PRESERVE OUR LEGACY

AS Barbadians celebrate the first year after the 50th Anniversary of Independence, they are being reminded that it is their responsibility as citizens to look towards the future with hope.

This reminder came from First Vice President of the Barbados Evangelical Association, Dr. Winston Clarke, who also called on Barbadians to compose themselves and combine their collective energies in an effort to make the nation a better place.

Delivering the sermon at the National Independence Service at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Two Mile Hill, St. Michael, yesterday, Dr. Clarke said it is important that the people of the nation seek to create a better society for future generations by teaching children how they should live and treat each other, which is what the Barbadian legacy is all about.

“The legacy of the Barbadian people is not one of crime. It is not one where we embrace the deteriorating practices of foreign sub-cultures. Neither is it one where our school children introduce violence as a means of challenge to each other, or in their pursuit to resolve differences.

“It is one which exhibits neighbourly care, one which knows how to solve differences through meaningful dialogue and a strategic, intelligent and logical means of communication, one where value for each other’s life is not replaced by the bullet and knife, and one where we as a people have come to an understanding that the use of expletives as a part of communication does nothing to make our communication any more effective,” he said.

Speaking before Acting Governor General of Barbados Sir Philip Greaves, Prime Minister Freundel Stuart, and Chief Justice Sir Marston Gibson, among other Cabinet Ministers and dignitaries, the Reverend declared that excellence in citizenship must be the aim of all Barbadians, beginning with adults.

He said adults must be willing to shoulder the responsibility to teach, not only by precept, but also by example.

“Barbados has not had the kind of natural and capital resources which some countries have, but we know how to work hard for what we need, how to set goals, how to save for a rainy day and how to accomplish through perseverance.

“This hardworking attitude has been one of the hallmarks of our fore-parents, and constitutes part of the Barbadian legacy. As adult citizens then, we have much from which our youth can learn-but we must be willing to teach them and shape their attitude in such a way that the mores of the Barbadian society can be preserved and passed on to future generations,” he said.

The First Vice President of the Barbados Evangelical Association also noted that the church, as an institution of socialisation and spiritual consciousness, must be respected and encouraged; social agencies must be deemed trustworthy; and those who serve in the maintenance and application of law and order must not only be fair to all, but must also appear to be fair.

“As we aspire towards excellence in citizenship, and in providing hope for the youth, parents too must understand their role in the socialisation process. They are not only to provide a shelter, but a home of love, care, and sound moral teaching; a home where respect for peers is taught, a home where children are taught to live within the financial means of the household, a home where respect for elders is a practice by default, and indeed a home where fear of God is instilled,” he said.

The Christian leader reminded the gathering that all is not lost as it related to the future of the nation. He reminded that the island’s universities and seminaries are still full of young people who are training for the future, while institutions which train for the discovery, development and practice of psychomotor skills are still without enough space.

The service, which lasted for just over an hour, included prayers, the singing of hymns, and special renditions from the Royal Barbados Police Force Band, the choir, and Ki’ann Browne. (AH)