The Fourth Dimension

As the years go by and I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realise that there is indeed a fourth dimension and that it is the passing of time.

It seems such a short while ago that racial segregation was rampant in the U.S and it was accepted by almost everyone. White was white and black was black – and never the twain were permitted to use the same bathroom or ride the same seats on a bus. And schools were segregated too. Who would have dreamed that in the not-so-distant-future a gentleman categorized as being “black” or “coloured” would attain the highest office in the land.

So many changes in my relatively short lifetime!

In about 1985 I attended a forum in Fraser Lake on the subject of “World Peace.” The panel was composed of folks from various walks of life in the community. One fellow- a veteran of the Second World War- spoke eloquently and emotionally. He said that he had few good memories of the war and was not particularly proud of being a veteran.

I was amazed by his words. I had assumed that the revered status afforded returning soldiers had provided them with a sense of pride at having performed a job well done. But few veterans I knew had ever talked about the war. Perhaps the sacrifices of those who had signed up for battle were not limited to those who had died. Survivors often ended up with battle fatigue and emotional scars.

It was the final speaker who spoke in soft, faltering tones that I remember most distinctly. James was a young First Nations lad who has since become a good friend. James’s concise take on the subject of whether World Peace was obtainable was, “It is inevitable.”

The world scene has become even more chaotic and frightening since the nineteen-eighties. Wars, wars and more wars in countries I had never heard of before. Each night on the Evening News we have lessons in geography, along with horrific pictorials of mans’ inhumanity to his fellow man. It is easy to become cynical of mind and despondent of spirit.

But then I remember that wonderful forum on World Peace, which was held in Fraser Lake so many years ago. And the young man who ascertained that peace was “inevitable.” Although World Peace will likely not occur in my lifetime, I believe that someday it too will become an accepted fact of life.