The Olympics are officially over. For 17 days, Canadians came together to celebrate the Olympic spirit and show to the world some patriotism. We were together on twitter, wrote enthusiastic blog posts about our Olympic experience, and discussed media and technology in conferences and pub gatherings around Vancouver. But, what’s next?

Today, the Canadian men’s hockey team gave us one of the most important gold medals of the Games. And that was our excuse to  high-five every single stranger that we saw on the streets. We are still celebrating our colours like there is no tomorrow, feeling patriotic, energized and strongly proud to be Canadian. However, we know that tomorrow morning our lives will go back to normal and there will be a need to cope with such unexpected patriotic energy. So, what are you going to do with your maple leafed heart?

I suggest that we transfer this new perspective to our involvement in our communities and in politics. The Olympics redirected the eyes of the whole world to Vancouver. We effectively publicized ourselves to an international audience, but like any product or service, we will need to deliver our promises soon.

Patriotism’s real meaning is to get involved in situations to attempt to find a solution. It means that you’ll vote even though you’re not obliged to, it means that you’ll take part in your city, your province, your country. Now that we have found ourselves as a nation, let’s act as one and make Canada the best place on Earth!

Go Canada Go!