Dear editor,

I remember a time, in the not so distant past, when love, kindness, understanding and inclusion were the foundation of Canada.

What has changed, I ask myself?

A blanket of fear, of darkness, has been slowly pulled over our vibrant country.

I feel it is creating a division between neighbors, between friends, which never before could have been imagined.

This division, polarization of beliefs and behaviours, is not of my choosing.

Is it your choosing?

There is a growing, brewing mess of distrust, mixed with judgment and condemnation in our midst.

Do we have the love and courage needed to look at it?

I feel it is only through openness, communication and willingness to build understanding that this quietly simmering pot will be turned off and dumped out.

It is my belief that we are not separate, you and I.

I am connected to you, energetically; and love is the gentle hand, withdrawing the curtain of fear to reveal the light of which we are all a part.

Fear builds a seemingly solid wall and casts the false sense of separateness.

I feel your fear, your pain.

Can you feel mine?

I fear a destruction of our joyful, peaceful life; of our freedom of expression of ideas, beliefs and opinions.

I fear the insipid hate and distrust that is being seeded and watered.

I fear the oppression and persecution of our neighbors and fellow Canadians.

I fear that I am losing the most positive and compassionate country that I was born and raised in.

Cracks are beginning which may lead to the destruction of our foundation.

Can you see the cracks? Will we repair them?

As Remembrance Day passes, let’s reflect on what fear did in the Second World War, right here - on this Island, to peace-loving, compassionate Canadians.

It turned neighbors against each other.

A fear rooted in rhetoric, that the Japanese may destroy our country from within.

This single idea led to the imprisonment and discrimination of innocent men, women and children.

This had an impact on generations.

Can you see the same divide beginning to march into our homes and families under the guise of health and safety?

How will this impact our future generations?

I will not go gently into the night.

I will hold the light.

I will continue to fertilize with love, kindness and compassion.

You are my brothers. You are my sisters.

I honour your beliefs, your behaviours.

You are the author of your life.

It is not for me to change how you wish to live your life.

Likewise, I am the author of my life.

Let us set aside our perceived differences.

Together, regardless of beliefs, opinions and behaviours, we are stronger and more resilient.

One hundred and fifty-three years of our country’s existence is witness to that.

Together, I encourage us to meet this challenge to locate and patch the cracks in our foundation.

Together, I see the flowering of love, kindness, understanding and inclusion once again.

Kimi Nakamura,

Courtenay