As soon as the bucket was full, the cow kicked it down with her left foot; so I tied up her left foot to a pole.

I began to fill up the bucket again, and she kicked it down with her right foot; so I tied her right foot to a pole too.

As soon as I finished milkin' her again, she knocked down the bucket with her tail, and I took off my belt and tied up her tail with my belt.

As I was tying up her tail, my pants dropped down, then my wife came out and well, “trusts me, some things you just can't explain!”….

Mr. President, Administration, Faculty and Staff of the College of The Bahamas, Distinguished Guests, Family Members, Friends, Well Wishers, and Graduates… Good evening to all…

I agree with the farmer; there are some things that cannot be explained; I cannot explain why I was chosen over the other persons who were nominated for this auspicious task, but…..on another note….

“As the cow (not the one that kicked over the buckets of milk) said to the farmer on a cold day…thank you for the warm hand!”

Before I commence my remarks, I have two disclaimers to make.

Firstly, I am not running for public office in the 2017 election season…therefore, I am not seeking your vote; so I can speak to you and the graduates plainly and sincerely from the very depths of my heart, as I have no hidden agenda.

Secondly, I am not a religious zealot who is attempting to convince you to change your religious beliefs; BUT I can speak truth to the power of God who moves in my life…

Having said that…

I have several kernels of knowledge and wisdom that I want to leave with ALL of you but particularly the graduates.

1. Recognize the Power of God in Your Life

Indeed, as Manny Pacquiao, who lost the fight “The Fight of the Century" to Floyd Mayweather, said something that was significant and fundamental. He said,

"I want let people know that there is (a) God who can raise someone from nothing. And that's me. I came from nothing into something, and I owe everything to God. He gave me this blessing. It's all (a) credit to the Lord."

Graduates, let there be no doubt in your minds about the fact that all that you are; and all that you hope to be are because you were raised up from nothing into something by a Triune God who has the capacity and the ultimate power to raise you up from nothing to something.

He has blessed you….and He and He alone deserves ALL the credit.

None of you (or us) can escape the responsibility that God has ordained for you (or us).

Ludwig von Mises who was a philosopher, Austrian School economist, sociologist, and classical liberal once said,

"Everyone carries a part of society on his shoulders; no one is relieved of his share of responsibility by others. And no one can find a safe way out for himself if society is sweeping toward destruction. Therefore, everyone, in his own interests, must thrust himself vigorously into the intellectual battle. None can stand aside with unconcern; the interest of everyone hangs on the result. Whether he chooses or not, every man is drawn into the great historical struggle, the decisive battle into which our epoch has plunged us."

The quotation by Ludwig von Mises provides an excellent segue to the theme for tonight’s convocation and graduation ceremony: TRANSFORMING the Nation, IMPACTING the World.

2. The Acquisition of Learning and Wisdom

YOUR theme suggests that if you the graduates appropriately use the education that you have acquired, while at the College of The Bahamas, you will be major contributors to the TRANSFORMATION of The Bahamas.

AND as a consequence of that TRANSFORMATION, YOU will, by your example, encourage ALL of us to become willing participants in the noble cause of IMPACTING the world….

TRANSFORMING the nation; IMPACTING the world will be successfully achieved if YOUR education becomes the identical twin of wisdom.

Therefore, wisdom must be an integral ingredient in your application of what you have learned, while in attendance, at the College of The Bahamas.

As you celebrate all that you have learned at the College of The Bahamas, celebrate the fact that the next step along life’s journey will be the acquisition of wisdom.

Wisdom and learning, as a combination, are better than riches.

When YOU impact the world, in the words of Michael Jackson, the King of pop music, YOU will,

“Heal The World

Make It A Better Place

For You And For Me

And The Entire Human Race

There Are People Dying

If You Care Enough

For The Living

Make A Better Place

For You And For Me”

Indeed, it is an enormous undertaking…..BUT I SINCERELY believe that YOU and ALL of us are equal to the challenge….of healing the world and making it a better place…

However, the essential question is: Do you believe that you are equal to the challenge?

YOU MUST believe that YOU are equal to the challenge, because undoubtedly, these are no ordinary times in which Bahamians are living.

Being equal to the challenge of TRANSFORMING the nation and IMPACTING the world calls for and requires NEW generation of Bahamians…

Graduates you are the NEW Bahamians!

AND if YOU think YOU are not YOU MUST THINK AGAIN!

It is appropriate, at this juncture, to raise two essential questions,

If not you, who? And if not now, when?

There needs be no equivocation!

The answer is clear; you the graduates are the NEW Bahamians, AND YOU MUST build the NEW Bahamas that will TRANSFORM the nation and IMPACT the world!

Whether YOU like it or not, YOU WILL HAVE to take up the mantle of being the NEW Bahamians because, as Steve Jobs, said,

“Your time is limited, so do not waste it living someone else’s life.”

By virtue of the education that you have received at the College of The Bahamas, you MUST take up and wear the mantle of the NEW Bahamians…

3. Leadership

THE TIME IS NOW! The time is now for what? and why? You may ask!

THE TIME IS NOW for a NEW approach to leadership! Confidence and belief in the leadership of those who lead institutionally, religiously, and politically have been shaken and eroded at its very core.

Bahamians, therefore, are a people, who are in a quandary, with respect to who can they trust to lead them….

Now that we have come to this point, we MUST speak to an essential requirement of being the NEW Bahamian. In so doing, the essential questions is: Who will lead THIS nation into its TRANSFORMATIVE stage and thus IMPACT the world?

YOU represent the future of LEADERSHIP in the NEW Bahamas…

YOU are, whether YOU like it or not, the NEW Bahamians….

AND therefore, YOU MUST represent a NEW breed of LEADERSHIP that will restore and ensure a NEW sense of trust, confidence, and belief in this venerable institution without which the Bahamian people CANNOT succeed in their efforts to TRANSFORM the nation and IMPACT the world!

To paraphrase Esther 4:14:

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the [Bahamian] people will arise from another place, but you and your [father’s] family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to this point in your life for such a time as this?”

Graduates, you have, by your dedication and diligence, prepared yourselves for such a time as this!

4. The Power of Persistence and Preparation

To illustrate the power of persistence and preparation, I want to recognize and introduce a young man who, in my opinion, qualifies as a NEW Bahamian; and who is prepared to take up and wear the mantle of leadership in the NEW Bahamas.

This young Bahamian male personifies what the power of persistence and preparation can do.

This young man is one who truly came up the rough side of the mountain.

This young man was born in New Providence and was a Social Service Baby.

Social Service placed him in the care of his paternal grandmother due to the inability of his mother and father to care for him.

He spent about eight months in the care of his paternal grandmother.

His paternal grandmother, because of her work schedule, gave him to her mother (his great grandmother) and his great grand aunt who both lived in High Rock, Grand Bahama.

His great grandmother became his protector-in-chief.

As a young child, he attended the High Rock Primary School.

Life, for this young man, was difficult at best.

While he was in the 5th Grade, his world came crashing down on him; his protector-in-chief died.

Upon the death of his protector-in-chief, his grand aunt became his caregiver.

Despite the devastation brought on by his great grandmother’s death, he continued his quest for education.

Upon leaving High Rock Primary school, he matriculated to the Jack Hayward High School.

He recalled that only once in his life, while he was at Jack Hayward High School, did anyone think it important enough to collect his report card.

That blessed and singular event occurred while he was in 7th Grade.

While at Jack Hayward High School, in order to sustain himself, he enrolled (himself) in the Ministry of Education’s Lunch Program.

He describes his years at Jack Hayward High School as being among the worst years of his life….

BUT the quest for education continued unabated.

He eventually went to live with a cousin in Freeport; but he later moved back to High Rock and was living on his own in his great grandmother’s abandoned house.

He later moved to Freeport to live with an aunt and her family…according to this young man, he must have changed residences at least NINE times in his quest for stability in his pursuit of an education.

Upon graduation from Jack Hayward High School, he was “called to the table” by his uncle-in-law and told that he and his wife had done as much as they could for him, and that he had to find some other place to live.

Another cousin took him in and encouraged him to enroll in the College of The Bahamas Northern Campus. He spent one year at the Northern Campus before transferring to the Main Campus of the College of The Bahamas in Nassau.

After living with an uncle, who was unable to take in his older brother, who had fallen on hard times, he moved out during his senior year at the Main Campus of the College of The Bahamas; and took up residence in an abandoned building, with his brother, so that he could take care of him.

Suffice it to say, this young man lived under untenable conditions; because words are inadequate to describe the conditions under which he and his brother lived…

However, he was resolute in his persistence to obtain an education and take care of his brother.

After four years at the Main Campus of the College of The Bahamas in Nassau, this young man graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree (2007).

He went on to Florida International University, where after monumental struggles, he was awarded his Master’s Degree (2008), and a Doctorate in Education (2015).

According to this young man, because he pursued God’s purpose, through the goodness of people and countless scholarships, he was able to pay for every dime of the over $220,000, which represented the cost of his education.

I recently had a conversation with this young man. He told me that he appreciated me for believing in him.

I responded by telling him that I had always believed in him from the first day I met him.

I told him that I believed in him during those years when I had lost contact with him. His response was classic.

He thanked me and said, “Well, during those times the seed you sowed continued to produce after its kind.”

Today, this young man is the author of From Brokenness to Breakthrough and Blessings; he has served as a Sr. Curriculum/ Grant Specialist; a high school Science Teacher; he is the President/CEO T.C. CLIC Enterprise; and a Lecturer in Science Education at The College of The Bahamas.

Please stand Dr. Teo Cooper!

Dr. Teo Cooper is a young man who has prepared himself, through the power of persistence, preparation, and deep and abiding faith in God, to take his place among the ranks of the NEW Bahamians in the NEW Bahamas…

Graduates, you have heard Dr. Cooper’s story. ARE you prepared to take on and wear the mantle of the NEW Bahamian to LEAD and TRANSFORM The Bahamas; and by so doing IMPACT the world?

Graduate, as NEW Bahamians in the NEW Bahamas, you must be prepared to sow seeds into the lives of others; so that those seeds will propagate and continue to “produce after its kind” in the NEW Bahamas.

GRADUATES, if you are prepared to be the NEW Bahamians, then YOU MUST believe as Ludwig von Mises said:

"Everyone carries a part of society on his shoulders; no one is relieved of his share of responsibility by others. And no one can find a safe way out for himself if society is sweeping toward destruction. Therefore, everyone, in his own interests, must thrust himself vigorously into the intellectual battle. None can stand aside with unconcern; the interest of everyone hangs on the result. Whether he chooses or not, every man is drawn into the great historical struggle, the decisive battle into which our epoch has plunged us."

IF you believe this, and IF you are prepared to act in accordance with its true meaning, then, you are truly the NEW Bahamians.

IF you believe, and IF you are prepared, then you have passed the first test of being that NEW Bahamian for whom BAHAMIANS, in the NEW Bahamas, are searching….

Let there be no doubt, then, that YOU…are the NEW Bahamians!

As you travel to and through this brave NEW Bahamas toward which YOU are traveling and that YOU will create, what are the requirements for YOUR journey and YOUR arrival to YOUR destination?

There are SEVERAL other essential requirements that I will put forward for YOUR consideration as YOU chart YOUR course as the NEW Bahamian in a NEW Bahamas…the nation you will TRANSFORM and by extension IMPACT the world.

5. Avoid Circling the Wagons

As the NEW Bahamians, YOU MUST not get into the habit and practice of “circling the wagons.”

The term comes from the old west where the pioneers would circle their wagons for protection from the Indians.

The true meaning of “Circling the wagons” usually suggests that a group of people have to work together to protect themselves from some kind of external danger.

In the OLD Bahamas, the art of “circling the wagons” has been developed into an art form.

It is used today to stop communicating with people not in your group to avoid their ideas or beliefs.

In the OLD Bahamas, there is a tendency to “circle the wagons” no matter the cost to us and The Bahamas.

We even try to “circle” that which is impossible to be “circled.”

“Circling the wagons,” in this regard, is counterproductive to TRANSFORMING the Nation and IMPACTING the World.

If YOU are the NEW Bahamian, in word, truth, and in deed, YOU MUST discourage the practice of “circling the wagons,” which, according to the New Testament, is "something dedicated to evil and thus accursed."

In this regard, I encourage you, the NEW Bahamians to be the practitioners of INCLUSION, which is the antithesis of the modern day practice of “circling the wagons”…

It is one of the ways in which YOU, as NEW Bahamians, will succeed as you journey to and arrive at YOUR destination in the NEW Bahamas…

INCLUSION is ONE of the vehicles and approaches that will prepare YOU for TRANSFORMING of the nation and thus IMPACTING the world!

As the NEW Bahamians, YOU must work assiduously to change the status quo with respect to “circling the wagon,” which leads to EXCLUSION.

6. Divest Yourself of All Unnecessary Baggage

As the NEW Bahamians, YOU MUST be prepared to recognize, as Patrick Lindsay in his book Now Is The Time eloquently puts it,

“Yesterday’s baggage becomes tomorrow’s worries, imprisoning (our) your minds and hearts today. Now is the time–the best time, the only time –to change your attitude and take that first step toward freedom from the cage of your own making.”

Several weeks ago, I was having lunch with a dear friend. We conversed about many things, including the state of affairs in The Bahamas; the negative treatment; and the many disappointments that I had experienced in my lifetime.

My friend, with tears rolling down his cheeks, wanted to know how was it, that I was able to transcend the negative treatment and the many disappointments that I had experienced in my lifetime.

My first response was that the positive treatments and experiences had far outweighed the negative treatments and disappointments.

Secondly, the negative treatments and disappointments were used as life lessons. In essence, when life gave me lemons, I made “switcha.”

Thirdly and more importantly, the overall solution was simple and to the point; and was capsuled in the words of Tom Brokaw, author of six bestselling books, former White House correspondent for NBC News, and former anchor and editor of NBC Nightly News, in his book A Lucky Life Interrupted: A Memoir of Hope.

He wrote,

“In February 2013, I turned seventy-three, or more accurately, blew through the birthday, ignoring the actuarial truths that I was now in the mortality zone defined by age.”

While I am not at the age of which Tom Brokaw spoke, God willing, 16th September, 2016 will mark my 70th birthday…the age promised, to ALL of us, by God to accomplish the purpose that He has ordained for our lives.

As I told my dear friend, in the final answer to his question, I have too much to accomplish within a year and three months.

Therefore, I have no time to waste thinking about those persons who have tried and continue to try to “break my stride” in an attempt to prevent me from fulfilling God’s ordained purpose for my life!

I have decided to divest myself of the baggage that the actions of others have tried to visit upon my life.

Graduates before embarking on the arduous task of TRANSFORMING the nation and IMPACTING the world, YOU must divest yourselves of ALL excess baggage that will impede your efforts to fulfill the purpose ordained by God for your lives.

7. Be Prepared to Take Risks

I challenge you to be prepared take risks. This means being ready to leave your comfort zones and take a chance!

It is in this way, the bridges in the NEW Bahamas will connect ALL of the citizenry…

Thus making it possible to reach out to ALL; so that the NEW Bahamas will be a place where ALL will be involved in TRANSFORMING the Nation, and IMPACTING the world!

Eileen Guder, who compliments Ludwig von Mises had it right when she wrote,

“You can live on bland food so as to avoid an ulcer, drink no tea, coffee or other stimulants in the name of health, go to bed early, stay away from night life, avoid all controversial subjects so as never to give offense, mind your own business, avoid involvement in other people’s problems, spend money only on necessities and save all you can. You can still break your neck in the bath tub, and it will serve you right!”

BUT you see, graduates, Frank Scully correctly summarized and framed the dilemma you will face as NEW Bahamians.

He posed the questions,

“Why not go out on a limb? Isn’t that where the fruit is?”

If YOU want to make a difference, YOU must go out “on the limb where the fruit is!”

Indeed, the Latin Proverb: Audentes fortuna juvat: “Fortune favours the bold” MUST be the NEW motto of the NEW Bahamian! Yes, GRADUATES, you have to be bold.

Graduates as the NEW Bahamians, YOU will need a stout heart; intestinal fortitude; and strong knees that will not buckle in the face of adversity and threats from without and within.

8. Believe in and Practice the Power of One

GRADUATES believe with all your heart and soul in the power of ONE!

You can exhibit or manifest the power of ONE in two ways: as a group or as an individual.

One of the most powerful lessons that I learned as a doctoral learner and a doctoral candidate in the School of Advanced Studies at the University of Phoenix is the power of one.

As NEW Bahamians, you must subscribe to the power of like-minded, focused, prepared, and passionate professionals uniting as one to solve the immense problems that confront THIS nation.

YES, YOU be prepared to represent the NEW likeminded, focused, prepared, and passionate professionals who will unite as one to WORK assiduously to solve the myriad problems facing our beloved homeland.

It was clear that the crises facing The Bahamas are too many for any individual or group to solve alone.

However, when YOU join forces and unify your gifts, talents, experience, and expertise to work collaboratively, YOU will make tremendous progress towards accomplishing your goals and resolving the problems confronting this nation.

When individual goals are met, it is a surety that the national goals of The Bahamas will be met also; it is a guarantee that the problems confronting this nation will be resolved.

In the Conclusion of his book Walden, Thoreau writes,

"If a man loses pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured, or far away."

Thoreau meant that sometimes one should do things in one's own way regardless of societal norms and expectations.

There will be those times when each of you MUST step to the tune of the “music” which you hear “however measured,” or far away. When those times are upon you, remember: Life is not for the faint of heart.

9. Open the Lines of Communication

James Baldwin, in his book, Notes of a Native Son wrote, in part,

“It seems typical in America, where opportunities, real and fancied, are thicker than anywhere else on the globe, that the second generation has no time to speak to the first.”

It would appear to me, that James Baldwin, even though, he was writing about America in 1955, was writing of The Bahamas today.

There has been a serious disconnect between the generations in the modern Bahamas. To the extent that this disconnect…this chasm has been created between the generations, the real culture, history, and true heritage of Bahamians is becoming extinct.

The challenge to YOU graduates as the NEW Bahamians in the NEW Bahamas, is to open NEW lines and FORMS of communication and dialogue between and among the generations…

By so doing, the rich and diverse culture, history, and heritage of The Bahamas will be TOLD and PRESERVED for ALL Bahamians including the generations yet unborn.

I believe, and I will say without fear of contradiction that much of the social decay that is being experienced in the Modern Bahamas is due, in part, to the erosion and the loss of the true, true Bahamian identity, which resides in our rich and diverse culture, history, and heritage.

It is my considered, professional, and unmitigated opinion that unless and until YOU the NEW Bahamians recognizes that our true culture, history, and heritage cannot be found in Bob Marley, Rastafarianism, BoboShantism or any of the foreign cultures to which we are exposed until there is a profound appreciation of that which is truly and uniquely Bahamian.

Graduates, as the NEW Bahamians, your task is to go back to the places where your parents, grandparents, great, great grandparents were born and raised.

Upon your arrival upon those hallowed grounds, open the dialogue with those who remain from the generations before you; begin to record how they tilled the soil and lived off the land, fished the seas, entertained themselves, produced music; practiced the fine art of being neighbourly; gave birth to and educated their children; traveled when there were no automobiles; built and moved their homes from one locale to the next….took care of the sick and dying; looked after the elderly; how problems were solved; and how civility was the order the day.

Yes, let them tell you how they interacted with and treated each other before the establishment of party politics.

This is fundamental to the creation and sustaining the NEW Bahamians and the NEW Bahamas

Then, and only then will you know who you are; and as a result you will be in a position to teach the NEW generations of Bahamians to know and appreciate who they are.

By so doing, you will not only be able to take your places as the NEW Bahamians who will TRANSFORM The Bahamas and IMPACT The World; BUT you will empower the NEW Bahamians of the future in their efforts to follow your leadership and example!

10. Encourage and Promote the Practice of Civility

Graduates, I mentioned earlier how civility was the order of the day in The Bahamas of yesteryear.

While all of the fore-mentioned points raised are important, permit me to share with you the thoughts of Professor P. M. Forni, in his book “Choosing Civility,” offers some sage advice with respect to civility.

He said,

“To learn how to be happy, we must learn how to live with others and civility is a key to that…”

Graduates, as you assume your roles as the NEW Bahamian; as you begin in earnest to search for the authentic Bahamian way of life, YOU must encourage and promote the return of civility in the NEW Bahamas.

There must be a concerted effort to dispel the notion that it is alright to continue to propagate the present culture of rudeness.

This rudeness is spawned by negative attitudes that have pervaded and engulfed the present Bahamian society. By encouraging and promoting civility, YOU will enhance the appreciation for and the promotion of the authentic Bahamian way of life.

When I began, I told you that Ludwig von Mises said,

"Everyone carries a part of society on his shoulders; no one is relieved of his share of responsibility by others. And no one can find a safe way out for himself if society is sweeping toward destruction. Therefore, everyone, in his own interests, must thrust himself vigorously into the intellectual battle. None can stand aside with unconcern; the interest of everyone hangs on the result. Whether he chooses or not, every man is drawn into the great historical struggle, the decisive battle into which our epoch has plunged us."

Conclusion

Always remember the words of Maya Angelou,

“A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer; it sings because it has a song.”

Translated, Maya Angelou is telling you graduates, that each of you that we salute tonight, literally, in some cases, has a song.

For some of you, it is a talent or a drive or a passion that you MUST share in order to TRANSFORM the nation and IMPACT the world.

I, therefore, encourage each of you to “sing” not because you have the “answer,” but “sing” as long as you have something to offer the nation and the world!

The NEW Bahamas needs YOU… The NEW Bahamas is within YOUR grasp…just beyond the horizon.

To reach the NEW Bahamas demands that YOU take up and wear the mantle of leadership and lead us there!

As I prepare to leave you, graduates, YOU have the capacity and the responsibility that requires …nay demands that YOU must not shirk YOUR duty…The NEW Bahamas awaits you!

May the Triune God bless your efforts as you commit to becoming the NEW Bahamian who will TRANSFORM THIS nation and IMPACT the world!

Mr. President, Administration, Faculty and Staff of the College of The Bahamas, Distinguished Guests, Family Members, Friends, Well Wishers, and Graduates thank you, for affording me the opportunity to share with you tonight.