Home Letters Do we believe in our National Motto: One People, One Nation, One...
Dear Editor,
As I ponder on the meaning of our National Motto: One People, One Nation, One Destiny, I also wonder about the inspired soul who came up with our National Motto. This inspired soul saw the need to unite our people, the people of Guyana, to forge a Guyanese Nation.
ONE PEOPLE, ONE NATION, ONE DESTINY: what does it mean?
One People: we are a people of six races, and we identify as such. I myself identify as an Indo-Guyanese, but, as time goes by, my National Identity (Guyanese) is taking precedence over being Indo-Guyanese. Such a shift happened earlier for many people, and I applaud them. This is not to say that I am not Indo-Guyanese, but rather to say that I am starting to truly believe in the Guyanese Nation.
One Nation: a Nation is a group of people/s. Can we truly be One Nation, having been brought together from various parts of the world? The Americans (although not perfect) did it; they forged a nation after fighting a bitter civil war. The potential is there for us to be One Nation. It seems as if in times of crisis we can come together and be united as One Nation. Can this unity continue in times of no national crisis?
One Destiny: As a group of people/s brought together into One Nation, we share a common destiny. Yes, at times we all get despondent and question if we do indeed have a shared destiny. An analogy would be to think of our country as a small boat. IF everyone rows in the same direction, we can make rapid progress, as we would not be working against each other’s efforts. We can indeed work together for our shared destiny.
ONE PEOPLE, ONE NATION, ONE DESTINY. What does it mean to you?
Sincerely,
Sean Ori