To 2024

For some, 2024 has been a difficult year. It has been a challenging year for Canada and a challenging year for the world. We saw the war in the Middle East escalate, and more Canadians used the food bank than ever before.

In challenging times, it is essential to understand these issues, but it is equally as important to look forward. Together, we need to look forward and work towards a better future and how we can contribute to a better world for everyone.

This year, I was blessed with a baby boy. That moment when a child is born and takes his first breath of air is incomparable. At that moment, I held him tight while he was screaming, and something came over me. I whispered in his tiny pink ear, saying, “The world is scary, but I know you will make it better.” I don’t know why I felt compelled to utter these words, but at this moment, I knew I needed to change my output and contribute to society instead of being a contributor to myself.

Contributing to society can take many forms. For my father, it was teaching the word of God, and for my mother, it was counselling. I have decided to take an approach that fits my skills and drive. I recently joined the cursed and dived head-first into politics. Over the last year, I have been studying the art of campaigning, whether that is through door-knocking or fundraising. I have learned that the best way to start helping society is to listen to what people say, and what I have heard after knocking at almost 1000 doors is:

• Food is too expensive.
• I’m worried about another Trump presidency,
• Our medical system is broken.

These are significant issues and seem impossible to overcome. My good friend once asked me, “Does the news and the number of problems in our society not make you feel overwhelmed?” It seems like our world is crumbling, but not facing the issues means accepting defeat. Canada has the ability to rise through pain and suffering. It is time to accept our predicament and find solutions to make better lives for all of humanity.

Currently, I do not have a family doctor, and my wife and I have not been able to find a daycare for our child. I know these are insignificant problems compared to others, but instead of grieving, I have decided to live by John F. Kennedy’s inspiring words: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”