At The Beautiful Niagara Falls

As my wife, her visiting sister from France and I are on a brief vacation in Niagara Falls, I decided to write these lines which express the beauty we enjoy, the smiling faces we encounter, and the absolute order and discipline in doing things while everyone is respected regardless of age, social status, gender, religion, or culture.The city is naturally a touristic spot where people come from everywhere to relax, have fun, play games, and enjoy a bit of a spirited welcome away from everyday's long hours of work. It makes a difference when you see nice-looking girls and ladies smile to you when they serve you at the restaurant you are dining in even when they are too tired. It makes a difference when you look out the window of the hotel at the magnificent falls, naturally beautiful, and well-lit at night to see new colours.

This is Canada, the center of my family and friends and many other Canadians whose work and their way of living have paid off to be at the top of the OECD's Better Life Index (http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/). Not a single person in the world can argue this fact, but Canada can always find ways to help improve the living conditions of people in other less developed countries without giving them the feeling of condescending "imperialists." Canadians are known for their generosity, their investments in education, business, and peace-keeping between warring tribes and nations. I say this because a few days ago, a highly-respected visiting Syro-Egyptian Catholic priest repeated the slogan "Leave Egypt for the Egyptians and let no country interfere in our affairs." This patriotic slogan was probably used by Abdel-Nasser in his pan-Arab dream that, in spite of improving the conditions of many fellow low-earning Egyptians, creating a medical and retirement insurance protection for all Egyptians, and extending free education to university students, it also brought Egypt's economy to ruin by spending revenues in military support of the "revolutions" in the Arab world, Asia and Africa, and invested in sowing hatred against the civilized world of the West. Today, after 60 years in history of Egyptian governments dictated by the military, Egypt's government must beg the rich countries to lend them money when Germany and Japan have been at the forefront of civilization shortly after their defeat by the Allied Forces in World War II.  How will Egypt join the civilization if Egyptians continue to reject the civilized world remains to be seen.

Dreaming is free but in life it is hard to only dream. We must earn our living which means that we must stand, forgo the past and collaborate with every nation and family and person of good will.  We must discern the good from evil. This is how we work with God. When we give an opportunity to collaboration, we may discover the other, and there we discover God. There is no certainty in this world but we have promises from Christ that we can invest in. Investment, collaboration, love, God. These are the keywords for true civilization.