Letter to the Editor
Please Tell Me Who Is TheTrue Caymanian?
Dear Sir,
Recently, I was privy to what seemed tobe an occurring debate of, "Who is the true Caymanian?"I say privy because until that point I was oblivious to the factthat there was such a debate. It did however cause me to ponderthis interesting question.
Am I a true Caymanian? Me who can tracemy name back to the first settlers who set foot on these Islands,me who can talk the lingo? Or my husband, who has spent only halfhis life here, giving to these islands, making them his home?
Or what about our kids who were born hereyet do not bear a rich Caymanian name like; Bodden, Foster, Watler,Scott, Ebanks, ... nor do they have what one would class Caymanianlooks (albeit they have the lingo) but instead they carry a Jewish-Romanianname and European looks. Are they true Caymanians?
One would not think so for the amount ofpaper work it took to get them a passport. They were born here,but me, I was not born here. I spent my first days in anothercountry because of the lack of facilities that were here, andfor that I was deemed not a "true Caymanian". Yet Iargued "I can trace my roots to the beginning of Caymanians."Who are you to tell me I have to come to be approved, (that) Ihave to get a stamp saying I am a Caymanian, indignant was I.
So who is the true Caymanian? For many areapparently struggling to identify this wonderful creature, thatso many more want to become.
Who would have thought that such a smallset of Islands, located in a hidden part of the Caribbean, couldbe sought by so many to be called home.
Who is a true Caymanian? It is not the personwho has the most money! It is not the person who knows the mostpeople! It is not the person that was born here, and moved awaygiving nothing back to these islands and yet after they have giventheir youth and wealth elsewhere has returned to live off of thefat of the land. No even the person who can trace their rootsback to the beginning, and it is most certainly not the personwho was born here, stayed here, yet contributed nothing to Cayman!
Who is the true Caymanian? Truth is, thetrue Caymanian can easily be found, for they are those who seekto give, not to rape and plunder these islands. There are manywho hold the paper, given to them from birth even, yet they arenot a true Caymanian, for they seek to plunder, they seek to rape,they seek to serve self, supplanters with out any thought forthe future of Cayman.
The True Caymanian is the one who is searchingto see how s/he can make these Islands future better? How canwe make these islands better right now and in the future? Whatcan we do? How can we live without taking from another? Yes Iam important, but so is the other. God looks upon us all the same,and we are all His children. If I am to profit from someone else'sloss then I am not a true Caymanian.
If I am to profit from ill-gotten gain,I am not a true Caymanian! For I must seek to better myself andbetter this place, this beautiful paradise - that will make mea true Caymanian. Whether, I've been born here, whether I justcame here, whether I have been born in another place due to lackof facilities or expertise here. What will make me a true Caymanianis when I choose to give back and not take, at the sacrifice ofothers, but to even be self-sacrificing at time, that will makemy blood flow with Caymanian pride and then I shall be the trueCaymanian.
Who is the true Caymanian? They are reallynot that hard to find.
"We are searching round the back ofthe breadfruit tree when the fruit on the tree is ripe for thepicking." Dave Martins
God gives us the ruler by which to measurelife; a manual to have our questions answered. Matthew 7 is agood place to start, it should help us understand how we can knowthe true Caymanian.
Stop looking at the roots of trees thatare dead, and look at the fruits of the trees that are alive.
Stop looking at the material things, andlook at the material and what is that person made of.
Stop looking at the connection of power,and start seeking the power we have when we all connect.
Stop looking at the profit from certainpeople, and look to the profit of all people.
Stop looking at the differences and lookat the difference that can be made.
I continue to strive to be a True Caymanianfor Cayman and my children's future.
Regards to all people. We are the same inGod's eyes!
Mia Schvartz