Listen to the critics

| 09/03/2009

Sometimes it seems as though everybody’s a critic. Somebody always wants to improve something. Around election times, all the candidates want change.

Election campaigns are all about what new laws ought to be brought in and what old laws ought to be changed. When was the last time a politician said, “Everything is fine the way it is. If I am elected I won’t change a thing”?

In the earliest of days, some caveman (cavewoman, probably) must have grumbled about eating raw meat and veges. “Why don’t we toss them in some hot water and see if they taste better?” Troublemaker, expelled from the tribe, conservatives win again. Who does he think he is? Someone else showed that flint knives were better than stone ones, for cutting up dead animals and for grubbing up roots. Later, flint was replaced by metal. All credit to the critics who urged those changes; I bet they were given a tough time by their tribes’ conservatives.

Throughout history, critics have even managed to improve religions and ethical standards. A Palestinian carpenter whose native name comes down to us as “Jesus” was a fierce critic of his tribal religion. It didn’t have enough love in it, he grumbled. Who does he think he is, people asked. Some of his successors called him a god – and maybe he was: who knows? They criticized everybody who disagreed with them, and killed as many as they could get to. Even today…

Christians were (and are) no worse than the members of most other religions; historically, they haven’t been better, either. We all inherit our religions from our families, together with their contempt for all other religions. Civilisation has not yet developed a major religion that practices universal love and tolerance.

For eighteen hundred years after that Jewish-Palestinian critic pleaded for more love in religion, the folk who bought into his general message still happily involved themselves in human-trafficking. They saw no irony in preaching love in the abstract while practising cruelty in the flesh. It took an alliance of critics from within and without the Church, seven or eight generations ago, to persuade any of Europe’s governments to formally abolish human-trafficking, and slavery itself.

Most of us today would dismiss as sociopaths anybody who argued in favour of slavery. But I think it must be a very basic human instinct to want to control the lives of other humans, even to the point of owning them body and soul. Either that, or there are more sociopaths around than we think.

So 170 years after the British Government of the day abolished formal slavery, the present FCO permits the services of low-paid migrant workers to be owned by licensed employers, by way ofstate-issued indentures – at least in its Cayman Islands colony. Our system of “exploitation by licence” is a form of slavery, which deserves to be severely criticized by all persons of compassion. Our church leaders don’t object to it, and that tells us more about them than they might like. Apparently, slavery is less offensive to them than homosexuality. They are brave enough to oppose the latter, but not the former. Not even a cursory nod to the concept of compassion.

A fact overlooked in most history books is that for several generations after formal slavery was discontinued (in those places where it was discontinued), adult females remained chattels in law. “Who gives this woman…?” marriage officers ask. Only in recent times did the question become an empty ritual. Before that, the bride was her father’s to give. If he was dead, she was her father’s brother’s to give, or her own brother’s. She was quite literally not her own woman.

We in Cayman were reminded just a couple of weeks ago of the local struggle for sexual equality. A special statue of two women celebrates the victory of those who challenged the status quo. (I don’t know if the statue honours only Caymanian women, or only bloodline Caymanians, or all women. For the sake of our community’s values I hope it’s all women. Modern Caymanian society has been built on the backs of migrant domestic helpers and child-minders, and their work deserves to be honoured by those they helped raise.)

Without critics there is no change, and some situations in Cayman still need to be changed for the better. Fortunately, today’s Cayman teems with critics of all nationalities. That’s the way it should be; we should welcome them all. Laws, customs, policies – every one of them should be subjected to rigorous criticism. The right to free speech protects the critics in theory, if not in practice. Cayman would be a much lesser place if critics of the status quo had all been beaten into silence or deported. The intolerant among us need to remember that.

A community without argument is a sterile community. For all the sentimental affection lavished on the Good Old Days of smoke-pots and wompers, nobody really wants them back. We owe our present comforts to those individuals who criticized past discomforts.

The Cayman Islands are a fine place to live. But we must resist the temptation to think they are perfect, or that they are ruled perfectly. If our eventual Bill of Rights is merely a watered-down version of what it should be, we may lose our critics – and any hope of achieving genuine freedom of expression. The proposed, flawed version is not fit to be put in our Constitution. Our MLAs should listen to their critics, for once.
 

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  1. River says:

    I agree that the Leaders should listen to their critics.  It is wisdom to hear all parties involved to be able to make a better solution to a problem.  Look at the Courts.  The Judge gives each party involved a voice to say what they want to express.  Then the Judge can make a better decision. 

    A wise Leader (whether Government or Church) will listen intently to all who want to voice their input on a matter.  It is a foolish Leader who will not listen to all sides who want to be heard.  The best way to go about peace, unity and harmony of all involved is to listen intently to all sides before making decisions. 

    To know the interest of the People,you must take votes and input (let their voices be heard) from the People on all of the issues, and let each and every voice be heard that is trying to be heard!  Listen to the least of whom you may think is the least, listen to the law-abiding people, listen to the law-breakers, listen to the incarcerated, listen to the gentle, listen to the strong, listen to the weak, listen to the poor, listen to the rich, listen to the great, listen to the least, listen to civilized, listen to the rebels, listen to the young, listen to the old, listen to ALL!  They are all part of the Church/Country (whichever applies)!  There attitudes and behaviour can make or break the situation/problem.   Each and every voice is very important, and the one who you think may be the least of voices that is important to listento, may be the one who is the most important one to listen to!  Learn to listen to ALL of the Voices of the People!  Then you can make better decisions on different matters as they pertain to.  If you only listen to one side, you will never know how to deal with a situation properly thereby making bad decisions, you must listen to all sides (all voices of all of those who would like to express themself and be heard!) in order to make good and wise decisions.  For the Government a good start would be to listen to what the incarcerated and the rebels have to say for those who are incarcerated or rebellious that would like their voice to be heard as to what they think is wrong with their Country or what their Country needs to solve problems.  For the Churches, a good start would be those who have been known to love the Lord yet have disappeared from the Church (the sheep who goes missing.)  "Sweeping things under the mat" or trying to avoid or hide things and act like they didn’t happen or don’t exist, only creates a bigger problem later on, it is not a solution and it is very unwise to do so.  A wise Leader would not do that, It is only a foolish Leader that would.

    The Writer said:

    "Christians were (and are) no worse than the members of most other religions; historically, they haven’t been better, either. We all inherit our religions from our families, together with their contempt for all other religions. Civilisation has not yet developed a major religion that practices universal love and tolerance."

    I disagree with the Writer for saying that we all inherit our religions from our families, together with their contempt for all other religions.  That is an incorrect statement.  I for one am a Christian, yet from a Non-Christian family.  Look at Christians who are from Muslim families, or Budda families, etc, they go against their families’ traditions and sometimes suffer severe persecution because of it.  I chose to be a Christian (a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ).  It was my choice to do so, even against opposition and persecution from family because of it. 

    Could the Writer please explain more of what you mean by "Christians were (and are) no worse than the members of most other religions; historically, they haven’t been better, either."?

    "Civilisation has not yet developed a major religion that practices universal love and tolerance"?  What do you mean by "major"?

    As for slavery and the workplace, i believe all jobs are a form of slavery, the only difference is you can quit the job and leave by your own choice, where as in the slavery of old, you are not free to leave on your own choice.

    One of the Caucasian ship captains of old that would transport Africans to the US to be slaves back in the days (keep in mind it was other Africans who would capture them against their will and sell them over to whomever was buying them at the time) made up what became one of the most famous Christian songs "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me, i once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now i see."  Because he realized in his heart how wicked this was for these men and women to be captured and treated so horribly and snatched from their families.  True compassion for others comes by way of one’s heart.  Some people’s heart remain hardened and they can’t see the Truth and they have no compassion to all peoples of the human race.  Sadly many who claim they are Christians, have no compassion towards others other than some of their own families or friends.  One cannot be a True Christian if they have no compassion towards all others of the human race.  It is a characteristic and requirement of being a True Christian.  True Christianity brings about love and compassion to all people of the human race.  But, many choose not to follow Jesus, and then many who do claim to be Christians do not fulfill the requirement of love and compassion to all peoples, thus mis-representing Christ. 

    You said, "A community without argument is a sterile community……..The Cayman Islands are a fine place to live. But we must resist the temptation to think they are perfect, or that they are ruled perfectly. If our eventual Bill of Rights is merely a watered-down version of what it should be, we may lose our critics – and any hope of achieving genuine freedom of expression. The proposed, flawed version is not fit to be put in our Constitution. Our MLAs should listen to their critics, for once."
     

    I couldn’t agree with you more!  Yes indeed!!  As a Christian, in my Bible, that interprets to what the Bible says to die to self daily (selfish ambition) and renew our minds to the mind of Christ (to walk in love and unity and goodwill to all), that it is a daily struggle to become better people and walk in The Most High Love to help and care for one another.  (However, we do uphold our God’s Commands and Laws and Prophets, Jesus did not come to abolish them, He came with a higher Law, a Law of Supernatural Grace that commands His Followers to Love God with all their heart, soul, mind, body and spirit, and to Love thy neighbour as thy self (to love one another), and he said that in so doing, that would Sum up all of God’s Laws, Commands and Prophets.)  

    I can only give you my input as one of a Christian, i hope you appreciate it.  I encourage all people to reply to Gordon Barlow’s letter never mind what they do or don’t do, or what they believe or don’t believe.  This is a letter that brings about a place for all people’s voices to be heard if they would like to be heard, that is the overall foundation of this letter.  It is very good!  Well done Gordon Barlow!!  I do like your letter and i agree with alot of it.  I just don’t agree with all of it as i have mentioned.

    Look forward to dialogue with you on this.

    God Bless.