Afterglow
Concluding a cross-Canada speaking tour in Vancouver was more than just a little fortunate. Starting in Newfoundland and moving ever West, the political realities of CIDA's decline was raised by development experts in every venue I attended. It was inspiring to see so many Canadians working through countless venues to take Canada into the world, but when the subject of the Canadian government's humanitarian ventures around the globe was introduced, dark clouds gathered and the forecast was decidedly gloomy.So it was that my nine-year-old daughter Abuk and I ended up in Vancouver this weekend. We had worked the schedule so that we could couple the speaking engagements with the Paralympic Games. We wanted to be here to support such tremendous athletes, but I still wasn't prepared for what we witnessed. Despite intense rivalries at the sledge hockey matches, the crowds appeared to meld together to form a united chorus of wonderment and appreciation at just watching the spirit of humanity, regardless of whatever physical challenge, strive to get beyond the natural limits. In fact, it was emotional - decidedly so. There was something magical about it and the inspiration of it all remains with me yet.As does Vancouver itself. Journeying with some students from the University of British Columbia to another development event downtown, they spoke of still getting shivers from what they have witnessed and experienced in these last few weeks. Strangely though, it wasn't about the sporting events for them. Instead, they focused almost exclusively on how the city itself was transformed into a community. They gathered, danced, and celebrated together with people they had never seen before but who lived only blocks from where they lived.
Abuk and I saw it all today, and it was just as the students had testified. Walking the streets down to the waterfront reminded me of when I walked with my kids in Disney World. Something greater, some gathering of human fascination, permeated the various scenes, making it virtually impossible to travel along in your own little world. And in those moments when we pulled our gaze away from Vancouver at its finest to focus on a map at some street corner, it was inevitable that a gracious resident would stop and ask if they could assist. People were still holding doors for one another, offering to take photos if you needed them to, and always, always, greeting you with a sense of optimism.It all ends tomorrow with the closing ceremonies, yet the spirit of all we witnessed today will be retained for some time yet. Somehow, forged between the mountains and the ocean, humanity had gathered in an accomplished manner of great magnitude. Not so much the athletes, but Vancouver itself had welcomed the world and raised its own game in the process. We wandered the streets aimlessly, going nowhere in particular, just soaking up good and decent people in the afterglow of patriotism and success.We are a remarkable country after all, despite our difficulties at present. For all our pressures, we are nevertheless a compassionate, nearly just, and a welcoming body of citizens. It was never about sports; it was about us. And if what we witnessed and felt today is any indication, the ability of the human spirit to rise above its challenges and say to the world, "Welcome, join us," remains firmly planted in our collective DNA. Like these remarkable athletes in the Paralympics themselves, our national consciousness reminds us that we can overcome anything if we remain together. In Helen Keller's own touching words: "One cannot consent to creep when one has an impulse to soar." We were meant for this.