It is liars that tend to be the loudest, for their words must reach the back of rooms. Honest men in my experience by nature are quiet, for their words need not concern itself with the size of venues, the power of their words of an honest man come not from the volume of which they are spoken but from truth.Where falsehoods are limited by acoustics, the truth however, can be heard across centuries even as whispers.

Politics is like a child and humanity its parent. When it is shown far too little attention and far too much neglect, like a child its nature can only grow more wild and reckless till its a becomes a threat to itself and its creator.

While I am glad I sit in Canada far removed from the Charlottesville protests, one cannot help but look at whats happening. I can sympathize with the white supremacists to a certain extent. I understand times are changing things, things you have enjoyed are being taken away, it would be terrifying no doubt. The sympathy I extend is the same the same sympathy I extend to a child’s terror when a light in a room suddenly shuts off, where it was on. It is your fear, your lack of education or lack of knowledge that provokes my sympathy, not your cause. Yet I find the protest silly, the ideals of equality, tolerance and diversity scare them so much, that it takes so much away from them. Their anger is misdirected why blame the treatment? Blame the disease of racism that requires such a bitter and harsh treatment, if so much was not given earlier on that was not yours to take, not so much would need be given back now. If the attempting to end racism is so brutal bloody then so to was bloody and brutal the process of its unchecked growth on humanity.

I am honestly frustrated with the internet, truly I am. Sure people aren’t as ignorant as before because nowadays they can tell the difference between a Sikh and a Muslim, the saying oh leave them alone they are Sikhs not Muslims. Sure it is nice to get recognition, but what I can’t stand the subtext of the message, in that it is ok to harass Muslims. I also don’t like the Sikhs that campaign that seek to differentiate between the two. We as a faith have been told to stand against tyranny and suffered it many times throughout history, to differentiate between the two is to be complicit with tyranny by seeking favour with those perpetrate it. To be party with those that seek to subject others what we have ourselves suffered, we would not be worthy of calling ourselves Sikhs, for we have not learned anything. Such a policy only seeks to create a humanity divided and ruled, rather than united and lead. We should work together not let them recognize what is a Sikh and what is Muslim, rather teach them to recognize the basic human being that resides within both, differing only in the manner in with which they address what they regard as almighty. That to assault one human is to assault humanity itself.

 

The ironic thing is that it was Trudeau SR. that said about america “Living next to you is in some ways like sleeping with an elephant. No matter how friendly and even-tempered is the beast, if I can call it that, one is affected by every twitch and grunt.” yet it his son that is more than any prime minister since the cold war may have to deal with the realities of that statement. These are trying times  with rise of xenophobia and how we react now is what is going to define us, as a liberal party,  as a nation and as a people for generations to come. I mean politics used to be just a game or just a hobby, but with every passing day it seems that is more and more at stake come 2019 and what kind of people we choose to lead us.

Funny how this picture taken almost 70 years ago, has as much relevance today as it did back then. This picture was taken in London at a time when the in biggest conflict humankind has faced was taking place. Britain along with its Commonwealth stood alone against Nazi Germany. They had endured many bombing raids on their cities and the war at that point for the most had been losing cause for them. Yet Santa still delivers his presents albeit with a helmet. Christmas and the holidays still went on, the compassion and generosity of the holiday season still went on, people’s ways of life still went on. 2016 has been a rough year for many of us, on a personal level and for the world at large with the looming spectre of extremism,Trump, Environment and the Economy. Yet like the man dressed up as Santa we as humanity must adapt to adversity and demonstrate our way of life is worth carrying on and is something so powerful within us that it cannot be conquered easily through fear and uncertainty.

Photo Credits: ww2 photos colorized.

A Father Christmas wearing a tin helmet, walks along Regent Street, London.
23rd December 1940

(Photo source – ‘Life’ Magazine)

(Colorised by Sanna Dullaway from Sweden)https://www.facebook.com/sannadullaway

​To the Americans that are saying we are gonna move to Canada. Our country isn’t your back up plan or consolation  prize. To leave is cowardice and unbecoming of the fine people we share a border with. We are no strangers to your struggles. Ten years under a leader not unlike yours, who thought it was ok to divide us on the basis of our ancestors, on the basis on with which name we address a supreme being. We didn’t leave, we endured and we overcame. We still deal with racism, we still deal with division, but we do not allow it to rule us nor define us. For the many the people with conscience and common love for mankind that I still believe do exist in America, do not despair, hope is not lost  your work is not over rather, it has just begun.