bears repeating today: A sense of responsibility is a needed quality. Personal independence is a pleasant prospect, but it entails the acceptance of self-direction. One cannot be independent while leaning on the views of others for support.

This involves discipline. There is a common inclination to shrug off advice to develop self-control. Life is complex enough, some say, without adding the burden of self-examination and self-criticism. This is an irrational objection. The purpose of self-control is to simplify and enlarge life so that one is not governed by standards and rules set up by others but by ideals formulated by oneself. It means taking control of one's own life and thinking for oneself. It is to be one's own person and make one's own decisions. It is to protect you and your's.

A responsible citizen prepares for protection against dangerous forces and deals in the good of fellow citizens. A poor citizen observes the interest of the community only to the extent that these are his own interests. A good citizen will contribute to his community by collaborating with other citizens to make wrong things right.

There are those in Bermuda who would have us governed by their rules, no matter where they may lead and no matter how incompetent they may be. Some adopt the classic behaviour of the demagogue and attempt to appeal to the desires and prejudices of the populace with half-truths, twisted facts and, sometimes, outright lies, in order to gain personal and political power.

These people have no interest in the good of the Country and no care for the welfare of the people. Basically they care for power and gain and stature for themselves at the expense of the people. Their trick is that they are often fluent and glib and they sound good, they have trained themselves to appeal to people, but their thoughts seldom bear close scrutiny.

Very often these people have both brains and charisma and they can hide their real aims in a cloak of respectability. They appeal, sometimes in a very subtle way, to the base elements in all our personalities while caring naught for us and everything for themselves.

Often they achieve popularity and a large following just as a magician pleases an audience with his sleight of hand. But it is an illusion to cover the tricks. When a magician leaves the stage he leaves nothing behind, no substance, no contribution, no reality, just a barren, empty stage.

Some unfortunates are fooled into thinking that baser promises are reality and will provide them with a better future. The reality is that empty, baseless promises provide only a barren future in a wasted land.

We must remember all this in Bermuda when we are tempted to let our reason be overcome by demagogues and when we are tempted to follow false prophets and place our future in the hands of illusionists.