Jamaica's role in a time of conflict
published: Thursday | January 23, 2003
THE EDITOR, Sir:
ALL OVER the world there is conflict. Conflict between people, between nations, between spiritual and moral values and economic and environmental conflict. All over the world these areas of conflict occur mostly where people are marginalised; unrepresented and under-developed; yet the root cause of these problems is not any of the above; it is lack of love; lack of respect for each other and lack of respect for spiritual and moral values.
Jamaica, like the rest of the world, stands at a fork in the road of history; love or hate, peace or war, development or destruction. But Jamaica is a country where its people have given birth to the spiritual concept of "one love", "peace and love" and "respect due" so Jamaica could lead the world if it could be led back into the practice of these spiritual and moral concepts and values. As the resources of nature become more depleted we may be entering a local and global arena where both the weak and the strong are beginning to fight over these resources with no winners. These simple but basic ingredients love, respect for each other, and for nature and spiritual and moral values are the foundation stones of human development.
We need to begin to recognise it and to practise it again. Our leaders must begin to put love and respect for each other at the head of the agenda because leadership is vital to the re-birth of these human, spiritual, and moral values. Love and respect for each other lies at the heart of the matter.
