As I sat gazing over the peaceful valley below where I live, the radio was going hysterical about the situation in Egypt. Later, the TV showed me the chanting, flag-waving crowds packing Cairo’s Tahrir Square. I couldn’t help comparing the two scenes.
My first thought, naturally, was thankfulness. How lucky I am to be living in this peaceful valley rather in the turmoil that was engulfing Egypt and other mid-Eastern states or, for that matter, in somewhere like parts of Australia where floods have devastated thousands of acres of farmland, or … but why go on?
Very quickly, however, that proverbial voice inside me said, “Don’t be complacent. Even if political strife or natural disaster are very unlikely to upset the calm and security that encompass us here, we are not completely isolated from them."
More than five centuries ago, John Donne wrote, “No man is an island.” That is far truer today than it was then. This is indeed a small world and any development like the uprisings in Muslim dictatorships is bound to affect us in some way.
Moreover, by the same reasoning, we can affect them. And I think we should try to do so, in our own interests as well as in those of the people who seek and deserve political freedom and a better way of life.
In a relatively small way, some of us are already helping the cause of humanity, as agents and/or supporters of non-profit agencies. But if we are to really make an impact we need, I think, to work through our federal government.
Ours is a comparatively small country. Nevertheless, it used to punch more than its weight in world affairs and I see no reason why it could not do so again.
In places like Egypt, where at the moment the signs of a happy outcome are hopeful, and elsewhere in the Middle East — or in the world — where the spark that flared up in Tunisia has already spread to Yemen as well as Egypt, the challenge differs. It is in the exertion of political and diplomatic influence that our opportunity to help lies, although material aid may also be called for on occasion.
I say “our opportunity” advisedly. Ultimately, to be sure, it is the government in Ottawa that must take the necessary action. But that does not absolve us “ordinary” Canadians from doing whatever we can to ensure that the government does act.
So what can we do?
Firstly, we must educate ourselves respecting areas of concern in the world and what constructive action we think our government can and should take. Then we must make our government aware of our conclusions.
Fortunately, we have many instruments readily at hand.
There is, to begin with, what is often called “snail mail.” I dislike the derision implicit in that term because I think a piece of paper bearing words handwritten or typed/printed and a real signature carries a lot of weight with politician recipients. Needless to say, hundreds of such letters do even better. A petition signed by hundreds of citizen-voters is not quite as effective but not to be ignored.
Nowadays, all these forms of action can be emulated electronically. Except where speed is needed, I regard them as second best. But if the time we can spare or some other factor makes them the only recourse then let’s use them.
What’s of key importance is that we recognize that we have a stake in significant world developments and in the spread of freedom, democracy and a decent standard of living to those who lack and want them — and that we do our utmost to see that our government acts accordingly.
Peter Hepher is a retired journalist who lives in Creston.