Letter to the Editor
Borrow their technical know-how,but not their bad habits
Dear Sir,
This is in response to the letter entitled,'Taking a 'close-up' at that Human Rights Bill', which appearedin the Tuesday #39 issue of CNN.
After reading this article, I am curious to wonder if this personbelieves that we uneducated, native people have not watched othercountries pass these bills and have not seen what happened tothese societies as a result of these bills.
Societies have become separated, creating sub-cultures where prejudiceand hatred run deep. These bills don't actually merge societyas one people; on the contrary, they legalise them to be separated,thus fuelling the prejudices and biases.
To go deeper, what about the natives' rights to remain who weare and what we are, being defined by our own culture, unpollutedby the contaminants of other 'civilized' cultures.
Why should our rights be violated to appease a perverted few?Why should we change our ways for a backward few, who ARE NOTevolving into a higher intelligence?
I have not seen one case in Cayman where anyone is forced to bewho they don't want to be. As far as I know, the world is a bigplace, so why don't those persons who dislike Caymanian cultureseek out a country that is in agreement with their own?
Christianity and Cayman go hand in hand. IT IS OUR CULTURE. Whowould dare to destroy our culture and impose theirs on us? Isthat not a violation of every human rights law? I think so!
However, in reality, the abundance of money has attracted manyto these shores. This in turn has exposed many natives to a vastvariety of cultures. And, unfortunately, there are those nativeswho have rejected Cayman's culture to please others and have adoptedthat of other societies.
There are also those persons who would like to relocate here,or have already done so, bringing with them their wayward ways.These have all been the contributing factors of the cry to redefinethe Caymanian culture to fit ideas that are not true to theseIslands.
I am a true-born Caymanian and am not ashamed of my culture ormy people. Do not get the impression that I don't understand whereyou are coming from, because I do. I have lived through the changes.What you preach now I used to preach, but upon closer examination,and having been harassed because of these Bills in other countries,I have come to realise that what they declare is fraudulent.
These Bills are only devices for legal professionals to win casesin court so that people can do whatever they want, whenever theywant, without caring about who it may hurt, and forget about whetherthe act is deemed right or wrong.
This little Island is only 20-odd miles long and only a few mileswide. The dynamics of a large country cannot work in an islandthis size. To change our cultural dynamics will be like fusedgunpowder. It will burn quickly.
What I am saying is: What holds Cayman together, that thing whichyou try to tear down now, is what keeps the peace amongst themany cultures that live here, and once gone, Cayman, as we knowit, will deteriorate quickly, creating an unstable environmentfor all who live here.
We can all live in peace but try to preserve our culture by leavingit intact. Our Culture includes God, Jesus, and Christianity.When it comes to intermingling with other cultures, we can borrowtheir technical advancements but we don't have to borrow theirbad ways.
I end by quoting from a book on character: "He that alwaysgives way to others will end in having no principles of his own."
In preservation of Caymanian Culture,
Rhodian Bodden.