Solomon the writer of “Ecclesiastes” in the Old Testament, was a keen observer of the patterns in life. Thus, he came to the conclusion that the life which is worth living is very conscious of using time wisely. His practical wisdom is spelt out in a series beginning with, “There is a time for everything…” Among these, he stated that there is “a time to speak.”
Since 1967, Anguilla has experienced “good times and bad.” Through the times of struggle and setbacks we dared to dream big and act with boldness. The time is now to speak against the rising tide of character assassination, incivility, fake news, ‘us against them,’ and unbridled street talk which are eroding our democratic values, and or dignity as a people. Remember, democracy is based on shared values of respect for persons and their views, however different they are from ours. It is the healthy exchange of ideas which strengthen the democratic process, thereby leaving a legacy for our children and generations following to emulate.
The time is now to sound the warning that the ‘lack of knowledge’ is a cancer which limits our potential as individuals – robs the community of the passion to pursue ideals and creativity. The failure to avail ourselves of relevant information was very evident last week during the town hall meeting at the Church of God of Holiness on the Queen Elizabeth Avenue. The meeting was called to engage the public in the findings of the UK and the Anguilla negotiating teams. What was alarming and embarrassing was the reality that many of us, in attendance, did not have a knowledge of the may laudable attempts by Anguillians to prepare a constitution for Anguilla. The end result was the blame game, spiced with satire and accusations.
How do we we overcome this sad pattern which is evolving in our community. There are three possibilities. One, we must commit ourselves to been keen listeners. (Listening increases our knowledge base.) Two, use the political constitutional boundaries or community centres for discussion on common problems and concerns. (Engagement leads to understanding.) Three, and most importantly, we must commit ourselves to reading. For any society to progress, reading is fundamental, and leads to the control of our destiny.
