WillJackson, author, Walking Back - In the Days of Cayman PastCommunity
Facing the Future
WillJackson, author, Walking Back - In the Days of Cayman Past
Now that we have set our feet into the unknownpath of another year, and another century, it may be time to pauseand take a close-up view of the trials ahead; paths that we shallbe called on to tread, under what circumstances, who knows?
Looking closely down into the chasms ofthe unknown is not always pleasing to the temporal eye. Sometimes,at a distance, the mountains seem higher than they really are,thus making the valleys appear more inaccessible than they arefound to be close up.
Each century of past times has had its darkclouds of overshadowing and bleakness; nevertheless, the sun hasalways shone through to another generation. The 20th Century,even more so than any before, has left its indelible marks oncivilisation in the form of wars.
The two great world wars, first that of1914 -1918, and then the terrific war of 1939 - 1945 only a littleover 20 years apart ; these are calamities that will be rememberedso long as our present world shall last.
Millions of Earth's inhabitants met untimelyends to their lives by land, sea and by air n the great strugglethat ensued; World War II was not just nations in contention butrather involved the whole world in a bloody conflict.
Had anyone before World War II heard of,or experienced, such deadly weapons and instruments of warfareas were put into use, with each side recklessly fighting for thevictory? Surely, there was no safe place during those five crucialyears. Ask the British, and they will tell you. Britain had neverknown such terrible times in all of history to compare with thefury poured out on the country by German bombers.
Ask anyone even these little Cayman Islands:Did the war reach you? Most certainly, they will say; we lostour sons, our husbands and our brothers out there in the oceanto submarine blasts. Ask the great United States of America, andthere we will hear lamentation and mourning for loved ones brutallyslaughtered by enemy forces. This was only a peep into the negativeside of World War II.
Luckily for the free world, the cards didturn into aces and kings for the Allied Nations. When the enemyhad spent the greatness of her might in one great thrust, theallies were able to take their turn at the mastery. So now, it'sthe enemy's turn to tell you of their immeasurable losses in resourcesin manpower and more so of their beloved territorial homeland.
This was just a brief glimpse into the 20thCentury, the bloodiest of all before it.
Will history repeat itself this new century?Possibly so, only in a more tragic way. The nations of Earth,both great and small, are preparing to kill rather than to bluffeach other. When the American dropped the atom-bomb on Hiroshima(Japan), that did at the time seem like an atrocious act, butthat could only be a fire cracker compared to what will be setoff when the next round comes about.
The Korean War dragged on for years, mostlyas a boxing match, because each side of the line was still unpreparedto unload power against the other. So did the Vietnamese War.Luckily for the world, those little treacherous nations were stillbuilding killing power.
But what of today? Won't those little nationstry to strike he first knockout blow when they are forced intothe ring? That would be their only chance of survival againstthe big fish which swallows the small fish if given he chance.
The 20th Century truly leaves us with manysad and mournful experiences. There are no doubt only a few peoplein the Cayman Islands who remain alive since 1899, but those few,if they can still remember, have many thrilling stories to passon to their offspring.
A century ago, these Islands were just asthe African communities from whence many of the natives had comeas slaves. Until the turn of the century, the majority of theislanders lived without electricity, telephones or any other publiccommunication, whether local or foreign. Mails could take anythinglike a month or more to reach the Islands. Until the 40s, radioswere unknown to a great number of people.
Indeed, a book can be written just to emphasisethe primitive conditions and shortcomings of the islands thattime forgot. One may well wonder how it was that the islanderssurvived all those years in this primitive state. Well, here washow it was: There was but very little money in circulation, trueenough, but there was but little on which to spend it. The settlersknew nothing about motor cars that rolled around in America anda few other countries; so they were quite content here, ridingtheir horses and donkeys or sailing their canoes wherever theyneeded to go.
As we enter this new century, we alreadysee modern and more classic technologies in high gear and dominatingsociety. Everything surrounding life's sustenance has to do withelectrical power in one way or another. For example, the old wood-burningcaboose by which process the food was cooked and even the woodstoves have now been totally obliterated by electric and gas rangeseven in the very poorest of families. Just turn a knob or flipa switch and cooking is in progress.
Refrigerators and freezers are no longerluxuries, but standard equipment in every home. Washing machinesfind a special spot in every residence; and so do televisions,usually two to three sets at a time. Motor-cars have replacedthe horses in yards where once two or three horses grazed awaitingthe use of family members for travelling. They have disappearedand in their places are two to three or even four family cars.
This is only a brief look at the type ofhigh living that the new century offers against that which theearly 20th Century even promised.
Nevertheless, the years did change thingsbeyond comprehension for the Islanders. Developments moved rapidlyand jobs became many more than the workers, thus bringing nationalsfrom all over to these shores. After the dark clouds have blownover, the sun shines through brightly; abject poverty turned intoprosperity for a majority but this is not to say that everyonein the Cayman Islands is rich or is faring sumptuously.
That is, sadly, far from being true. Thereis yet poverty in the land. However, many people do try to liveabove their means and complicate life for themselves. Many peopleare not afraid to borrow thousands of dollars from the bank tobuild a house ; one that looks as good as the person's acrossthe street who can afford to spend a quarter of a million dollarson his house.
Everybody, of course, has a right to wantthe best for himself, but not to his own detriment; then he hasnothing after all, when he loses the little he thought he had.
Yes, the past century has left us with aglowing picture of prosperity; motor roads are everywhere, criss-crossingwhat was once only cow tracks; swamps and woodlands have beenturned into glowing residential areas; commercial buildings havebeen laid out in once inaccessible swamps, thus chasing the myriadof mosquitoes away from their habitation.
Travel in the latter part of the centuryis bustling in and out of Grand Cayman with several air linesflying out of Owen Roberts on a daily basis. The cruise shipsare daily visitors in the port; thousands of people move throughthe airport daily from and to many countries of the world. CaymanBrac and Little Cayman are drawn into the picture, being servedby shuttles to and from these beloved Sister Islands.
Yes, truly times and things have changedin the islands once forgotten by time and unknown to the worldout there. The big question that remains to be answered now is:What of the 21st Century? None of us who are now here will behere to tell the next generation about it. Or, will the Islands,in that space of time, no longer be there?
However, as good citizens of a great homeland,let all of us continue to build an even greater country for ourposterity than that which we now know. By preserving pieces ofthe old past in the form of good morals, fine cultures, and aboveall, Godly living. We all may share a little part in preservingour wonderful heritage. May God richly bless all of the dear peopleof these beautiful Cayman Islands, residents and visitors alike.
Enjoy a great and blessed New Year.