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Dr. Brown's advisor, Julian Hall, on the Shirley Dill talk show recently, pleaded a case for not demonizing people. He argued that those who criticize Dr. Brown are guilty of demonizing him, and that this is unfair to Dr. Brown and not good for the country.

Of course, this might ring more true if Mr. Hall were himself not so ready and willing to demonize anyone who criticizes himself, Rolfe Commissiong or Dr. Brown.

In any case, demonizing has its corollary, that of elevating someone to the status of messiah. Neither is a healthy tactic.

Declaring in essence that Dr. Brown is the PLP's political messiah or that Mr. Commissiong is a messiah on race issues for blacks is just as wrongheaded as demonizing either of them - if in fact anyone has done so.

Bermuda has spawned some brilliant minds, Julian's, Ewart's and Rolfe's among them.

Unfortunately, our history has also spawned some vengeful hearts which, when coupled with intellectual brilliance, can lead to despot-like behaviour.

Vengeance is the evil heart-set that poisons much that brilliance can accomplish.

What is needed in Bermuda alongside brilliance of mind is a change of heart.

Build bridges, don't widen gaps

If we are to heal our rifts and take full advantage of this paradise we were lucky enough to be born in, we need to direct our energy and attention to building bridges not widening gaps, to strengthening friendships not provoking enmity, to practising reconciliation not seeking vengeance.

The last thing we should want to do is to replace concepts and practices of white supremacy with similar concepts and practices of black supremacy, a device some of our political leaders use fairly consistently.

As an example, Dr. Brown's refusal to answer questions because, in essence, he is black is no better than those who in the past could refuse to answer because they were white.

Those of us who suffered injustice have the extra burden of knowing how humiliation felt. We know from experience the poison that rises in those who were humiliated.

We know, therefore, that to visit the same humiliation or injustice on others is firstly, to reduce ourselves to the level of our former oppressors, and secondly, to ensure that the next pendulum swing will be as vicious as those past.

This is the lesson we can learn from Nelson Mandela who, after years of being imprisoned on Robbins Island, steered his people toward reconciliation, not

retribution.

This is the lesson we can learn from Martin Luther King who pointed a generation of successful civil rights workers toward non-violence even in the face of the violence being visited on them. This is the lesson from Mahatma Gandhi whose quote, "We must be the change we want to see in the world" has guided me and countless other agents for social change.

Bermuda's fortunes will ultimately depend not on those labelled demons or messiahs, but on ordinary citizens, including those brilliant and not so brilliant, doing our best, doing good, and refusing to do bad things. It's a huge disappointment that so many PLP leaders have chosen not to lead by this example.[[In-content Ad]]

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