Opinion
A Thousand Miles Starts with a Single Step: A Life Lesson for the Caribbean
By Ryan Elcock
The tree which fills the arms grew from the tiniest sprout; the tower of nine storeys rose from a small heap of earth; the journey of a thousand li commenced with a single step – Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching text 64
On September 21st, 2013, I had the privilege of hearing the Prime Minister of Barbados, Freundel Stuart speak at a banquet held in the honor of the late and great Errol Barrow, the father of Barbadian independence. Compared to last year, I heard a confident man speaking with purpose and conviction laying out his plans for the island those of Barbadian heritage fondly call, The Rock.
However, during his speech, Prime Minister Stuart mentioned that Barbados’ economic troubles stemmed from it being a small country whose economy depended on larger western countries, i.e. Canada, the United States and the U.K., who were currently experiencing economic hardship. Although he talked about the need for all the Caribbean countries to work together to come up with solutions to address their economic issues, I silently shook my head because I knew that even if all the Caribbean countries tried to discuss their issues, they would fall short because of their own perceptions of themselves through a Eurocentric and Colonial lens.
You see, although the Caribbean region has a highly educated populous; they still use the U.K. and Europe as their barometer of success which also undermines their own development unlike their former colonial masters who rose to prominence hundreds of years earlier. However, the Caribbean has to realize that the rise to prominence happens in cycles and takes time.
After all, Rome started off as a bunch of rag tag villagers, tribes and farmers who came together to form a powerful empire that lasted for a little over a 1000 years spreading a “Pax Romana” – ‘Roman Peace’. And just like Rome, Britain – a former Roman Colony – was composed of savage tribes that came together and united under the banner of the Britannia and formed a naval empire that covered most of the known world and spanned right into the 20th century in a quest for spreading ‘British Civility’.
We must also remember that America, formerly known as the Thirteen Colonies, became the latter day super power in the late 19th and 20th century. And if you ask Americans everywhere what they think of themselves, they will tell you that God ordained them to spread ‘Freedom and Capitalism’ throughout the world; remember that the POTUS is also considered the ‘Leader of the Free World, but I digress.
The fact of the matter is that every great empire was formed by a small group of peoples and tribes joined together by a common goal and worked hard to achieve it. Their willingness to set aside their differences and look at their similarities forged a common ideology. Therefore, the differences were viewed as assets when dealing with different opponents and situations just like the concept of the mosaic with a touch of melting pot. And just like the Romans, the The fact of the matter is that every great empire was formed by a small group of peoples and tribes joined together by a common goal and worked hard to achieve it. Their willingness to set aside their differences and look at their similarities forged a common ideology. Therefore, the differences were viewed as assets when dealing with different opponents and situations just like the concept of the mosaic with a touch of melting pot. And just like the Romans, British and Americans were not afraid to incorporate new ideas to define their respective national identities, so too must Barbados and the Caribbean do the same.
We must remember that Rome took several hundred years to become a powerful force in the ancient world and same goes for Britain as well in the latter part of the middle ages and during the latter part of the 16th and 17th centuries. However, America rose to prominence in a relatively short period but had the benefit of all the knowledge that came from Britain. Likewise, the Caribbean can apply what they learned from Britain and America.
After all, the West Indies was able to forge that common identity to become a powerhouse in Cricket during the mid and latter part of the twentieth century in a relatively short time and beat the British at their own game.
And just like they did in cricket, the Caribbean must strive to forge a common collective identity that enables the region to become a force to reckon with on the world stage; because as that Roman adage says: Out of many, One!