?

As I was driving home tonight from seeing the movie 300, I was pondering that as ugly as politics might get nowadays, it was infinitely worse many years ago. While I acknowledge that the movie is a highly fictionalized rendition of actual events, there can be no denying that generations past paid a much dearer price for their political convictions than the odd jab from another party, columnist or blogger.

Upon arriving home, Mrs. P&UW informed me that I received an e-mail that had to be read IMMEDIATELY. She was so moved by its contents that she almost responded on her own. Without divulging the identity of the writer, it is enough to say that I am not the only one in Winnipeg concerned about the bearing our actions are having on future generations.

Whatever happened to Chicago of the North? Our can-do attitude of the early 20^th century that ushered in a period of prosperity has been replaced with a reluctant acceptance of mediocrity and even decline. If our population growth or economic indicators lag behind the national average, we shrug it off and accept the NDP’s dismissal of the data. I have already shown how marginal differences make a BIG difference over time. We nonetheless resign ourselves that political promises were made to be broken. When a scandal as serious as Crocus comes around, we simply deem it to be business as usual.

My grandparents on both my mother and father’s side came to Canada to escape oppressive regimes. My maternal grandmother worked three jobs at once. Did she do it for herself? Her modest existence would suggest otherwise. Every Manitoban has someone in a previous generation that made greater sacrifices than we ever will. Is it too much to ask of ourselves to rid ourselves of the apathy that seems to have gripped our collective consciousness? Lest we be judged by the generations that preceded us and do irreparable harm to the ones that follow, I hope not.

There is no snappy title for this entry – I hope you don’t mind.