My Country 'tis of (goofy) Thee

Hello Everyone,

I wrote this a little while ago, when I was still going in to work. Thought it might be a bright spot during difficult times.

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I read a comment on science fiction writing once, and I forget who wrote it, but to paraphrase: if you read old sci fi (and you should, it’s great) you will see the society from the 30s, 40s, 50s, etc. projected forward essentially the same society, but with more advanced technology. They could imaging flying cars and colonies on the moon, but not a woman as the captain of a starship. Changes in technology are easier, or perhaps more comfortable, to imagine.

I had an experience recently that brought that to mind.

I’ve been attending a couple of lectures and courses at work: the former on security, the latter on the history of the CANDU reactors. One of the lessons from the security lectures was that economic espionage is a huge problem and that Canada has been robed blind on several occasions by countries with nefarious intentions. We are, as our reputation might indicate, a soft target. Our society is open and our people are trusting. Other countries have taken advantage of that to steal intellectual property.

The course I took on the history of the Canadian nuclear industry was a good window into the innovation this country has produced, and continues to do so. Having listened to representatives of the RCMP and CSE talk about the loses we’ve suffered and dangers we face, one might think we need to be more suspicious and harden our infrastructure. And yes, we do need to take steps to protect ourselves. But one might also ask what it means that other countries try to steal from us and why we don’t reciprocate.

The short answer is: we don’t need to.

I’ve written before about the quiet genius that is Canada. That when you look at our leaders and our reputation, we’re the gregarious, yet socially awkward guy at the party wearing bulky running shoes, ill-fitting jeans and a bad haircut. Other countries have more power or have leaders that play big on the world stage. No matter what you read, we aren't cool. But we’ve built a peaceful, prosperous country, and that’s not by accident.

Just as science fiction writers from the 50s could image technological advances but not social ones, authoritarian leaders imagine that if they have the technology in communications or mining that we’ve developed, they will be as prosperous as we are. But that gets it backward. It was our social advances that begat the technological ones.

Those classes I took were filled with people who come from Asia, the Middle East and Europe, as well as Canada. There was diversity in gender as well. That’s the innovation. We’ll always be ahead of the curve because we provide a place for people to flourish on their own terms. We’re willing to change and adapt to accept people as they are. Other countries can steal our technology, but the real work is out in the open for all to see. The fact that they choose to try to copy our technology and not our social innovations means they aren’t willing to make difficult decisions. Technology is easy. Social innovation is hard.

And so, at a time when we are under strain, I take comfort that I live in a place that has the foresight and fortitude to be willing to change.

Stay safe,

Wes

Photos

These are from Emilie's uncle's cottage. The first is of Arthur and the emotional strain he is clearly under, spending all day, every day with me, under lockdown at the cottage. The second is a classic shot of a work vehicle and a wood shed.