For the past few weeks I have been on a self-reliant theme, trying to encourage us all to take more responsibility for our own, and our country’s affairs.
And I have been most encouraged to discover that this theme is not being developed by me alone, for I am hearing and reading similar sentiments all around. I make no claim to being the “leader” or whatever of this trend, I am just pleased that this thought is developing and, hopefully empowering, all of us.
We are a people, possibly because “we have oil”, who really believe that someone, somewhere, somehow, is going to do everything for us. We have never thought of self-reliance, initiative, or commitment as traits which we ought to adopt and develop.
Why should we?
If something needs to be done in our homes, in our communities or in our country, then “is de government have to do that”.
But it is not so important how or why we became so helpless, so haplessly dependent upon governments which, like us, are incapable of managing our society into the promise so many of us can envisage.
What is important is that we recognize and nurture the budding gardens of initiative, self-reliance and social responsibility necessary to grow as a society. And we are now seeing these initiatives, sometimes it is just one individual acting to correct a community wrong, sometimes groups, either organized, or just coming together, to do what needs to be done, even as most of us still say “but that is the government’s work”.
The truth is that many of us are being forced into taking this responsibility, even though we do not want to. But we must if we are going to survive.
While it should not take failing governments to make us look after our community’s security or to pick up our community’s garbage, it has eventually come to that. So this is a beneficial awakening for most of us.
Strangely, most of us can go to live in another country and become responsible citizens there, but cannot do this at home. This phenomenon is worthy of study by social scientists and psychologists.
It was the security issue which first began drawing communities together. The failure of our governments to provide a modicum of property and personal protection forced communities to set up neighbourhood watches and to hire community security.
And with the uniting of neighbours, sharing of telephone numbers and looking out for each others’ property, the groups which came together to seek security began to expand their agendas.
They began to realize that they had the power to object to noisy fetes and “churches” in their communities. The consciousness spread naturally to community improvements as the original security committees began to look for more things to do.
And all this is ongoing without help or even sanction of the central government. And of course it is much wider than these community groups. Various groups are policing the environment, standing up to government, corporations and individuals who are harming our forests, beaches and wildlife.
These are citizens with the courage to stand up for what we all know is right, even under threat to their persons. These are people we must learn to follow.
We need more people like Ian Alleyne who has demonstrated the courage to expose crime wherever it occurs. While the media traditionally blur out the faces or the number plates of persons and vehicles involved in wrongdoing, Ian Alleyne exposes these.
Maybe soon the rest of the media will follow, then criminals will know that we are all watching them. The time has almost come when business will begin to realize the “commercial value” of supporting these initiatives all around them.
Instead of being afraid of a spiteful government, business will begin to support, and even tailor their advertising to support decent initiatives and improved environments.
The current Carib Beer advertisement, “Drink what you want…” depicts a series of aggressive, gangsta-like characters seemingly looking for a fight.
When the people who created that advertisement and the people who approved it see that behaviour being followed in real life, they are critical of the aggression and arrogance of the young people.
So how come they cannot see the connection, the encouragement of aggressive behaviour, which their own creation promotes? This is simply an example of how business panders to a market which it does not even approve.
Our survival as a society depends upon us changing the values we are instilling in our children, and we all know this.
It is therefore imperative that we all, business and government included, begin to follow and support all of the grass roots initiatives that are growing around us, and which are helping us to move to that higher plain.
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