Do you care?

Have you noticed that people only seem to care about 'big issues' like sports, politics, global warming or even the going of the economy? While I do think that we should care (and a lot sometimes) about things like these, I can't help thinking that we are, perhaps, spending too much energy in 'caring' about big things and letting small ones go wild. For instance, drivers couldn't care less about pedestrians and pedestrians couldn't care less about themselves. People riding on the bus couldn't care less about others (doesn't matter if others means pregnant ladies or people with disabilities) and bus drivers...well they deserve a post on their own!

The point I am trying to make is that everyday life also matters. And everyday life is made of small things. Although we can't, by simple implication, argue that improving small things will improve bigger ones, we can certainly hope that improving small things will have a tinny, though positive, impact on our lives which is by far a really big thing to care about. It might sound repetitive (I bet you hear these sort of arguments all the time) but it is not that you can simply substract yourself from them. In any case, I am not saying that this is the solution to all problems or that we can save the planet or something like that. I am just saying that if, for instance, we cared a (tinny little) bit more about things like respecting each other's turn when getting on the bus, we could all enjoy a faster and more enjoyable ride which would, very likely, have a big impact on the the rest of our day. I don't think it is too mush to ask....and at the end of the day, isn't this what we all look for when we care about big issues?

This is precisely what all this is about!

Big was my surprise after reading a comment made by one of my wife's friends on MSN regarding the incidents between the Toronto's police and the Chilean Soccer Team last Thursday: 'Would you please change that nickname of yours...the one that says "Racist Canada" because I'm canadian but I am not racist'. My surprise was big because this is precisely what all this is about!

After reading an uncountable number of reactions in Canada about the incidents, I can't blame Chileans for thinking that not only Toronto's people or even Toronto's police but all Canadian are racist. They've seen how many Canadians make no difference among Chileans because they should all be the same. As far as they are concerned, players are the ones to be blamed for Thursday's incidents just because they come from a South American country, which is pretty much reason enough to justify the acting of Toronto's police. But, have you ever considered the possibility that 'third-world' countries may also have 'good' people? Couldn't be possible that there are honest people in these countries as well? Sure not every single chilean is a pure and white pigeon, but this does not give you the right to treat every one as a criminal or to judge them based solely on our race, color or cultural background. Thus, under the assumption that I buy this reasoning for a moment, why would you expect us not to think of every single Canadian as a racist if, after all, Toronto's policemen are canadians just like everyone else?

I would like to end this post with a quote from Mr. Harper, "President Bachelet, on behalf of our government, I would like to thank you and the people of Chile for your warm welcome and hospitality. I look forward to seeing you in Canada in the near future". (Statement by Prime Minister Harper on his visit to Chile following meetings with President Bachelet, 17 July 2007, Santiago, Chile. http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?category=3&id=1757. Accesed on July 22nd, 2007). Ironic, isn't it?