I have to admit that there have been times in the last few years when I have been deeply saddened by the cynicism of young people. I also have to admit, however, that their cynicism was — or is — entirely understandable. They have grown up in an age in which the institutions and the elites who dominate their world have failed them utterly. I write this as someone who taught young people for thirty-two years.
I used to teach Tennyson’s Ulysses every year. I love the poem, chiefly because the old man of the title — nearing the end of his days — says:
Come, my friends,
‘Tis not too late to seek a newer world!”
That line became the title of a book of speeches by Robert F. Kennedy — one of my youthful heroes. When he died — four months after the assassination of Martin Luther King — something died with him.
In my mind, Kennedy’s death marks the beginning of youthful apathy. But Brigette Depape’s quiet, dignified protest in the Canadian Senate last week, gave me hope. Even more inspiring was her explanation of why she did it:
Our views are not represented by our political system. How else could we have a government that 60 per cent of the people voted against? A broken system is what has left us with a Conservative government ready to spend billions on fighter jets we don’t need, to pollute the environment we want protected, to degrade a health-care system we want improved, and to cut social programs and public sector jobs we value. As a page, I witnessed one irresponsible bill after another pass through the Senate, and wanted to scream “Stop.”
She knew what the consequences of her actions would be — she was fired — and she accepted them. Nonetheless, she believes — or, at least, hopes — that good will come from it:
Such a system leads us to feel isolated, powerless and hopeless — thousands of Canadians made that clear in their responses to my action. We need a reminder that there are alternatives. We need a reminder that we have both the capacity to create change, and an obligation to. If my action has been that reminder, it was a success.
Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy would have understood what she did and why she did it. They would applaud her — as do I.
Owen Gray grew up in Montreal, where he received a B. A. from Concordia University. After crossing the border and completing a Master’s degree at the University of North Carolina, he returned to Canada, married, raised a family and taught high school for 32 years. Now retired, he lives — with his wife and youngest son — on the northern shores of Lake Ontario. This post is cross posted from his blog.