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Canada is made of many countries, its geography stitched together with history, and hope. Canada is an improbable orchestra of differences, playing an unwritten arrangement of ideas no single artist could compose. We are, together, many countries of one nation.
It takes courage to be a citizen of a nation. Courage to believe in the purpose of a country untethered from personal comfort, immediate gratification or narrow self-interest. Courage to reject the tempting shortcuts of mediocrity and instead embrace the hard work of building a society. Canada’s role is not easy, nor is it fleeting. And Nova Scotia’s part in this story is more complex still. It matters—deeply—to us, to our allies, to the world, and to history itself.
We now have access to more information and a larger data set of ideas and opinions than ever in history. Our shortcoming is our lack of appreciation for the complexity and random chance that comes along with so much information. We’ve got access to so much information and such a broad overview of ideas, but we’re still not grasping the impact of complexity and randomness in such a large data set. So we continue to be surprised as our stupidly pattern-seeking brains continue to try to find meaning in every simpleminded notion and dumb thing that happens or is said in the world of politics. We scroll, we skim, we cherry-pick, and our brains, hardwired for pattern-seeking, weave narratives from nonsense.
Enter “Nova Scexit,” a perfect example of the superficial conclusions that bloom in this climate of intellectual laziness. Simplistic, unserious and plucked from a grab bag of half-remembered history, it’s the type of folly only possible in an age drowning in information but gasping for wisdom that is out of reach.
There is no easy way. There is no shortcut no matter how much mediocrity wishes it to be so.
Courage is required of the citizen—an office holder of the highest degree. Courage to believe in the purpose of a country untethered from self-interest, personal comfort or even happiness and safety if we are to hope for the further development of society. There is no easy way. There is no shortcut no matter how much mediocrity wishes it to be so.
What the treasonous mind misses is Canada’s irreplaceable role. So, we have to forgive people writing stuff like this without the slightest thought to how important Canada’s existence is to us, the U.S., and the world, how it’s been a balancing figure, a source of ideas and talent, with much needed different perspectives from outside the beltway and the echo chamber of America.
As a counterbalance to the U.S., Canada offers America and the world a calming influence, fresh perspectives, talent and ideas about peace, progress, prosperity and purpose not overheated in the blast furnace of the American melting pot.
Suggesting Nova Scotia abandon that legacy for a short-sighted self-serving moment in the sun ignores how deeply our existence matters—not just to us, the U.S. and the world but to history.
Let’s leave aside the obvious treasonous undertones, the defeatism, cynicism, lack of faith in our institutions, and greed baked into the “Scexit” argument. Let’s also skip over the history lesson on why Nova Scotia didn’t join the American Revolution in the first place (for those curious, there’s a brutal breakdown of that here). Instead, let’s focus on the real question: why, with all the opportunities this magazine has to do good, would it print such clickbait junk? This masthead deserves better. Better ideas. Better writing.
The idea of “Nova Scexit” isn’t just wrong—it’s contemptibly lazy.
The idea of “Nova Scexit” isn’t just wrong—it’s contemptibly lazy. It denies the rich interconnectedness of our economy, our culture and our geopolitical standing. Worse, it fails to grasp that citizenship is not a sport where one trades jerseys for a better shot at the playoffs. Citizenship is rooted in loyalty, in pride and in love—love for the country you’re fortunate enough to call home. It denies that our existence has purpose and meaning beyond the mediocrity of joining in with the crowd. In a world that craves balance, Canada’s steady hand and unique voice are more crucial than ever. Dismissing that for a fleeting fantasy does a disservice to Nova Scotia and to everyone who calls Canada home.
Rather than continue this line of talk, I’ll ask you to open yourself up to the idea that to be a good citizen is, whenever you have a chance, to say something good about your city, province and country. Citizenship is not a sport but even the sport fan would be disgusted with a fairweather fan who changed teams just because theirs was not leading the league. You don’t get to pick countries on a whim or for personal advantage. It’s literally against the law.
It’s fitting to conclude here as we come to the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II to remember that Canadians, better men, fathers, and sons, in every age of our history ran toward the bullets and shells in foreign lands—fought and died—not just in defence of our country but in defence of the integral idea of Country. A person who loves their own country loves all countries. A person who does not love their country loves none.
To those tempted by the mirage of “Nova Scexit,” I say this: Be better citizens. When the opportunity arises, say something good about your city, your province, your nation. Leave the clickbait where it belongs—in the dustbin of bad ideas—and speak instead of the virtues, the ideas, the hopes and the story that unites us.
John Wesley Chisholm is a Nova Scotia-based TV producer for Discovery and National Geographic Channels, a community investor/developer, Juno winning musician, and prolific Substack writer at THE BEE. Drawing on his master degrees from LSE, NYU Stern, and HEC Paris, and background in finance, economics, arts, and factual storytelling, he explores how creativity, business, and communities navigate an age of story wars, where narratives shape progress, purpose, and prosperity.
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The whole world should be run by one central government. Then, of course, there would be regional governments based on a feasible division of our globe into reasonable geographical sectors – states, provinces, call them what you will. Finally, there would be municipal entities such as cities or counties. Wars would be eliminated. Then we could continue our baby steps into colonies on the moon, Mars and other planets and their moons. It is a global shame that millions of humans die every year because we have failed to come together as George Harrison of the Beatles championed decades ago. Maybe Scexit could be a first step into that paradise.