THERE was a time in our lives when what happened in the rest of the world seemed not to be our concern. We always felt disconnected, distant, too far-away to be affected, so generally we had a carefree attitude.
Now it seems that world affairs seem to be knocking at our doorsteps and some external influences have also become a way of life for us. We are not directly connected to the cause of Global warming, but we are as vulnerable just like some of the affected countries. We did not create or take part in the creation of the global Covid-19 virus, but we are forced to be vaccinated like everybody worldwide, to prolong life. Some countries are burning, vast quantities of their forests and lands are being made barren and there is great loss of property and mass displacement, while for us, it’s getting unbearably hot.
We have more fierce hurricanes threatening our countries yearly, as well as earthquakes, and new volcanic eruptions have become more common.
We are part of the upsurge in crime, our safety is being compromised daily with neither home, business, personal belongings safe anymore. What goes up in price in the First World also goes up here, even higher. So, we are not immune, nor do we have the capacity to solve most of our problems. And in the midst of all the chaos we have learnt a lot about top officials in Government being accused of stealing and raping this country.
Finding trust and loyalty is becoming very rare, everybody is desperately trying to acquire wealth and riches and even the institutions that are supposed to show care and humanity are getting so expensive that the cost of such services like Health Care and Education are above and beyond the reach of most of the people. All of a sudden it is like the old saying “Only the richest shall survive!”
We have become divided, especially politically; and we have also become selfish. Our young seem to stray away from reality and there is an absence of Godliness among more and more of us. It is a tit-for-tat affair — no comprises, no logical solutions, no reasoning or truce. We have no clear direction and we question our leadership. We follow trends blindly.
I am worried, I am horrified and very concerned that if there is no sense of normalcy, soon our future as a people and a country will be just like a God-forsaken place on Earth. We keep making enemies amongst ourselves, we question every political decision, we put one against the other, we unite on nothing — and we blame everybody but ourselves.
I wonder when will commonsense prevail and reality really step-in? We of my age have all been waiting to see when our young people will see the light of the new days that have been upon us for the past decade, but it has been a very long wait and I am getting more worried that too soon from now, we may end-up singing the famous old Barbadian “Spouge” song that said: “Too late shall be your cry!”
Let’s just hope that we don’t have to wait too late, or even have to cry. But while waiting, we have to get-up and get-going because we have a lot to do to catch-up with this 21st Century.