- Omid-X to Agamem-X (his father) -
My lifegiver, I hope this message makes it through the encryption equipment that you told me has been installed in the residence. I am not sure if I understand why the new equipment is necessary, but I gather you and my other lifegiver did not have the freedom to say no. This is troublesome for a civilized and freedom seeking society, but since I do not have the whole story, I refrain from throwing oil on the fire.
My lifegiver, as I wrote some time ago to my beloved Hopesoo, when I see what is happening on Earth, I cannot help but to draw parallels with the great infection that took place on our planet decades ago. I have read about it in our history books, but I certainly remember hearing about it from your lifegiver of olden age. I will not delve deep into the issue at this time, but rest assured that I am taking good care of myself.
I have been in Canada for about 3 months, and all of that in this west coast city of Vancouver. It is a beautiful city by most standards, with breathtaking landscape decorated by mountains, oceans and forests. It has a diverse range of population and culture, even though its core operating principles are very much anglo-saxon (I will write in a later note about this Anglo-saxon thing).
Now, as you may imagine, during this pandemic, it has been difficult to go about the country and avoid the restrictive lock-downs. I have not been able to get deep first hand insight about the country, but I have had the fortune of talking to a few observers of human behavior about this great country.
One of them said that Canadians are very docile. They abide by the laws and societal expectations. He also said that Canadians in general are very attached to their individual rights and freedoms. It is no surprise then that they want to know exactly what they can and what they cannot do. Thus they seek total clarity in legislation and bylaws.
On a more serious tone, I have been told that so much of Canada’s perception of itself and its own projection is impacted by its neighborly relations with the USA, to its south, that considering one without the other will come out short. In fact, there have been reports from the staff of US embassy in Canada that Canada suffers from a habitual inferiority complex vis-a-vis the U.S. and it has a chronic but accurate complaint that the U.S. pays far less attention to Canada than Canada does to the US.
Perhaps the best argument for this country belongs to none other than one of its most famous philosopher-writers, John Ralston Saul. He has argued that Canada is influenced and shaped by ideas such as egalitarianism, a proper balance between individual and group, and a penchant for negotiation over violence. These ideas, to Saul, are all Aboriginal values that Canada has absorbed. Furthermore, he argues that Canada has an increasingly ineffective elite, a colonial non-intellectual business elite that doesn't believe in Canada. I do not adhere completely to this last point, especially with the new generation of Canadians that I have encountered, but I do wish Canada good luck in overcoming the challenges, reducing the dominance - not to mention interference - of its southern neighbor to reach its amazing potential.
* A few words in this text are inspired by John Ralston Saul
From Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - 12 March, 2020 (Earth)