April 29, 2014

Dear Sir,

Whether Bermuda is like a wounded bird or not is currently being debated, however, what I already know for sure is that we are very much a deeply divided Bermuda. Across all sectors of our community, across all ages, across both sexes and all colours, there is division and discord, and it is getting worse.

Our children misbehave in the classrooms, do not pay attention to the teacher and clearly do not appreciate the requirement for a good education. Education is the only way forward yet we allow chaos to be the order of the day in our classrooms, and all the while it is the students who will ultimately pay the price for it.

Our teenagers seem to think it is cool to walk along the fringes of the gang culture that has infiltrated and poisoned our community. They yell and scream at each other, disrespect their elders, and just do not get it. Parents, we need to improve the behaviour of our children. When they’ve walked too far along the path of self-destruction, they will get caught up in one disaster after another. Cannot go there, cannot go here, shoot or get shot.

Our adults complain about how unfair life is in Bermuda. No jobs, no justice, no equality for Bermudians, they suggest, yet we have thousands of work permit holders here. People, it cannot be both ways — we cannot have no jobs available for Bermudians and have work permit holders for they are mutually exclusive concepts. The truth of the matter is this — our adults do not want to look in the mirror to see who is really looking back at them. It isn’t that there are no jobs for Bermudians, never has been, the truth is that we either cannot do the work of work permit holders or we will not do the work of work permit holders. Look in the mirror a little closer and then think again about education, and what the truth really is.

Our politicians do not seem to have any real interest in working together to solve our problems, which are deeply serious, for they bicker, argue, and are frustratingly negative towards each other. They certainly do not lead by example. No matter what they might say, members of the Opposition party seem only interested in bringing down the Government so that another general election can be held. Sympathetic supporters, such as talk show hosts, spin a nasty and divisive web of half-truths, to help along this political push.

If this is an accurate synopsis of some of the ills in Bermuda today, then what is the solution? Here are a couple of suggestions. First and foremost, parents, stand up and do your jobs. Our children should attend school with an appreciation for its worth, and with the knowledge that not everybody in this world of ours has the opportunity to attend school. Our teenagers should get involved in worthwhile activities, and find ways to improve themselves and Bermuda. Our adults should look in the mirror a little closer and, if they need a job, either get on with a job they can do today or educate themselves appropriately for a job they can do tomorrow.

We are a community of 65,000 people or so, not even enough to fill some sports stadiums. We are faced with some very difficult hurdles that we must get over and, unless we do it together, I have to think that we are going to sink. After all, the boat is hard enough to row forward through tricky waters when all are rowing together let alone when some are trying to row in another direction.

EHT

Hamilton Parish