While many of the positive qualities that we view as demonstrating our ‘Anguillianness’ are still very evident in many Anguillians, sadly there are also some missing qualities which we need to urgently cultivate. It is not enough to describe ourselves as proud, strong, free and resilient. There is a certain element of maturity of thought that is missing in many of the daily interactions that we must cultivate, and cultivate quickly if we are to successfully develop our island home to its full potential.
Too often, many of us demonstrate by our words and actions that there is truth to the saying that “if you want to hide something from an Anguillian, put it in writing.” No pride should be taken in lending credence to this statement but, sadly, our actions often suggest that we do exactly that. Our discussions are often devoid of facts. This is particularly disheartening, as often the relevant facts can be easily obtained.
Many of us often blame our state of ignorance on the failure of politicians, or government officials, to share information with us. While there is much room for improvement on the part of politicians and government officials in this respect, it is no real excuse for any of us existing in a state of ignorance. Anguilla’s small size and our familiarity with each other allow for easy access to information if we truly desire to be accurately informed. Instead, it appears that we prefer to rely on speculation as to the basis of our discussions and to argue ill-conceived positions based on such speculation.
Our failure to properly equip ourselves to engage in the national discourse, by sourcing and reading the relevant information, is likely to be our downfall – both on a personal and national level. Reports are that Anguillians sometimes compare unfavourably in the workplace to fellow employees who originate from other Caribbean territories. Often the communication skills of other Caribbean nationals, both written and oral, are superior, thereby allowing them to more adequately represent themselves and their concerns in the workplace. These persons have no greater advantage than any of us here in Anguilla. The difference is likely to be that they took full advantage of the opportunities offered to them.
Sayings such as “Reading is fundamental” and “Knowledge is power” are not mere clichés, and should not be viewed as such. We do ourselves a great disservice when we fail to seize opportunities to read and gain knowledge. Parents and teachers who do not do their utmost to instil a hunger for knowledge in the children in their care, fail those children. The best way to instill the hunger for knowledge in others is to let them see you reading and hear you constructively sharing information garnered from your reading.
Sadly, some politicians and media houses, sometimes leave persons with the clear impression that they are averse to persons accessing information and thereby improving their knowledge base. These politicians are often heard spreading misinformation to the masses that failed to seek true facts through meaningful reading or discourse. Media houses sometimes sensationalise issues to maintain or increase their listenership, without regard for the accuracy of the facts being disseminated. The likelihood of creating disharmony in communities, or to potentially derailing national issues, often appears to be of no concern. While we can only hope for a sense of responsibility on the part of politicians and media houses, each of us can individually ensure, by developing a love for reading, that we have a greater knowledge base which we can use to appropriately discern when politicians and media houses are seeking to deceive or mislead us.
If we fail to read, we limit our capacity to be discerning and to adequately rationalise and represent our individual and collective interests. To fail to read, and therefore to fail to grow our knowledge base, is to do ourselves a great disservice. There can be no clearer fact than that.
