The Call to Christian Unity:
Canadian Style
If you are confident that you belong to Christ, remind yourself of this, that just as you belong to Christ, so also do we. 2 Corinthians 10:7
Canadians are a funny bunch.
We know instinctually who we, that we are different than our neighbours to the south in some ways, the same in others. We laugh at our eccentricities and have a common-sense understanding about what makes this country great, and its people unique in the world. But rarely do we really understand what makes us so special. Rarely have we ever talked about why Canadians do what they do, say what they say, and live the way we live.
At the heart of Canadian culture is our climate. We are a “northern people” (even though some of us live south of the border!). We are also spread out across a vast expanse of land, the majority clustered around waterways or our southern-most border. Our ancestors opened up this land, not because of “manifest destiny” but along trade routes, aided by Original Peoples who taught us about the land and influenced our politics and social structures (ie, our shared value, equity, comes not from our European ancestors, but from Original Peoples). Because we were so stretched out across the landscape, we learned to “garrison” ourselves, protect our colonies with walls and weapons. These walls kept out “enemies” or those who would threaten our way of life.
We still “garrison.” Canadians are known for it…we hunker down in small communities, share our lives together, protect one another, and are fiercely loyal to those inside our “walls”. It’s how we learned to survive. It’s become part of our DNA. (continued)
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