These days, I’m intrigued by a happy phenomenon, thanks to the city of Toronto, the Scotiabank Arena and our now glorious Raptors. Forget $1,700 tickets to sit comfortably indoors and see the basketball stars at close range. Don’t kid yourself, the people having all the fun are the noisy, adoring fans cramming what’s now known as Jurassic Park - the plaza just outside the arena. Thanks to a massive outdoor screen, the happy gang watches the game unfold before them for free. It’s standing room only with no seats available, no respite from the vagaries of the weather and no vendors catering to their every whim – just star-struck fans, horsing around, united in sport, life and hope.
This year’s 2019 Raptors’ playoff season with its energetic hype causes me to muse on how much better life would be if crowds throughout the world could gather in good faith, minus the negative 
atmosphere, the venom spewed, and the chaos often caused by brutes who insert themselves into many political rallies to disrupt proceedings and cause bedlam. I see in the huge Toronto plaza throngs and similar Jurassic gatherings that have sprung up throughout our country, the dream of a peaceful way forward. I hope that win or lose, the outdoor Raptor fans in Jurassic Parks will continue to inspire our nation as they cheer to their hearts content in an atmosphere of peace and unbridled joy. It’s a model for success.
Presently, my heart tells my younger self that come game night, I’ll be right there in the thick of the joyous, pumped-up mob in TO’s Jurassic Park – if they have a few chairs. Go Raptors! We The North, indeed!
- Sister Jean Moylan, csj