
It’s been a while since I’ve come to this place to write and jot down some ideas. I had thought that I had written everything that I had to share. As it turns out, there’s more, so much more. The Le Guin quote seems to summarize the feeling of myself and possibly a lot of people at this point in time. In the past five years we’ve been through so much with COVID and the many disruptions it brought to our regular way of life. I’d gladly go back to February 2020 and take back any of my complaints and gripes. Little did we know what lay ahead for us all. Lucky were the ones who got to go away for a last minute winter getaway before all Hell broke loose.
And then as if all that wasn’t enough there was and is this thing called American politics. The rise of a movement that we had not seen on this side of the Atlantic and yet our European friends and neighbours tried to warn us about.
They had been there before.
It may be controversial to say but I don’t think it is just an American issue. There seems to be a spirit of intolerance, hatred, and selfishness that is arising in the world that is threatening to upend a kinder, gentler, more all-inclusive way of being. The winds of fate seem to be blowing in one of two directions: either one is a bleeding-heart liberal or a no-nonsense conservative. Not that there is anything wrong with either of those two perspectives but it seems like we have lost our way of speaking and listening to one another and respecting each other’s viewpoint.
Which brings me back to the question of what lies ahead?
In a short four days from now, an American administration will take office that has outright threatened to not only impose 25% tariffs on all Canadian products which would have a devastating effect on our economy and way of life but has also threatened to take our country over through economic force!
The thought in itself is chilling. It doesn’t seem real. It’s like we’ve turned on a bad movie and we can’t seem to find the dial to turn it off.
It feels like we are in this space of permanent, intolerable uncertainty that Le Guin refers to. The urge rises up to freeze, to remain still, in place, hoping that we won’t be seen and the predator will go on its way. But that seems impossible to do. We have been clearly targeted by the President of the United States, often referred to as the most powerful man on the planet.
We can fight. I know, I’ve seen the size of our army too. Tiny and hardly a match for our American neighbours and supposed ally. Perhaps we can ask our European allies to come to our aid? Would they sacrifice for us? Or would they allow us to just be absorbed into the behemoth known as America? Fighting seems like an improbable choice. Physical combat at least.
Our leaders seem to be rallying around one of our strongest resources: our capacity to negotiate. To try and show our would be economic conquering neighbour that what is in the best interests of America is also what is best for Canada.
Mutual beneficial interest.
I have to say that it comes as a surprise to be facing this attack from a country that we would normally consider our strongest ally and closest trading partner. As if we didn’t have enough on our plate to deal with given the ravages of global inflation, the disruption of supply chains, the effect on the cost of living for food and housing. To use a hockey analogy, what is happening right now with our neighbour to the south almost feels like somebody who is supposed to be on our team has turned around and scored a goal on our own net!
But if history is any guide, and I am a big fan of it, we need only look back not even a hundred years to see that countries who were once our bitter enemies like Japan and Germany have now become our allies against a common foe. How the tides and currents of the world turn and swirl. It feels like we are going through another period where alliances and power connections are being redrawn. This time though it feels like it is more along lines of money and power and less along nationalistic lines. The levers of power are not as clear as what they once were or appeared. Perhaps they never were as clear as we liked to think of them and as we go back further in time there has always been money and power behind those that held “official” rank. Now we are going through another such time and we shall all see where the chips will lie and what is to happen upon this global stage that we all find ourselves to be on.
What felt like a safe and cozy tucked away place for our country appears to no longer be. We strode out onto the world stage out from under the wing of mother Britain in the first world war and now there seems to be no going back to that safe place of obscurity. Like it or not we are on center stage and with the melting of the arctic ice cap and the potential opening up of the northern passageway we shall potentially be at the very center of things.
As a country it feels like our adolescent phase is over and it’s time to become a full adult on the world stage. And a part of becoming an adult seems to be having to defend our interests and our way of life from a perceived longtime ally.
The task ahead looms large and at times seems impossible. I firmly believe that the President intends to follow through on his threat to impose tariffs on both Canada and Mexico in possibly as little as four days from now. To every action there is a reaction. And the good news is that our political leaders have taken the threat seriously and are dealing with it. What comes of their tactics and negotiations we will all see.
But I think it will be up to each of us to keep our heads and hearts on straight. To wake up every day and continue to do what is important, to keep showing up at our jobs, to keep putting food on the table, to keep our industries and country strong. I could break into an “I am Canadian” rant right now but I won’t.
Day by day all will be revealed. We must apply ourselves as best as we can to the task at hand of keeping our country and institutions strong. Despite going into an election very soon, now is not the time to be bitterly divisive. Let us do battle, verbal jousting on the election field, choose our next leaders, and then go forth and protect and cherish this amazing country. This beautiful land of hope and opportunity that has made a place for so many.
Whether we be the envy of the world is debatable, but we are surely one of the best countries on this struggling planet, and I for one intend to show up each and every day to do my part to add to it and enhance it.