Calvin White

THE WHITE PAPER
Happy December

This is the time of the year for important social and cultural celebrations. Hindus have finished Diwali, Muslims have finished Ramadan, Jews will begin celebrating Hanukkah on the 20th and Christians will have Christmas on the 25th. And children everywhere will be excited about Santa Claus. It seems obvious that we humans, besides food and shelter, also have a basic need to have something to believe in. Deeply held values, a job, goals, religious faith, science, music, art - we need something in our lives other than ourselves to believe in. And something not connected to the physical.

This need to believe gives us purpose and stability. As such, it's like a compass. The specifics of the beliefs don't matter so much, since we see happiness and fulfillment in individuals of all religions or non-religions. We believe in Santa Claus, for instance, and that makes us feel good and fills us with optimism. That some jolly character includes us, visiting us to bring something nice, adds to ouir sense of well-being. I say us because, as a good friend of mine insists, we are all children.

When I write my columns for North Of 50 and other media, I do it hoping it contributes in some tiny way to thinking. I believe that the human capacity to think and to become deeper, clearer in that thinking will lead us to making our societies wiser, fairer and more compassionate. I believe in trying to increase compassion.

My atheist friends tend to be critical of religion. I understand why. They will focus on the preposterous stories that cannot literally be true and how many of the devout suspend their intelligence by taking them as truth. They dismiss the notion of heaven as creating a fantasy in order to hide from death. They laugh at how athletes will thank God for their touchdowns or how someone who has been saved from a disaster will think their prayers caused God to intervene. Shake their heads that the logical conclusion would then be that someone else's prayers weren't good enough.

And it is true, that many parts of religious beliefs are easily criticized. Can there really be only one true way if there is a fair and just God who created all of us and our cultures, gave us the families and countries we were born to? Anyway I often try to get those friends to reflect on the mysteries we live with every second - hummingbirds flying from Nova Scotia to the Gulf of Mexico, salmon coming hundreds of miles back to their birth place, the reality of childbirth and how a beautiful being suddenly just is, the stars and their immensity, love, time, beauty - all those mysteries and the countless others we take for granted. And I ask them to reflect on the teachings in religions about how to live - Jesus saying to the Pharises that those without sin can throw the first stone at someone who sins - Muhammed saying that one who harms one innocent person harms the world - Krishna saying that letting go of one's ego will bring one closer to truth.

Because, it's not about how flawed religions may be, but about what direction their teachings offer. In this regard, as with why we need beliefs in the first place, it's all about how we internalize and act on our beliefs. There is a circle effect. Small beliefs are as valuable as big beliefs. A small belief I have is that when regular people do good things, it is a victory for all. So, in this last column for North Of 50, I feel a great gratitude to TJ and Dean who have created the magazine and tried to make it meaningful. Their ways inspire me. I have great gratitude to my mechanic Randy Potter because of his knowledge of cars and how he operates his business with such fairness and decency - having a smart, trusted mechanic is only second to having a smart. trusted doctor. He inspires me. I have a great gratitude to Fernande Bertrand. At 94 years old and born in Quebec, she has lived through the Great Depression - stealing cream from the milk quart before her mother could intervene - over the years gave birth to 7 babies, and continues to live a life of compassionate intelligence. She inspires me. I believe in these people and in so many others who make a difference simply by their own honest positivity. The result is that just by thinking of them, I am happier and healthier.

Happy December.

To all those who took some time to write to me over the last few years, please know I appreciated it. To 83 year old Loretta Danielsen, for sending a hug to Deena in Uzbekistan last year, I bow to your kindness. And for all who have read my columns, whether you were critical, appreciative or just bored, thank you for your attention. Please send me an email at calvinwhite@hotmail.com if you thought the columns had interest for you. There is now a hope for North Of 50 to transform into a new subscription based publication to appeal to a wider audience with meatier articles and for which I will continue writing. As my Muslim friends say - Inshallah.

Calvin White is a retired high school counsellor who lives in the North Okanagan. He has over 70 essays published in various Canadian daily newspapers, including the Globe and Mail, the Ottawa Citizen, Toronto Star, Vancouver Sun and Province. If you have any comments on this column, you can write to Calvin White at calvinwhite@northof50.com or to Calvin White c/o North of 50, Box 100, Armstrong, BC V0E 1B0