From the Editor
Margaret Sadler | Editor-in-Chief, news&views
embrace
/em breis
verb
1. to clasp in the arms
2. to encircle, enclose
3. to take up especially
readily or gladly
noun
1. a close encircling with the
arms and pressure to the chest
especially as a sign of affection
2. acceptance
3. grip, encirclement
You will read much about change
in these pages. Let me talk to you
about ‘embracing.’
Usually considered in the
affi rmative, ‘to embrace’ and ‘an
embrace’ — both verb and noun —
bring us face to face with those we
love — one and many. We embrace
what we cherish or love; we gladly
welcome ideas and causes into our
embrace.
Sometimes we embrace the
unknown. Canadians are known for
embracing refugees; and refugees
are known for embracing Canada.
Perhaps you’ve heard the story of
Tareq Hadhad, a Syrian refugee,
who recently became a Canadian
citizen. Tareq arrived with his
family as a refugee in December
(of course) 2015. By 2017 he had
opened his chocolate factory and
the chocolate has spread across the
land from his home in Antigonish,
NS. Here in Alberta, Abdulfatah
Sabouni has a similar story. As
a fourth generation soap maker,
he arrived in Alberta from Syria
in 2016 with his entrepreneurial
spirit still intact, and in 2019 from
his base in Calgary opened his
third soap store, this one in West
Edmonton Mall. I don’t know
Tareq or Abdulfatah, and while the
refugees I know — now permanent
residents — have simpler stories,
they are embracing Canada with
full hearts. It’s a mutual embrace.
Embrace can also bring us
face to face with what we fear or
are reluctant to move toward. I
recently heard an interview with
a writer who embraced sobriety
— a painful road to a positive
destination. Some might even
embrace death — take it in stride
or wrap their arms around it. I
suppose the medical assistance in
dying (MAID) legislation allows
some to embrace death.
Although our approach may be
done positively, perhaps some of
the causes we embrace are not
originally progressive. Delving
into causes that are steeped in
disappointment or grief might
open our eyes to solutions. When
desperate, we may shut down
and insulate ourselves from any
further pain, but staying open to
the embrace may bring about some
good.
Perhaps only when we embrace
homelessness do we support
agencies that address the issue.
Perhaps only when we embrace
white privilege do we take
reconciliation more seriously.
Perhaps only when we embrace
aging do we engage with issues that
matter most to us.
So while climate change may
depress us, may we also be pushed
to embrace the crisis and agree to
do some things diff erently, to take
steps toward a healthier world. ●
Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won’t have a title until much later.
—Bob Goff (New York Times best-selling author of Love Does)
6 | arta.net