Every four years, there is a convergence of Remembrance Day ceremonies and municipal elections. We gather at cenotaphs and memorial parks to contemplate the . . .
sacrifices so many have made to push back tyranny and preserve democracy. We gather in school gymnasiums and town halls to exercise our hard-won democratic right to choose who among us will provide local governance.
One could imagine the combined gravitational force of two heavenly bodies passing so closely together as having a particularly strong pull on our thoughts and possibly even our actions.
In the spirit of keeping faith with those who died, many people from across the Pontiac have stood up to offer their service to the public in the current election. They have dared to put their names, reputations and ideas on display for public scrutiny. It is a noble and courageous act that presents options to the electors, different visions of a possible future from which to choose.
Most have been working hard for years in all kinds of ways for the betterment of their communities, and will undoubtedly continue to do so, whether elected or not. They are a determined version of citizen that presses on despite the anti-social treatment they are bound to receive in the form of scurrilous commentary, malicious gossip and unsubstantiated accusations via the unmoderated bar brawl we have ironically come to know as social media, with the bad behaviour sometimes slipping from the virtual into the material world, involving the vandalization and theft of candidates’ campaign signs.
This is not debate, it is not the free expression of ideas. It is an abuse of freedom that does harm to our democratic process. It may be intended to dishearten candidates, but fortunately, almost by definition, they tend to be made of tougher stuff than that, and are not easily thrown off their path to making this a better place.
As our just-elected representatives assume their new roles this week, many will be participating in Remembrance Day Services across the Pontiac. Any of us feeling the gravitational pull to attend will have the opportunity to thank them in person for standing up for us, for bestowing honour on those who have gone before and promising hope for those who will come after.
Charles Dickson
