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ELIZABETH TROTT British Columbia as they are in downtown Toronto. Understanding identity in these ways crosses boundaries of race and religion, cultural hyphenations and animosities that some cultures continue to promote. Sharing similar experiences, not focusing on differences, can begin to generate common grounds for some meanings when participating in the same event, such as hiking in Canada’s national parks, or discussing how to make pierogies. Exposed to subtle adaptations in meanings, we learn more options for understanding activities and events. When identity can be connected to freely chosen activities, a synthesis for uniting multiple different activities is required, and that would be a sense of place. CONCLUSION — THE METAPHYSICAL CONCEPT OF PLACE To understand the concept of place, idealist metaphysics is once again helpful. “By place, I mean a construct of ideas that marks out a sense of self, and opportunity for personal agency. We identify places visually, teleologically and through stories... the location ofa significant mental, emotional, physical, or spiritual event (usually some combination of the above) occurs.”® The event contributes to our sense of identity and its location becomes a place. Think of the number of expressions regarding place: to know one’s place, to take a place, find a place, feel out of place, etc. Place has played a role in multiple inquiries and cultures. The Dance of Person and Place, One Interpretation of American Indigenous Philosophy explores the role of place in many indigenous cultures.”° Places are defined by performative dance and recitations. To a person not knowing these cultural places they might only see some trees or a rock. Lack of knowledge has caused serious harm to some cultural groups. Some places come into existence with our activities, perhaps the hockey rink when the first goal was scored; other places acquire significance as we learn more about them, perhaps discovering that one’s grandfather helped design and build the Ontario hydro system.” Places can be identified in moments and monuments of significance in the lives of individuals, cultures and nation-states. The Vimy Ridge monument in 68 Trott, Western Mindscapes, 645. ® Tony Hiss, The Experience of Place, New York, Vintage Book, Random House, 1990. Hiss explores ‘place’ through the perspectives of those both living in and designing urban spaces. Thomas M. Norton Smith, The Dance of Person and Place, One Interpretation of American Indigenous Philosophy, New York, SUNY, 2010. One of my grandfathers worked on that project. +34»
