“Perceptions,” By Gerry Warner

Op-Ed Commentary

Who says Cranbrook has got no class? Not me anymore after an experience I had a few weeks ago.

I was walking downtown with nothing particular on my mind, something I increasingly do as I grow older and get ready to cross the threshold of my octogenarian birthday. How did I ever end up in a city with such a spectacular mountain setting but so little civic character? Then I saw it, a flat circular shaped piece of ground nestling in the shadow of a local church and covered with artistic markings that you might have expected to see in a park, but not a Cranbrook park.

Turns out it had been hiding in plain sight for years but neglected to the point it had become almost unrecognizable. But it hides no more as the artistic icon has been restored to its former glory on the brow of a low hill overlooking the Key City. I’m not naming the church or its location because people can be sensitive about such matters and I don’t want to offend anyone.

But in these turbulent times, I’m glad to see it here for a number of reasons, both cultural and spiritual.

I’m talking about a labyrinth, a semi-holy vessel, but also an ancient artifact in a broader sense for people with strong beliefs but not exactly sure what those beliefs are. Often these days you’ll hear people say they’re not religious but “spiritual” yet still grappling with what spiritual really means. That’s when they turn to other paths like meditation, quests and labyrinths to assuage their fears and face life’s great journey.

For the record, a labyrinth is a flat piece of ground about the size of a volleyball court with a single path which people walk in a contemplative manner as they try to reach the centre which gives them the knowledge and courage to solve life’s many unknowable problems and issues.  A maze is much the same except it has multiple paths, and dead ends designed to make it damnably difficult to find the centre. Labyrinths and mazes go back thousands of years to early Greek times when the numerous Greek states fought each other incessantly for supremacy over the Peloponnese Peninsula.

Does it sound familiar?

Tragically, it does as Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine cruelly continues as does Israel’s genocidal slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza despite a ceasefire reached last week between Israel and Hamas which appears to be unraveling. Then there’s the appalling civil war in South Sudan which is almost completely ignored by many of us in the West and shows no sign of abating.

Then there’s Cranbrook, which has its problems, but is still an oasis of sanity in a world that appears to be eating itself. All we can do is watch the carnage from afar and express our gratitude that we live in a more civilized part of the world where such abhorrent massacres are totally unknown. But who knows what may happen in the future?

A few years ago, no one could have imagined Canada’s sovereignty being threatened and our borders being altered against our will. Who foresaw Trump’s outrageous tariffs being imposed on us and the likelihood of more to come as the deranged tyrant dumps his bile on the peaceful countries of the world?

This is more than a bad movie.

Canda and the US used to proudly share what was called “the longest unprotected border in the world.” Now we’re threatened with becoming the next “province” of the US as the imperial eagle flexes its claws. Maybe it’s time for Canadians to take a walk around the labyrinth and do a little thinking about our future. Right now, it’s looking pretty grim.

– Gerry Warner is a peaceful retired journalist who loves to walk

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