Together We Rise: Confronting the Culture of Division.

Together We Rise: Confronting the Culture of Division.

By Garfield Joseph

There’s a saying that “many hands make light work,” yet in Antigua and Barbuda, and even among our diaspora in places like New York, Florida and Georgia, we often find ourselves working in silos—distrustful, divided, and disengaged from one another. Meanwhile, we watch as other nationalities—Jamaicans, Guyanese, Dominicans—come together, support each other’s businesses, and build thriving communities both at home and abroad. Why is it so hard for us to do the same?

This article is not about blame. It’s about reflection. It’s about understanding the motivations behind our behaviours—both positive and negative—and choosing a better path forward.

The Heart of the Matter

The Bible tells us in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” This verse speaks to the root of many of our struggles. Our behaviours—how we treat one another, how we speak about each other, how we support or sabotage—are often driven by the condition of our hearts.

We forget the biblical imperative found in Matthew 7:12: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Instead of lifting each other up, we tear each other down. Instead of celebrating each other’s successes, we criticize, gossip, and complain.

Understanding Behaviour: Positive vs. Negative

Positive behaviour is any action that builds up, encourages, and promotes unity. It includes:

• Offering constructive feedback
• Respecting others’ opinions
• Supporting local businesses
• Giving credit where it’s due (“giving Jack his jacket”)
• Collaborating rather than competing

These behaviours are essential in every area of life—at work, at home, at church, and even at play. They lead to harmony, productivity, and mutual respect.

Negative behaviour, on the other hand, is destructive. It includes:

• Criticizing without cause
• Complaining without offering solutions
• Cheating, lying, and gossiping
• Disrespecting others
• Sabotaging others’ efforts

Then there’s passive-aggressive behaviour—perhaps the most dangerous of all. It wears the mask of positivity but hides malicious intent. It’s the smile in your face followed by slander behind your back. We’ve all experienced it. Some of us have even practiced it.

The Brain Drain: A Loss of Trust

Many of our brightest minds go abroad to study, full of hope and ambition to return to contribute to their country’s development. But far too often, they choose not to return—not because they don’t love their country, but because they fear rejection, jealousy, and sabotage from their own people. They worry that their ideas will be dismissed, their efforts undermined, and their character attacked.

Ironically, these same individuals flourish abroad in even more competitive environments. Their talents are recognized, their skills are valued, and their contributions are celebrated. What others see as assets, we too often treat as threats.

The Politics of Division

We must also confront the toxic culture of political division and character assassination. Too many are motivated to publish the worst stories about people and our beloved country, not realizing—or not caring—about the damage done to individuals and to our national image. We must ask ourselves: to what end?

Political rivalry should never come at the expense of national unity. We can disagree without being destructive. We can critique without condemning. We can hold each other accountable without tearing each other apart.

A Better Way Forward

The good news, we don’t have to follow this playbook of division. We can choose our attitudes. We can manage our behaviours. We can decide to build up rather than to tear down.

And here is the biblical indicative found in Galatians 6:7, “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” That is to say their time will come, for better or for worse, according to their deeds.  Somethings are better left in the hands of the almighty.

The moral imperative is clear: choose the good path. Let us take inspiration from our national anthem: “Each endeavouring, all achieving.”  This is not just a poetic line—it’s a call to action. It’s a vision of what we can become if we work together.

A Word to the Diaspora

To our brothers and sisters living abroad—in Brooklyn, in the Bronx, in Atlanta—we see the same patterns. While other Caribbean communities rally around their own, we often fail to support each other. We open businesses and expect strangers to support us, while our own people walk past without a second glance.

Let’s change that. Let’s be intentional about supporting Antiguan and Barbudan businesses, initiatives, and dreams—whether we’re at home or abroad.

Conclusion: Answering Duty’s Call

We are a small nation with a big heart. But we must guard that heart. We must choose to act with kindness, integrity, and unity. Let us create a culture of lifting up rather than tearing down. Let us be known not for our divisions, but for our solidarity.

Let us answer duty’s call—not just in words, but in action. Let us live out the anthem we sing with pride: “Raise the standard! Raise it boldly! Answer now to duty’s call.”

The choice is ours. Let’s begin today.

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