Fear Vs Family

From: John Ames Birch <Birch403@outlook.com> Sent: Wednesday, April 7, 2021, 9:36 PM To: justin.trudeau@parl.gc.ca; Chrystia.Freeland@parl.gc.ca; dujarric@un.org; dir_enq@cso.gov.hk; david.penberthy@news.com.au; doug.fordco@pc.ola.org; actso@naacpnet.org; accredit@gov.ru; amazon-ir@amazon.com; beril.aktas@hurriyet.com.tr; Blanchet, Yves-François - Député; contact.nbcnews@nbcuni.com; correspondence@council.nyc.gov; ctvottawa@ctv.ca; contactus@newfoundlandlabrador.com; dan@jpost.com; education@nasa.gov; English@mail.gov.cn; eurohealthycities@who.int; Francois-Philippe.Champagne@parl.gc.ca; Francois.Legault.ASSO@assnat.qc.ca; fkalmbach@theadvocate.com; FEMA-News-Desk@fema.dhs.gov; Fisher, Gordon; GlobalOttawa@globalnews.ca; govpress@la.gov; governor@governor.ca.gov; govsec@nanoq.gl; harjit.sajjan@parl.gc.ca; HaveYourSay; info@bnn.ca; Info@PMOindia.gov.in; investorrelations@3M.com; Jagmeet.Singh@parl.gc.ca; jedmiston@nationalpost.com; jason.kenney@parl.gc.ca; jsavikataaq@gov.nu.ca; KathyCrawford@house.mi.gov; letters@theaustralian.com.au; letters@lasvegassun.com; LetsDoThis@ellentv.com; lansing@mlive.com; media@gatesfoundation.org; media@sputniknews.com; minister.edu@ontario.ca; matt.eldredge@kolotv.com; news@thelocal.se; nytnews@nytimes.com; news@skynews.com; news@thelocal.se; News@KelownaNow.com; Oprah@oprah.com; osd.pentagonpressbadges@mail.mil; pm_eng@pmo.gov.il; premier@gov.pe.ca; Secretary@HHS.gov; Sky.Today; submit@calgaryherald.com; tips@GlobalTVBC.com; thisweek@abc.com; vatio23@genaff-segstat.va Subject: Fear vs Family (Opinion)

Who are we really, when we try to define our species what do we get? Are we each nations unto ourselves, beings alone in this vast cosmos or are we more? Are we more than our past defeats or victories, are we good? What does good even mean, how do we define ourselves, do we look at the whole of the definition or do we see past such labels and see the truth of the matter.

These questions have been debated throughout our history as we struggled to find our way in our lives and our world. How we define each other and ourselves speaks to the very soul of who we are. We define ourselves and group together to form families, communities and nations. We are not so different from each other, each of us strives to live a good life, to learn and to improve ourselves and our world through our actions. It matters not which gender, race, sex, orientation, nationality or any other distinction what matters is who we are and what we’ve done. Our society was built upon the hard work and happiness of millions of people who came before. Their hard work building our world one brick, one legacy at a time. We as a people seem to forget this and use excuses to separate ourselves from one another. Using our distinctions as divisions instead of declarations. Each person is important not only to one another but to the whole of our society and that of our very world. History has recorded not only our failings but those shining moments where paragons rose to change our world. These contributions birthed from the minds of a variety of contributors. These paragons helped to shape our world and without them our world would not be what it is today. Each of us can tie our lineage elsewhere, our ancestors were immigrant’s. As our history can attest our people have traversed the globe and settled on foreign shores bringing with them culture and cuisine. Creating cities, societies and nations where none existed before. Our society, our modern world, was built by immigration and yet we have now begun to fear what has become the lifeblood of our civilization. We fear one another as we cling to old hatreds and create new ones. We tear at the very fabric of our humanity as we allow fear and hatred to eclipse our hearts. Using this fear to justify atrocities we have built our entire society to prevent. This fear acting like a cancer on our society as we stumble through that fear and uncertainty as it erodes the very spirit of who we are and why we build. We have lost sight of who we are as this fear replaces the definition of us. It doesn’t matter the distinction when attacks or hate are allowed or acted upon within our society we dismantle the very ideals of its founding, we reduce our own definition. No one in our society should ever have to fear for their own safety, that means you and everyone else. We cannot pick and choose who within our society gets the protections of which we founded our nations on, for we endanger everyone when we do. This pandemic has shown us the best parts of ourselves, it has shown us our humanity as we come together to save each other but it has also shown our fear. We cannot allow this fear to infect our unity, our humanity, for when we do all of us are weakened by it. It’s time instead to look beyond fear and fragility and strengthen the bonds that connect you and me to we. It’s time to rise above this time of fear and work as one towards a better future for all of us. By the people, for the people and because of the people, always. Stay safe, stay sanitized and stay supportive, John Ames Birch