IF any one word could be used to describe the widespread feeling in the community concerning the recent pay hikes for Bermuda's Members of Parliament, that word would not be "palatable."

Clearly, it remains true that in Bermuda the more things seem to change, the more they actually remain the same.

I can remember when the shoe was on the other foot, so to speak, when a Progressive Labour Party Opposition was in fervent opposition to pay hikes that were put forward by the then ruling United Bermuda Party Government ? so much so, that the PLP vowed they would not accept any such pay rises.

They were as good as their word, setting up a fund that saw monies from the new Parliamentary raise going to fund a PLP works programme for summer students. So far we have not heard what the now UBP Opposition will do with the recent Parliamentary raises they voted against.

Maybe they should do something similar to what the PLP did when it was in Opposition. Now that would be putting your money where your high political values are. It's still not too late to fund a summer programme for young people. The schools are not yet out for their summer break.

But, still, this would not in and of itself address the vehement community-wide opposition to the argument that Parliamentarians deserve a major raise in their pay.

A friend of mine recently suggested that I write about how Bermuda has changed from life as it was back in the day when you could leave your door open and go out for the day and come back and find things just as you left them.

Or the five o'clock traffic rush hour that actually only lasted from five to six in the evening. There seems to have been more of a sense of community back then. People had less but there was less stress and people seemed happier. There was none of this "He's got his and I am going to get mine" attitude that impacts on so many aspects of life in modern Bermuda. There was less of a pull towards materialism and people did for others without the expectation of getting something back in return.

If there was anything such as a housing crisis, it was largely mitigated by the fact that Bermuda had a smaller population. The mainstay of our economy was largely tourism and if we had anything that could be called international business, that industry had not yet reached the point where it needed to bring in more and more foreign workers (with the attendant impact on the housing market).

The then limited demands of the labour-intensive International Business sector had not yet begun to distort Bermuda's limited living space beyond all recognition.

Then, too, if you wanted to own a house and if loans were not forthcoming from the banks, you and your friends could build that house mostly after the day's work and especially on weekends. All you would need was a pot of food, plenty to drink, and before you knew it, often times before Christmas, the roof would be on.

THE funny thing about the generosity of your friends who helped build your house was that their time and labour were provided free. There was no envy among the gang or thoughts about why your friend should have a three- or four-bedroom house while you were stuck with two bedrooms or even renting. The only thing was that come Christmas time your friends were liable to turn up at your newly-installed door with the clear intent to eat you out of house and home and drink you dry.

The community as a whole did not labour under the "help yourself" mentality which is so prevalent today; rather, we were more likely to help others. A great example of this was provided by the fraternal Lodge Movement. The Lodges encouraged volunteerism and economic independence in the Bermudian community. The great institution of the Gift Club (or the Hand Club) grew out of the Lodge Movement as well as other vehicles that provided the values which used to hold the community together.

When you think of it, you learned to save through the Gift Club. People brought their exam gifts and buried their loved ones as a result of their involvement with the Lodge Movement. But, most importantly, the community learned to act together and on behalf of one another.

There was entirely a whole different mentality about one's self and your responsibility towards your community. I don't recall as a boy ever seeing anyone begging on the street as one's sense of pride was such that even if you were in need, you would not ask strangers for help.

BUT then the community's sense of altruism was so highly developed, that those in need in the community could always depend on a helping hand to be extended ? there was no need to beg because, at the very least, some individual or some organisation would provide a plate of food if you were hungry.

People reading this will wonder aloud if such an integrated and caring Bermudian society ever really existed. And those of us who grew up when this kinder, gentler Bermuda was a reality will wonder why did we let all of this disappear and if, in fact, we are really living in a better society today.

You might also wonder what, if anything, all of this has to do with the consternation surrounding the recent pay rises for Parliamentarians? Not that I am taking sides over whether the MPs should get a big raise or not, but I think Bermuda has lost its innocence in that once we did not place much value on what the next man had in terms of material wealth.

Today, though, "keeping up with the Joneses" isbig thing in the 21st-century Bermuda. In this materialistic society I am afraid the politics of envy now holds great sway and the unfortunate thing about it is that too many of us consider that this is the natural way to live.