David Suzuki, Lessons from a Lifetime

 

Do you remember the 2004 CBC contest called The Greatest Canadian? More than a million of us voted in choosing the top ten, with Tommy Douglass, the Premier of Saskatchewan and the parent of Medicare at number one.  Another near the bottom didn't deserve to be there at all (Don Cherry ) and Wayne Gretzky probably wouldn't make the cut these days. Terry Fox and Sir Frederick Banting definitely deserved the honour near the top, but would PM Pierre Trudeau still be number three. 

The only person in the top five who is still with us in David Suzuki who recently celebrated his 90th birthday. The scientist, environmentalist and longtime host of The Nature of Things has been tireless in his efforts to speak on behalf of the planet, beginning in the 1960s. Now the David Suzuki Foundation continues this essential work in Canada and around the world, in advocacy and financial support for environmental projects.

                                                            from A Force of Nature, an NFB film 

I have finished Suzuki's Lessons from a Lifetime which includes a series of his reflections on a long and remarkably varied life interspersed with tributes from a varied bunch of admirers Jane Fonda, Margaret Atwood, Elizabeth May and so many more. I found myself unexpectedly moved at times by his thoughts about childhood as a Japanese/Canadian who was sequestered in what was essentially a prison camp during WW2 and the racism he somehow overcame thanks to his remarkable parents and his own drive. I also appreciated the deep satisfaction he now enjoys being with his wife, Tara, his children from two marriages, and his grandchildren.

Suzuki has mused that the environmental movement has failed in some respects, although he isn't giving up, and I share that outlook. As humans we continue to foul our own nest and desecrate Creation. Why can't we learn and change our foolish ways? 

Suzuki is matter of fact in saying that he doesn't believe in an afterlife, that basically when we're composted it's over. He did write a book called The Sacred Balance which incorporates what he has learned from Indigenous cultures around the world, including the people of Haida Gwaii. 

I should add here that I've had a conversation with David Suzuki. Okay, a decade ago I I was surprisingly face to face with him in a Toronto hotel lobby and when I wished him a happy 80th he said thank you. This was a meaningful chat and I'm sticking with it.