What do a crowd cheering for a lost woman's return, a man receiving a French Legion of Honour medal in the mail, a refugee rescued from a decrepit processing centre and a senior getting a cheaper rate on a pet licence have in common?
These are recent stories in The Tri-City News that show how people take care of one another whether they are next door neighbours or strangers from a different land.
At a time when many are questioning whether people have become estranged from one another because of immigration changing the face of our communities, social media keeping us isolated while amplifying our anger, housing density making concrete jungles out of neighbourhoods and time poverty because of the stresses of work, we find that, in fact, people are just as caring and committed to each other as they always have been.
In the first instance, the rescue of Annette Poitras after two nights in the bush shows us how collective efforts can make a difference. Up to 300 rescue volunteers, many from out of town, gave up personal comfort and time, and risked their lives in deep woods, in darkness and pouring rain to locate someone they didn't know. It was a selfless act by a group of heroes, including members of the Coquitlam Search and Rescue, who coordinated the search.
Just as gratifying was seeing the joy and appreciation from husband Marcel Poitras, who urged people to hug their spouses after learning his wife was alive and safe. And, in the aftermath, we learned that many took the opportunity to donate to Coquitlam SAR — surely it is a human trait to give when the need is great.
Was it also not heartwarming to hear how the French government honoured Port Coquitlam's Harold Blanes, 96, for his contribution to the liberation of France in 1944? The recognition was a long time in coming but so much more appreciated when it finally did materialize in the mail.
Also good news was the recent story about how a Coquitlam family, aided by the United Church and the local branch of Amnesty International, sponsored an Iranian man who had been languishing in an Australian refugee processing centre for six years. The same day he arrived in Canada, the centre was closed, leaving 600 men without food and water. Instead of suffering the same fate, Amir Taghinia is on his way towards getting a job and finishing high school.
It was also generous and thoughtful of Port Moody to give its seniors a $20 break on dog licences — a little thing, perhaps, but meaningful.
In these ways and more, we show our humanity, giving hope that the world isn't in such a bad state after all.
