To me, Vancouver is a
paradoxical city. As many know, it has been voted one of the world's most
liveable cities. It is unique in that it has a mild climate, is surrounded by
gorgeous green hike-able forests, beautiful mountains and the ocean. What's
more, it boasts a complex infrastructure that allows for a very high standard
of living. In fact, the city's motto is By
Sea, Land, and Air We Prosper. But
if it is such a great place to live, why does everyone seem to leave? And many
who don't leave, say they think of their life in Vancouver as a temporary stage
they go through before they get to do what they really want to do. Why are so many people antsy in this city?
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| "Vancouver Sunset" photo by Lucie Bardos |
Vancouver's population is made up of roughly 40% immigrants. Immigrants are people who leave their homes in one country and move to another country in search of a new life. An element of sadness is always present in the story of any immigrant. I should know, I am one of those 40% and so are a large number of my friends and many of the people around me. It seems to me that it is especially they, who are to some degree discontent. Most of the reasons that people give as an explanation for this are something along the lines of Vancouver being very cliquey, that people (immigrants and non-immigrants) seem cold here, and that life has a certain sense of dreariness because of this. They also state that people here seem surprisingly passive compared to the rest of the world in terms of both social celebratory events and political/social/environmental issues. Getting us off our butts and celebrating or even raising our voices in the name of something seems like just too much of an effort. In short, there seems to be a degree of disappointment that settles in after a while of living here. There is also to a large extent an element of not understanding why the social factor is missing.
I might offer a few hypotheses in regards to this issue. Vancouver
has officially been a city since 1886. That makes it a mere 127 years old. Many
immigrants who come from East Asia, India, or Europe, are coming from
civilizations that are founded upon hundreds or thousands of years of history.
Of course, First Nations people were in this area for thousands of years before
colonization, but sadly, due to the events that transpired between the colonial
years and today, their history and traditions are not a cornerstone of most
Vancouverites' cultural identity. The history that has played out in other
parts of the world has been equally horrific and unfair, but it is what modern
day societies are built upon. I feel that having a sense of your own history
gives one a feeling of understanding why things are the way they are today, a
feeling of stability or some sort of a cultural baseline; thus offering a
framework for how to act in social and community situations. Furthermore it is
the basis for a myriad of cultural festivals and celebrations that usually mean
food and people being together having a good time. So, perhaps it is this lack
of history that gives Vancouver it's coldish personality, which, as I should
have stated earlier, is clearly not helped by the fact that we receive double
the annual rainfall of the city of London.
The lack of historical ties to this place makes it difficult to
really get excited for our annual festivals and events, especially since many
of them celebrate only one of the many cultures present in Vancouver. Of
course, this is the same element that makes them compelling and interesting,
but it also contributes to the feeling that they aren't really ours. This lack of ours unfortunately is something that cannot be rushed along, but I
do believe that it will develop naturally as cultural mingling and exchange
happens over the coming decades. After all, if you talk to anyone about
Montreal, a much older Canadian city, they are quick to point out how opposite
it is to Vancouver in terms of liveliness, social life, cultural events, and
the arts in general. And we should note that they can't boast about their weather either!
I recently watched a video from the Peak Moment series[1] that offers some very helpful answers
and insights in this regard. The video is an interview of Cecile Andrews, an
American citizen who is very involved in the Gross National Happiness movement
that began in the country of Bhutan and has, not surprisingly, gained
popularity all over the world (including Victoria, dubbed Canada's first Gross
National Happiness city!). Cecile points out something very important: that our
sense of happiness comes chiefly from our social connections and from our sense
of belonging to a community. So a city that has not had the time to really fully develop into a community and whose inhabitants lack strong social ties, cannot
be home to very happy people. I think it makes a lot of sense. To recap,
immigrants and people from other Canadian cities or even the US who move to
Vancouver, already bring a certain sense of sadness and/or uncertainty with
them. In Vancouver, they find a stunningly beautiful place, which however, does
not offer them a well-developed new framework for community. If there is
nothing to become a part of, what do you do? Stick with what and who
you know. Ergo the cliquey-ness and the very small circles of friends, the less
than gung-ho attitude towards community events and festivals, and the general
reserved attitude that Vancouverites have become known for. Please do not think
that I am poo poo-ing immigrants maintaining their own cultures. I am 100% in
support of that. However, I think that a city still needs its own distinctive feel;
it's own cultural identity that makes it a unique home for its people.
So, Ok. People in Vancouver are naturally a little more withdrawn
and reserved because they haven't yet settled in to their common historical
heritage, or to be exact, they haven't yet lived enough of it in order to have
something to really settle into as a baseline for their Vancouverite identity.
I feel, however, that this can also be to our city's advantage in the coming
years. We are clearly living in a time where global change on the super-sized
scale is and will continue to happen for the foreseeable future. We are facing
issues such as energy shortages, world food supply shortages, overpopulation, a
health crisis, and an environmental crisis - all on levels not seen before in
the world's history. Solutions, ideas, technologies, thoughts, discussions, and
exchanges will be a part of getting us out of the mess we are in and Vancouver
is in a wonderful position to be a hub of this positive activity. Perhaps our
cultural heritage will be built upon innovation, creativity, brand new ways of
approaching solutions to problems, and pioneering new attitudes and paradigms. We
will come together in our pioneer-ness! Perhaps these global issues can bring
Vancouverites together to write a history we will be collectively proud of. Let's
add to all of that the fact that the one thing that is for sure ingrained in us
already is a love and appreciation for nature. How could it not be, just look
where we live! I am already seeing the seeds of this future phenomenon;
community gardens, meet-up groups, more and more community events, friends and
acquaintances talking and finding common ground in regards to the crises taking
place. If these seeds sprout and grow, we could be looking at the makings of a
very strong and diverse historical and cultural foundation. We have the
opportunity here to walk the walk and become truly progressive and to build a
sense of unity through our progressiveness. So I say: let's get to it!!
[1] I recommend this series to anyone and
everyone; these videos are free on YouTube. Just search: Peak Moment
