Altered States - Mutual Contempt

In his memoirs A Very Public Life: Far From Home, Paul Martin Sr. tells of an emotionally stirring visit to Dieppe following the end of World War Two. Almost 1,000 Canadian lives had been lost in bloody battle. Something changed in Martin that day that mirrored how the country itself has transformed. These were mostly young men who gave their last breath in duty. On that day were born the seeds of the Canadian Citizenship Act which Martin himself ushered through Parliament. In his mind, Canada had matured into an independent nation, proven by its sacrifice, and deserving of a citizenship that matched its performance. He had great hopes that the Act itself would prompt Canadians to stand up and take control of their own destiny as a nation.Was he right? For a time at least it appeared so. Yet something has altered between citizens and their government, and while citizens have been quick to condemn politics for their feelings of isolation, perhaps they have failed somewhat in themselves to reach the lofty heights Martin hoped for. I understand that a politician shouldn't even venture close to such an assertion, yet I don't see how we can find a better place when blame is leveled exclusively on politicians alone - it is a two-way street and there must be work done on both sides. That is being undertaken by both politicians and citizens, but not at enough of a critical mass to change the system.Citizens have changed, not just in their pessimism but in the sophistication they bring to that cyniscism. The average Canadian today is far more cosmopolitan. With more information than ever at their disposal, they learn more quickly the flaws within the political system. Yet, like the politician, they exist at two different levels. Citizens might not compost much, yet they know of the steady decline in rain forests and the challenges inherent in climate change - something their forebears would barely have known. But their acts don't match their knowledge. They want their children to have a top notch education yet often refuse higher taxes to pay for it, much as they do with healthcare.  Political representatives live a similar kind of dual existence.All this is to say that governing modern citizens like this is a proverbial minefield. I was once at a meeting of environmental activists who demanded to know what kind of car I drove. When I said it was a Smart Car, they nodded approvingly, but in the parking lot later they drove out in their vans and six-cylinder vehicles. They knew the issues and expected more from their politicians than they did from themselves. The opposite has also been true.Now, I understand that there will come those comments to this post blaming a politician for blaming someone else. I'm not trying to do that. We've all slipped somewhat and government and its citizens have equally suffered as a result. There's a mutual contempt brewing out there and we all have to admit culpability if we are to proceed progressively. Paul Martin Sr. believed that citizens had matured through great sacrifice and hoped for a political class that would treat them as such. He passed an Act in that belief. But can this country be effective when politicians refuse to live lives of great example and hesitate to call citizens out on their own lack of performance? Mutual respect has given way to mutual contempt. Dieppe has given way to disillusionment. We've got to get our game back.