History / 13 posts found
The Judeo-Christian Factor
The western world is going through a massive culture war. It may be the most important war we have ever fought. Why? Because it is being fought on the battlefield of ideas. Normal wars are fought physically. Not this one. It is being fought in the minds and hearts of people. On one side are those who seek to redefine reality, rewrite history and change concepts li…
What Japan Taught Me
I lived in Japan for seven and a half years. It wasn’t a surprise that I moved there. My childhood was immersed in Japanese culture. My father was in love with Japan and Zen Buddhism, and our home was filled with books about Japanese life. When I turned sixteen, I started studying karate. It became the focus of my entire life and eventually I lined up to take part in …
It’s O.K.To Be a Patriotic Canadian
Canadians are famous for saying they are sorry. It’s a national trait. Along with politeness, we consider apologizing to be one of our most important national habits. But it may have gotten out of hand. What do I mean? We need to stop saying we are sorry for being patriotic. We should be proud of being Canadian, and not just proud but deeply proud. There are peopl…
Now the Red Ensign is Racist?!!
All nations have symbols. They ground us in our history, traditions and culture. They educate us in the fundamentals of nationhood. Canada is no exception. We have our own time honoured symbols. The most important, of course, is the maple leaf. It is universally recognized as the symbol of our nation. Hockey is our sport. Few people are better at it than us. Th…
How I Learned to Love Canada
For a long time I did not like Canadian history. Ironically, I ended up teaching it. I was a Social Studies teacher and teaching history was part of my job, but I did it begrudgingly. I found Canadian history dull and, unlike some of my colleagues, had very little enthusiasm for it. Compared to European history, with its colourful narratives and “Captains and K…
What the Queen Meant to Us
I was in England during the death of Queen Elizabeth the Second. Although the circumstances were solemn and sad, one fortunate aspect was that I was able to see, first hand, the depth of patriotism and love of nation demonstrated by the English people, and the U.K. as a whole, and the love they had for their monarch. As a Canadian though, I had to ask myself …