Having a conversation with my son, and some of his friends and sharing some ideas of how I thought the City of Castries and its environs could be modernized made me realize just how much resistance that there is to change.
I suggested the CDC Buildings (where I lived) being over 60 years old and structurally needed to be rebuilt or replaced to make way for a state-of-the-art bus terminal and the young men offered me any number of reasons why that should not happen, starting with where they’ll put the over-a-thousand minibuses all making a living in that way.
They mentioned the people who still live in the CDC apartments and asked how they would afford new homes, where will all the city rum shops go, and so on… ‘What about this” and ‘What about that” and how this and that just ought not to change.
They spoke about the many who live on the outskirts that house so many dwelling homes built one next to each other, even claiming that “If you fart your neighbour might smell it…” and questioned where they will they go or how would they find the money to buy land or rebuild.
They ended with the conclusion that if such development takes place, it would be “political suicide” for the party in power…
All that had me thinking of why change has been so difficult here over time. Everyone and everybody wants things to remain as is, because of convenience, no wonder there is so much reluctance to consider schooling online, or another major industry outside Tourism.
As far as they see it, it seems that industry will not make way for imported goods and services and too many people will be affected by the change, so in the interest of the present, it is not wise to plot a new future, or change the way we do things because the present methods are tested and proven to work in the best interest of some people, so change will not cut it…
In my opinion change is inevitable and it is through change you can see or get progress as the whole World is changing, Mankind is changing, Laws are changing, even the Criminal’s minds and behavior is changing, yet we do not see the relevance of change.
We change political parties in government hoping for change, we change personnel hoping for change, we send our children overseas to universities hoping they will change things, yet even if you talk about trying to change things, all you will get is criticism, opposition and rebellion.
It bothers me why young people think things should remain as is, why nobody wants to accept that certain changes are necessary. I get worried that the masses seem to see no way out of poverty, yet there are those who make millions and care little about investing in the people, unless there’s more profit in it for them.
I often wonder if the planners of yesteryear have the rights to keep things as is and if they all also have permanent contracts, but how can we ever progress, if we continue to do things in the same way for decades. How can we minimize unemployment if we do not grow the economy in new ways? How do we secure a tomorrow using the same old-fashioned or outdated or unworkable methods?
All these questions I ask because I think the people are kept in this way to hide the future from the next generation, but the convenience to one generation cripples another, so I ask that we open our minds, accept relevant and necessary change — and stop stifling growth in the interest of a few.