The Showcase of Solidarity

I’m fifty-eight years old now. Stepping out of the car, I stand on the edge of Saint Helen’s Island, on the same spot that I stood on 50 years ago. With great nostalgia, I begin reminiscing about the days of Expo ’67. Although I still do not fully understand the Cold War statement that the USA pavilion was making nor the allegories to communist control that the Kinoautomat established, there was one theme from the Expo that has stuck with me through all these years: the vision of the world, with Canada leading it, as a united front ready to meet the challenges that the future poses. Through all these years, the significance and relevance of this vision remains just as strong, if not stronger than before. Canada still strives to lead the world towards more unity, and Canada still wants to achieve global strength by collaborating with other nations. I realize that even when my generation passes away, the youth of the next generation will carry on this same vision that Expo ’67 has bestowed on our great nation. My granddaughter interrupts my thoughts as she gets out of the car and stares over the Saint Lawrence River. Confused, she asks me why we are here. “Turn around,” I told her with a gentle smile on my face. “Let me tell you a story.”