This year as we reflect upon the true meaning of the Christmas Season — the glad tidings of great joy; the promise of peace and salvation to all mankind; the special gift of the Baby Jesus and his lowly birth in a manger — I am also forced to reflect upon those persons who have lost their lives to senseless acts of violence during the year. Their families and friends will certainly be thinking about them this Christmas with sadness in their hearts even at this time when they should be celebrating the good news of hope for all mankind.
Of course there have been many other tragic losses to accidents and natural causes in which this sadness is equally felt but just for this occasion I especially want to reflect on man’s inhumanity to man — which for us have resulted in the untimely deaths of our young people for whom the promise of peace and salvation seems particularly relevant. It would also be most uncaring of me not to speak about the twenty young children and six teachers who were massacred in their school in Newton, Connecticut just recently. While we do not know what drove that young man to commit that heinous act, we must admit that our societies must in some way accept some of responsibility for ensuring that the conditions that lead to such actions do not prevail. Obviously, the prevalence of firearms and anger among young people represents an ideal combination for these situations to develop and as a consequence we must ensure that we deal with both of these accelerants to violence in an effective manner.
Just recently another act of gun violence in Anguilla struck a young mother of four children. Whatever the outcome of that incident or its causes, these four children will be forever affected by this vicious act that took place within their family home — the family home that should be the sanctuary where we seek refuge and protection against such occurrences. My prayers go out for her speedy and full recovery as well as to her children and the wider circle of family and friends who must be very concerned for her wellbeing at this time.
But I believe that we should use the opportunity of this Xmas Season and the approaching New Year to pledge ourselves to creating an environment of peace in Anguilla at all levels. It is imperative that we all take responsibility for the outcome of our own conduct and its impact on others around us particularly those who are more impressionable. Very often we fail to recognize how much the things we do and the attitudes we project impact others.
Anguilla has changed over the years and it has not been for the better. There is a new “rudeness” in Anguilla that seems to be celebrated — a new “rudeness” that would have been “looked down upon” by our older citizens and forebears. It manifests itself in a level of incivility that is practiced in the community; on the school grounds; over the broadcast media; and even in the higher echelons of Government. We celebrate rebelliousness when negotiation would suffice; we celebrate verbal abuse rather than respectful engagement; we celebrate boisterousness rather than calm reasoning; and we celebrate the misfortunes of others while we yearn to possess their successes.
Such an environment is the breeding ground for a very confrontational society. It does not allow those who we need to teach through our own good example to develop the social skills required for peaceful coexistence. In other words, it does not instill in our children how to conduct themselves, so as to live as good neighbours the way we were taught to in the past. If we want our children to show respect for authority and for each other it must begin with us. If we want our children to understand how to handle conflict without being confrontational we must demonstrate that approach in the way we live our lives. If we want our children to appreciate the importance of unity we must not preach division.
The anger that we find to be evident in the conversations we may hold with our young people from time to time is a factor of their inability to resolve differences with words and reasoning rather than weapons. It is the same style; approach; and attitude to which I constantly refer when I encourage my colleagues in Government to be more appreciative of the interests of the other side when trying to achieve our goals and objectives. It is a simple fact that we all cannot have things the way we want them — that is why we must try to reach what the older folk referred to as a “happy medium” — or as we say today a “win – win situation”. It is not the truth that we cannot all be winners. That statement may hold true in a game of chance or in a sporting competition — but in the game of life our very existence itself is a victory. It is up to us to make the best of it without doing injury to our neigbours. That is what the message of Christmas means when it speaks of peace and salvation to all mankind.
And if I may wax biblical a bit more, let me refer you to the New Testament account of what Herod did when he thought that his earthly throne was being threatened by this new-born king, Jesus. He did not wait to reason or find out the truth. His first reaction was to find this new-born king and have him killed. And since he was not sure who the baby was, he killed all the male children in that area who were two years and younger. That was the extreme nature of Herod’s resolve to hold on to power at all cost — including the slaughter of innocent children. This still did not prevent Jesus from fulfilling his mission on earth and inheriting his kingdom in Heaven.
There is a message in the Christmas story for all of us. We should never allow our personal ambitions to drive us to destroy others. Neither should our hatred for our brother cause is to inflict harm or injury upon him. That still will not make us triumphant. This spate of violence that has been plaguing us for many years must cease. And that can only happen if we pledge ourselves to seek peace through our positive deeds and actions rather than through confrontation and violence. The latter approach only ends up with losers rather than winners. It will destroy both social and economic stability. But most of all it will not lead to peace — the peace promised to all mankind.
All of this is especially important in this period when frustrations are high because of the many the challenges we now face. They demand that we adjust our lives and manage our resources in a manner that allows us to meet the most essential requirements for life and living. Many of us will not be able to afford the additional “trimmings” that we looked forward to each year at Christmas. Already it is obvious that there are less colourful lights adorning homes and businesses to remind us of the bright stars that shone on that first Christmas morning. In fact there are many families without electricity.
There are fewer happy shoppers traveling around the island and overseas to various stores and supermarkets to get presents and other goodies. In fact there are families who are often unable to buy food and other essentials in their daily situations.
There are not many families painting and decorating their homes for the season. In fact there are many families who have lost their homes and property this year.
There are not many cheery office and business parties this year to celebrate the festive season with customers and employees. In fact many persons have lost their jobs and businesses are closing down.
There are not many Christmas trees and stringed lights decorating the villages and communities. In fact many of the sponsors are facing their own challenges. There will be fewer bonuses and less handouts to dedicated employees and faithful customers this year. In fact many businesses are struggling to meet payroll and overheads. The sad tales go on and on.
So as we sympathize with those persons who have lost loved ones and celebrate the promise of that first Christmas — let us hold fast to the pledge to make Anguilla a place where peace prevails and all our people live in an environment characterized by respect for authority and for each other. May all you be blessed in a special way this Christmas and find a way to bless others as well. On behalf of my colleagues in the Anguilla United Front and on behalf of my family and myself I extend best wishes to all of you for a happy and blessed Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year when it comes. May God continue to Bless you all. And may God continue to Bless Anguilla!
I thank you all for listening!
(Published without editing by The Anguillian newspaper.)
