It is today!

The subject is a massive understatement but, while I had a few tentative plans for a Post today… it is today after all!

Today is a day to remember. We have many historic events which should never be forgotten in the hope that they would not be repeated, but our track record is rather dismal. The huge loss of life during WWI did not prevent WWII, but that was complicated by an attempt at genocide. I seem to recall from history that Turkey tried to eliminate the Armenian population so I guess we didn’t learn from that incident either.

9/11 is also an event that we should never forget for many reasons, one being that we do not want a repetition of such a violent statement of hate…. but, to a lesser degree, acts of terrorism are still regularly reported.

We should have learned so much over the years. We should have learned that there are rebels in every culture, every religion, and rebels come in a variety of colors. We should have learned not to ostracize a specific race, religious belief or color. We should have learned that people around the world are just like us. They want to be free to live their lives in safety and comparative comfort. Why do we have difficulty in accepting that? Isn’t that exactly what we want?

Whether within our own country, or in other countries, there are always going to be individuals who will simply have their own self-focused/self-serving agenda, but we cannot take issue with a complete nation, or a spiritual belief as a result. That is not only illogical, but is contrary to the teachings of all the major religions.  We really must determine how we would like to be treated, and then believe that the rest of the world is not much different.

If I was fleeing a country in a state of war, or suffering environmental conditions that were potentially deadly, it would be my priority to get my family somewhere safer at the earliest opportunity. I would like to believe that another country would open its border to us, rather than turn its back and let us potentially die!

Some have criticized the influx of immigrants into Canada for various reasons, the most common ones being “they’ll take our jobs”. This could well happen in some industrial sectors because, due to the inherent culture in a free enterprise system, some companies will try and cut costs by hiring at a lower hourly rate. That is not the fault of the Government, nor the immigrants… but is the fault of the companies involved!

There is another perspective here which, to me, is much more important. If by lowering our standard of living just a little, means that thousands of immigrants from war torn (e.g.) countries can lead a safe and happy life, isn’t it worth it? We should be celebrating that circumstances have provided us with a golden opportunity to display compassion and understanding, and use that to show the world that regardless of religious belief, harmony is the gold standard that all countries should strive for.

Let us not take anything away from remembering the death and destruction of 9/11, but let us focus (for once) on taking steps to minimize a repeat performance. Our track record of learning from such events is terrible… but we can start today, and what better way to show respect to 9/11.

31 thoughts on “It is today!”

  4. Sadly you are right, also sadly humans do not learn . Just look at the way indigenous peoples are treated in Australia, New Zealand, North America and Canada. Look at any county in the world infact every country and see the minorities are suffering and being persecuted. Such a sad bad world.

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        • Hi Willow – Yes the world is in a mess, but don’t let the news media’s perspectives influence yours. They want readership/viewers, and violence and disasters sadly achieve that. To use Canada as an example, we can focus on the daily shootings in Toronto… or we can look at the shootings in comparison with the population in the area, and conclude that on a per capita basis, Toronto is a pretty safe place to live. You can look at the atrocities towards the native Canadians, or you celebrate the direction that Justin Trudeau appears to be going. As noted in my Post, you can focus on the appalling lootings and violence in the wake of Irma, or you can celebrate the many examples of unselfish help and sacrifices being made for the survivors. Finally, you can shake your head in despair over the US/N.Korea dialogue, or you can celebrate how it has brought other countries together in a public condemnation of that situation. It is critical (in my opinion) to stay in touch with reality, but it is also critical (in my opinion) to see the “other side of the fence”! As somebody once said “Where there is life… there is hope.” Stay positive and believe that common sense and goodwill, which is continuously being demonstrated around the world, will win in the end. 🙂

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  8. I see we were thinking alike this morning with our posts.
    A wonderful post of thoughts that I very much agree with.
    Cheers to Canada in the welcoming of immigrants.
    I often think about how we have the famous Statue of Liberty that says, “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
    We say one thing, but sadly our actions aren’t showing it!

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    • Hypocrisy is, very sadly, alive and well in all countries. We do now have the internet to cross borders and express ideas, which is a huge advantage over earlier generations. Unlike the US voters who recently abstained from voting because “Trump doesn’t have a chance”, we cannot be so passive that minority rules!

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  9. A very thought provoking post, beautifully written in your eloquent style. I am reminded of these words from Maya Angelou: Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet.” Thank-you!

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