Canada: A Country that Loves Everybody

Canada is celebrating its 150^th birthday on July 1, 2017. The event is called Canada Day. It’s a day when all the people of this country rejoice and pay their gratitude for all the blessings they receive from their country every moment of their lives.

Canada is a beautiful and lovely country. It is spread over a very vast land full of nature’s beauty. Wherever you travel in Canada, the entire landscape presents an awesome view. The moment you enter the suburbs of Toronto, you see unending lush green meadows with patches of thick forests. The farmhouses in the suburbs are incredibly beautiful.

Why I call Canada a lovely country is because here people love each other irrespective of colour, caste and creed. There is no discrimination in this land. The law of the land is supreme and is implemented indiscriminately. Justice based upon honesty, equality and compassion is the value that makes a society strong and healthy. That’s what Canada is practicing.

Canada is a multicultural society where people from all over the world have come to settle as permanent citizens. It has an open-arms policy to give refuge to anybody who is persecuted in the world because of religion, colour or any other social or cultural reason. Presently it is giving asylum to thousands of refugees from the Middle East who were denied help or support by their neighbouring countries. I really admire the liberal and secular attitude of Canada when I see the people of different religions and sects building their worship centers and practicing their faith without any fear of violence from extremists. I believe that by living in an environment that offers love and tolerance to every living being, even the fundamentalists eventually transform into liberals. With my background as a native from Pakistan it was very surprising for me to see the “Gay Pride Parade” on the streets of Toronto. It is an annual event and is said to be one of the largest in the world. I was wondering what the reaction would be of extremists or general public if such an event takes place in an Asian or Middle Eastern country.

Canadians are very polite and civilized people. “Thank you, I’m sorry, Have a nice day and Bless you!” are very common everyday expressions. You will hear them throughout the day on different occasions. The moment you enter a shop, you are greeted with a warm welcome. You may not purchase anything but as you leave the store, you hear the words: “Have a nice day!” These words are not just words. They carry tremendous magical powers in them. Words are very powerful if we understand how we use them in our thinking and speaking. These everyday words are like super hypnotic suggestions or a heavenly prayer that charge your subconscious mind with positive energy and fill your entire day with blessings and joys. I believe that one of the reasons for the blessings in Canada is the fact that people use positive words in everyday life while communicating with each other.

Canadians are well-known to be very humane. A few days ago I happened to see a post on the Facebook in which Canadian police, fire department and other rescue teams were helping a mother duck who was crying for help because her chicks had fallen in a road-side drain. The officials rescued her chicks giving them back to their mama safe and sound. It was a very sentimental scenario to see how the mama-duck rejoiced with gratitude. My heart fills with joy and praise when I see the vehicles waiting both sides of the street in order to let the ducks or wildlife move safely across. Even the birds and animals have learned not only the laws of road safety, but also their rights as members of the land. Isn’t it wonderful?

In Canada, care for human beings is worth mentioning. In any emergency, ranging from a break-in to a health emergency, you can call 911 who will respond to your call immediately. I have a personal experience with the efficiency of 911 when I had a cardiac problem. They were at my door-step within no time and started the required procedure. The attitude of the health practitioners in hospitals and clinics is based upon equality for all. Everybody is given the same treatment and care irrespective of the social or economic status of the client.

Canadians take care of their seniors. Last week I had the opportunity of visiting an old peoples’ home in a quiet and beautiful city called Kitchener. It’s a city of over 100,000 people in the suburbs of Toronto, over one hour’s journey by road on the very busy 401 expressway. The entire panorama of the city gives you relaxation and peace of mind. Unlike Mississauga, Brampton and Toronto, there is not much traffic on the roads. The place we reached is called “Trinity Village”. It’s a retirement home for old people. The busy receptionist managed to take a few minutes to show me and my wife around. The entire building has loads of recreational and occupational facilities for the residents. Everybody you talk to responds with affection and joy. When people become old they want to share stories of their past life. I wish we could have stayed longer and listened to the stories the residents carried in their hearts. Nevertheless, it was a great day and I look forward to meeting many more such people and sit with them to share their stories.

Thank you Canada for giving me this opportunity to meet such lovely people coming from different cultural backgrounds sharing their love, joy, gratitude and blessings with each other.

Mumtaz Shah