Aug 24th, 2020: Making a Difference in Being a Minority
Yesterday the Progressive Conservative Party in Canada selected its new leader, who will lead the party into the next Federal election. I
had been watching our various national news networks to discern the
position of the power brokers in Central Canada and Quebec. As much as I
am hopeful because I believe that there are good people who are
running, I am concerned about the outcome because Canada is a lot bigger
and more comprehensive than Central Canada and Quebec. The majority
defines the democratic process and its outcome.
Belong
to a majority has never been my personal experience. Being Asian is
one. Going to school in English in Quebec is another. Being in a
cross-cultural marriage was a challenge due to my mom's reaction at the
beginning. Becoming a Christian is another aspect of belonging to a
minority.
Being apart of a minority
will give us the determination to try harder to prove ourselves. Some
people might think the USA is a horrible place to live if you are part
of a minority. It is not easy to overcome the ignorance of a few, and we
have to do that by being committed to who we are and good at what we are doing. Many of us came
from families that have decided that we won't play the victim card. We
use our ace cards to trump the victim card.
We
then now can celebrate and be thankful at the same time. We give thanks
for God's faithfulness and celebrate God-given opportunities. Our
self-respect is the outcome of us being good stewards of the privilege
and the opportunities given to us. Being a minority now can be an
advantage because we become more focused on where God wants us to go and
who He wants us to be. I can honestly say that I am a proud Canadian. I
am hoping that the result of the leadership yesterday confirms to us
that we collectively as a nation will no longer be held back by the
victim mentality but will move forward together regardless of our races
and our personal histories. It doesn't mean that we will always agree.
It means that we will learn how to use our disagreements to become
better people.
My comfort, therefore, rests in this verse of Revelation:
"After
this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number,
from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing
before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm
branches in their hands," (Revelation 7:9)
