And sometimes, being nobody is a good thing!
Gateway

“I'm nobody!  Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there 's a pair of us — don't tell!
They 'd banish us, you know.

How dreary to be somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!”*

I have a strong and abiding admiration for anyone who runs for public office, regardless of the party they represent.  In the estimation of far too many Canadians, people who were well-respected and admired in their professional and civilian lives are mistrusted, disliked - despised even - and debased when they enter the political arena.

Aristotle described governance as follows:

We have thus to regard the Ethics as dealing with one group of problems and the Politics with a second, both falling within the wide compass of Political Science.

There was a time when being a politician was a noble occupation.  Nowadays, mere mention of the word politics sparks division, discord and inflammatory, often hurtful rhetoric. Actually, politics encompasses the very broad spectrum of care for all citizens. Political Science is the profession of upholding The Charter and providing essential services that we, alone, cannot manage - armed forces, first responders, health care, education, infrastructure, social programmes, etc.  A wide and complex mandate and an enormous responsibility.

By adding their names to a ballot, the histories and private lives of politicos, their families, their business associates and their friends are exposed to an intense scrutiny.  The media - both domestic and foreign - and hackers dig into every nook and cranny, nastily and hopefully searching for even the slightest misstep, salivating over any perceived impropriety, any financial obligations that might be exploited, any almost-credible whiff of an alcohol or substance usage, etc., etc., etc.

When the dark web hackers and snoopers cannot find actual dirt, they cobble together some social media posts and photos that are real, and twist or embellish them to create a misleading story and then disseminate it via one fake news medium or another. No privacy - 24/7/365.

Why on earth would anyone voluntarily expose themselves to such a rigorous invasion of their privacy?  Politicians are well-aware of this constant encroachment and stand for office anyway!  That, alone, deserves our respect.

Being somebody comes at a very high cost.  I’m nobody, and that's a good thing!

Political strategies and attitudes have sparked an era of sneaky, underhanded political manoeuvring, much done by foreign governments and their agents.  Ohmigosh!  I would not want to be David Johnston right now.  Probable Chinese interference in Canadian elections is front of mind of every journalist, every politician, every NATO government, and many Canadians.  It won’t matter what the poor soul uncovers, or what his ultimate recommendation is, not everyone will be satisfied and the cacophony of criticism and complaint will be heard from sea to sea to sea. 

There are currently 18 registered political parties in Canada, but the four biggest, wielding the most power and influence, are The Bloc, Conservative, Liberal and New Democratic.  As soon as the mere possibility of Chinese interference was voiced, a 5 alarm reaction occurred amongst the members of all four.  In firefighting, a 5 alarm fire is the most dangerous - and that’s the firestorm in which Mr. Johnston currently finds himself well-entangled.  This is not an issue of one political party, nor indeed of just the Federal parties.  Future text books may well record this as a fulcrum moment in Canadian history. No pressure, Mr. Johnston!

And this is just one hot-button issue we Canadians are facing. Our political temperature is running high.

Rather than donning battle-sark and venting our spleen, let’s instead be resolved to take a deep breath before speaking or commenting on social media; will our words help the people embroiled in the situation, are we proposing a thoughtful, possible solution or will our contribution further foment the dissonance?

“Let me walk with my brother
In perfect harmony…

Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me!”

Our country has been angry for so long that some of us no longer remember how peaceful, polite and reasonable Canada once was, nor how truly special that was.  If there is to be a return to politeness and reason, we have to make it happen.  Let there be peace in Canada, and let it begin with me, a nobody.

’Til next time, y’all…

*Emily Dickinson, Page 10, Section #1 Life, Poem #1 unofficially titled “I’m nobody!”, from her anthology Poems.
**Jill Jackson-Miller and Sy Miller.  Written for and sung by the International Children's Choir in 1955.  There have been many subsequent recordings but the angelic voices of the kiddos simply cannot be bested.  Have a listen, link:  “Let There Be Peace On Earth”