So most Canadians are probably aware that Jack Layton has died a few days ago and today was his funeral. For those that don't know, he was the leader of the NDP party which became the opposition party of canada. The sad part was that he was only 61 and died of cancer.
I never knew him personally, and I didn't always agree with his political ideas, but it has affected me a lot more than I thought it would. It has ignited something in me that I thought was lost. Through the stories that have been printed and the coverage on tv I realized that he never went into politics for personal gain, it was always to make it better for others. He believed in the basics of life improving health care, education, jobs, and living conditions for all Canadians of all ethnicities. He believed in hope and that's rare for a politician. He also believed that he could produce change and didn't believe people that said it was impossible.
It has been a long time where I've allowed myself to feel anything, and most often am happy to exist with very few emotions. Due to my perceived failures and regrets I had in a way lost hope in life. Co-existing in life is one thing but it doesn't bring happiness. We hear problems on problems daily in our lives, in the news and in a way we lose hope for things to improve. Jack never lost hope.
"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world."
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