Two years into the occupation of a housing project in Caledonia by Six Nations activists over a land claims dispute, there's little tangible evidence of accomplishment.
That doesn't necessarily mean nothing has been accomplished. There's no resolution in sight to the standoff and the land claim negotiations drag on.
But it would be difficult to suggest we haven't all learned something we didn't know before from the dispute.
That may be of little comfort for those in the community of Caledonia whose lives are affected by the natives' "reclamation," but change in society rarely comes easy.
Undeniably, there are a lot more people who live near the Grand River who are now aware that they are living inside the Haldimand Tract, much of which is the subject of an unresolved native land claim.
"In two years, we haven't got too far at the table, but the education of the country has been worth more than any money they could offer us," Janie Jamieson, one of the two women who started the Douglas Creek Estates protest two years ago, told The Expositor. Whether you agree with the legitimacy of the land claim or not or whether you think the tactics activists have used to enforce their beliefs are unacceptable, that awareness is worth something.
And, to be honest, there's no way that awareness would be even a fraction of what it is without the attention the dispute has garnered. Likewise, the pressure to resolve land claims would be virtually non-existent without the native activism.
Does that justify all of the actions of the activists? No, it does not.
The law must still be upheld, regardless of how sympathetic a cause might be, especially when it involves acts of violence, which have occurred too frequently in relation to the Caledonia occupation.
But if you're looking for something positive in what has been an overwhelmingly negative story, it's that we've all learned a little bit about one another.
The non-native people of Caledonia, whether they are sympathetic or not, have a greater appreciation of the frustration of native people.
Although we rarely hear about it, we hope the native people, both activists and others, understand the suffering their actions have caused for the people of Caledonia.
These people are paying an unfortunate price for what most Canadians would agree is foot-dragging in resolving land claims by the federal and provincial governments.
The two years of strife for the people of Caledonia has undoubtedly resulted in animosity toward natives in general.
That's the worst by-product of Caledonia.
The best is that we all know each other a little better: our beliefs, our values and our pain.
Society only evolves when we learn about one another and we can all agree it's time to move on together.