Dear Editor,
It was reported that Minister Robeson Benn said: America “is not heaven and earth; Guyana is heaven and earth” (Demerara Waves, April 24).
I strongly but respectfully disagree with the minister. However, I can see why the minister feels that way. He lived all his life in Guyana so he doesn’t know America. He lived a privileged life in Guyana. He had connections and still does to the most powerful and political men in Guyana. He wants for nothing. If I lived the lifestyle he lived in Guyana with all the privileges he has, I would feel the same way about America. And I too would say that America is not heaven and earth. He was and still is a big fish in a small country.
Unlike the minister who lived a privileged life, my life was far from privileged. It was always a struggle from birth to adulthood. No family connections to the political leaders or powerful men. No father. No money. No food. No education. School dropout. No hope. No future. Except for a life destined for prison. Destined to failure. Having experienced this life, I could not say that Guyana is heaven and earth as much as I love this country.
But I can say after living decades in America, it’s one of the countries that is closest to experiencing heaven and earth. I realize that not everyone including many Americans and immigrants feel the same. In fact, many of my friends and family disagree with me. They didn’t have a good experience living in America. But I did.
I was a teenager when I went to America, and I never expected to succeed. I never expected to finish high school. I never expected to go to the university and to graduate with a master’s degree. I never expected to have a successful career in the American’s military. I never expected to serve in three wars. I never expected to become somebody.
All my life in Guyana I was a nobody. I was a treated like a junkie. I never expected to amount to anything. The odds were stacked against me coming from a dysfunctional family, home and growing up in a dysfunctional community, Albouystown.
No minister, America is not heaven and earth for you, but it’s heaven and earth for yours truly from the slums of Guyana.
Today, as I look back over my life, I can truly say that I am a testimony of how America can transform the life of a child destined to failure to a life of success. And you know what minister, I never expected that. So please don’t be upset with me because I believe America is heaven and earth.
Editor, having repatriated, every day, I see my friends and family who were left behind in Guyana, and I feel sorry for them. Their lives have gone nowhere. They’ve become alcoholics and drug addicts.
And I know but for the grace of God, there goes I. Tell me, minister, how could I not say that America is heaven and earth?
America is not flawless. America has come a long way since Jim Crow and yes America has a long way to go to end racism. But despite its shortcomings, it’s still the greatest country on earth. If you don’t believe me, ask the Guyanese diaspora in America why they choose to live in America and they will tell you that it’s the greatest country on earth and it’s the closest to heaven and earth.
Yours faithfully,
Anthony Pantlitz
