Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 10:23 PM
Revolution is described as “a forcible overthrow of a government or social order, in favor of a new system,” in the dictionary. The word has been thrown around a lot by scholars and wannabe dictators, who in many instances just changed one type of tyranny for another. And so, we have had unending revolutions in Africa, Asia, and in the Americas, especially in South America. Mexico has had its share of revolutions, continuing into the first half of the 20th century! But for me, the mother of all revolutions was the French Revolution (1787-1799)!
The second half of the 18th century ushered in the Industrial Revolution, general discontent all over Europe, socially, politically and economically, as well as in the realm of religion. It was also the first sign of a revolt against British rule over its American colony, now the United States of America. Men like Thomas Payne were advocating for a severance from the English. The English population was already turning against the Anglican Church, seen to those who wanted change as just an extension of the British government. So, the Wesley brothers introduced Methodism into English society, and they were followed by the Baptists.
The French Revolution, though, changed Europe and the United States in many ways, including a quickening of the drive to abolish slavery in 19th century England. That revolution changed the French sociopolitical landscape forever! Poor people became real citizens, instead of being abused and exploited. That is, until they started cannibalizing each other, like the UDP! But they had a say in the governance of France. The other royal houses in Europe took notice and made changes, fearing the spread of that revolutionary fervor. Liberte, egalite, fraternite! Liberty, equality, brotherhood!
Revolutions are mostly carried out with a whole lot of bloodshed and violence and fear. In the Jewel, we have been spared such dire situations. We have had a supposedly peaceful revolution which didn’t change much. We were expecting to have a revolution that turned our Jewel into this bountiful garden, feeding our people, and even exporting our products to other nations. George Price had great ideas for growing a successful nation and economy and with harmony among all the different tribes. Somewhere along the way he was distracted by his own Cabinet, whose members had different ideas about the direction in which the country should go. Then he and his government were swept out of office, and tourism took over.
Everyone wanted to get a piece of this new venture; easy money, big profits made it more attractive than farming and fishing, agriculture in general. Money was flowing with the Yankee dalla, as drugs and Americana replaced the peaceful revolution Mr. Price had promised. A new breed of politician was born. We lost our innocence; and we are still lost, in my opinion.
Sugar is scarce, vegetables are being priced through the roof, limes are almost unaffordable, and farming has been relegated to our migrants, who are making a killing, while we stand aside and look. Go to Finnegan’s market on a Saturday morning and you will understand what I’m talking about!
When did we lose our way? When did we think that everything was going to be okay, no matter what? When did we lose our initiative, and started just going along to get ahead? Forgetting our borders and the exploitation of our natural resources by our neighbor? Depending on Mexico to keep us from going blind, or dark? I feel that there is a kind of illegitimacy to our independence; and of course, the Guats would agree to that. Illegitimacy is the wrong word; we were unprepared to face the reality of our state.
Some will say that things aren’t as bad as I see them, that I’m an alarmist, or too pessimistic. But I believe that we weren’t prepared enough to be on our own. We didn’t suffer enough to appreciate what independence meant. We didn’t have to fight and kill and die to know what a citizen really is. Everything was handed to us. It’s like when poor people win the lottery; it’s gone in little or no time, and then you are right back, being poor! Wat a ting!
George Price always promised us a peaceful revolution. I believe that he was as naive as the rest of us, to think that we would be left alone to prosper and live in peace and harmony. Maybe he didn’t realize that we were just another chess piece that the superpowers would use in the game of world domination!
Glen