Grievance? Sense of Entitlement? or Service!

J. Roughan

1 January 2009

Honiara

                   

Here we are at the beginning of a brand new year. 2009 is but a few days old and its entire twelve months stretches out before us. Yes, the year could really belong to us. We are a free people, able to feed, house and care for ourselves! No external enemy haunts us, waiting off shore, desiring to bring misery and hurt to us and our lives. 

 

Just the opposite! While in other parts of the world, we see nations attacking others--Israel into Gaza, central Africa, Afghanistan, etc. We, on the other hand, experience a strong positive presence of other nations who want us to succeed, to help us make a go of it. Australia, for instance, has put its promises to the test. It pledged heaps of finance and personnel to help us on the way and has actually done so for almost six years now. Other Pacific Island countries are on record wanting us to do well and have helped with personnel and commitment. 

 

Hence, this year's positive outcome for the nation and our people is basically in our own hands, our own people's commitment and our own leaders dedication. A positive, national 2009 outcome, however, will not come about automatically but with a deep involvement of all our people. 

 

There are a number of hurdles, I do not say, barriers, although some of these hurdles seem to be barriers, stand in the way of the nation's well being. Some people, for instance, carry about in their hearts grievances which are truly real but block their ability to ever move forward. The hurts and losses of the Social Unrest years of 1998-2003, for some people, are more real than the present days of 2009. The hurts, losses and sorrows of that period weigh them down so much that they find it almost impossible to see the light, progress and change that has come to the nation over the past five years. A feel of deep grievance so soaks up their attention that until those grievances are finally laid to rest, that for them nothing positive can be accomplished.

 

But for each of those so afflicted with deep feelings of grievances, possibly two others carry around a sense of entitlement. Somehow government is required to feed that sense of entitlement with compensation payments, RCDF handouts, walkabout financing, pocket money, etc. etc. These people think that once government or the member or whoever gives the 'proper' payment then all will be well and the nation can live up its promise.

 

Fortunately, when the nation was knocked to its knees during the Social Unrest years, when no one, including central government was helping villagers to keep themselves fed, housed and safe, the rural person acted as the glue to keep the nation functioning and whole. Few of them  carried an attitude of grievance because it would have done them little good. Hurt feelings doesn't put much food on the table, take care of the kids or feed the olos. The same with those burdened by carrying around in one's heart the sense of entitlement. Life doesn't work that way.

 

In both cases--those who have burdened themselves with a grievance mentality and the others carrying around a sense of entitlement--miss the point. Without denying the first group's real hurt and loss and the second group's feel of injustice towards them, 2009's chance of turning things around depends upon service. In both cases sited above, the persons have become inward looking. They find it hard to believe that service to others has a real payoff and is more important than serving oneself.

 

In fact, the very things demanded by the grievance and entitlement groups will only come alive when and if a national service mentality grows  strong. 2009 is already shaping up as one of the most difficult economic years of the country's--really the whole world--three decades of existence. No amount of whining, demanding and pressure tactics will get all the necessary funding to take care of the basics in life much less those things over and above. The old saying makes great sense here: No matter how hard you squeeze a rock you can't get blood out it! 

 

And a growing service mentality is not special to the Solomons. America's latest election of a black man has put that nation on notice. Service the typical worker, the family person, the ordinary man and woman must come before catering to the banker, the CEO of the mighty car industry, the money men who up to the end of last year ruled the States and much of the world. These are the very ones who pulled the international economy into the worst financial storm since the last great depression in 1930.

 

Service mentality is the key for a Solomon Islands future . . . for all!