The future of Cayman’s relationship with the UK: The utility of great leaders

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair will visit the Cayman Islands as the guest speaker at the opening gala dinner of the KPMG Legends Tennis Tournament on 16 November at the Ritz Carlton. Given that the UK Overseas Territories Consultative Council recently launched a consultation on a new strategy for the Overseas Territories, there will be a range of topics he will speak to including globalisation, peace talks and also the future of the overseas territories in modern Britain. The Caymanian Compass is taking this opportunity to present a series of viewpoints on the future of Cayman’s relationship with the UK. Today’s viewpoint is from Mike Ryan, owner and developer, The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman and The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. 

I am a firm believer in the great men theory of history, the one where, to oversimplify the explanation, the course of history is determined by the choices and actions taken by great men and women, those who rise, or sink, to the occasion and make the difference between one course and another. 

Alexander deciding to unite the Greeks and spread the Hellenistic view of the world, Charlamange seizing the crown from the pope and uniting Europe, Napoleon stepping up to the moment when the mob would seize the revolution and creating, not just an empire but a system of laws measurements and approach to civil society still used today. Churchill deciding not to surrender but to fight on in the face of seemingly inevitable Nazi victory, Lincoln’s rise from obscurity to his date with destiny where he enacted the emancipation so longed for, Martin Luther King putting words to a dream that caught fire. 

These are the great turning points in the worlds history and, not surprising since we use sport as a proxy for regular life, there are myriad examples from the sorts field that a equally inspiring, from Pheidippides inspiring first run to Marathon to the achievements of Arthur Ashe and the Olympic heroics seen every four years 

What all these stories have in common is that in every one the actor of those great deeds, at some critical formative point on their life, met or saw someone that was, in their minds, exceptional and this inspired them to be more, to dream of great things and accomplish them.  

Despite the incredible facility of modern media to bring events and people into the living rooms and onto the laptops of the entire world there is no substitute for an actual meeting, no digital representation or recreation can replace the thrill of being in the actual presence of the person we admire, the physical proximity, the actual interaction as two people is where the spark of inspiration lies. 

Roger Federer, arguably the greatest tennis player of all time speaks of how, as a ball boy, he was able to be close to his heroes and how it inspired him to pursue his dreams of being the best. Former president Bill Clinton was, as a young man, invited to an event where he met JFK, a pivotal moment in his development.  

Cayman is, by any measure, an extraordinary place, given the size of the population its standard of living and the accomplishments of its people, in the fields of business, sports, entertainment and community service are inconceivable in any normal statistical fashion except that it has been able to attract and inspire extraordinary people, people who believe they can accomplish their dreams. While we can’t provide Aristotle to tutor all of our exceptional youth we can help to inspire our citizens, and especially our youth, to dream impossible dreams and then go make them reality.  

Given that most world maps don’t even show us these extraordinary people are not going to be dropping by as part of their regular routine so we need to reach out and bring them to us and in doing so inspire the positive circle of inspiration and accomplishment that is the driving force behind our, and any other successful societies, growth.  

Over the years we have been able to bring many of the greatest tennis legends to Grand Cayman and each one has there own inspirational story to tell, whether it was a Johan Kriek coming from the cracked concrete courts of the south African countryside to Jim Courier’s running in the sand with a tire tied to how waist, each one dreamed of greatness and put in the hard work to get there. Along the way we have been able to, in a small way, be part of the success of the Cayman Crisis Center, another dream that, ten years ago, seemed unattainable save for the determination of the people, like Estella, who knew it has to happen. 

With the addition of speakers like Tony Blair, who dreamed that it was possible that the people’s of Ireland could live in peace together, along with Martina Hingis and Jennifer Capriati, who, each in their own way, changed the perception of women’s tennis and reached the highest heights of the sport, we believe the event brings to Cayman the real chance to inspire our people and especially our youth to reach for seemingly unattainable heights There is no guarantee that the event will create the next Nobel laureate or Olympic gold medalist but only this who dream of great things ever accomplish them or as Greg Norman said when writing to me just after Ivan as we looked out on the devastation and the start of a process that we were determined would result in the finest resort in the region “ your dreams are the blueprint for our reality”.