Was it a blessing or a curse? One day when I was either around eleven or twelve, I had a very strong inclination that I would one day serve as Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, since that time this country has been in my prayers. That inclination has guided my life, motivating me to be honest, sincere, and truthful. It guided the way I live and the pursuit of excellence in all my aspirations. Yesterday was no different. I was contemplating the end of Ramadan and the sector of our society that was celebrating the end of their fasting period. Their hope and aspirations for the period ahead.
I then thought about the many other sects, their strong beliefs. Their strong convictions, and I asked in prayer “how can a people of such varied beliefs, races, cultures, political inclinations, and class ever come together for the benefit of country?”
It was then that my thoughts led me to thinking about a creator, one who dared to make fruits of varied tastes, colour, texture, and shapes. I thought about our rivers and streams, our oceans and seas, our mountains and valleys, our birds of amazing variety and our bees and butterflies. All around us is variety. That was a deliberate plan, an amazing feat of creation. The uniqueness of the various colours that surround us the different sounds and the entirety of mankind that seems as one blue marble from space. It is through the variety that we see the fantastic, overwhelming plan of our creator.
There can be no doubt that whoever created this world found beauty in variety. Therein was my answer. We ought to embrace our differences, embrace the variety that exists in our society and our lives and see the beauty of difference.
As the Nation celebrate Eid-Ul-Fitr with our Muslim community, it is perhaps fitting and timely to celebrate our differences with renewed energy. This wonderful opportunity that exists in Trinidad & Tobago to experience different cultures, different religious celebrations and different feasts ought to help us appreciate the intention of the Creator. To add tremendous beauty to the world through diversity.
As the Nation anticipates political changes, there are many new sects, new parties, new personnel seeking power and office. Perhaps now may be as good a time as any to consider that embracing unity with all the variety is a wonderful thing and further divisiveness is not productive.
My prayer is for all of us to see Trinidad & Tobago as a melting pot of colours, races, and cultures, one that makes our unique pelau, sancoche, callaloo, doubles that emerges as uniquely Trinbagonian. That we find strength in unity. That we progress together, that we solve our problems together and that through our togetherness and embracing our variety we can be an example to the world. Peace and prosperity are possible when humans embrace their divisiveness and experience the beauty of Creation.
God Bless Our Nation.
Steve Alvarez