Cultural Reflections
The culture is the norms of society that reflect the worldview of the individuals making up that society. It might not be easy to identify and name the attitudes, beliefs, values and perceptions of Vincentians in words, but these are what are displayed in the food, dress, festivities, art, traditions, lifestyles, knowledge etc. I believe our people are in these times reflecting and trying to identify what these were in times past and how they might have given rise to what we see today.
Social behaviors are individual choices of a people however which may or may not be influenced by their culture. These behaviours however are always a matter of choice unless there is force. Social behaviors however can at times assume that the culture is correct and that it reflects truth and what is right. When confronted to explain behavior, persons then will try to justify their actions based on the cultural norms they perceive around them. However, it needs to be noted that culture was not set up necessarily by wrong versus right, good versus evil, moral versus immoral. It is rather created by the reality of the mindset (worldview) of the people influencing the society popular behaviours. Vincentians in these times need to rethink and understand this fact. Individual choices do not find their defense in culture, but in the presence of intelligence or a lack of intelligence, shaping their decisions.
If something in the popular culture is immoral, untrue, wrong and against conscience, individuals should be wise and intelligent enough to reject it. Surely this would be the ultimate sign of a people freed from mental slavery.
SVG like every other group of people have their collective world view. They may vary slightly from person to person, or from family to family but the majority may be shared beliefs and values. Whether these are right or wrong, moral or immoral will depend not on the culture but on whatever code of moral law they choose to adhere to. This is the foundation of SVG society and Vincentians. It is the Vincentian world view and we all know it is changing, not for only the better but largely for the worse as reflected in the gross increase of crime and immorality in Vincy society.
The population of SVG largely held a world view based on the held value and belief in the word of God as found in the Holy Bible. This is largely the foundation of our culture as far as morality goes and is reflected in our National Anthem, civil laws, parenting, educational institutions and churches throughout our nation. If not purely on God’s word, it was usually a blend of the Bible and the ancestral traditions and religions. However, it is obvious that our beautiful and peaceful country is saying goodbye to the lovelier days of calm and safety.
The question is, though alarmed, outraged, shocked and at times saddened by what we are experiencing, it seems it is more convenient for the slavish blaming of government, institutions and hard times to lead conversations as opposed to individual behaviors and choices. The corruption of religion and religious institutions have left a younger generation who is happy to dismiss our traditional worldviews and culture because the distinction between right and wrong is so blurred by the hypocritical display of what seems to be a blend of the worship of different gods in our religious institutions. This is however not always the case, but offers a convenient and easy excuse at times.
There are young Vincentians who are now happy to openly denounce God and morality. They see trust in God as a third world country thing and the freedom to do as they see on television in more developed countries as progress and forward thinking. They believe this is the ‘up to date’ way of thinking and behavior and it is what would render SVG as becoming as good as the rest of the world. This mindset shows a level of toxicity that in an inconvenient reality present that we must face.
Whenever a Vincy thinks ‘I don’t see nothing wrong with that’ these days, it’s an opportunity for examination of behavior and whether or not to align oneself with truth, morality and virtue.
When our artists, singers and musicians, festivals, cuisine, fashion designers, and people, in general, have a proper grasp on their power to influence positively our culture and shape wholesome social behaviours without money and gain as the incentive and goal, maybe we would see some healing in our society. When a Vincentian cannot buy their fellow countryman’s allegiance and say no to money without selling their soul, then it would be a step in the right direction. Greed, pride, arrogance and hate modelled and paraded on our radio stations and public transport, homes and devices and the thing people ignorantly blame is culture.
Let every Vincentian examine themselves and exercise their power to make an intelligent and wholesome contribution to our culture. Proverbs 114:34 says that, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” And Psalm 33:12 says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”
