The downing of the Ukrainian plane in Iran with many Canadian Citizens aboard was devastating.
On Sunday evening as I watched the news and the sad coverage of the lengthy funeral service in Edmonton for the 13 people, obviously of Iranian descent, that had died but had been living there, a number of things hit home.
A person realizes that no matter who you are or where you’re from, what colour of skin, nationality or financial position, people all over the world want the same things.
Love is universal. There are no borders when it comes to love – every individual in the world is loved by someone and needs to be loved. Whether it is a country or smaller community such as the University of Alberta, the impact and legacy those 13 persons left on their friends, family and community in Edmonton was huge. We all have ambitions. It was noble to see that all of these persons held academics in high regard. The challenges these Iranians probably overcame to be educated and come to this country to excel in their careers is extremely honourable. I may be wrong but sometimes it feels to me like many in our country don’t hold secondary education in as high regard; we seem to strive for less.
Relationships matter. You could see that although they had to carve out social connections as a newcomer to Canada at one time, they gave of themselves to the people around them, their neighbours and community, and made lifelong friends and companions into eternity.
Legacies live on. The loss of these strangers to many of us in our country and around the world has made an impact. Although we did not know them personally, the legacy they have left makes us realize that life is short. We don’t know today what tomorrow will bring so we need to be mindful that we are positively affecting those around us, contributing to society in one way or another, and making meaningful relationships. That way we won’t live life with regrets, impacting those around us with the good that we hope will be spoken when we are gone.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
