Resentment and Conflict
‘Time heals all wounds.’ I think the world has proven that statement false. Injustice or ill-treatment (real or perceived) is a wound long remembered and always a source of pain to those who remember (Unfortunately, all sides seem to remember themselves as the victims).
Our history wasn’t exactly a rosy picture and should never be glossed over for the sake of our present views. It is important that we keep an open mind when viewing the way things were, no matter what our ethnic background.
This doesn’t mean we condone the behaviour or attitudes of our ancestors, or that we truly appreciate at what cost this country became a nation, but we should view our history as a shared history – the good, the bad, and even the atrocities as well.
All Canadians, whether they be recent citizens, descendants of early settlers, or descendants of the first people to occupy this land should look back on the history that formed a nation as multicultural as ours with interest. It was, or rather is – OUR history. History doesn’t have to be nice – and often isn’t, but it is a part of who we (all Canadians) are.
As for time healing all wounds– harboring resentment of past events seems to be the root of most conflicts in the world today. People often blame war and other violent conflicts on religious disputes because two forces are invariably from two different cultural backgrounds, and the best way to move people into violent action is to give them a purpose that they can’t deny.
Leaders throughout history have rallied around their churches in their call to arms. Governments have used the religious faith of their people against them- coercing the masses by threat of “denying one’s faith” or “defending one’s faith”. In recent years some leaders have found a different catalyst to inflame the passion of their people since the power of the church has declined in many hearts.
They focus on what makes their people different from their alleged enemies – whether it be as broad as culture or as narrow as language – it is simply another tool to rally the support of the masses.