This newspaper's decision to publish a photograph of Filipino residents dancing in the Bermuda Day Parade on May 24 week prompted the kind of debate that one would usually expect for many weightier matters.

That suggests that Bermuda is no closer to determining exactly what its culture is or how it should celebrate its diversity.

Some people felt the Parade should be reserved for "Bermudian-only" dancers and floats. Others accepted the presence of the Filipinos and other nationalities, but felt they did not deserve front page treatment over "Bermudians".

Still, it's not a debate if only one side of the argument is heard and many other people either called the radio talk shows or wrote letters to the Editor defending the right of Filipinos and other nationalities to take part in the parade — and to win prizes and be recognised.

It has also been suggested that the Bermuda Day Parade had its roots in the Pitt Commission Report that recognised that Bermuda did not have a public holiday when it could come together to celebrate what Bermuda is all about.

Of course, just what that is is open to interpretation and it should be recognised that any country's culture constantly changes, even without influxes of people from elsewhere.

When new cultures and nationalities are added to the mix, it is certain that the culture will change even more.

There was a time in the United States — perhaps the greatest single example of a nation built by immigrants — when it was assumed that people went into a melting pot and emerged from it as "Americans".

This never really happened. Instead, different cultures stand on their own, contributing to the overall sense of what it means to be an American.

The same must be true in Bermuda. What it means to be Bermudian will evolve and change as traditional elements of Bermudian culture merge with new influences. Many traditions will survive and new immigrants will assimilate them, but new traditions will also take root.

To attempt to say "this is Bermudian culture" and to fix that definition permanently is an exercise in futility. It could be argued that at one time Bermuda's "official culture" was white and largely Anglo Saxon. Those days, thankfully are over, and different aspects of the Island's traditions and cultures are given equal stature and respect. It is time that this community celebrated its entire diversity instead of trying to say that only certain characteristics and traditions should be celebrated.

That means that one principle should override all others. That principle is tolerance. Bermuda is too small and too crowded to have it any other way. Besides, it's the right thing to do.