Letter to Gazette
Dear Sir,
We were struck by your opinion piece on Saturday. This paragraph, near the start of the article, intrigued us:
The young people now coming of are the first in almost a century to
embark life in a Bermuda where their choices are narrowing, not
expanding.
We understand where this perception comes from, but feel that this does not have to be the case in Bermuda.
The world is changing rapidly, a key driving force of this change is the internet. This can be good for Bermuda.
The article went on to say:
Further education and the chance to broaden cultural horizons beyond
our shores is now a financial impossibility for far too many gifted
youngsters.
Young people today are faced with many opportunities to learn through the internet. There are amazing resources out there. People can find others that share their interests wherever they may live. There are others out there happy to be your mentors, to help you learn, to let you help them learn too.
The article makes some excellent observations about schools. There are some skilled and dedicated people in our schools, often working with poor resources. The world is changing faster than curriculae can hope to change. Schools and colleges cannot do it alone.
We see Bermudans helping each other and others daily. It is central to way many people live here.
Bermuda also has many very talented and dedicated people, more than you would expect of any town of its size. There are people with time and resources to help others, yet it is often those with least that help most.
Bermuda has a complicated history. None of us can change that. What we can do is work together to turn this into the best place in the world to live, for everyone that lives here.
On July 18th Nelson Mandela would have been been 96. He was heavily guided in his later life by a concept called “ubuntu”. It is a South African word that does not translate well into English. In Nelson Mandela’s words:
Ubuntu does not mean that people should not enrich themselves. The
question therefore is: Are you going to do so in order to enable the
community around you to be able to improve?
On July 18th, why not find someone who needs your help and offer it? Best of all, help someone learn, let someone teach you something.
Johnny and Mary
PS no need to wait until July 18th
PPS Johnny remembers the Firkin Wine bar at college being renamed the Mandela Bar. You have no idea the fuss that debate caused. It was 1981, or thereabouts.
It is now caled The Graduate. Times change.
PPPS
Ubuntu philosophy.