Looking at the word CAN_ADA
For fun I broke down the word Canada.
Can– a verb-an action word meaning “able to, know how, indicate possibility, being enabled”
ada is a structured, statically typed, imperative, and object-oriented high-level programming language, extended from Pascal and other languages. … Ada was named after Ada Lovelace (1815–1852), who has been credited as the first computer programmer.
It is no surprise that the simple breakdown of the word can be interpreted as;
the can do system communicator……. That really is what Canada is all about.
Canada’s Birthday
July 1st is Canada’s “Birthday.” But what does that mean?
And the bigger question;
HOW OLD IS CANADA?
Canada turns 153 years old today. The date that gives us the national age of 153 is July 1, 1867. That was the day that the British North America Act came into effect, a.k.a. “Confederation”.
But Britain still controlled Canada’s foreign affairs, or how it interacted with other countries around the world. One of the best examples of this? When Britain entered World War I, so did Canada. As in immediately. It had no choice.
It wasn’t until 1931 that this changed. This was when Canada got full control over their foreign affairs, thanks to the Statute of Westminster.
Now, Canada got to make all of its own choices, at home and aboard.
Proof? When Britain declared war on Germany on September 1, 1939, Canada waited to enter World War II
It wasn’t until 1982 that Pierre Trudeau’s government signed the Constitution Act that the British power was removed. Canada now had full sovereignty.
What else happened in 1982? The Canadian holiday Dominion Day was given its new name: Canada Day!
Canada’s Crust
If we look at the environmental or composition of the physical structure of the country of Canada;
“It’s only sometime during or after the Archean (4 – 2.5 billion years ago) that small continents and pieces of crust collided together to form what we call today the Canadian Shield.
Other parts of the country (the Appalachians, western prairies, Rocky Mountains and so on) were added through collision with islands and continents and sedimentation in oceans over the last 2.5 billion years.
The Canada that we know today is a relatively recent construct (less than 65 million years old) but it is composed of fragments of crust that are as old as 4 billion years.”
Perceptions
There are always many different perceptions and views of answering a question or perceiving a situation.
For me what matters the most is that we have a day to celebrate Canada. The exact “age” of the Country doesn’t really matter to me, it matters how it acts. What Canada and the people that bravely call themselves Canadians say and do. The ture CAN_ADA.
When the Olympics came to Canada in 2010, I had the extreme privilege of being able to volunteer and provide care to many incredible athletics from across the world.I worked in the polyclinic that was set up in the athletics’ village in Whistler.
It was there that I learnt that sport is the great equalizer. Nothing else matters, culture, beliefs etc…all that mattered was that, each person brought their best self to compete. I have many positive stories from this experience and will hopefully share them in a future writing.
The Patriot
It was also the first time I experienced patriotism.
As Canadians we tend to be quiet patriots. We like being Canadians but we think everyone else’s patriotism and countries are valued too and so we don’t say much about ours.
This was not the case at the 2010 Olympics. People from around the world saw the genuine compassion and support of Canadians. The CAN_ADA we know and love, was given an opportunity to show how kind and accepting the country really is. It was shown not only to the visitors but perhaps more importantly; to themselves.
I remember walking down the village street in Whistler and hearing “O’Canada” being sung out loud, bold and strong. I saw red and white flags everywhere, and if you could somehow measure pride, the measurement scale that day would have been off the charts.
It was through that experience that I saw the acceptance, the kindness and the appreciation of Canadians. Since my time in Whistler I have stood taller when I say I am Canadian.
Certainly like many countries, our country has had some difficulty moving on from past decisions and choices. Canada took its time moving forward from its proverbial mother of Britain, but it has and it did it with grace and appreciation.
We are not a perfect Country, nor will we ever be. Perfection is a goal; it is what we should all strive for, but also understand that true perfection is never achievable.
Perfection is the “carrot on the stick” that makes us, all of us, keep pushing forward. To keep being better, to keep growing and seeking opportunities to show understanding. Countries make “mistakes” but I believe Canada learns and understands those “mistakes” to be opportunities.
I believe opportunities should be used to evolve thought and move forward. Maybe that is how a Canadian sounds……eh?
I am a proud Canadian. I was born in Canada, I didn’t get an opportunity to choose my country, it was by destiny and perhaps luck that I emerged in such an incredible place- Canada.
But the one thing that I will never lose sight of; is the power each Canadian has to impact kindness, acceptance and love to all who they meet. With great opportunity comes great responsibility.
Canadian’s need to stand tall, they need to show through their actions and knowledge on how to cherish the past and use it to honour the future.
Accepting mistakes as opportunities of change and showing how the quiet and kind Canadian can both apologize and lobby……we are both quiet and loud.
Stand tall Canadians- Today is your day.
Go- Can_ada
Keep looking for the gems……
Smile a smile
Canada
Canada crust
A Bleeding Heart
History
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