chapter 65: who are we?

the last week of unbridled patriotism has really left me wondering: who are we?

we are champions.

we can have our hearts broken.

we can proudly wear the maple leaf and not apologize. but everyone's invited all the same.

we aren't just happy to be here.

we expect the best of ourselves, and respect from others.

we aren't as quiet and unassuming as the world thought we were.

we are, in many ways, still finding our way.

what unifies us? it's always been hard to explain in words what it means to be canadian. but this week has shown the world that we are unique, and that's something to be proud of.

the world is learning something about us. so are we. we've always defined ourselves by what we are not.

we are not american.

we are not european.

we are not first nations, quebecois, chinese, indian, or any of the other dozens of cultures that make up the mosaic.

the truth is, we don't know exactly who we are yet.

and maybe that's how it should be, because we are always changing.

maybe it's that undefinable quality, that lack of an easy definition, that makes us special.

as the man said, we are more.