On the Road Again 2013 A Brief Intermission #2

For those who live on the Islands ( for example the Gulf Islands on the west coast of British Columbia) it is tempting and perhaps even somewhat arrogant sounding to suggest that these islands are special places (and some would argue the only places) to live. Or at least it would be arrogant if it were not at least partially true. Perhaps all islanders whether  they are from small islands off the east or west coast of North America or some windy and and isolated by storms island off the coast of Scotland feel this way. There is a special magic in these places that is hard to define.

It  is not that things are immeasurably better on, for example, Salt Spring Island than anywhere else. It shares with the the mainland all of the social and economic problems that can affect people anywhere else in the world.  On the Island there are people with addictions, people who are living with mental health issues, people who are ( by Canadian standards) very poor, people who are without adequate shelter and on occasion people who are inclined to break the law. There is no reason to assume that any of the above happens at a lesser frequency on islands then anywhere else. In fact because there are perhaps fewer services on Island and a generalize perception on the part of many islanders that there are not any serious problems, the consequences of such social conditions may be more severe. The problems may be compounded by the fact that islands such as SSI are a mecca for people who are searching for new experiences or life changes. While the Islands may provide those opportunities for personal growth - for some- the lack of structure and the dearth of opportunities for meaningful, fulfilling and sustainable occupations can create more stress.

For some the weather, at least in terms of the west coast Gulf islands, is a major factor in their decision to live here  on a full time basis. Almost all of those islanders who offer me drives and almost everyone that I know are migrants from another part of the country. But while the weather in the Gulf Islands is without question remarkable, not all islands in the world have great weather. However, I suspect that most islanders think their home islands are special places.        

If the social conditions on some islands are not significantly better than elsewhere; if people  for example, are not freer on SSI from the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" than anyone else;  if the weather is not always a consistent factor in glorifying one's home island - why do islanders almost always refer to themselves as a special breed of people who are unique and by extension perhaps better that those of us sometimes called "mainlanders" (which may at times been seen as a less positive description)?

I think it is the perceived isolation from the rest of the world that causes this sense of being in a different place, a different time. And it is only a perceived difference. As I was walking downtown yesterday I saw a number of people drinking their coffee while reading  their Globe and Mail. I am sure that they would have said, if asked, that they enjoyed being away from the rat race and the chaos of the mainland as they folded their newspapers to a new page. But perception is always more important than reality. I suspect that all people everywhere, when they have the luxury to believe that they have a choice as to where they live, create the perception that that place is special. They do so perhaps because to believe in the uniqueness or a place validates their decision or need to be there. It is not the place that is unique or remarkably different, it is people's belief that it is.


In short islands may only be special and unique because the people think the places are special and unique. Creating a common consensus as to the special-ness of an island as a place to live is easier than in large cities because there are fewer people to shape or negotiate the informal but clear perceptions.