What if my six-year old son
developed cancer because I gave him food to eat? Then
wouldn’t it be wise not to feed him to prevent him from
getting cancer? On the other hand, wouldn’t it be inhumane
not to feed him? If I do not feed him, he will die. So
naturally I must take the risk of feeding him so he can
live. Why should I allow my fear of him getting cancer, of
which I have no proof, cause me not to give him food to
eat? Shouldn’t I just give him the food and let the future
deal with my “what ifs.” Feeding him is simply the natural
thing to do.
I am certain you are saying
that this illustration is absurd. Yes it is. And so are
many of our “what ifs” in life.
Do you realize that “what ifs”
can cripple you? Sometimes they are simply frivolous or
stupid. They freeze us in a position of nothingness or
allow us to become stagnated. What ifs can cripple a
relationship, family, and nation. What ifs can even cripple
a government.
So what is my point? Recently
the House passed four amendments to the Constitution of the
Commonwealth of the Bahamas. These amendments have been
approved by House and the Senate, and then will go to the
final stage of approval, a national referendum. These
amendments are dealing with citizenship in the
Constitution. It is seeking to remove all discrimination
and unfairness between male and female in the constitution
regarding citizenship. The national debates are stirring up
passionate discussions and many are construing “what if”
scenarios that have no foundation in themselves. They are
only what they are--“what ifs.”
For every law, policy, or
legislation, one can raise a million “what ifs” that can
stifle discussion and lead us down a path of
do-nothingness. That is the whole nature of “what
ifs”--They lead us nowhere. Too many are allowing the what
ifs to block an intelligent discussion and a noteworthy
decision in the end.
Here are the amendments in brief:
-
A child born
outside The Bahamas would become a Bahamian citizen
at birth if either its mother or father is a citizen
of The Bahamas by birth.
-
The foreign
spouse of a Bahamian citizen (male or female) would
be able to obtain citizenship subject to satisfying
existing national security and public policy
consideration and new provision guarding against
marriage of convenience.
-
A Bahamian
father of a child born out of wedlock would be able
to pass his citizenship to that child subject to
legal proof that he is the father.
-
It would be
unlawful to discriminate based on sex and sex would
be defined as meaning male or female.
Many are arguing that amendment
number four will open a can of worms and can lead to
same-sex marriage. That truth is that these concerns are
only what ifs. Honestly, we can have many what ifs on any
current or future law in The Bahamas. The amendments are
clear and simple. They deal with citizenship and
discrimination and it is really the equitable way to go.
Interestingly, The Bahamas is the only English-speaking
country in the Caribbean that has not passed these
amendments to the Constitution. A few of these countries
are noted to be homophobic but have still passed these
laws. Why? Because they realize these amendments are for
the greater good. They have less what ifs. To date, there
is no evidence that by passing any of these bills, they will
impact marriage.
It
is my view that the group of people who should support these
amendments fully are the Christians. Why! Because the
gospel is about freedom and equality. Do you realize that
if God had a “what if” when he created humans, He would not
have given us freedom of choice. God could have said:
“What if Adam and Eve decide not to love and obey me?”
Suppose God’s what if pushed Him to decide not to give
humans that freedom of choice? The good news is that He
did give us the freedom. He took the risk. If He did not
give us that freedom, we would have been miserable souls
today. Even though some do not choose Him that’s the risk
He took.
Many think that they are
protecting the future of our nation by believing that their
“what ifs” are real. Yes, while asking the appropriate
“what if” question can help us to be wise, often too many
what ifs reveal a state of fear of change which lock us into
the old, dark house of frustration and pain. While many
think that The Bahamas is so much more advanced than many of
our Caribbean nations, the shocking reality is that The
Bahamas is really behind most of the Caribbean countries in
our policies, divorce laws, gender equality issues, etc.
Remember fellow citizens, what
ifs blur the brightness of our future. What ifs can block
the sun rays of freedom. What ifs can send a dark cloud
over justice. What ifs can push us into a deep pit of
do-nothing-ness. Let us keep focused on the real
intention of these four bills—equality for both males and
females under the law. No matter how they are worded,
someone will have a what if. So let us remove the what ifs
and replace them with “we will do it” simply because it is
the right thing to do.
Barrington H. Brennen, MA, NCP, BCCP, is a marriage and
family therapist and board certified clinical
psychotherapist, USA. Send your questions or comments to barringtonbrennen@gmail.com or
write to P.O. Box CB-13019, Nassau, The Bahamas, or visit www.soencouragement.org
or call 242-327-1980 or 242-477-4002.
