Dear Editor,
I strongly condemn the string of violent terror attacks in Germany over the past weekend. I stand in solidarity with the victims’ families and friends. Every life is special and unique in the eyes of God, be it you’re black, white, mulatto, Christian, Muslim, Jew, atheist, rich or poor, straight or gay, Conservative or Liberal, Right or Left, Blue, Green, Red or White.
One life taken is too many. There is no excuse to open fire on innocent men and women; neither is there to place explosives on oneself and detonate in a crowded area. There is no excuse to use a machete as a weapon of choice to slay an innocent woman, pregnant with an unborn child. There is no excuse to take another’s life. Hatred around the globe has grown to an all-time high, and as a result innocent lives are being lost and families are being destroyed. We have become an unsafe world filled with hatred at every corner. This needs to be reversed; it must be reversed. We need to stop the venom of hate that is destroying our communities and families, and we have to start the healing so we can move on to live and let live.
On St. Maarten, believe it or not, we may be just 37 square miles of green hills with blue water surrounding our island. We may have serious economic problems and social issues that need attention. We may not have the best electricity company or the greatest politicians, with a crime rate at an unacceptable level. However, we are a perfect and prime example of different cultures, different religions, different races and different lifestyles living together as one in peace.
We have a Dutch side and a French side. We have residents and visitors from as far as the Orient and Australia, and as close as our neighbours across the border living together. We share moments together on New Year’s Eve. We compete and party together at events like Heineken Regatta. We drink, eat and experience life during our Carnival celebration/season.
We work hard together and help our neighbours during the Hurricane Season and times of natural disasters. During tragedy, we mourn and pray together. We argue politics and then turn around and laugh together.
Make no mistake about it, we are a unique island, unmatched when it comes to diversity yet being able to live in harmony. I pray that it remains that way. Let us be the little island the big countries can learn a lesson or two from, on how to live together.
Together on St. Maarten, We can lift up the World.
Armand Meda
