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Do you want to be a 'first'?

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What is it like to be first? I do not know since I have never been first at anything.

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I was a second born, so for my whole life everything had been done before. I was always second-in-line for all of life’s momentous events – birth, baptism, school, bike, horse, licence, marriage, children, grandchildren, divorce, etc.

So, I do not understand the significance of being first. There seems to be a huge emphasis placed on being first and I would assume there is great honour attached to it. Being first seems to be a unique accomplishment, an exceptional achievement.

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When I was young I did come in first in races but many before me also won those races so it really doesn’t count. Winning does not equate with being first.

Just being first is still not enough and cannot stand alone. It must be segmented by gender, race, ethnicity, etc. Do you think we will ever get to a time when there is no longer any need to qualify firsts? Will we ever just say, “the first person to…” instead of the first woman, first Person of Colour, first in the family, first Hispanic, first openly gay, first Indigenous person, first transgender, first Asian, first senior…?

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It seems we are going backwards when you listen to the goings on in the States so my guess is we will not see this kind of equality in our lifetime. The division and separation being proffered down south is not making history, it’s trying to reestablish a past history by applying those old standards. Aren’t we supposed to learn from the past so we don’t repeat it?

It’s the whole making things great “again” thing the president likes to promote which is regressive and feeds into the scenario of blaming others or as they say now, othering.

I have to admit I look back longingly for a time when life was much simpler, easier. In my little corner of the world we all came from somewhere else. Our friends were all nationalities and friendships were not based on what they had, whether it was more or less. Well, that’s how it was in my memory, anyway.

Going back has no appeal to me, really. I know the others are not to blame for all our societal issues. Surely I am not the first to realize we humans cause most of our own problems by not fully appreciating and taking into account how our actions affect our own physical and mental health, the environment and all those with whom we share this planet.

twocentsworth40@hotmail.com

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