Building a nation: Starts at Home

Dr. Nilda Arduin, 1999

The norms and values, rules and regulations practiced within the family, the smallest organized unit in the community, will reflect upon the nation. Respect and tolerance towards the members of the family will greatly determine our attitudes outside the home. Nation building starts at home!

Whether we profess Christianity or not, the Good Book, which we know as the Bible, teaches us the basic principles for a good life. Love God with all your heart, mind and soul; and love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Love develops character; love teaches patience, and kindness, it is not jealous, conceited or proud, it is not ill-mannered, selfish or irritable. Love does not keep a record of wrongs, it is not happy with evil but happy with the truth. Love never gives up, and its faith, hope and patience never fail. I hear you.

Yes, I know that I am not perfect, but with love we can be purified, for love is eternal, it does not keep a record of my wrongs. The most important element of a nation is its people. We therefore have to provide our children with a solid foundation.

While a common land, language, government or social structure in general brings people together to form a nation, it is scriptural that much more planning is involved in the formation of nations than random human efforts. Divine intervention and initiative must have played a role in bringing people from all over the globe together on this tiny rock named Soualiga .

A spot that until quite recently could not even be found on a world map, but yet Europe is here well represented, India and the USA, China and Japan also found their way to our shores, while for the surrounding islands Sint Maarten is the center of economic activity.

Different traditions, social and legal systems, and governments, which became and are practically foreign to the "born here" generation of these immigrants, are represented here. Indeed, when God establishes a nation, He causes a people to come together from all parts of the world. Let's heed His call, and together look for common grounds to form a new and strong nation.

Our ethnicity gives us a personal identify, but our nationality gives us our strength. Do you know the symbols of our nation? Our common language here is English, and "National Symbols of Sint Maarten" written by Lasana Sekou will teach you the rest. Make a conscious effort within the family to recognize and identify with the Sint Maarten traditions, culture and history. Let us start building a nation from within the family.

Teach your children to have faith, encourage them to have hope, and practice love and respect for one another. Through the eyes of faith we can look beyond our differences, that gives hope for tomorrow. And love, the greatest of all, is that unconditional element for a successful new nation to be born.