A guest minister conducted our service this morning. As denominations go his is about as liberal as Christians get. There are two Churches of Christ, one that is extremely conservative and evangelical. Their faith is rooted in the conviction that the bible is not only divinely inspired but absolutely true, word for word, every word. The other Church of Christ has a prefix to make sure they don’t get confused; The United Church of Christ (UCC). In Grand Rapids, Michigan before I retired in 2001 I was a member at Saint John’s UUC. There were no hard-fast rules on what was required of members but our pastor’s degree was in philosophy and his message was always about redemption, not salvation. He was very familiar with Joseph Campbell’s views on God. He said that God is a metaphor for a mystery that is beyond human comprehension (or) in my translation, we attribute to God (the metaphor) what we cannot understand. That’s what made the church attractive in the first place.
Anyway, out guest minister preached on how to be joyful in the act of defiance. In the audience you would have to have been in a coma for the past four months to not know what he was talking about. In our spiritual community the principles of justice, fair play, equity, democratic process and environmental responsibility are at the core of our religion which basically puts the White House and Congress at odds with everything we hold dear.
We were put on notice that others like us would be challenged soon to put up or shut up. Some of us will likely be arrested at protests, peaceful or otherwise but that should be expected when demagogues, authoritarian bigots and despots don’t have to answer to anyone. That’s not me having a tantrum, that’s the Christian minister who is challenging a bunch of progressive activists who have just been kicked to the curb. When I vent my disappointment I remember how old I am. Not one to throw stones or provoke authority figures I will be left to call and write my elected officials. My guess is that every elected partisan, either side has an AI program that reads and tallies how many (for & against) contacts come through their office but the only ones who get a legitimate response will be those who donate to their re-election campaigns. I could go sit outside their office with a placard but I’d probably need an expensive permit but there you go, off to jail. I’m too old to immigrate. Nobody wants me living off American retirement and draining their national health resources
When this kind of sh*t happens (Project 2025) I default to my favorite make-believe. When my great-great-great grandparents immigrated to Nova Scotia in the 1880’s they stayed a while and ended up in Indiana. I fault them for robbing me of my Canadian roots. But then my parents would have never met and I would be like every other non-person whose parents never met and they were never conceived. So if I blame anyone it will have to be my mom and dad. They stayed in the USA during the Great Depression, got support from their families and I turned 2 just a few months before Pearl Harbor.
My experience (journey) in Canada may be thin but it is real. Two months in Nova Scotia in 2001, a month in British Columbia in 2010, Nova Scotia again another four months in 2012, and a long drive up and down the AlCan highway in 2015: I know enough to know I love the culture and I made friends there who still ask when I’m coming back. I asked one friend (a technical writer & musician) what it’s like living next to America. She replied without a second thought; “A lot like living next door to the Simpsons” (Homer, Marge, Bart & Lisa).
When I give it serious thought the thought always takes thee same path. All things being equal I would have been a much better Canadian than I am an American. I have a friend (Unitarian-Universalist minister) In Halifax who spent most of his professional career (an engineer) in Atlanta, Georgia, retired and came home to Nova Scotia and became a minister. He thinks the big difference between us is that the USA gained independence through a bloody revolution (A zero sum game). While it took longer in Canada the process came out of negotiation and a (Win-Win) solution. One culture is still looking for a fight while the other is willing to compromise for the greater good. I don’t think Norm’s assessment is all there is but I think his view makes a strong case and is easily defended.
If I were younger immigration to Canada would be a worthy option. Back in the 70’s when Americans were escaping to Canada to avoid Nixon’s unwinnable war in Vietnam I was starting a career with a Master’s degree and a young family. We could have made that leap with relative ease. As I think of it now there is an urge to apologize to my middle age kids for robbing them of their Canadian roots. I doubt they would feel the same, who knows? The road not traveled is not for us to know and I’m not going to blame my parents after all. But when authoritarian bigots go boldly about robbing me of my American roots I feel a strong pull to Halifax and a culture that works faithfully to create Win-Win solutions. For the record, I would think long and hard if the opportunity to migrate north was made real. I could live in Saint Stephen, New Brunswick, just across the bridge from Calais, Maine, a stone’s throw in distance but far enough to be under the red maple leaf. Wishful thinking. Talk’s cheap when the possibility is so remote.
Anyway, out guest minister preached on how to be joyful in the act of defiance. In the audience you would have to have been in a coma for the past four months to not know what he was talking about. In our spiritual community the principles of justice, fair play, equity, democratic process and environmental responsibility are at the core of our religion which basically puts the White House and Congress at odds with everything we hold dear.
We were put on notice that others like us would be challenged soon to put up or shut up. Some of us will likely be arrested at protests, peaceful or otherwise but that should be expected when demagogues, authoritarian bigots and despots don’t have to answer to anyone. That’s not me having a tantrum, that’s the Christian minister who is challenging a bunch of progressive activists who have just been kicked to the curb. When I vent my disappointment I remember how old I am. Not one to throw stones or provoke authority figures I will be left to call and write my elected officials. My guess is that every elected partisan, either side has an AI program that reads and tallies how many (for & against) contacts come through their office but the only ones who get a legitimate response will be those who donate to their re-election campaigns. I could go sit outside their office with a placard but I’d probably need an expensive permit but there you go, off to jail. I’m too old to immigrate. Nobody wants me living off American retirement and draining their national health resources
When this kind of sh*t happens (Project 2025) I default to my favorite make-believe. When my great-great-great grandparents immigrated to Nova Scotia in the 1880’s they stayed a while and ended up in Indiana. I fault them for robbing me of my Canadian roots. But then my parents would have never met and I would be like every other non-person whose parents never met and they were never conceived. So if I blame anyone it will have to be my mom and dad. They stayed in the USA during the Great Depression, got support from their families and I turned 2 just a few months before Pearl Harbor.
My experience (journey) in Canada may be thin but it is real. Two months in Nova Scotia in 2001, a month in British Columbia in 2010, Nova Scotia again another four months in 2012, and a long drive up and down the AlCan highway in 2015: I know enough to know I love the culture and I made friends there who still ask when I’m coming back. I asked one friend (a technical writer & musician) what it’s like living next to America. She replied without a second thought; “A lot like living next door to the Simpsons” (Homer, Marge, Bart & Lisa).
When I give it serious thought the thought always takes thee same path. All things being equal I would have been a much better Canadian than I am an American. I have a friend (Unitarian-Universalist minister) In Halifax who spent most of his professional career (an engineer) in Atlanta, Georgia, retired and came home to Nova Scotia and became a minister. He thinks the big difference between us is that the USA gained independence through a bloody revolution (A zero sum game). While it took longer in Canada the process came out of negotiation and a (Win-Win) solution. One culture is still looking for a fight while the other is willing to compromise for the greater good. I don’t think Norm’s assessment is all there is but I think his view makes a strong case and is easily defended.
If I were younger immigration to Canada would be a worthy option. Back in the 70’s when Americans were escaping to Canada to avoid Nixon’s unwinnable war in Vietnam I was starting a career with a Master’s degree and a young family. We could have made that leap with relative ease. As I think of it now there is an urge to apologize to my middle age kids for robbing them of their Canadian roots. I doubt they would feel the same, who knows? The road not traveled is not for us to know and I’m not going to blame my parents after all. But when authoritarian bigots go boldly about robbing me of my American roots I feel a strong pull to Halifax and a culture that works faithfully to create Win-Win solutions. For the record, I would think long and hard if the opportunity to migrate north was made real. I could live in Saint Stephen, New Brunswick, just across the bridge from Calais, Maine, a stone’s throw in distance but far enough to be under the red maple leaf. Wishful thinking. Talk’s cheap when the possibility is so remote.
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