What role will you play in our future?
As the social and environmental landscape of Bermuda develops and changes, I find it necessary to respect and appreciate the importance of oral history as a window to our past.
Today, I’d like to start my conversation with you by sharing a piece of my family’s history to illustrate a social concept I believe is fundamental to the future development of our Island if she is to truly progress and nourish her people.
Close your eyes and visualise with me as we stroll down memory lane (some of us may have to do more visualisation than others!). Let us paint the scene. The year is 1942 and we are looking at Bermuda through the eyes of a young black Bermudian male. A mason by trade, he’s full of hope for his future; you see he’s been vying for the attention of a young lady and she has finally agreed to be his wife.
Now I imagine the reality of a black man buying a house in 1942 cannot be an easy feat, so he feels very blessed when he finds a home available for purchase along the North Shore just down from Dock Hill. History tells us that the social climate in Bermuda didn’t guarantee a smooth financial transaction. Our oral historians share stories of mortgages being recalled as the weapon of choice by the incumbent power brokers of that era.
Nevertheless, this young man bravely decides to bite the bullet and parts with his hard earned cash. Can you imagine his dismay when he discovers the house he has purchased has been sold without the knowledge of the current occupant?
A son, with the gleam of money in his eye, has sold the house out from under his mother without her knowledge or consent. It now appears that fate has soured the mason’s blessing. He will soon have a wife to provide for and has no monies left under the mattress for alternative arrangements.
How can it be possible that the only foreseeable option for shelter is to turn someone else out into the street? After much turmoil and reflection he shares his dilemma with an acquaintance. Now if we perceive this dilemma in the context of Bermuda’s current social landscape, many of you may assume the situation is hopeless. Some of you may acknowledge that while it is difficult to displace someone from their home under these conditions — the mason has bought the house and has the right to move in.
But if we return to the Bermuda of 1942, we find that another option presents itself. Upon hearing this story, the acquaintance suggests an alternative solution. He graciously offers to move into his business space, a simple office with a bed in the back room. This allows the newlywed couple to reside in his home until the occupants of their newly purchased home find alternative accommodation.
Furthermore, in exchange for rent, the mason uses his skills to complete some general repairs and upgrading. With small sacrifices and generous spirits, everyone’s needs have been accommodated. It is with great pride that I share with you the identities of these characters.
My grandparents are the couple in question and their saving grace was none other than Dr. E.F. Gordon. I have been fortunate to spend many an evening at my grandparents table listening to stories about the Bermuda of yesteryear.
What continues to strike me is the generosity of spirit, the appreciation for her wondrous beauty gifted by Mother Nature, and a desire to support and shelter her people. I share this story with you to illustrate what we can do as a people when we work together and consider the bigger picture — the needs of the collective body versus our individual selves. This story exemplifies a personal integrity, selflessness and sense of social responsibility that appears to be increasingly rare in the Bermuda of the 21st Century.
As I continue my conversation with you today, I ask that you keep in mind the concept social responsibility. Now that we have taken a little jaunt down memory lane, let’s have a look through the window to our future. I want to start by sharing that I love my Island and have pledged to make it my home for better or for worse. Now this wasn’t always the case. As you heard earlier, I left home at the age of 17 with all of the arrogant convictions that many young adults espouse — the idea that anywhere was better than Bermuda.
The world was ripe and bursting with opportunity and it was mine for the taking. I am very thankful that I had the opportunity to spread my wings and sample the delights of a number of horizons; nonetheless, over the course of eight years I began to realise that the substance of my spiritual self was very much connected to my Island home.
The essence of who I am comes from her sand, her soil, her salt air and the trials and tribulations of those who commenced the journey long before me. It became clear to me that I was ready to return home and use my energy to help further the development of my homeland.
As we look to Bermuda’s future many express concern for the social fabric of our Island. I would like to encourage my peers to consider whether they are active or passive agents of change in the developments to come. Media such as The Royal Gazette <$>— and the even less credible Mid-Ocean News — would have us believe that many of our countrymen and women have bought stock in the ‘doom and gloom’ market for the future of Bermuda. I refuse to make such an investment. As we engage in the struggle to define ourselves in this 21st Century, one aspect of the nature of Bermudians continues to ring true — we are a resourceful people.
Throughout history we as a people have managed to identify opportunities that allow us to redefine and stabilise our economic existence.
Historically we have dabbled in agricultural export and capitalised on prohibition. When we exhausted those avenues or they became impracticable, we looked to tourism. And we now find ourselves holding court as pioneers in the insurance/reinsurance market on a global scale.
We should be proud that this small Island of 21 square miles, with limited natural resources, consistently fights her way to the top and punches above her weight in magnificent style and with incredible force! What’s more, it is my belief that we do so through the innovation and determination of our people. During the last two decades as a result of political jockeying the so-called superpowers have faced various cycles of economic hardship and yet, Bermuda has prevailed.
Did we prevail because we received a helping hand? No! We prevailed because we have talented, intelligent people as the backbone of our country. I ask you to help me understand why in the face of a history of successful transitions, we now doubt our ability to navigate the next chapter of Bermuda’s journey? In spite of our passive motto, “Wither the fates carry us”, as a people we have a documented history of decisive action to the betterment of our Island’s future.
I implore you not to discredit yourselves and our rich tradition of survival by beginning to believe that we now need to rely on outside parties to steer a course through the yet to be chartered waters of our destiny — nationhood and Independence for our country beckons. Let’s not lose our confidence and grit at this historical moment.
Now you may regret providing me with the soapbox but I do have a theory as to how we arrived at this juncture. It is my contention that we bought into the Western ideal that individual growth is more important than collective growth.
We lost sight of the concept that economics should serve to satisfy basic human needs and have embraced our role as human capital — commodities to be bought and traded to the highest bidder. Essentially, we are now a part of the new slave trade in the 21st Century commonly referred to as the ‘rat race’. Herein lays the first tear in our social fabric — our evolution into a consumer culture. Consumerism — my short-hand for a consumer-driven culture — can be defined in its simplest terms as the impact of equating personal happiness with the acquisition of material possessions.
This is by no means unique to Bermuda, on a global scale an insatiable greed appears to direct the actions of human beings with little consideration to setting limitations on expressed wants.
Mahatma Gandhi, known for proposing the economics of justice has been quoted as saying: “I suggest we are thieves in a way. If I take anything I do not need for my own immediate use and keep it, I thieve it from somebody else ... It is the fundamental law of Nature, without exception, that Nature produces enough for our want from day to day and if only everybody realises this and takes nothing more, there would be no pauperism in this world, there would be no man dying of starvation in this world.”
The danger for Bermuda lays in her size and limited natural resources. Unlike North America, with its abundance of unused land, there is no alternate land resource for rebuilding. Consumerism flies in the face of sustainable human development — the idea that people, not economic progress should be at the centre of development. Alfred Marshall, a neo-classical economist, suggests that the generation of wealth is merely a means to support humans and assist in the fulfilment of their basic needs — shelter, food and clothing.
It concerns me that as the cultural tones of Bermuda directly absorb Western ideology; we appear very comfortable with reducing a human being to his or her daily economic dimension.
Informal discussions with employers in Bermuda suggest that the best worker is defined by the number of hours they can commit to work in any given day. Students I pass in the hallway are at ease with denigrating their own as ‘lazy Bermudians’. Is it fair to compare the Bermudian worker who calls it quits at 7 p.m. because they have family obligations to the expatriate worker residing in Bermuda with the sole purpose of working for money? It is far easier to stay until the work is done when you have no additional obligations beyond your job. Furthermore, is the employer’s expectation socially responsible for either worker — Bermudian or expatriate?
Consumerism also leads to an increase in anti-social activity from the perspective that those who cannot afford to purchase all that the market offers often resort to dubious means.
The evidence of this factor pervades our daily lives — increases in theft, prevalent drug trafficking, acts of prostitution by our young female population, acts of theft by employees in positions of trust. All these exploits shed light on the negative impact of consumer culture. It is important to note Bermuda’s growing prosperity does not directly lead to consumerism. Affluence in and of itself has a neutrality. Consumerism emerges from the idolisation of affluence and the concept that the generation of wealth has more importance than the promotion of human welfare.
The end result of consumerism is a world view based on superficiality. This is no more evident then when we listen to some of the arguments against Independence for our mature and sophisticated country. Instead of exploring issues of competency and control over our resources and destiny we are consumed with a fear of visa restrictions that impede our ability to travel.
Detractors of Independence are comfortable scoffing at the intangible concept of self-worth, nation-building, and spiritual development of the Bermudian identity because it cannot be quantified. In the minds of such persons, as a price cannot be attached to self-worth, nation-building and spiritual development of the Bermudian identity, they believe inherently it must be worthless.
Not so! That is simply the one-dimensional view of those who shrink and hide from the responsibilities of collective maturity as a people. Some things in life are simply priceless! Yet another indication that we exist in a consumer culture is the now prevalent notion of “retail therapy”. In Philadelphia, North Carolina, and New Jersey (just to name a few) the Bermudian identity is synonymous with shopping.
I recall flying through Philly last year and the counter agent remarked “are you sure you’re Bermudian, that’s all you have?” referring to my medium size suitcase and no visible shopping bags.
Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy taking a trip for some retail therapy on occasion but that is not how I define a vacation. I enjoy the concept of vacation as an opportunity to travel with a view to exploring new cultures and with the desire to learn more about myself. However, many Bermudians define a great vacation by the amount of malls available in the area so that they can shop without too much difficulty. Finally, relationships suffer when a community is defined by the superficiality of consumerism. A successful relationship is built on trust which can only exist once you allow yourself to be vulnerable to another.
If members of a community operate on the basis of superficiality, they are disconnected and therefore unwilling to become vulnerable to other individuals. Without a willingness to be vulnerable, mistrust rules the land leaving individuals to jockey for power and control. Therein lays the second tear in our social fabric — a lack of social responsibility. Here is that concept yet again — social responsibility. According to Roselyn Polk, “Social responsibility is multidimensional ... (and) goes beyond just being respectful of others; it means experiencing, as well as appreciating our interdependence and connectedness with others and our environment”.
Polk highlights the importance of creating opportunities that allow individuals to explore and develop social and political identities within their communities. In this instance, I use the term political identity to encapsulate the concept of citizenship and civic duty. It defines how we begin to understand our roles within society and our rights as a result of being a member of a social grouping. Polk goes on to list the following as some of the components of social responsibility:
[bul] Recognition and acceptance of the consequences of each action and/or decision we undertake.
[bul] A caring attitude towards self and others.
[bul] A sense of competence and control.
[bul] An awareness of basic human rights of self and others.
How does this concept help us comprehend our current social climate? Let’s use the local media’s current politically laden weapon — the housing crisis in Bermuda. On any given day, there’s an article in the paper or a group about to march on Cabinet. While some may put a negative spin on the apparent frequent need to protest, I perceive it to be a refreshing example of an empowered populace; an indication that people are embracing their civic voice.
While I appreciate the demonstration of democracy in action, I am increasingly concerned by the willingness of the people to lay the blame and the subsequent development of solutions squarely at the feet of Government. At what point do we begin to look at some of these issues through the lens of social responsibility? When do we begin to explore our own personal role in the evolution our pressing social issues? We quite rightly expect accountability from those we have elected to represent us in Parliament, but when do we look inward for some personal measure of accountability?
Let’s begin to answer these questions by revisiting the idea that socially conscious citizens recognise and accept responsibility for their actions and the resultant consequences of those actions.
Under a hypothetical microscope, let us consider the impact of the increasing prevalence of exempt companies incorporating in Bermuda.
With their arrival comes a need for accommodation for expatriate workers. Hence the concept of the executive rental is given new meaning in Bermuda. Can we posit that the primary assumption underlying the executive rental lies in the concept of rent subsidies as benefits for highly-paid expatriate workers? Perhaps this is followed by a rationalisation that we are not hurting Bermudians because the target consumer is the deep pocket of the exempt company.
In this instance, the action in question is the proliferation of personal profit margins at the expense of the exempt company. The impact of this action is compounded as each new homeowner enters the open market enthralled with the idea of the executive rental as a means for covering their mortgage and other lifestyle expenses. And the consequence, as you begin to exhaust the exempt company demands for accommodation, is Bermudians looking for homes are now at your mercy.
And therein lays the beginning of a vicious cycle of a lack of affordable housing for those Bermudians who are reliant on the open market for housing options. And those landlords who hold their units vacant in hope that the ‘golden lease or rental’ will come ‘any day now’ simply compound the problem.
Admittedly this is a simplification of a very complex issue. I use the example to illustrate that we cannot hold Government solely accountable for the creation and subsequent solution of our housing crisis.
As homeowners we need to begin to understand that every decision we make may have implications that extend beyond the tenant in question.
To quote Gandhi once again: “The art of accumulating (wealth) for ourselves (by acting to ensure) that our neighbours still have less ... (can be termed) the art of establishing the maximum inequality in our favour.”
Now let me tell you why I refuse to invest in the ‘doom and gloom’ market as I look to Bermuda’s future. How Bermudians operate in times of crisis is what gives me hope.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Fabian our sense of unity as a community was expressed. We checked on our neighbours, ensured the elderly living on their own were cared for, and assisted in the general clean-up.
The so-called “lazy Bermudians” also managed to get the major infrastructure up and running to accommodate the needs of our economies.
As a community we made sure that we could function on the global and personal front. We also see aspects of social responsibility in practice with the overwhelming response to fundraising, most often when the funds are to care for families incapacitated by medical hardships. In moments of crisis, Bermudians remember and enact the principle “Love thy neighbour as thyself” — the very essence of social responsibility.
Just before I close I want to leave you with a quote by Maya Angelou. “Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency”. I have this quote posted on my message board as a yardstick by which I measure the decisions I make in life. I can tell you that when Dawn Simmons called to extend the invitation as guest speaker I nervously swivelled in my chair thinking “Can I do this?”
As my eyes landed on that quote, I knew it would not be acceptable to decline the invitation out of fear. I also knew that as a counsellor facilitating the development of communication and public speaking skills, I could no longer stand in front of my students with my sense of integrity intact should I decline the very offer I prepare them to embrace.
Integrity is of utmost importance to me as a guiding principle in life. I have had wonderful examples set for me by my grandparents as indicated earlier this afternoon but first and foremost I give credit to my parents. I consider my mother a warrior for education. I’ve basked in the rays of her impassioned fight to bring the true meaning of education back to the public school system — the concept that an educated person engages in critical thinking, discussion and application of knowledge versus the ability to simply regurgitate theoretical concepts.
I am blessed with a father whose quiet but steely strength has earned him respect for his objectivity and true social conscience as he works to the betterment of Bermuda.
As we honour the past chairs later this afternoon appreciate the difficulties they have surmounted, the blood, sweat and tears they have shed to ensure Bermuda continues to nourish the development of her people.
Without their courage and that of the founding members, many of us would be walking very different paths today. Without courage the ability to accept change and embrace social responsibility will not exist.
I speak to my peers and ask you to have the courage to continue to battle on behalf of Bermuda and her future — her future as an independent nation in charge of her destiny.
We stand on the shoulders of heroes, some unsung and some whose stories of triumph ring from the rooftops.
In honour of our history and our desire for a progressive future, we as a people need to embrace the ideas of active citizenship, sacrifice and above all else have the courage to do the right thing for Bermuda as a whole. On that note, I would like to leave you with this final story:
Two people are lost in the desert. They are dying from hunger and thirst. Finally, they come to a high wall.
On the other side they can hear the sound of a waterfall and birds singing. Above, they can see the branches of a lush tree extending over the top of the wall. Its fruits look delicious.
One of them manages to climb over the wall and disappears down the other side. The other, instead, returns to the desert to help other lost travellers find their way to the oasis.
What role are you going to play in Bermuda’s future? Let me repeat this for the younger members in the audience: what role are you going to play in Bermuda’s future?
Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to conclude by giving sincere thanks and praise to the founding fathers and mothers of the Progressive Labour Party!
They created a socially conscious voice for Bermuda when the social climate would have them mute and powerless.
It now falls to us to continue the march forward with integrity, intellect, insight and the sincere intent, to lead Bermuda and her people towards their destiny as an independent nation of proud, capable and resourceful citizens. The courageous founders of this Party toiled and sacrificed to gather us here today. Let us all commit individually and collectively to realise their dream, indeed our shared dream. If we work together for progress as a united people, all good things are possible!
‘We must embrace the values of citizenship, sacrifice and doing the right thing’
