Is there an essence of being Canadian?
From a tribute by Roy MacGregor to Gordie Howe, “the greatest hockey player who ever lived” who died on 10 June, at the age of 88: “He was the way Canadians like to think of themselves – strong, tenacious, a team player, determined, triumphant in the end but never arrogant or bragging. Even if such a self-portrait is debatable, in Gordie Howe it was not.”
Elizabeth Quance,
Westmount, Quebec, Canada
• Absolutely! Whether it is a world war or the Fort McMurray fire, we are a people who rise to the occasion and punch above our weight ... but in the meantime let’s crack a couple of cold ones and watch the hockey game.
Jacques Samuel,
Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada
• Considerate, pine scented, person who makes the world a better place.
Doreen Forney, Pownal, Vermont, US
• Answers were solicited for an equivalent to “As American as apple pie”. The quintessential result was, “As Canadian as can be expected under the circumstances”.
Anthony Walter, Surrey, BC, Canada
• The answer is an unambiguously firm yes et non.
Andre Carrel,
Terrace, BC, Canada
• A persistent background speculation and worry about what the essence of being Canadian might be.
David Bouvier, Gabriola, BC, Canada
• Yes, maple spirit.
John Reynolds,
Auckland, New Zealand
Try to see it my way
Should others see your point of view?
Certainly: everybody is entitled to my opinion.
John Ralston Mountain View, California, US
• Only if they can look over my shoulder. Although it’s difficult, because the perspective I create in my drawings is based on a point that vanishes before my eyes.
David Tucker, Halle, Germany
• No way! The world is twisted and warped enough as it is.
Stuart Williams, Kampala, Uganda
• Only if they wish to live a long and peaceful life!
Alan Williams-Key, Madrid, Spain
Dream on, but cautiously
How is one supposed to imagine the unimaginable?
It is clear that the unimaginable cannot be imagined, but it may be reached by inspiration. Look at great mathematicians such as Albert Einstein and Srinivasa Ramanujan, who received inspiration and then spent the rest of their lives proving the previously unimaginable.
Gaynor McGrath,
Armidale, NSW, Australia
• In your dreams.
David Isaacs, Sydney, Australia
• Just think of the words “President Trump” or “Prime Minister Johnson”.
Malcolm Shuttleworth,
Odenthal, Germany
• By using each and every stretch of the imagination.
Ursula Nixon, Bodalla, NSW, Australia
• Paradoxically.
Lawrie Bradly, Surrey Hills, Australia
Which way does the cookie usually crumble?
Straight down the front of my little black frock!
Avril Nicholas,
Crafers, South Australia
Any answers?
What stands to reason?
Neil Johnson, Birmingham, UK
Why do we “pay through the nose”, rather than any other part of the anatomy?
John Ryder, Kyoto, Japan
Send answers to weekly.nandq@theguardian.com or Guardian Weekly, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU, UK
