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#104: A reply to Driver
From:TKVENEMAN@aol.com
<< Such generalizations about Haitians seem to me nothing but prejudicial.
Some Haitians may think democracy means doing whatever you please, just
as some North American individualists do. But to say this is
characteristic of the entire people is baseless and injurious.
>>
Dear Mr. Driver,
I believe you are saying that I was making a statement about the intrinsic
character of the Haitian people. I assure you that you have misinterpreted
my statement. The point was being made that Haitians believe democracy means
they can do whatever they want to do because they have never been informed or
educated about the flip side of democracy. Under the ton ton macoutes, life
was simple. You step out of line and you receive a visit from the local
enforcers. They could make life very unpleasant for you in a very physical
way. That system has long been dismantled and nothing has really ever taken
its place. In order for democracy to function, a relatively high degree of
education must exist so that citizens can understand that what injures their
neighbor, injures themselves. The second thing that must exist to make it
work is a strong system of justice so that wayward citizens can quickly
understand that it really is to their benefit to treat their neighbor as they
would like to be treated. This flies in the face of every tenet of Voodou
theology. Haitians have had neither the benefit of civic responsibility
education nor have they the privilege of living under an efficient justice
system. Instead, they have been abused by a system that says with strength
and possessions come inalienable rights to do as you please to whom you
please. They see judges who receive their positions based upon family ties
or strength and possessions. They see the new police force as the latest
reincarnation of the macoutes. If there is something more basic against the
development of democracy in Haiti, then I have missed it. To discuss the
Haitian condition without discussing theology is like describing rain to
someone who has never been wet. Haitians are perhaps the most religious
people that one can meet. Everything is significant in a spiritual way. We
have lost our way in the US spiritually, because we want to isolate our
spiritual natures and make everything fact and science. Not only that, but
man must be in control and be the center of everything. "Don't talk to me
about God". We have much to learn from our Haitian brothers and sisters and
we have so much to offer them. They are generous to a fault, giving what
they do not have to give to the visitor or the stranger. We have lost the
sense of community that they have. However, we have something that they have
never had. We have a society that was founded on biblical values. If you
doubt that, look at a coin sometime. The Haitians are not debating whether
the ten commandments should go back in the school room. They never had them!
Without basing their society on biblical values, there will be no democracy
as we know it. We only need look at the Haitian political system to see the
future for America. They are way ahead of us in that respect. Just a few
more special interest groups and we will attain critical mass, politically.
Mr. Driver, nature will not permit a vacuum, and you can't argue with
gravity. Everything in this universe is winding down. God wrote the Bible
to tell us about His Son, Jesus Christ. The rest is all details