Who Are We???

“Culture of the mind must be subservient to the heart" - Ghandi

I see her royal majesty is planning a special trip here to help celebrate our 400th birthday. A real nice treat to end what has been a pretty fantastic year. Originally she wasn't coming, now she is. I wonder what changed her mind? Maybe a plea from our premier? Maybe a chance to come and put her royal stamp on us, to show that she really cares. Yup, should be fun. Let's practice those bows and curtsies boys and girls... lest we forget who we truly are. Our safety and security in the hands of ye olde british empire, making sure that the bad guys of the world don't invade us for our wonderfully pink sand. It's a lingering question. Just exactly who are we? What makes us special in the world, how are we different from those who would seem most similar?

Take a minute and look around. Aside from the slew of "Bermujan Verds", what is our culture? What distinct qualities make us different? Bermuda Shorts? Codfish and potatoes? Are these things truly unique to us? We have a history developed over 400 years of good, bad and indifferent. If we compare ourselves with those countries we most closely associate with are we more American than British? If so what about those who connect with the Caribbean? Why do we connect with some places, but not all? With a heavy latin presence there, why do we seem to connect with those former British colonies, and not with the Spanish places?? We had a Spanish presence once... what happened to us?

So, after 400 years, we are still defined by a queen, a crown... and it's only taken her 40 years to come back (ok... close to 40 years). What is the problem with that? If we are one of the last remaining Overseas Territories (1 of 14), you might think we're a bit more deserving. We're special... aren't we? Now we could look at the importance of us in a bigger picture, we don't hold world war or cold war summits anymore, and in reality we're not the most popular beach in the world, and for the past 30 years we've been open to international businesses hiding their books on our lovely shores. Talk of independence has come and gone, referendums, threats of anarchy and political change has seen our evolution change quite a bit since her majesty last graced our shores.

So we struggle. I note that some are wondering whether our Premier will have the decency to hang around for her visit. I guess the bigger question is.... why should he? Has she been involved in our lives the past 40 years (ok... close to 40 years)? Has she even sent us a birthday card? If anything can be taken from this impromptu visit, it's that we should be ready to kiss the royal backside once again, because all attitudes being equal, we really do need her in our world.

Let's hope the monarchy won't be burdened as such for birthday 401. We'd hate to keep her from whatever it is she does anyway.

“When you have completed 95 percent of your journey, you are only halfway there.” Japanese Proverb There comes a point in one's development where he simply must recognize that going in the same direction leads him nowhere and that he must seek a new path. The road walked last week was a long and tedious one. One I have seen more than enough of, and one that will, for the moment, remain closed. That road is endless and goes nowhere. There are certain issues that make little sense to me and this is one. How do we get to a happy middle ground? How do we achieve peace of mind? Must we fight endless battles that accomplish nothing? How many times must we re-hash the same ideas, the same thought patterns only to end up in a name-calling, degradation of humanity? We must always seek the strong, the positive, the path less walked. It is in the darkest of hours that we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and move on. So I am... moving on. I note this week that several pertinent subjects have appeared on the blogsphere. The cannabis question is an important one. There comes a larger question, one that exceeds our shores. When do we say when? If we allow cannabis, what happens when someone wants to legalize all kinds of hallucinogens? Are we not struggling with being under the influence a little too much? A society that accepts being dazed and confused as natural accepts that once that bridge has been crossed, there will be many others to deal with. In a non-smoking world, why would we want to say it's ok to smoke... anything? A question... on the bad level, which is worse, drugs or gambling? Just wondering. The few places in our world where drugs are legal, stand out, but not necessarily for all the right reasons. An open drug policy will allow more people to be arrested leaving Bermuda, as it seems highly unlikely that other countries are going to bend their laws any time soon. Be careful. If the end goal is to prevent people from going to jail, then we need to look at the problem from the wider perspective. If we are to frown upon drug use at this level, then we should probably frown on alcohol abuse as well. Last but not least is the apparent implosion of the United Bermuda Party. Who can honestly feel bad for them? Seriously, they have been pathetic, and now is the right time for them to bid the political world adieu. Don't wait for a new opposition to come up. Leave now, let the people have a better choice, even if there is none. Sometimes not choosing is a more definitive statement than making the wrong choice. Stay tuned.

If this is it then, let's have at it!

“If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the

results of a hundred battles.” - Sun Tzu

It would seem that there are those who frequent the

Bermuda is another world site that have inspired Uncle Elvis

into engaging me here, so I will accommodate him (them). My

challenge here is a simple one, exploration, education and some how along the way an attempt to continue the discussion on racism.

Let me say this. Regardless of my feelings, I never resorted to

name-calling, and never resorted to the sort of character assasination tactics that happen at BIAW. I will not hide, I will not run, and I will only continue the dialogue here. The battle is on, Uncle Elvis asked for it, so let him bring it. In as much, I ask only one thing, that we do it one thing at a time, and if he could check his profanity hat at the door it would be greatly appreciated.

One other thing. It was/is not my intention to speak for others. I speak of things as I see them, which may or may not agree with the status quo. In my "distorted" (like the title of my blog) view, it is only one view, mine, I never asked people to like it, I never asked for alarms to be sounded, but we are here now, so let the process be complete.

You got your wish UE, I will back up whatever you want...

Wisdom - Why we must endure...

“The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is a knowledge of our own ignorance.” - Benjamin Franklin

The fight is over. At least it is for me. I stepped out on a ledge and was rejected out of hand. Fool me once, shame on me. I hope to all I hold dear that I am not so foolish again. The smart person picks his fights carefully. I didn't. Ouch...

Ok enough dwelling on the past. Bermuda truly is another world and I am one of the lucky few who can truly call it home. I don't know if there are better places in the world, but it would be extremely difficult to find one. One thing I think we as Bermudians truly fail to grasp is that this paradise os ours, and we should do whatever we can to make it the best we possibly can.

My beliefs on religion, faith, racism, politics, sports and ice cream (for there can be no better flavor than rum raisin) have all been challenges for me personally, most recently. It may be that I'm reaching the age where things truly matter, but it may also be that I care just a bit more.

I have never seen the world through my father's eyes. In my own liberal sensibilities, I still see the glass as half full. Dad's is always half empty. I have never believed in party politics, and in recent times have even begun to question the existence of God. Book plug - if you get a chance please read "The Evolution of God" by Robert Wright, a great investigatory piece.

The quest for wisdom is ongoing for me. Education never stops, Seeking the truths, understanding the untruths, knowing that when I walk out onto the ledge, it matters not how strong I am, it matters how strong that ledge is, and that there will always be hills to climb, oceans to swim, and fights to fight.

Just make sure that the fight is one worth fighting.

Racism - the work still to be done.

"Before enlightenment chop wood and carry water, after enlightenment, chop wood and carry water." Zen Proverb

It's a tough thing. In expressing a point of view, one must be willing to accept that the point of view is one that might not be accepted on all levels. It's quite possible that the point of view is shared only by a certain few, and will be defended against by those unwilling to accept it.

When a white person talks about racism, more than likely you will get someone who will admit that it exists, someone who will admit that they aren't racist and don't support any system or agenda that does. A pretty comfortable perch from which to view the world. If we seek further enlightenment, things can get pretty uncomfortable quite quickly.

Such is life in Bermuda. A core society where whites are the minority and are supported by a British oligarchy, a social structure created and built by whites and that still exists, blacks are the majority and have the political power, and have finally emerged from years of being held down. The transition from then to now has been a difficult one. Whites are now seen as irrelevant, and are asked to accept that the only way forward is in acceptance of the past. That will not be easy.

Our way forward is clouded in denial from whites and an in your face attitude by those in power. If whites (most whites, not all) had it their way, the past would be written in the history books and left there. It is difficult to say what blacks want. There are some who are content with life and like whites want to leave the past in the past, while there are some who are not so sure. A vote for the UBP (the white party) is a vote for the past. Seeds of insecurity and mistrust still exist. Discomfort over the past and an unwillingness to simply leave it for the history books means that there is still work to be done, on both sides.

I spent a good part of my Saturday on another local blog Bermuda is another world attempting to share my point of view about racism, and how that some attitudes prevail from the past. It's undeniable. For the most part I was accused of being a condescending, contradictory irritant who's point of view was neither appreciated or wanted. The thing is, I knew the minute I posted on the blog that I didn't share the same vision as most of the posters there, and even though most of us are white, I knew that I was in a cage of like-minded people, and the chances of me actually walking away from that site with a "feel good" were virtually nill. A bee in a hornets nest... so to speak.

What is truly scary is that most of these people argued my main points, most went after certain phraseology that was only used for "window dressing". What makes this even more disturbing is that while I found myself being dragged down into this muck, I lost sight of what was truly important, a continuation of the conversation. I left there pissed off, not at the posters who had baited me, but at myself for allowing to be baited. The other important lesson I learned yesterday was that for the most part you can't add "phraseology" to anything and expect it to be bypassed. Note to self - People will always look to degrade your vision. Do not add feed to their fodder.

I guess one of the reasons I joined CURB was that there are like-minded people like me, my own bee-hive if you will. Black and white, working together to continue the fight against racism in Bermuda, to educate and enlighten, and yes to even argue the importance of it all. To those people at BIAW, you goaded me into an area I didn't need to go. For that I apologize. You showed the kind of mentality I knew walking in, and for that I will do my best not to bother you in the future.