‘Life of Pi’ is a beautifully filmed fantasy adventure offering an allegory of the Story of Bermuda. Both accounts include storms. On December 2, 1977 our island experienced its most drastic emotional storm. The two stories point up that while conflict is normal, the key piece is how we regard “the other”.The movie centres on a young Indian boy growing into his teens as “other”, partially because of his odd name Piscine. Overcoming victimhood, he changed his name to “Pi”. Raised a Hindu, at the age of 14 he also began practicing both Islam and Christianity, “a quest to love God”.Pi’s family ran a small zoo in India but — when he turned 16 during a period of growing political/religious intolerance, they decided to emigrate to Canada on a freighter carrying some of the animals. Traversing the Pacific, the ship sank during a violent storm. The only survivors were Pi and a few animals, including a ferocious tiger.Life on our island began with a storm, sinking the Sea Venture. The travellers survived on “Life-boat Bermuda”. Our history includes a number of tales of conflict paralleling the movie.A key film-scene is the terrified teen alone with the tiger in a 30-foot boat. Pi’s challenged feelings are amplified by the guilt of being the only survivor. Overcoming victimhood, he eventually rigs up a small raft out of life-jackets, which he tethers to the boat an escape option. He notes that the Tiger is affected by sea sickness, so from his raft he purposely rocks the boat while blowing a whistle; thus gaining leverage over the cat. With patience and perseverance, Pi overcomes his fear of the Tiger and empowers himself.Bermuda’s earliest settlers were from Britain and subsequently included enslaved Africans who would have been captured during intertribal wars and sold off to European traders. One could imagine that initially they — like Pi would have been terrified with feelings of victimhood. However, as they faced their Tiger, with patience and perseverance, they eventually figured out how to “rock the boat”.By the early 19th Century people of colour had “built rafts” setting up Friendly Societies and addressing social needs. Some purchased their freedom years prior to Emancipation in 1834. In the 1860s, there was The Enterprise Story. In the 1940s, the labour movement led by Dr Gordon “rocked the boat” to effect social progress such as free primary schooling. In 1959 the Theatre Boycott “rocked the boat” to remove segregation.When Pi first found himself stranded in the boat with the tiger his feelings led him to think in terms of war — that is “win-lose”. At one point the tiger accidentally fell overboard, but Pi overcame his temptation to let him drown and gain a “win”, so he rigged up a ladder for the cat to climb back. Pi began to appreciate his own power, engaged the tiger and developed a sustainable relationship. He found “win-win” with mutual benefit.In the Bermuda story, for a number of reasons in the late 1960s, we began to lose the gift of patience and the resultant disempowerment led to things like riots. I was one who gave in to the temptation to seek a win-lose option when in August, 1970, I encouraged my Black Beret colleagues to challenge the British Government by burning the Union Jack near City Hall in protest of Britain resuming arms sales to South Africa. This was done without the patient campaigning needed to engage the tiger to attempt to effect a “win-win” outcome. This flag burning set off a domino effect, leading to a series of imprisonments and substantial conflict with the Police. It is alleged that this culminated with the murder of five people including Governor Sir Richard Sharples.As a result, Burrows and Tacklyn were sentenced to hang for their involvement in those murders. I had never met either Burrows or Tacklyn, but I learnt that they were “other” — much more so than Pi — without even any family network, so I organised a petition against their death sentences after returning from Howard University in 1974. We returned to something of a ‘win-win’ paradigm when I convinced Julian Hall — a prominent member of the UBP to join our small subcommittee which was linked to the PLP. In September 1977 I travelled to London to complete a postgraduate year, carrying a petition with some 14,000 signatures.Surprised by the November 25 announcement of the executions serendipitously, I received an urgent message to attend a meeting of members of the House of Lords. I immediately dashed down to nearby Westminster and when the butler at the door pointed out that persons with hats could not enter, I was taken aback, since being so busy, I had forgotten that I had plaited my afro and covered it with a woollen cap. However, he graciously offered up an excuse for me — if it “was for religious reasons” I could keep it on and I entered and avoided being ‘other’. As a result of the meeting with about four Lords, the entire Parliamentary Labour Party some 150 parliamentarians voted unanimously against the hangings and I was able to share this with Eugene Cox who happened to answer the phone at Alaska Hall. However, we know that their vote had no impact and the hangings proceeded and our Island experienced its worst two days of violence.Through this “win-lose” period of the 1970s, ten lives were lost, offering a lesson about the implications that flow. (I might say that Buck sent a message to [former Bermuda Government forts curator] Lance Furbert just prior to the execution that his life had been spiritually transformed — similar to Pi; that in turn has transformed Lance’s life since.)These stories offer us some important lessons today. We know that conflict is a norm, as humans are incredibly unique. For me the main takeaway is how we regard ourselves and those with whom we come into conflict. When Pi faced an extreme challenge, he empowered himself with the “win-win”, building a relationship that sustained himself and the tiger. December 2, 1977 would remind us that “win-lose” makes us all losers. While we all will make mistakes, you can see I was able to learn from my experience and rather than burning a flag in London in 1977, I was able to engage — looking for a win-win at Westminster. I do recall that as the day ended notwithstanding the fact that the executions had proceeded, my conscience was clear — I had done what I could.That’s all any of us are asked, to do what we can and then let go.We are facing another general election; we know the temptation to seek “win-lose”. However, at a time when we are challenged by a historically low economy and an unprecedented cycle of violence, our island would benefit if we have the courage to choose the “win-win” option. That choice would mean as we move forward we can look to build sustainable relationships across any divides, thus leveraging the potential of our whole community. Any example that demonstrates this can only positively impact those young people caught in their own “win-lose” trap, in the cycle of violence.Can you Imagine that?