Healing a Nation Through Truth and Reconciliation | Chief Dr Robert Joseph | TEDxEastVan

Killick esta well not with greetings all my relatives number you we are all one I'm so honored to be here to celebrate that idea with you because I'm guessing that you are caring people and that's why you're here today it is so important for us to embrace this ancient salutation by the Koala speakers of the world there are only few now maybe 50 left who speak this language but inherent in those words Gaelic has letna me you was a very idea that they were acknowledging one mankind and by extension acknowledging all of creation one whole inseparable interconnected balanced and in harmony those sentiments are embedded in all of the ancient cultures of the world there the ancient world view that many people held and I think it's been one way in which humanity has been calling for reconciliation throughout all of that time that we've been here and so here we are together today Canadians all of us and we're being called again this time by Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission which just concluded its work not too too long ago it's sad that in this country we needed one but nonetheless we've had one and knowing what we now know we must respond to the call to reconciliation because it's the right thing to do because it aligns with our Canadian values and so I have great deep hope and optimism for this country I love Canada very much I love it all of its people and the array of ethnicity and difference and diversity and age and gender we are a beautiful country but I think it's time now that we paused for our moment pause for a moment to review our history together we do have a shared history together and not all of it has been good there have been harmful harmful residues of a colonial period in which we came through and that still haunts us today I'm sure that all of you watch television read the news and you see the Aboriginal condition on the ground we hear about those kids and apparatus that got kids who don't want to live anymore and I think that's a sad reflection on how we haven't moved forward together from the time all of the newcomers came to this country so that's what I want to talk about today reconciliation I want you to think and imagine with me and dream with me what that looks like 20 30 40 50 years from now when we are reconciled we will live together peacefully and in harmony when we are reconciled we will be gentle with each other we will be caring and compassionate when we are reconciled justice and equality will prevail when we are reconciled everybody born here everybody living here will live with dignity and purpose and value you see those are things that you already embrace for your own lives but when we are reconciled all of us Canadians all will have that same idea that we should embrace and nurture those things that we stand for and when we are reconciled with our Aboriginal neighbors our governments will honor the treaties they will make new ones and when we are reconciled Aboriginal people in this country will take their place alongside all of you expressing their own ethnicity expressing their own spirituality expressing freedom from their very souls because they haven't been there with you so I want you to see that with me I want you to walk with me down that pathway to reconciliation with all of the other Aboriginal people of course but us because that's who we're talking about is us we you all of us Canadians together we are all Canadians the moment you came to this country and you became a citizen whether it was a generation or two ago or just recently we are all Canadians we inherit everything about being Canadian including our past and so we have to embrace those values like accountability and inclusion that will make our country greater we stand in a moment of the greatest promise that I've ever seen for this country a moment where we can reflect upon our relationship with each other to learn to honor each other to respect each other to hold each other up reconciliation really at the heart of it all is this idea of love of loving yourself loving others and we all can be driven by that as we try to determine what reconciliation looks like and where and how and when it will start so I invite you down this pathway of reconciliation reconciliation isn't just for Aboriginal people and churches and governments it's for all of us and so we need you we need you to be a part of this great dream this idea that we can live together in this country together as one I see that it's going to happen all you have to do is get ready prepare yourself engage talk about it and around the dinner table talk about it where you work talk about it wherever you are and let's make this issue a topic that is important for all all Canadians one day one day soon we will have achieved the country that is reconciled where every kid as has the dream that not dreamed where every kid knows that they're important that you're valued that they're loved and that they have a future in our great country my Jonah was some colostrum lock what else can I say nothing we you who are one with me Cayla gap comes weekends nothing you won't tell her let us get together so that we can start this journey of reconciliation thank you

Channel: TEDx Talks

Views: 20,235

Rating: 4.7703347 out of 5

Keywords: TEDxTalks, English, Canada, Humanities, Compassion, Politics, Race, Rebuilding, Recovery, Social Justice, Society, Tolerance, Truth

Id: rJQgpuLq1LI

Length: 10min 15sec (615 seconds)

Published: Tue May 24 2016