Who Are You? : Warning, may contain tangents

I have always thought that it was a fools errand to try to 'Find Yourself'. If you want to travel and see more of the world or do something to test your character, excellent, but call it that. At the end of a 'journey of self discovery' people are generally whoever they have decided to become.

As Kurt Vonnegut says in Mother Night "Be careful what you pretend to be, because in the end you are what you pretend to be" If Vonnegut was right, and he was for a time one of the most frequently correct people in the universe, then the only difference between 'who you are' and 'who you pretend to be' is in your head. Others, generally, don't know you're pretending.

Given this it seems to me that it is better, after accepting whatever limitations are set down by nature and DNA, to simply decide who you want to be and strive to be that person. Sitting in the desert, eating peyote and waiting for 'God' to tell you who you are sounds like it would be hot, dirty, probably dangerous and you're not likely to get a better answer than the one you made up yourself.

Are there limitations on who we can be? Sure. If you are five feet tall you probably want to aim somewhere other than the NBA. You cannot, unless genetic modification races ahead rapidly, be a unicorn. The jobs of being Martin Luther King, Pierre Trudeau or Wayne Gretsky are already taken, though you can surely emulate them. The idea is to decide what kind of person you'd like to be, how you'd like to be remembered, how you'd like others to think of you and then strive to be that person. At times you may fail, you may not live up to your potential or you may not behave like the person you'd like to be, but the important thing is to know what type of person that is and to keep trying to be that person.

The reason I bring all of this up is not necessarily personal. It is more national. I hear alot about Canada's identity crisis, about people not knowing what it means to be Canadian but after 140 years, perhaps it's time to stop waiting for an answer to fall from the sky. Perhaps it's time to simply decide what it should mean and try to move in that direction.

What kind of country would you like Canada to be? How would you like people in other countries to think of us? Think about it, talk it over with others and then try to become whatever it is.

What started me down this train of thought originally was Stephen Harper. The one thing that most Canadians seem clear on in terms of defining themselves is that they are 'not American' but, to me, Stephen Harper is. His government seems to be following the same pattern that led the U.S. to it's current state and it seems strange to me that Canada, after watching it's neighbor jump off the high dive into an empty pool is now going to follow them. In case there is anyone who doesn't know the Loonie is at an all time high not just because of Canada's resources, or because we've done everything right, but also because the U.S. has done so many things wrong.

Everyone likes lower taxes. The neo-Cons who like money and don't like government have seized on everyone's love of lower taxes successfully in the US since the election of Reagan in 1980. Tax cut after tax cut was doled out in the states to 'boost the economy' (which at times it did, temporarily) but no one seemed to ask - where is the money coming from. It didn't seem to occur to people that a government that has less money must spend less. So, slowly, budget were cut and deficits incurred. The US school system began to decay, the environment (air, water, soil) got worse as protections were slackened and enforcement underfunded, the physical infrastructure of the country (roads, bridges, parks, public buildings) began to decay, programs designed to help the poor and help fund higher education eroded to the point that they essentially no longer exist south of the border. Despite all these cuts to programs, national debt climbed steadily to it's current level of 9 trillion dollars (or nearly $30,000 for every man, woman and child in the U.S.). They were not really paying lower taxes, they were borrowing money, and mortgaging nearly everything of value in the country. So when Mr. Harper announces sweeping tax cuts I am skeptical and a little worried.

If I answer for myself, what Canada should be the list contains things like

A country that truly values creativity, intellectual pursuits, education (at all levels) and the arts.

A country that is always willing to reach out and help the less fortunate whether they be other Canadians or people in troubled and impoverished regions of the world.

A country that stands on the world stage as diplomat and peacemaker, occasionally as policeman, fireman, paramedic, even teacher or construction worker but never, ever as a threat, or an enforcer.

A country that takes pride in its rich and abundant land and resources and protects and carefully manages it's resources and it's borders.

A country that openly welcomes newcomers, and embraces and celebrates diversity so long as the newcomers leave whatever grudges or hostilities they may have had at the door.

Personally I'd like to see a government and a budget that reflects those ideals and I do not think that the current Government does. But, I hope that before the next election that you will give some thought to 'what kind of place Canada should be' and not just accept a cash payout from Harper, or anyone else, in exchange for your support.