THE EDITOR, Sir:
DEEPEST SYMPATHY is extended to all who have suffered loss of property or loved ones from the onslaught of Hurricane Ivan and congratulations to the agencies who managed the disaster so well.
Not only will lessons be learnt but improvements should flow from this experience. Crises present opportunities, great and small.
On a national level, let us retain the spirit of the 'Ivan' experience. Seize the opportunity to galvanise Jamaica to a new spiritual awareness as well as a sense of social and economic responsibility.
Recognising God's goodness and mercies, let all pledge allegiance, thank Him and worship Him not in one thanksgiving event but with wholehearted commitment to righteous living and a life pleasing to God our father.
Social reconstruction must begin with the home. Family life in Jamaica teeters on the brink of crisis and contributes considerably to the plagues of crime, violence and other anti-social behaviour which beset our society.
How heart-warming it was for families parents, siblings, other relatives and friends to maintain contact in mutual support during the passage of Ivan; on the other hand, it is heart-rending to consider children as well as adult individuals adrift, rudderless, bereft of the stability of caring and well ordered homes.
The outpouring of goodwill must not evaporate in the tail winds of Ivan. No doubt there has been price gouging; but good neighbourliness also prevailed, as in the instance of the electrician who reduced his accustomed fees on account of Ivan.
As an independent nation let us help our brothers and sisters to help themselves; build each other up and stand tall as a nation, Jamaica land we love.
I am, etc.,
MINNA MCLEOD
Kingston 6
