It has been far too long since my last post. As with all things, the best way to restart something is to simply start anew.
A lot has happened in the last couple months. I figured out what caused the ads in my last post (thanks to Dayton for showing me how to fix it), so I am happy to have that little irritant out of the way. School goes along well with great news in the modernization of our building (can't say too much now, but it looks as if I will not have to make the long commute to work for a while). My Kagan MI strategies are going very well, and I am having a blast with my new classes. Barbara continues to grow and learn, and Hope is following close behind. My daughters are fulfilling a promise that I would have joy in my posterity, and in no way do I feel I have scratched the surface of that joy. Dustin is in Lethbridge attending college in a program that he is passionate for. Heather enjoys her stay-at-home status, and Dayton is learning about University life.
Calgary was hit hard last month by a freak snowstorm. The devastation to trees throughout the city was severe. Our two trees out front were spared as I knocked off as much snow as I could before leaving to work, but driving or walking through any part of the city showed how brutal the snow was. I have thought much about this occurrence and what meaning I could get out of it. I will likely work it into a talk in church, but for now a little snippet is to remember that we all bear heavy burdens at different times. If we ignore them, they accumulate and weigh us down to our breaking point. Knock the snow off as soon as you can. Get help in doing so if you need it.
Thanksgiving Sunday my grandmother (Dad's mom) passed away. She was a few days away from turning 91. I took the opportunity to fly out to Toronto with my father until the next Sunday. My main reason for going was that my dad has not had the best relationship with his parents and especially with his brothers. My dad made different choices than they did growing up, and it caused a lot of friction. Not knowing what state of mind my uncles were in, I wanted to be there for dad in case the worse case scenario greeted him. Thankfully it was the exact opposite. My uncles were quite respectful and appreciative of my father. It was the most pleasant surprise I could have asked for. This was my first visit to Toronto, so it was my first time meeting this side of the family. While I enjoyed that surprise and seeing the Toronto Zoo, I was most happy about the time I was able to spend with my father. There are few opportunities like this that come along, and it is important to take advantage of them as often as we can. It was so nice to see Toronto in the fall, but to see where my Dad grew up, went to high school, his university, etc., was by far the greater treasure. Something I will always strive to remember.
Sadly, this past week has given us something else to remember. I was wondering when terrorist attacks would finally hit Canadian soil, and this week it happened. Two separate incidents of individuals who were apparently radicalized by Islamic extremists attacked Canadian soldiers. In each incident one of our soldiers died. In each case we were left wondering what and why. Monday's incident occurred in Quebec and Wednesday's was in Ottawa at the War Memorial and the House of Commons. In that particular situation there was a gun battle in the halls of our parliamentary building. This summer seems to has woken a large part of me to the fact that many lessons that were so painful to learn a couple generations ago are being forgotten, and this week it was reiterated to me in full force with these attacks.
We are failing to remember that hatred knows no boundaries or borders. We are failing to remember that when an extremist group targets minorities for extermination we do not have the luxury to say "It does not concern us". Some will argue that Canada's involvement with anti-terror endeavors is bringing the wrath of these radicals upon us, that if we simply butt out of other countries business then we will be left alone. Some will say that by Canada agreeing to committing air strike forces in Iraq to combat ISIS that these recent attacks on our home soil is retaliation and that these two soldiers would be with us still had we decided to withhold our support. I am certain that there were similar arguments made about Hitler and Nazi Germany leading up to WWII. In the end, we must acknowledge that history shows us that when good people turn a blind eye to evil in the world that evil will only grow and fester until it envelopes us.
In light of these events, we must remember a great many things. The failure to remember these things will lead us to repeating some great mistakes. First and foremost, we must remember that the actions of these extremists do not represent the mainstream members of a particular religion or culture. To say that ISIS is an accurate representation of Islam is no different than saying that Christianity is accurately portrayed by the actions of the KKK. People have been taking snippets of religious doctrines and using them out of context to portray numerous religions falsely. When I think of Islam, I think of many students, their parents, their families, and see that they simply want the same things that I want for my family. They want a place to live, a fair wage for their work, and better life for their children. They want to worship God in their way. I do not see my friends who happen to be Muslim as "my Muslim friends", but as my friends. They show respect to my religion and only expect me to reciprocate.
We must remember that these extremists are not going to play by any rules except for one: win at all costs. We need to remember that in our response to their cowardly actions we walk a fine line. We do not want to tread on the rights and freedoms of others, but we also do not want to lay down be submissive. We must acknowledge that in defending ourselves we are going to have to roll our sleeves and get a little dirty. They will not respect our rules of engagement, It is a delicate balance between winning the war and keeping our morals. We can do this, but we must be careful and deliberate in our actions.
We must remember that what we say will have unforeseen effects on others. We must do what we can to reach out to those who are different from us. In all societies there will be those that find themselves on the fringes. A true test of a society lies in how it treats those on the fringes. I do not say this to excuse the actions of these home-grown terrorists, but instead ask us to reflect on how we can keep those who may be easily influenced on the side of friendship and goodness. We may never know what caused these two men to commit such acts, or if someone could have said or done something different to reach out to them, but we must be nicer to those around us and take nothing for granted. When such individuals make the choice to radicalize and kill innocents, they are held accountable for their crimes and should be dealt with swiftly and decisively, but I would hope that we could minimize those who choose the wrong by treating all better than we currently treat them.
Sadly, the pessimist in me feels that we will come united as a country for a week or two, that we will put aside political, religious, cultural, and personal differences aside, and then before too long resort back to our pettiness that has divided the world more profoundly than borders. The optimist in me hopes that we will find a way to overcome hate and evil, that we will rise above as a nation and emerge stronger, wiser, and united. The terrorists can throw whatever they want at us, and we will not be intimidated. I think whichever side will be proven right will be decided be factors outside my influence, but for myself I can choose what I will become. It was driven home to me Wednesday evening while I was waiting for the Prime Minister to address the nation. Barbara was singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" at the top of her lungs. I was about to tell her to stop singing so we could hear the TV, then thought better of it. I was not going to let these wackos and cowards shut down my daughter's goodness and innocence. I let her sing. I applauded her when she finished and asked her to sing it again. I hope I will always remember that lesson.
