whelan costen
Forum Super Elite
Posts: 2066
Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2004 7:42 pm
You know after rereading this post, I really think a great contribution to our history, human history, would be for a person, such as Janis, to write North American history from the native perspective. I hear your anger Janis and certainly when we look back on history it is painful, I don't think anyone can look back and not see their ancestors conquered, brutally in many cases and not feel injustice. It has happened over and over on every continent, but that does not make it less painful, especially in North America because many of the issues have never been resolved satisfactorily. You can look at Ireland for an example of violence that won't go away, because of wounds that will not heal.
When I first learned about the violence, the pain and suffering of my ancestors in Ireland, the conquering by the Spanish for a time, the potatoe famine, the brutality of the English towards the common people, I was angry. I felt pain as if it had happened to me. I felt cheated, all kinds of negative emotions, but eventually I did realize that my life , and who I am today is because of the struggles of my ancestors. They were determined to survive and so they sought a new life, here in Canada. They were forced from their country, so were my other ancestors, my grandfather was forced to flee Poland at the age of 16 yrs, with no family at all and never able to return. He died in his new country without ever seeing another member of his family again. I am not trying to diminish the horror that occured in conquering America by the Europeans, but every nation has gone through similar things, and none is without blame.
There must be accounting of truth, even if it is many years later, and even if it is from one perspective, as we have had one side of the story told, it would be great to hear the other and then perhaps true reconciliation could occur. Unresolved hate and pain, does not enhance future growth.(which I believe we all want.)
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If I stand for my country today...will my country be here to stand for me tomorrow?
"aaaah and the whisper of thousands of tiny voices became a mighty deafening roar and they called it 'freedom'!"' Canadians Acting Humanely at home & everywhere