Individuals are Equal

It is easier to focus on a person’s faults and failures than to recognize their successes. Even if we weren’t to recognize their successes, I’m sure we could, at least, find other people who have faulted to a greater extent than that one person.

Take this to the next step. We easily can find fault in our government and in what they have done or in what they have failed to do. And we have every right to point out these failures. We live in a democracy; our government is elected by us, the people, and for this reason, the government is accountable to us. But this is the point I am trying to make: we live in a country where we can speak freely against our government and not fear oppression or reprisal.

For this mere reason, we should be thankful for our fortunate position in life. There are places in this world where people are subjected to authoritarian rule, to dictatorships;  some live in places where anarchy and chaos reigns and there is no government system whatsoever. I think it is important for Canadians to realize that, although there are shortcomings in our nation, we are also more fortunate than a lot of people living in many of the world’s nation-states.

Just last week, I returned to Canada from a visit to Egypt. Although I am First Nation and Canadian, I also consider myself Egyptian—I love the culture, the people, and let’s not forget the FOOD! But I am often bothered by the discrimination that exists in the country. All humans are equal, yet in countries like Egypt, the divide between the upper class and the rest is widely pronounced. For some reason, some people seem to think that an Egyptian working in a restaurant, a hotel or a store has less merit than themselves. What especially bothers me is that some of the most judgmental people are TOURISTS and foreigners coming from western countries. What a warped way to be! I don’t understand why a person coming from a western country would treat a waiter as their equal in their own country, but treats a waiter in a developing country as less than that. Where is the rationale? Where is the logic? I find it appalling. No individual on this planet deserves to be belittled, and no individual has the right to do so. My husband is Egyptian, and when we are in restaurants populated by foreigners and tourists, he is stared at and judged. I find it ironic that, in his own country, he is made to feel unwelcome. I wonder how people come to be so ignorant. It saddens me.

I hope my words will help inspire change in people. First, to be thankful for living in a liberal, democratic country. And secondly, to remember we are all people living on the same planet; no single individual is better or worse than another despite their socio-economic standing or where they come from. We must remember this or how else will we ever move forward and create positive change?