#BTColumn – Giving away your birthright

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by this author are their own and do not represent the official position of the Barbados Today Inc.

by Grenville Phillips II

Every human being, regardless of nationality or economic situation, has the same birthright. It is their right to be true to themselves. This may be called personal integrity – a consistent and uncompromising adherence to truth, regardless of the beneficial or harmful consequences of doing so.

This right is for a lifetime. Knowing what is true of a specific issue may not always be known, but it may be found through honest evidence-based (or scientific) discussion of that issue. Adherence to truth is an invaluable possession.

Like any other possession, it can be traded. Since it is invaluable, it cannot be purchased, because there is nothing of comparable value. It can only be exchanged. Exchanging truth for truth is a meaningless exchange. Truth can only be exchanged for a lie.

Leadership

There are two types of leaders – those who serve, and those who are served. All of us are born entirely dependent on others for our survival. As we grow into adulthood, we desire to be both independent, and all that we can be. Servant-leaders implement policies that facilitate that personal growth, so that people can reach their potential. For various reasons, some people prefer to be dependent as adults. Whether because of trauma or mis-education, some people have no real aspirations and are fearful of being independent. They prefer to serve parent-leaders, and are content with symbolic declarations of illusory aspirations.

Parenting Adults

Leaders who are forced to lead a dependent people are doing something unnatural. Responsible parenting prepares the next generation to become independent. A generation that prefers to serve a parent-type leader, rather than soaring, needs additional training to prepare them for adulthood. Leaders are not supposed to parent adults.

When they take on that role, despite their best intentions, they can only turn that loving natural act into something tragically grotesque. For example, a servant leader will aim to provide an economic environment where parents can easily care for their elderly parents.

Parent-leaders will aim to force the elderly in institutions, where they can be efficiently attended to.  Paradoxically, the deeper the care that motivates parent-leader policies, the more the implementation of those policies tends to retard and suffocate the led.

The age of Tyranny

Those most retarded in their development, tend to initially view increasing Government forced control as a comforting motherly embrace. Those who desire to soar will feel the tightening yoke of oppression. If the public rebels against the suffocating policies, the nation may enter an age of tyranny as leaders forcibly try to maintain control.

Every nation has its extreme radical activists with unpopular radical agendas. Extreme radical activists continually invite leaders to force their radical agendas on the public. Wise leaders decline those invitations. Unwise leaders do not.

Parent-leaders who attempt to force radical agendas, that are not supported by truth, on a country, cause the people to confront their true selves. Those citizens are presented with the clear choice of either sacrificing their personal integrity to support their leader’s adopted agenda, or standing for truth. Barbados was recently tested in this manner.

ExchangingTruth

In an age where almost all white persons were: racists, white supremacists, and/or enslavers, Horatio Nelson was the rare anomaly.  He went against the racist cultural norms of his time, and employed and promoted black persons the same as whites on his ships. He hated slavery – with a passion, and likely freed more slaves outside of North America than any other person during his lifetime.

Nelson demonstrated excellence in the pursuit of truth. Following his death, several statues of him, of varying quality, were erected. The statue of perhaps the finest quality, was erected in Barbados over 200 years ago.

The Big Lie

Recently, some of our extreme radical activists wanted Nelson’s statue destroyed. To achieve their agenda, they promoted Nelson as a: racist, white supremacist, enslaver, and mass murderer of Barbadians – without evidence.

More contemporary books were likely written about Nelson than any other person. Those books were written during the racist slavery era that he lived, by his: colleagues, enemies, and independent historians. Those books contained the good, the bad, and a lot of ugly about Nelson. But none of them accused him of being a: racist, white supremacist, enslaver, or mass murderer of Barbadians. That is a recent invention.

Defending truth

I wrote five evidence-based cited research-articles to investigate the truth. Our radical activists responded with racial slurs. They also ignored thousands of documents in the historical record, and point to a single unauthenticated letter, published in an obscure slavery-supporting newspaper, years after Nelson’s death, that did not justify their claims.

Further, the likely forged letter is not part of the recipient’s formal collection of letters received. I was asked why I was defending that white enslaver of our ancestors. I repeatedly explained that I was defending truth, not Nelson. I further explained that once we crossed the boundary of deliberately accepting lies over truth, just to support an agenda that we may support, that we would damn the next generation to a life of tyranny.

Feeling the Pressure

Some of our activists are opposing the Government’s foreseen military-managed forced mandatory vaccination program. Others are opposing being forced into Republicanism.

However, this is only the beginning. Despite being manipulated into opposing camps, every camp will eventually feel the pressure. Barbadians should rightfully protest against the pressure. However, like Sampson not knowing that his hair was cut, our activists and their supporters seem oblivious to the fact that they have already given away their personal integrity – and have none left.

Grenville Phillips II is a Chartered Structural Engineer. He can be reached at NextParty246@gmail.com