Is Bahamas Paradise Lost?

by Craig Butler

In the epic poem Paradise Lost by John Milton the central theme is about the fall of man; the temptation of Adam and Eve by Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. It was originally published as 10 novels in the 17th century and is complicated to say the least. Milton's purpose - as stated in Book 1 - is to justify the ways of God to men and elucidate the conflict betweens God's eternal foresight and man's free will.

Today in the Bahamas we are that 'Paradise Lost'. Our free will has left us on the brink of chaos. Murder is out of control. Although the official figures now state that we have had our 70th murder for the year I honestly feel as though the figures have been manipulated as I can distinctly remember being in the 60’s about four to six weeks ago.

Some modern interpretations have said that Milton cast Satan in a sympathetic light and displayed him as a proud being who defied his creator and waged war on heaven only to lose and be cast down.

From a Christian perspective Satan is still waging war, and has decided to fight his creator for the very soul of man. The battlefield of that everlasting war can be seen in places of turmoil and despair, and today unfortunately this includes the Bahamas.

I am so afraid for our nation. Violence has become the norm. It is sure to have a disastrous effect on our golden goose as I understand that the hotels are experiencing cancellations and whilst occupancy is still high, it is not at the level that is expected.

The recent murders have been so brutal it’s like a Hollywood script. And there are rumors of an uprising against the homosexual community, or those perceived to be a part of that community.

The polarization that exists between heterosexuals and homosexuals is widening. Condemnation and hatred have emanated from ecclesiastical circles as well as the lunatic fringe. I can only hope that these recent high-profile murders were not about gay bashing but rather resulted from some other warped purpose. If not then all that have been preaching these vitriolic messages must now stop and realize that they have blood on their hands.

It is one thing to be the messenger of God and stand up for what is right and moral. It is completely another to be used as a pawn by Satan to get his message across whilst portraying it as God’s.

I don’t say this to single out the Christian community or even the lunatic fringe. What is unfortunate is that those who make up these groupings are cognizant of the message they bring but in many instances fail to explain it in simple terms to the masses. This can sometimes have the opposite effect in that the misunderstanding of that message leads to all sorts of wild interpretations that can and will result in violence.

Our society is experiencing a malaise like never before. Ever since the general election we have a Bahamas made up of two sections and whilst the politicians don’t see that they have the country still stuck in election mode, many voices of reason have continued to warn them. Our failure to heal the political wounds has spread into the other areas of our daily lives as well.

I can only hope that the unifying force of Christmas and Junkanoo can break this divide.

The latest murder victim was himself accused of murder and other violent crimes. Does it make his death right? Absolutely not. But to hear his mother speak of her son in such glowing terms and how she would not quit until justice was done was the clearest example of what Justice Dame Joan Sawyer articulated a short time ago.

Now we can’t expect a mother to come and say that what happened to her son was deserved, but we can expect her to say that her son associated with the wrong people and found himself involved in some unfortunate situations which in all probability contributed to his demise.

Also last week we saw yet again the eruption of violence in our schools that led to a stabbing. And as if that was not bad enough we now have an outbreak of tuberculosis in the school system, which is an area of grave concern.

As in Paradise Lost where Milton discusses man's free will and the waging of war by Satan, we in the Bahamas today need only look around to fully understand what Milton spoke about. Of course, I’m being simplistic and I don’t want the literati out there to take exception to this basic approach. The only thing that I want is for us to realize that we are faced with a serious situation and we have no answers.

Crime is a national problem that needs to be addressed by all because we will all experience the fallout.

Dion Foulkes.

Much has been said about the fiasco in which Dion Foulkes is presently embroiled. As an attorney I can’t accept the explanation given by the minister of labour because I know from my own practice that it does not work that way. On principle he ought to resign.

However, that is highly unlikely and we need look no further than the last PLP administration for the reason. When they entered office the then prime minister delivered what could have been a historic address when he introduced a code of ethics. Unfortunately, it is only noteworthy for setting the bar so high that the former government sought to resile from it at every turn.

This is not about the PLP though, and Prime Minister Ingraham has made it clear that the FNM is about the trust agenda. I find it appalling then that Prime Minister Ingraham - a lawyer who is well-acquainted with procedure - has failed to address this matter.

I know Dion Foulkes personally and I like him. He has always treated me with respect and seems well-intentioned. His firm made a terrible mistake that has serious ramifications for both the bank and the people involved. If he was intimately involved in the preparation of the legal work, then he has to take the responsibility - and an error in judgment such as this ought to carry a penalty.

Comments

[Bob Knaus]

Amazing. Milton's "Complete English Poems" lies on the opposite bunk in my sailboat; I was reading Samson Agonistes last night.

What is the most famous line in Paradise Lost? Book I,264: "Better to reign in Hell, then serve in Heav'n."

I can think of no better description of human hubris. Our desire to rule, even if we do so badly, is far stronger than our desire to serve under someone better than ourselves.

Politicians, look in the mirror.

[human target]

"unifying force of junkanoo"

wtf?

last 3 times I went to junkanoo:
1. harassed by police for no reason
2. shot at for no reason
3. shots fired at a parked police car I was standing next to

"F" Nassau junkanoo