# There are multiple viewpoints
When someone looks at how things are in the world they see it from their own viewpoint. Pretty obvious, right? But depending on your viewpoint something can be good or evil. If I say "Donald Trump" what comes to mind? Viewpoint matters and your reaction is the lens. However, lets look a little further back in history and I'll tell you the story about a Canadian soldier named : ### Leo Major https://definingmomentscanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Leo-Major-banner-564x304.png _{Source: definingmomentscanada.ca} Do you call him a hero? Here is the story. There was a Dutch town called Zwolle. It was under German occupation and two Canadian soldiers were sent to scout the town as it was to be hit by artillery but of course the army wants information before sending an attack. As the story goes one of the soldiers was Leo Major and his companion was killed early in the mission. What does he do? Leo Major continues to the town and starts an assault against 800-1000 German soldiers. He starts fires, he throws grenades, he fires from multiple positions, and he warns the German officers that many will die from Canadian artillery fire if they don't abandon post. By the end of one night April 13/14 1945 the German troops had no idea the size of the attacking forces but they decided to abandon the city. One man liberated a city and prevented it and its civilians from being shelled saving any lives. He was given medals. He has a road named after him. He is considered a hero .... by the Canadian army and the people of Zwolle. ..... but what if you were to ask the German soldiers? I can almost guarantee that they would have a different opinion of the man. ***If the Germans won World War 2 the story would be told differently*** and what statue do you think would have been erected? I doubt it would be of Leo Major!

# Redefining history
But time has a habit of changing viewpoints. **In Canada it is very very obvious.** Canada was colonized by both the English and the French centuries ago. The English created a railway bringing a nation together. They brought rule of law, a police force and order, they brought business and eventually made Canada into a prosperous country. A strong(ish) dollar a strong(ish) passport and overall a good country to live. Many of the people who originally came to the country were responsible for ***"developing"*** a giant and hostile land. Taming vast forests, mapping lakes, mountains and rivers, and opening up area to agriculture and roadways. Those original people often had monuments, rivers, roads, and towns named after them and they very much made Canada what it is today. ... But what if you look from the natives peoples? To them the Europeans stole their land, brought plague which killed many, destroyed their way of life and culture. Are they heroes or villans? How about the people responsible for building the railway? Yes, they brought economic prosperity and brought the nation together. However, their labor management practices cost a lot of workers lives. If you look from the prospective of the lost workers family? Are the bosses nation builders or family wreckers?

# How about both?
Again it comes down to viewpoint....***usually***. In some cases a truly corrupt individual attains power through underhanded means. They make statues to show how great they are...or they make statues to let the population know that they are always watching. In their *own* eyes and those of their lackeys they are awesome but to the population at large they have a failing grade. In most cases it comes down to the lens you see them through. If I see a statue to a European colonizer in Canada? Perhaps they are not the heroes that they are historically seen as, perhaps they are just humans who had a great impact. Yes, they hurt many and Yes, they were instrumental in making Canada what it is today. But what about their statues and legacies? Should Stanley Park in Vancouver named after Lord Stanley be renamed? How about the Stanley cup in hockey named after the very same person? A case could be named to name it after the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nation. After all Lord Stanley action to make the land protected changed the rules for those who lived there previously. ![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/terganftp/EnqS8YhQHz8GhXAvi68DN9DeTb2f9Jod8DxKBdCz3X1pcxsJTCc6t1BDwaRMmXqqa6q.png) _{image source: stanleyparkvan.com

Here is a counterpoint though... If it had not been for Lord Stanley's vision to keep the land beautiful for generations to come today it would just be another part of urban sprawl. In this case I like the idea of keeping the name Stanley Park. A beautiful place known by everyone in British Columbia and across the world as a premium travel destination.

But how about Mauricetown? A place in the Bulkley valley which was named after a catholic priest Father Adrien-Gabriel Morice. Now the residential schools and the strong Catholic hand in dismantling the native culture is seen as a stain on many rural communities. If you look at the town it is primarily native so a name which invokes disdain is a bad choice for the local town. It had its name changed back to its original name ***"Witset"***

![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/terganftp/23zGafhxrWgQs14AnqeogYD34HjuGVat52jk69aT65K28dH2N1h27TktSNN2Pfqpm9hrQ.png)
_{Source: Witset community page. witset.ca}

Should names be changed like Mauricetown? Or should names be kept like Stanley Park?

Indeed it is a difficult choice and should be done carefully.

Todd Mountain became SunPeaks.... Guess what? Sun Peaks is considerably more memorable and makes it a better tourist destination. I'm glad it changed.

Mauricetown to Witset.... Makes good sense to me. If the local people want to change the name of their town? Why not?

Stanley Park to Musqueam forest? ... hmm.... Without Lord Stanley I really doubt there would be a park there today. Why not keep his name on it? One man's foresight meant a beautiful jewel for people around the world to see to this day. Brand recognition is one thing as many people know Stanley park but perhaps co branding to expand on what it truly is and was? Tough questions to answer.

# But how about statues and historic sites?

That's a tougher call. Hero of villain most statues tell a story about an influential person. In that case I will say that perhaps the statues should stay. However, it is the caption underneath that tells the real story.

If there is a statue of Captain Vancouver or perhaps Magellan should it be destroyed or removed? I would say no. Bad idea. These men were ***influential***. Keep the statue but write a balanced caption underneath. Instead of just saying "founder of Vancouver" or "man who circumnavigated the world" tell what the accomplished ***AND*** the cost of that accomplishment. Let people see the progress and the cost.

Of course temper that with good taste. Self created statues that serve only to fuel the pride of an individual and resentment from the population? In many cases getting rid of an old wound is preferential. However, keeping the statue as a reminder of how things can go very wrong and not to follow that path again can be useful also.

Canada has many war memorials. In modern day war is not something glamorous and to be glorified. However, the war memorials remain with the saying "lest we forget". If we grow complacent we may forget the horrors or war, the dangers of dictators, and fall into the same old traps. I'm glad those memorials remain. I guess it would be best to say: "If you remove the statue and caption you forget the event and stop the conversation". Some things should be remembered--good and bad.

Then there was the "Temple of Leah" that made me shudder. The statue there isn't an important histic figure but more a vanity project. There was a very rich man who built a gigantic and beautiful temple to his dead wife. There are statues of her there. All her favorite things are there. It is marketed as a sign of a husbands devotion to his wife. To me it was a gigantic tombstone sitting there for people to visit as a sign of the husbands wealth and devotion. Does the community really need that? Maybe? Maybe not? I'll let smarter people than I decide that.

But either way that's the end of my rant on today's Hive Learners post prompt. Thanks for reading and as always I love comments. Thank you.}

comment below what you see!