Living in My Own World: Attempting to Understand the Imagined Canadian Identity

I have never immigrated. I was born, raised, and have always lived in Canada. I know no other identity; however, it is debatable what kind of Canadian identity I identify with. For me, it is perplexing to think of what constitutes the Canadian identity. I know when I travel, I am proud to announce I am from Canada, and usually the people I meet on my travels reciprocally love that I am from Canada. Canada has this identity that is no doubt "out there" in the world; however, I don't think any of us really know exactly what constitutes that identity.

Maybe that is what makes Canadian identity so great - it cannot be described simply. But then, I get thinking that Canadian identity doesn't actually exist - rather an ideological identity subsists and has somehow been perpetuated worldwide. In my opinion, and from my experience, I am living in an imagined community called Canada. No one really knows what is Canadian identity: we are nice, multicultural, humble, nature-loving etc. To me, all of these words seem so full of ambiguity and they are just empty adjectives that do not really say much of anything.

This would be the point where an academic would delve further into the issue and try to unpack these words; however, I want to stop thinking about these intricacies because I fear I will overthink everything and then have an identity crisis – and I just don't want that right now! Perhaps this ideological Canadian identity that seems to exist throughout the world is precisely what holds together my Canadian identity. This imaginative community inspires me to live up to that glorious ideology. Unlike the unachievable American Dream, an advertising strategy designed to increase consumerism, I want to live up to the Canadian Ideal. I want to strive to be that nature-loving, humble, nice, caring, compassionate, lover-of-everyone-despite-their-differences, hockey-obsessed, open, welcoming, supportive humanitarian. In my mind, this is an ideology worth striving to achieve.

Perhaps I'll start to define these vague terms/values on my own through my own personal actions. I want to be recognized as an archetypal Canadian in relation to the Canadian identity that exists right now "out there" in the world – real or not. I find perplexing all of the issues of national borders and diasporas and assimilation and difference. I think I embrace the Canadian identity so much because it doesn’t necessarily have to “stop” in Canada – it can “flow” beyond borders as it promotes a world encouragement to embrace each other as global citizens and respect each other on the most basic level as human beings. Is it so bad to consider myself part of an imagined community – and be ok with it? Can I try to work to embody these figurative “Canadian” values? At this moment, I will instead ask, “Why not?” If I can lead by example and feel good about myself for doing it, all the while supposedly embracing “Canadianism”, then I’m ok with that!