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6- The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday January 27, 2007 The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext. 224 Circulation: 845-9742 The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Commentary Guest Columnist Racism has no place in our multicultural society Surjit Singh Flora anada is a land of great opportunities. You can become anything you want to be in this great country. You just Surjit Singh Flora need to walk with your head high and with a clear sense of direction. We live in a complex multicultural society. During my childhood, I had long hair and patka (head covered with a piece of cloth). That's how I grew up and that was my belief -- as a Sikh. Then I started wearing a turban. I was a happy person. In 1989, I moved to Toronto, with my family. I was a teenager entering high school at White Oaks in Oakville. It was a new country, new language, new culture and new people. Every day, I faced new problems as I tried to understand and adapt myself to new school, home and society. Some people made fun of me by calling me `Paki' and some people would touch my turban. I would call it racism -- different skin, different culture, and I was from a different nation. At that time, I wasn't able to speak English well, either. I would complain to my class teacher, but nothing changed. Tired from all the problems I had been facing, I became weak and demoralized. After finishing high school, I started to look for a job. I applied in many places, but was always told that I will be contacted later, but that never happened. I thought it's all because of the turban on my head and the long beard on my face -- I would call it racism. This made me feel so depressed and hopeless, thinking that I would never get a job here in Canada. If I had not stuck up for my principles, I would have found a job over the night. Religious discrimination, racism, nationality, height, weight, fashion, social status, health -- the list is endless. No one is perfect, yet discrimination breeds on the assumption that one class of people is better in one way or another than any other class of people. Remember, hair is a religious symbol for Sikhs and it is strictly against our faith to have it cut. The turban and unshorn hair are mandatory and inseparable elements of the physical body of the Sikhs. Due to all this discrimination, I asked my cousin if I could cut my hair, thinking that all my problems would go away. He took me to a barber shop and I got my hair cut. I felt so sad after I cut my hair, I cried. But it was too late. From that day, my mind was never at peace. I felt like I was missing a part of my body. Then I became a clean-shaven. By now, any respect I had from my fellow Sikhs vanished. When I went to Gurudwara, (Sikh Temple) if I had to ask for something, I wasn't given any attention. People just ignored me. I tried to do everything and anything to gain back what I had lost, but I wasn't successful. I was in turmoil -- spiritually, emotionally and socially. I decided that I was going back to the way I was. I started growing my hair and wearing a turban. After a few years I got baptized as a Sikh. I was happy again. I was at peace with myself again. Racism is shameful and disgraceful and should be changed immediately. If everyone is created by the God, and everyone has the same blood colour -- red -- then why do people hate each other? When we all stop seeing colour and treat everyone with the same respect we expect to receive, then and only then will `racism' end. It's a two-way street. Where are you standing? IAN OLIVER Group Publisher NEIL OLIVER Publisher TERI CASAS Business Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ROD JERRED Managing Editor WEBSITE oakvillebeaver.com Metroland Media Group Ltd. includes: Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser, Alliston Herald/Courier, Arthur Enterprise News, Barrie Advance, Caledon Enterprise, Brampton Guardian, Burlington Post, Burlington Shopping News, City Parent, Collingwood/Wasaga Connection, East York Mirror, Erin Advocate/Country Routes, Etobicoke Guardian, Flamborough Review, Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press, Harriston Review, Huronia Business Times, Lindsay This Week, Markham Economist & Sun, Midland/Penetanguishine Mirror, Milton Canadian Champion, Milton Shopping News, Mississauga Business Times, Mississauga News, Napanee Guide, Newmarket/Aurora Era-Banner, Northumberland News, North York Mirror, Oakville Beaver, Oakville Shopping News, Oldtimers Hockey News, Orillia Today, Oshawa/Whitby/Clarington Port Perry This Week, Owen Sound Tribune, Palmerston Observer, Peterborough This Week, Picton County Guide, Richmond Hill/Thornhill/Vaughan Liberal, Scarborough Mirror, Stouffville/Uxbridge Tribune, Forever Young, City of York Guardian RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America C THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville TV AUCTION Secret society seeks happiness in midst of a depressing day According to The Secret Society of Happy People -- "secret," I suppose, since anyone "openly" or "overtly" happy in these long, dark days of winter is prone to ridicule, or allegations of simplemindedness (or pill popping!) -- this past week was Hunt for Happiness Week. Ironically enough, one of the seven days in that very Hunt for Happiness Week -- Monday, Jan. 24, to be precise -- was The Most Depressing Day of The Year, according to a formula created by psychologist Cliff Arnall. Imagine trying to Hunt for Happiness while caught in the craw of The Most Depressing Day of The Year. Sounds like an impossible task, to me. But then, as a guy who was felled by the nasty flu bug that's going around -- brought to my knees (quite literally) and left with no appetite for food (or life, for that matter) for four full days -- happiness was not even part of the quest. My goal was simple survival. And a return to being able to keep down dry toast. So, you may well be wondering, how did Cliff Arnall determine in advance that the 24th would be The Most Depressing Day of The Year? With his simple, childlike formula of [W + D-d] x TQM x NA. That is, crappy weather + mountain of debt multiplied by the time elapsed since holidays and the poor quality of our New Year's resolutions (all since broken) and our general motivation levels multiplied by our need to take action on all the above. Simple, no? Now, science sorts have been quick to criticize the formula Mr. Arnall created a few years back as "gimmicky", and they are even quicker to note that he created it at the Andy Juniper behest of a travel company that was trying to goose its January sales by convincing depressed souls to book winter escapes. Regardless, formula or no formula, Arnall makes valid points and Jan. 24 -- like all other days in the year's first month -- is about as depressing as days come. For sure the weather is a factor. Too much cold. Not enough sunshine. It's enough to make even a card-carrying member of The Secret Society of Happy People feel a little bit sad. And debt does have a habit of piling up after the holidays. And all the optimism in which the New Year came cloaked has really been stripped bare. Oh, and did I mention that nasty flu bug that's been knocking people off their feet and depressing the daylights out of its victims? Alas, I suppose it's all the more reason why the Secret Society suggests we get pro-active and actually go out and track down happiness wherever it is hibernating. Personally, I wouldn't even know where to begin. Lucky for me, I was recently reading Flare magazine (don't even ask!) and on top of promising to reveal Spring's Sexy Eyes (The Best Mascara For You!) and show me how to Get Fit For Great Sex, the sassy little magazine also offered up strategies for happiness. They include: Keep a gratitude journal (listing things for which you are grateful). Make connections with others (people who need people are apparently the happiest people in the world). Have a little faith (from the spiritual well springs optimism). Get moving, get talking, get giggling (physical activity is good, as are chatting up friends and laughing). And to that stellar list I would add: if you want to be happy -- whether it's Hunt for Happiness Week or not --- avoid trips to the doctor's office because (I'm certain) that's where I picked up that damnable flu bug. Not to mention the copy of Flare. Andy Juniper can be visited at his Web site, www.strangledeggs.com, or contacted at ajuniper@strangledeggs.com.