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Sunday, April 19, 2009

The Times in which we Live



Over a recent span of time I have become engrossed in survivability in times of war and peace. One thing rings very clear in my mind, and it is this: we are all products of our time. Our experience will de dictated by those times, and in spite of our individual ambitions it will be the circumstances into which we are born that will ultimately determine the degree of quality, and to a large measure the quantity of the life that we will lead.

This was not always obvious to me, although I was born in 1939, a time of war for the western world. From my earliest memories I have lived in a period of rising expectations, a very privileged position to have had.

I began kindergarten at age five. The U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force occupied their bases on my island. It was from these personnel that I first tasted chewing gum and chocolate, and I was told tales of life in America. The war ended and the government decided to develop tourism to Bermuda as its main economic pillar.

As U.S. dollars continued to roll into our economy the value of our little piece of real estate in the Atlantic began to grow and the benefit was felt throughout the entire island.
I never had to serve in the armed forces, and nothing arose to disturb my progress in realising my own ambitions. My life has been my own to live as I have seen fit, and I am the only person responsible for my success in life, or otherwise.

Living in Spain in my retirement has brought all this home to me as I continue to research the history of this country. Any country that has been through a civil war, (in my opinion the very worst kind of war there is), has a very special challenge placed upon its future. Fundamentally, this country went to the polls and elected a government in a spirit of democracy, and that led to more trouble than anyone could have predicted. For many people it led to their very own deaths.

There are certain issues that can erupt within society that draw clear lines with no room for fence sitting. You either support the present government or you don’t. You either support the death penalty or you don’t. The issue of slavery brought a nation to clash against itself and its wounds are still somewhat raw all these years later.

We have avoided war in most cases of disagreement because we have matured as humankind. We have seen how ugly war is and we would rather avoid sinking into that particular hell. However, in some cases as individuals we are simply drawn into conflict, and that is where luck comes into play.

For me, I am very lucky to have been born in Bermuda. My forbearers moved from America to Barbados, and then to Bermuda. Had I been born in America my life’s experience would have been very different. I sat on the sidelines and watched Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr lead the fight for my human rights. I also sat on the sidelines as Barack Obama fought gallantly to move America forward by a quantum step to realise Dr. King’s dream. Had I grown up in America I would have been in the thick of battle, and I would not have had a choice.

Our son has to cope in times of growing hardship and grave social danger. The very large question that is unanswered at the moment is whether there is a wall into which he will slam that will turn his life into a living hell. Our hope for him is that he will always have options for growth and happiness, and that he will have the wisdom to make the right choices. Far too many young people squander their choices until they find it’s too late to recover, and that they are the authors of their own misfortune.

The other big negative is that we should expect to see stress related illness affect more young people than ever. We already have seen a dramatic rise in murders committed by the very young.

In the times in which we are now living, being young might just be the greatest weight of all to bear.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael