The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

THE Bahamas continues to be a third world country in spite of the many blessings God has bestowed on it. In part, it is because far too many Bahamians have caused these blessings to be squandered by failing to bring their intellect into the decision making process. 

In social, vocational, emotional, financial and political situations, far too many people use their emotions as the organ of decision making. A cursory glance at the lives of people in our communities reveals a great deal of potential,ravaged by poor decision making.  

There are many reasons why a person might arrive at the wrong conclusion when making decisions, but I believe that most people make poor choices because they do what they feel in the moment.

While no one is immune from this flaw in our humanity, we must still ask, for example, how many children are growing up in abusive homes, unloved and uncared for because of the primal instincts of their parents? 

This destructive decision making mindset has wreaked irreparable havoc on this nation at a societal level and has destroyed the once-coveted Bahamian way of life. Unfortunately this reckless way of living is not only confined to the romantic domain.

We bring this same flawed decision making process to our politics as well. People, seem to have great difficulty understanding what a government is supposed to do for the country and then assess for themselves whether or not a party should be elected or re-elected to power based on their performance.

Instead, as election day approaches, emotions ride high. One political party in particular has become a cult of personality in which the leader can do no wrong in the eyes of his followers.

The mindless minions chant and cheer for him to remain in power while some of them tote water from a public pump to their homes twice daily to meet their  basic hygienic and cooking needs.

It is beyond me how any person could show up to support a government that has reduced the citizenry to second or third class status, while breaking promise after promise and drowning the country in debt to boot, amongst many other treacherous acts.

Furthermore can people support an aspiring leader who has shown conclusively that he cannot lead? Bahamians need to learn how to think again, we must learn how to do what is best based on the evidence available to us in spite of what our emotions might push us to do.

Then and only then will we experience the kind of societal reform this country so badly needs without looking for the ‘guvment’ to do everything for us.

Only then will we have a more decent pool of politicians to choose from instead of the abysmal choices we now have offering themselves for public service.

It is the unstable habit of choosing politicians that tickle the fancy, that allows incompetent smooth talkers to guard the purse of the public treasury while squandering the futures of children yet unborn.

As a people we must learn to think first then act, both we and our country will be the better for it.

JB

Nassau,

March 10, 2017.