IT IS my humble opinion that some of our lack of nationalism and patriotism lies in the wording of our National Anthem.
I believe that a National Anthem must honour its people and speak to the unique characteristics of the citizenry. It should describe the belief system of our people as well as our history.
The National Anthem is a prayer, which I disagree with. The teaching of respect for all, guidance from evil powers, and all else that we ask God to show us is within the capacity of us as a people, and we disempower ourselves by believing that God will do it for us. I am still waiting. God did not create robots but endowed us with free will and the ability to choose. This is the essence of his goodness. The National Anthem should bring to each and every one of us a unique sense of what it means to be Jamaican. All I get from the National Anthem is that I am limited in my capacity and as such I must rely on God to teach me how to love and respect my fellow Jamaicans. I believe that in the mere creation and gift of life that lesson of love was taught. Further to that it isolates those of us who do not subscribe to God. Even in our anthem we continue to divide ourselves. The anthem should be objective not subjective.
