Pressure on the good eggs

I was given permission to repost this comment as a viewpoint as I think it is indicative of the pressures young Caymanians face from their families, visitors and the global community to be the cause for growth and change among our islands.  We have made the right steps in making a positive difference in our own lives, our families lives and for our community.  We are educated and, instead of remaining abroad like several of our counterparts, we have returned home to a country much-changed. 

We recognise the opportunities given to us and how unique these are and we have been and continue to be up to the task in taking advantage of them.  We give back to our communities and are involved in several organisations aiming to be proactive (many of us NOT in the YUDP or Young Progressives).  I want other Caymanians to contribute to this discussion to prove that we do exist; that we share the same sentiment; and that we are here to better our country as a whole — politics and nationality and racial issues put aside.   I want those who have suggestions on how to deal with mentioned pressures to make them and I want those who aren't necessarily familiar with the islands and our history to ask questions. It is clear that we all need to come together to make the change and it is not going to be as quick and painless as we all would hope.  I am hoping this discussion will make you stop and think before complaining or critisizing in future discussions and comments.  Thank you!

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I am working with a global company of roughly 60 persons. Aside from myself there are two other Caymanians who are not administrative staff.  Only 6 other Caymanians, in total, work in the office and they are all close to 50 years old and remain admins after 10+ years with the company. I overheard one of my superiors claim that Caymanians are dedicated and loyal to their jobs but have no desire to better themselves, which hurt to hear but, for the most part, is true. Many of them have been offered schooling in order to receive promotions and they have refused. To you I say, "give up the ignorance and the deserving attitude and pick up a book."

To the expats — you're some of my best friends, in and outside of the office, and I am grateful for your contribution to our backward society but, as a young Caymanian who HAS made all of the right decisions, I am offended by some of the comments posted on this website and by some of the arguments fueling discussions 'at the watercooler'.  While there is a reason to develop the stereotype of the Caymanian mentality, those of us trying desperately hard to make changes are still young and figuring out how to deal with the extremely rapid changes our country has faced in the past three decades.  We'll make it there, but such harsh comments only intimidate those of us who are still trying to make it on our own, while cheating the system we've been held down by. Remember this — sometimes we want to escape as well, but are held here by accountability and community, so threatening us of your swift departure does not really send any shock value into the discussion.

Our economy was exploding and self-sustaining for a few short decades, thanks only to outside influence of course, and our foolish government really never had any responsibilty or accountabilty in the past so our community did not realise such a drastic need for change until the global economic problems swung the basket cap on the dirty laundry wide open … and then the crime came.

Believe me, there are Caymanians who are embarrassed by our government, by OUR ignorance and even by some family members.  But isn't this the case for any nation to some extent? We are tiny and are so dependent on each other.  We are also completely dependent on the investments from other nations to keep our economy running and it scares a lot of people to think, 'we need help so badly that the Caymanian population makes up less than half of the nation.' Please understand how it is difficult to some (and remember: they're not as educated or exposed to other societies) who feel like they're losing our country.

Like many countries, we are still developing.  My father, in his 60's, was one of less than 10,000 inhabitants on-island, which proves how young of a nation we are. He was a part of a generation (ONE generation ago) who had to do manual labor, out of necessity not choice.  He went to sea for months at a time with the other Caymanian men, while their women waited for their return.  Our culture is not a joke — it is real and there is nothing we can do to change it, regardless of how tough it may or may not have been and regardless of how uninteresting you find this to be.  Because financial institutions, zero crime rate (not too long ago) and our high standard of living has put us on the map, does not mean we are not vulnerable to the problems that other developing countries face and it does not mean we can rank ourselves among the nations from which most of our residents come from, so please do not let your judgments reflect expectations of anything more. If you want to see change, become a part of it.  We cannot do this alone.

I am a 26 year old Caymanian with an MBA and a CPA and to everyone reading, be patient … the next generation is coming and I promise, there is PROMISE here.