A QUESTION OFTEN asked at this time of the year is, what does it mean to be Bajan?
This question was consistently posed to us as primary school students growing up after 1966. Those who caught on to what answer would make the teachers happy often spoke of proud, Christian-minded people, who worked hard to look after themselves, their family and their community.
By the time I went to Boys’ Foundation in 1970 I had this collection of words totally memorized and ready to unload if I was ever asked. I got my chance one rainy November day when just over half the class bothered to show up. It came when our Latin teacher Mr Colin “Puffy” Reid asked us.
Anxious to show off my knowledge, I put up my hand and then rattled off my thoughts.
I figured no one could top what I said so I sat there smiling, feeling smug.
After he asked others and no one gave him essentially anything better, Mr Reid looked at me and smiled. Then, as was his style, he congratulated me on a sensible answer and then sought to get me explain precisely what I meant.
I always recall that day more than 40 years ago because he taught me that it is one thing to say something and sound good, but another matter to demonstrate with available evidence what you’re saying.
That day I learnt that being an honest, responsible, hard-working, conscientious human being who respected others was what mattered in life, regardless of nationality.
When you’re like that and a Bajan too, then you’re well placed to appreciate more how beautiful but delicate this country is, and how as a people we can never rest on our laurels but always strive for excellence.
I will always be grateful to teachers like the late Mr Reid and Mr Eric “Mope” Ward, who made us students think critically about who we were, and challenged us to always be the best that we could be in whatever we aspired to do.
Under their watch, striving for excellence was not just words; it was an ideal drummed into our heads as the best path to progress and success.
Today, Independence Day, as I reflect on my country’s progress to date I can proudly say that we have done well for ourselves. Certainly, we could have achieved more, but given the resources we had to manage with, a heck of a job was done.
Our provision of education, social welfare and medical services from cradle to the grave is particularly exceptional, and something every Barbadian should be proud of and not take for granted.
My concern is for the future. The seas around us are treacherous, churned as they are by the ongoing global economic recession and threats to our sovereignty and viability from varied entities as diverse as the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development and drug pushers.
Then we have our home-grown challenges like effectively combatting our burgeoning drug abuse problem, modifying behaviour to permanently reduce the incidence of chronic non-communicable diseases and HIV/AIDS, and fostering positive attitudes in every aspect of life as the means to cultivate better interpersonal communication, service excellence and higher productivity.
At the mature age of 45, Barbados mirrors the characteristics of a similarly aged well educated, competent individual, who has done okay for himself but not excelled in the manner that he was capable of.
I fervently believe that you deserve what you get for the standards you set.
Therefore, I would urge all of us Barbadians to improve ourselves by giving and demanding a better level of performance. For sure, if we don’t, we and our beloved country will be forced to exist in below par circumstances, which none of us want.
Happy Independence!
