Dear Editor,
The Opposition Spokesman on Justice Senator A J Nicholson has said that Jamaica can save itself from the destructive effects of the global economic tsunami by embracing "a sense of community" and "togetherness" with good "captaincy" in piloting the ship of Jamaica through the current economic storm.

I agree to the extent that this "sense of community" is driven by the ethic of love. It seems, though, that a few among us on this planet are bent on hoarding the world's wealth at the expense of the many. I submit that we can "save" ourselves only by looking beyond ourselves. We should look to the ethics of Jesus.

One of the integral aspects of such ethical considerations is the ethic of agapaic love; that is, love for God (spirituality), love for neighbour (community) and love for self (individuality). No one influenced by this ethic would sacrifice the very existence of his human brother to the self-serving profit motive. The reality is that many of the people who run the multinational conglomerates do not even consider most of the world's poor as their "brothers" and "sisters". To them "community" is significant in so far as it enriches them. Their spirituality is woefully non-existent and their individuality the god of their lives.They are filled with the spirit of Cain that rejects the eternal significance of brotherhood. They do not see themselves as their brothers' keepers, if indeed they recognise the commonality of the humanity of all.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's recent call for interfaith dialogue as a segment of the new world order in the midst of the global economic downturn is significant. Indeed, the politics of interfaith dialogue is obviously a necessity in terms of the reduction of religion-propelled bigotry and international terrorism that has, at times, had a large-scale negative ripple effect on the world. However, I go further than Brown in calling the people of the world to the ethic of agapaic love that is enfleshed by Jesus and reflected most of the time in the Christian community.

If this ethic of love that champions a healthy balance between spirituality, community, and individuality does not pervade the human race, there is no escaping the large-scale destruction that would envelop this fine planet we call earth. Bob Marley understood this when he called for "one love" in the world. That call is as relevant and urgent today as ever because there is "so much trouble in the world". I trust that the humanity of the money-hungry speculators among us would contribute to their heeding the call of Jesus and Bob Marley for the demonstration of love in the world.

Earlmont Williams
e-pastor@live.com

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