Piety…to Trinidad and Tobago

There is a forgotten virtue that deserves a comeback. It holds our relationship towards God, our parents and our country together. Its name is piety.

When we hear that word, we probably think of a holy person with head bowed and rosary clutched, kneeling in a pew. But the virtue of piety originally had a much wider meaning and governs how we honour God, family, and country.

St Thomas Aquinas treats piety under the topic of justice, showing that piety has to do with what we owe other people, not how we feel about them.

In short, piety is the habit of giving what we owe to those who have given us life and sustained our life. God is the ultimate life giver and sustainer. Our parents also gave us life by conception and birth and continue to sustain that life by their love and care.

In a similar way, our country provides the things necessary for us to live good lives like land, food, water, electricity and belonging. So, God, parents, and country, in that order, deserve our devotion.

Have you ever wondered why people speak of their country as a ‘motherland’ or a ‘fatherland’? It’s because just as honouring our father and mother is a duty flowing from the gift of life they gave us and not just a rule, honouring our country is a duty of each citizen who knows that despite all the flaws of the nation, we receive so much from it.

In Trinidad & Tobago we enjoy free education and health care. They aren’t perfect systems, but could you imagine having to provide all of that for yourself?

Patriotism that doesn’t go beyond passionate feelings when we see a Trini sports team win a medal or see a Tobagonian actor on TV is not piety. Piety, in contrast, is not based on feelings but on the fact that we depend on our country for life.

Even a parent who fails to provide for their children deserves their respect. Similarly, even if we feel like our country has failed us, we must honour her by obeying her laws, being respectful when speaking about her, her leaders and those in authority. Even if the government were to fail us, we’d be indebted to the very land we stand on, which, in our case, is one beautiful, fertile, rich land.

When our parents age or fall ill, we step up and anticipate their needs. Our country now suffers from the illnesses of crime, infidelity, corruption, and greed and as good citizens, let’s step up and look for ways we can be the cure. You belong to your country, and your country belongs to you.

Let’s put piety into practice. Think of the ways your country has given you life. Be grateful for them. How can we fulfil the duty we owe to her in return? What is one action you can take during this season of national celebrations to bring life to your country? — Luke Walker, Seminarian