It’s a challenging thing to create a new society. It does, of course, happen from time to time. One of the world’s newest nations is South Sudan, which declared independence in 2011.

The opening words of a nation’s founding document give you a clear sense of the tone and direction of that nation’s life. The Constitution of the United States famously – and very intentionally—begins with the words, ‘We the people…’

One of the curious features of art—fine art—is the variety of responses it evokes in people. It is unquestionably the case that if all of us listening to this message went to the national gallery in Ottawa and stood before the same painting—we would have the full spectrum of responses to it—from awed admiration to barely-veiled disdain or even disgust. And the responses don’t always make much sense. Some people rarely appreciate a great deal of modern art. Some people love it.

It is a very unsettling thing when you become aware that someone can see right through you. There are some people who seem to have an uncanny knack for doing that.