On Being "Doe-eyed"

So, it's my birthday. Almost five decades of living and so many lessons learned. The picture to the right was taken on the streets of Calgary, Alberta. I'm standing with my Mom in 1959 - the day Lester Pearson came to stay in our home while visiting with my father. From an early age, I was surrounded by a good many adults who believed Canada had something special to offer the world. Since The Parallel Parliament is about politics, it would only be right to say that my greatest lesson in my brief time in politics is to hold on to my ideals of Canada - its genius and it place in this world.It's actually not been all that difficult to maintain that belief, despite a rancorous House of Commons. My Dad's mother had been one of the best friends of Olive Deifenbaker, John's wife, and I still possess a picture of them together in the house. Yet Dad became good friends with Lester Pearson during the war, so it must have been interesting for my parents to balance the passions of these two strong political leaders whenever they were in the area. Yet in spite of their obvious differences, I clearly recall their respectful natures and that they never uttered a single world that would have turned me off of politics. To say I was fortunate to witness this first hand would be an understatement, and the memories of those times still moulds my belief in a respectful politics today - I've come by it honestly.Only a few weeks ago, one of this country's national papers took to calling me "doe-eyed." My wife and I had a good grin at that, but we were unsure as to what it meant. It was easy to see it wasn't too complimentary, but we decided to look it up in the dictionary anyway, and here's what it said: "Having wide-open, innocent-appearing eyes: naive and unsophisticated." So, I guess it wasn't so good.Pondering that definition on my birthday today has confirmed for me that the paper was right, yet I'm not so sure it's a bad thing. I have seven children, expecting my third grandchild, undertook development work in numerous countries around the world, freed slaves in Sudan, survived numerous conflict situations, had a 30-year career as a firefighter, and now held on to my ideals following three years as an MP. I'd love to take the "doe-eyed" author with me to Sudan, or follow me into a building that was fully aflame, and see if he/she still viewed me in the same way.I have brought all these experiences with me into politics, so I have a bit of trouble viewing myself as naive. But if the author was saying that I wouldn't play along with the political system that surrounds me in Ottawa, I suppose that's true. Nevertheless, I don't want to lose that more innocent view I have of Parliament just so I could be a seasoned performer. To the House of Commons I brought the view that Parliament mattered far more than any politician or bureaucrat. Undertaking the massive challenges that face Canadians at the moment calls out for the very best in us, including our ideals. I know very well how brutal the Diefenbaker-Pearson years were now that I'm older, but I still recall the respect they permitted a little boy to witness. Ottawa can rip that respectfulness out of you, however, if you just play along, and soon enough skepticism and rank partisanship can become your worldview - not a good thing for any public servant. Ideals aren't about naivete, but about our resolve to put the public good above all else. To lose that is not about losing your ideals but more about losing yourself to those crass political practices that inevitably diminish us as observers in Ottawa. I pray every day that God will protect me from a fate as disillusioning as that.So, from this willing "doe-eyed" MP to all of you, fight for the "better angels of our nature" that reside in each of us. Whatever your ideals are about this country, honour them by saying no to skepticism and offering up the very best that's in you for the very best country.