Barbadians have been urged to reflect on the ???star??? they have been following, and where it is leading them.

In his 2015 Christmas Message, Prime Minister Freundel Stuart said the star, which the wise men saw, gave focus and direction to the journey they undertook in order to find and worship the Christ child.

Mr. Stuart stated: ???The star you follow daily should lead you ultimately to a place that brings you a sense of personal fulfilment. Only then can you partake of that peace on earth which the birth of Christ was intended to herald.

???I should like to suggest to you that following a star which sets you on a path of acquiring more, more, more, will not bring you that sense of personal fulfilment, which we all seek. There must be room in your vocabulary for the word ???enough???. What we acquire certainly answers the question, how we live from day to day; it does not answer the question, why we live from day to day. Life should have a purpose that links us both to the birth and to the life???s mission of the babe of Bethlehem.???

According to him, following a star which freed a person from responsibility as a parent, teacher or citizen would not bring that sense of personal fulfilment which was being sought. The Prime Minister said: ???As a parent you must accept full responsibility for your children to set the right example before them and to minister to their material, spiritual and emotional needs. That responsibility cannot and should not be off loaded on anyone else.

???As a teacher, yours is not just a job from which you can derive a salary, a promotion or a holiday. To you is entrusted for daily nurturing one of the most precious gifts any society can give: the mind of a child! The education of our children must not prepare them just for the market place. It must prepare them to cultivate respect for themselves and respect for others. It must enable them to fully realise their moral powers and their intellectual capacities. It must furnish them with a more secure hold on life with sources of lasting strength and inward happiness.???

Mr. Stuart reminded citizens that they were the daily face and image of their country. According to him, Barbados would be judged by the things that citizens do, the way they behaved and the discipline they exemplified.

???As we embark on our 50th Anniversary year, reflect on the kind of Barbadian you have been in your home, in your community and at your place of work, whether in Barbados or abroad and ask yourself, what star am I following and where is that star leading me????

sharon.austingill-moore@barbados.gov.bb

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