thrift find
I’ve found it difficult the past day or so. I was disturbed by the news that one of the famous milestones in younger day, was being taken away, because for some it was offensive. I’m talking about packaging for pancake mix and a pancake syrup
We have learned so much from the past, from the mistakes others have made, in making them huge lessons were learned, and we grew as human beings. Not everyone agrees about history, even in the country I was born in (Canada) there are huge divisions that need to be crossed.
As a person who grew up in an Anglo Saxon, French Canadian culture, I know what it is like to be seen as different. I know first hand what it feels like as a child sitting on a bus, and having it fill up, but on one wanted to sit beside me because of my “colour”
Even when asked where did I come from, and I would say, where in Canada I lived and grew up.. I would be asked again, “no, but where do you come from” “I am Canadian I would say, born here” My Father taught me the importance of being Canadian, instead of learning Chinese, he encouraged and sent me to French kindergarten. Both parents were adamant that being a Canadian, I needed to know the two languages of the country..
Yes I am proud of being Chinese, but I am a Canadian first. I was born here, this is my home.
There was a beautiful statue of a native Indian kneeling looking out over the river behind parliament buildings, I was told of how the Indians had been the proud warriors who fought and lived on the land .. how their history intertwined with ours. It was a beautiful work of art, to me it stood for how wonderful Canada was, that we embraced and respected the culture of the many people who live here.
The marketing for the pancakes and the syrup depicted a beautiful woman of colour, again, it was a symbol of how we loved and embraced all races. (as a child, it was part of life, and it made me feel special, that not all people saw being of a different colour as an oddity)
It broke my heart when I mentioned to a friend that I had heard that the beautiful lady was to be removed because of her colour. How could I tell my friend, who I know loves me, that she was stabbing me in the heart, by saying “its about time” What is about time.. that we take away colour from our lives. live in a plastic bubble where everything has to be white or off white, maybe freckles are allowed.
The journey is not over for me, I will probably live many more years, but I am so sad these days, that the discriminations of the past are resurfacing, I was also told that because someone said, ALL lives matter, the person was dismissed from their work.
It has been eating away at me, did I dare share with you how deeply cut I am about the divison that is happening.
We admire and love the coloured vegetaion in Nature. Are we, human beings not part of nature and the Universe, Why are we being catalogued once more by colour. Why do we point fingers and put blame everywhere else but on our SELVES.
I will never turn my back on someone because of their colour or put down their heritage, Interesting the people shouting and make alot of the noise, are people who are not of colour.. How can they say things with such authority when they themselves have never lived it
Walk in someone else’s shoes to know, what it is like …
I mean no disrespect to anyone, but I felt that I needed to share my thoughts and feelings on a matter that stabs at my heart.
How can we achieve world peace, if all we can do is “take sides”…. I spent years associated with law enforcement, many of us spent hours and dedicated our careers to improving the interactions of “law enforcers” and “citizens” – my heart is screaming from the pain of seeing the division starting all over again.
PL Precept # 20 Live maintaining equilibrium between mind and matter.
PL Precept # 14 WORLD PEACE IS EVERYTHING.
Oyashikiri
