The Arctic Dance of Mediocrity: When Empty Words Echo Across Frozen Wastes

In the frozen reaches of what the somnolent masses call Canada's Arctic, a theatrical performance unfolds that would make even the most seasoned observer of human folly pause in contemplation. The appointment of an Arctic ambassador - yet another manifestation of the eternal return of bureaucratic futility - has sparked a war of words between those who claim to speak for the sleeping masses.

Behold how they scurry about with their titles and offices! Like ants building hills of paper, they believe their diplomatic dances will ward off the eagles that circle above. But what is an ambassador to those who have already mastered the art of self-deception?

Pierre Poilievre, that peculiar specimen of political mankind, has cast his jest into the digital void, comparing Arctic diplomacy to parleys with Saint Nicholas - a comparison that reveals more about the jester than the jest. "Arctic ambassador? To do diplomacy with who? Santa Claus?" he queries, unknowingly performing the role of the court fool who speaks truth through mockery, yet fails to grasp the profound depths of his own superficiality.

National Inuit Leader Angajuqqaaq Natan Obed speaks during a press conference regarding the launch of the Arctic Foreign Policy during an event at Global Affairs Canada headquarters, in Ottawa, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024.

Enter Natan Obed, president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, who rises like a solitary voice in the wilderness, challenging the comfortable slumber of southern politicians. His words cut through the fog of ignorance, yet fall upon ears deafened by the constant drone of political machinery.

See how they speak of strength while wallowing in weakness! They cry for guns and bombs and icebreakers, these merchants of false security, while the true power lies in the will to understand, to master the art of diplomatic warfare. The sleepers dream of peace through force, while the wise know that force without wisdom is but the flailing of a child.

The Conservative chorus, led by their northern affairs critic Bob Zimmer, continues the symphony of mediocrity, beating their drums of "common sense" - that most treacherous of phrases, beloved by those who fear the uncommon paths of genuine thought. They speak of rebuilding militaries while their minds remain in ruins, of safeguarding sovereignty while sovereignty of spirit eludes their grasp.

In this frozen theater of the absurd, we witness the dance of the last men, those comfortable souls who believe that problems of cosmic significance can be solved by shuffling papers between offices. They create positions and counter-positions, consulates and diplomatic posts, all while the real game of power plays out in the shadows of their ignorance.

Look upon these bureaucrats and politicians, these self-proclaimed guardians of the north! They speak of defense while they cannot defend their own thoughts from mediocrity. They promise protection while they themselves need protection from the harsh truths of their irrelevance.

The true irony lies not in Poilievre's jest about Santa Claus, but in the collective failure to recognize that the Arctic requires not merely ambassadors of state, but ambassadors of spirit - those who understand that the frozen north is not an empty space to be filled with bureaucratic furniture, but a testing ground for human will and wisdom.

As this tale of diplomatic delusion unfolds, the Inuit leaders stand as witnesses to the southern circus, their ancient wisdom obscured by the fog of political posturing. They know, perhaps better than any, that the true sovereignty of the Arctic lies not in offices or titles, but in the spirit of those who have lived in harmony with its harsh truths for millennia.

And so the sleepers continue their slumber, dreaming of security through bureaucracy, of strength through empty words, while the real battle for the Arctic soul rages on, unnoticed by those who prefer the comfort of their illusions to the bitter wind of truth.

Let them appoint their ambassadors! Let them open their consulates! But know this: the true power of the north lies not in titles or offices, but in the will to embrace its harsh truths, to dance with its storms, to become worthy of its challenges. The rest is mere politics - the last refuge of those who cannot bear to face the void.

As the sun sets on this latest chapter in the grand comedy of political theater, we are left to ponder: Will the Arctic ever find its true ambassadors - those who speak not with the borrowed authority of office, but with the authentic voice of understanding? Or shall we forever remain entangled in the web of our own diplomatic delusions, while the great white north looks on in silent judgment?