On Monday, September 21st, 2020, the world celebrated the International Day of Peace under the theme “Shaping Peace Together”. According to the United Nations General Assembly, the International Day of Peace 2020 is devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, spreading compassion, kindness and hope in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
It has always been my personal belief that in order for us to promote peace we must first be at peace with ourselves. Often times we do not take the time to sit, meditate and reflect. This is an important exercise towards achieving inner peace. Prayer is also critically important as we look to our Heavenly Father who gifts us with a peace that passes all understanding, particularly at a time when there is so much turmoil in the world around us. “When peace like a river attendeth my way” are the words of a familiar hymn we often sing at funerals. We need to mirror the same sentiment in our daily lives and speech!
Secondly, we must be at peace with our community. The lines of division between families must be mended if we are to really achieve a peaceful society. As the childhood song goes – “envy, jealousy, malice and pride, they shall never in the house abide.” Let us not allow the hurts of the past to dictate our relationships in the future. I urge all of us that where there is bitterness, let us sow forgiveness; where there are envy and jealousy, let us sow encouragement and respect; where there are malice and hatred, let us sow love and unity. Only then will we be able to confront the challenges before us as One Anguilla – united in love and respect. These are the values that have kept us anchored in the storms of life, and we must continue to teach them to our children so that future generations do not depart from the right path.
This is also an important time for civil society organisations to step forward, supported by the powers that be, to promote sharing and caring and the spirit of volunteerism that is a hallmark of the Anguillian way of life. We owe it to the great women volunteers, who are now passing the Peace Candle to the generations of the future, to adopt their legacies. Let us not wait for another natural disaster to show the kinder and gentler side of our humanity. We are at our best when we are truly being our brother’s keeper. The late Audrey Rogers, MBE, put to rest last Saturday and commended for her good works. We must look out for each other, take care of our elderly and learn to have disputes and disagreements settled in a respectful manner that breeds civility. Everyone has the right to their own opinion. Those opinions make us unique and special, therefore we must encourage peaceful behaviours.
Finally, we must condemn acts of violence in all forms. The recent shootings that have taken place here are a great cause for concern. One can see that the declining economic condition in Anguilla is potentially creating a recipe for increased delinquency among our youth – and a surge in violent crimes associated with the same. We must do more to circumvent the moral decay of our youth, and provide meaningful opportunities to channel their energies in a positive and productive direction. As a people, we must never allow crime and violence to become normalised in our society and in our culture. If we do, this will become a slippery slope that can easily descend into chaos and confusion. In yester years we used to look towards our neighbouring islands to see what a culture of crime looked like; today the markers are already set out in our own precincts. Let us act now, together, to remove them.
As leaders in both public and private life, we all have a responsibility to conduct ourselves in a way that promotes peace. We must also work to promote conflict resolution in our homes, schools and communities – and seek out men and women who will model the character traits that are needed to develop a peaceful society. There are several young men and women already stepping forward to promote peace. We must actively lift them up.
Anguilla, affectionately called “Tranquillity Wrapped in Blue”, must continue to live up to its name where our people are peaceful and prosperous, and where violence and crime have no foothold or permanent residence. We all have a part to play in realising this outcome of a peaceful nation. Therefore let us work together, hand in hand, to shape the peaceful future that we all desire.
