"Us and Them" !

In these days of hi-tech, it is amazing just how many bookstores still exist in the  greater Toronto area.  I was in Chapters a few days ago and near the exit, stood a young man selling his first self-published book. Having had a similar adventure I needed to speak to him about his experience and his book. At the end of our discussion, I purchased an autographed copy. Struggles of a Dreamer is an allegory with a message.

The experts tell us that our culture historically began with the early Greeks. I doubt if they would recognise very much if they walked down Yonge Street today! Over the years, our way of being in the world - our history, literature, science, philosophy, religion, music and lifestyle have undergone huge transformations. Years later the European culture in Canada was further reshaped by the French and British settlers and the aboriginal peoples.

When I was a boy growing up in Saint John it was not uncommon to see horse- drawn wagons making deliveries. My father would tell the story of standing in his office on Main Street and seeing his first car drive by the store. My mother often reminded us that she was the first woman driver in the city. 

Our life is altered by inventions, conflicts, the mixing of cultures, wars and changes in our environment. One of the challenges we all face is a tendency to readily adapt to some differences and yet oppose other deviations. Part of us is encouraged to be accepting, still another part wants the stability of cultural patterns.

Not only are these changes personal, but social as well. This gives rise to conflict between those accepting change and those who refuse for whatever reason. For example, the current battle between the taxi companies and Uber. It reminds me of the Luddites, the textile workers in 19th century England who realized the new machinery would destroy their way of life. There are men in this world who refuse to accept changes to the role of women in society. They resist because it would require them to change as well! On a wide scale, these cultural disconnects tend to divide nations, people, neighbours and even each of us into camps - "us" and "them". And there lies the rub! Once locked into a position everything is measured by those terms leaving no room for dialogue or compromise! The ability and courage to break free are abandoned. And we are left with an  "us" versus "them" confrontation.

There is still lots of room for books (and bookstores) in our life. Yahaya Baruwa, the young man I met at Chapters, put it this way. "If I died right here and now, I would die a happy man, for I have been fortunate enough to break away from the limiting boundaries of tradition and have begun to discover the limitless possibilities of the world."

And that's Dick's View of the World this Week

Did you Know?  Notes and coins have been in use for 4,000 years. Canada is now considering a digital currency of its own. It would be cheaper than printing bills and minting coins.