The Three Musketeers

I have been avoiding writing this blog for a few weeks now. I don't have a good reason other than the fact a wonderful summer is slipping away and it is time to get 'back to the city'. I spent the last two and a half months on SQUALL, our 33 foot sail boat moored at the foot of Scarborough Bluffs. One benefit living aboard is you tend to spend a lot of time outdoors. And another, as a result, you stop hearing about all the horrible events that plague humanity these days. Now that I am 'back in town' I am reminded again what a volatile and irrational little planet we live on.

Publications seem to go overboard these days to get recognition and make money. It makes me wonder how much on our news gadgets is pumped up and exaggerated to sell copy. I do know for example, some publishers, especially of ebooks, write false reviews to push their product. And what about invading the privacy of Princess Kate? Obviously, the profit grab has no respect for people's beliefs or personal lives. 

In 2005 there was the Jullands-Poten Muhammad cartoon controversy in that Danish paper. Now again we are seeing protests across the Islamic world. Just recently the French ordered their schools and embassies in twenty countries closed. Surely there are multiple problems facing these (mostly) young protesters but one of the key concerns is that images of Muhammad might encourage idolatry, something he did not want to happen. In these incidents we see both the power of the written word, and the potency of symbolic representations and common values.

All Four of the Three Musketeers

There is something for all of us to be learned here. I am reminded of the story of the Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas dating back to 1844 and read by me in 1944. d'Artagan - the one name I remember - was a musketeer, but only a friend of the famous three. Their motto was 'all for one, one for all."

Some Sociologists have recognized the need for members of society, (and by extrapolation, members of families, organizations, businesses, schools and sport teams etc.) to be anchored in a set of symbols that represent their basic beliefs and commitments. To be successful they need to have common values and assumptions about the world or the society they live in. Many believe that without these values they will ultimately degenerate and decay. 

Examples are multiple: Sport teams who fail to work in harmony; families that are dysfunctional or businesses who lack what is now called a Mission Statement. As Canadians we may celebrate our diversity, but we must also be sure that our values, objectives and assumptions, and the symbols that represent these ideals, flourish in all of our citizens. I believe that is why our schools have such a huge responsibility conveying those values. Our communities need to coalesces around them. Obviously, individuals will have their own customs, beliefs and symbols, but without believing in the greater societal values, divisiveness will prevail. History and our own experiences will never let us forget this.

So it is back to city life and to a greater awareness that all is not well on our fragile planet and that the roots of divisiveness have extended into almost every aspect of our lives. It's time to embrace the great motto of the Three Musketeers "all for one, and one for all."

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