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BLACK-SHEEP COMMENTARIES ON THE ROAD TO GOOD CITIZENSHIP The catalyst for this commentary is a June 23 e-mail letter I received from Pia Henriksson. In part she said “. . . I was born in Sweden in the ’30s and have observed some of the threats to a healthy society when personal freedom is pushed to its extreme. And so I ask myself – are we inherently bad? Selfish? Is there a formula, other than religious doctrine, or simply fear of getting caught, that will keep us virtuous? I would look forward to a column addressing these issues – the simpler, the better. Something I can read to my grandchildren when I try to tell them what it means to be an honourable person in a democratic society.” Pia, tell your children and grandchildren that good character cannot be bought; that it is nurtured, little by little, through childhood and adolescence; that it will mature in the independence of early adulthood to reveal a person who is trustworthy, fair and caring. Let your children and grandchildren know that within an increasing circle of friends and acquaintances, soon to become greater when they enter the workplace, they will be establishing a reputation. There are many facets to a good reputation and all of them are rooted in moral and ethical considerations and common sense. They include being truthful and doing everything you promise to do; admitting mistakes and paying for them; and making a best effort to hear out persons you don’t like or disagree with. For most young Canadians the first taste of life as an adult occurs at age 16, when they sit in the driver’s seat of a car, licence in hand, and drive off to jostle and joust with every other driver on the road, all the while keeping an eye out for cyclists, pedestrians and pets. Thereafter driving becomes a daily test of character and citizenship, with four possible results: good, second-rate, bad or criminal. This daily reckoning confronts drivers of all stripes, from young novices all the way up to grumpy old columnists. And it is the very nature of our quasi-criminal provincial legislation that makes this so. The centerpiece of British Columbia’s Motor Vehicle Act is its absolute and unconditional standard: that we must drive with due care and attention, and with reasonable consideration for others using public thoroughfares. Looming behind provincial motor vehicle legislation is the Criminal Code of Canada, containing a significant number of instances of driving that are criminal acts: hit and run, drunk driving, dangerous driving, criminal negligence; all of them having greater consequences when there is injury or death. Pause for a moment and consider how few police patrol our streets. In that void of enforcement the vast majority of citizens honour the constraints of the Motor Vehicle Act and the Criminal Code. They are not lead astray by scofflaw drivers. The way we drive mirrors our character: A decent citizen stops when a traffic light displays red; a maliciously bad citizen pounds his accelerator and races through – an act of reckless self-indulgence that has all the earmarks of criminal behavior. Tell your grandchildren to be extra careful when they have passengers with them; always allow pedestrians a safe crossing; stop after an accident and assist injured persons; separate drinking from driving; and have nothing to do with persons who drive at excessive speeds, engage in street racing and the violence of road rage. Put it to them that their determination to be good drivers will be a measure of their citizenship. If they choose to make up their own rules of the road it will reveal them to be weaseling scofflaws. Pia, as you know, being a careful driver is just a first step in accepting the high moral and ethical standards that we so proudly claim are part of our citizenship. Be patient with the youthful exuberance of your grandchildren when you explain that in our free and democratic society we have a duty to counteract and oppose egomaniacal behavior of a nasty minority of Canadians who embrace an “it’s all about me” philosophy and impinge on our freedom and safety. The vast majority of Canadians – decent people – must become increasingly passionate and active in their citizenship. It is engrained in our anthem – “O Canada we stand on guard for thee.” Standing guard includes giving short shrift to the three boors who, on Canada Day, desecrated our national monument to Canadians who died fighting for our freedom. What I believe in today is reflected in what I wrote in 1945, as a 14-year-old graduate of elementary school. “What a year it has been! Never has a class graduated from Sir James Douglas in a year so momentous. We are happy in the thought of a great victory won – but that happiness is sobered by the thought that with victory comes responsibility – and duty. The world may not get a third chance to make peace a permanent thing. We, the students of division one, about to graduate into high school, or into life, feel this responsibility. We want to do our duty – to ourselves and to our fellow men.” We owe it to our grandchildren and they owe it to us – to put activism into our allegiance. Wallace G Craig – wallace-gilby-craig@realjustice.ca – NS News – July 12, 2006 |
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