BE CAREFUL NOT TO BE SURPRISED

As the days roll gently by, each new one standing on the previous twenty-four hours, I sometimes reminisce on the love and caring that shaped my early upbringing. I am forever grateful that I never lacked for basic necessities, as the extended family also helped keep me grounded in its values. I developed an early appreciation for my origins and learned to thank God as the source of all happiness. Thankfully, there were no loud-mouth boastful ignoramuses within, and humility and introspection became family watchwords. One first learned by emulation. Elders often spoke less than they actually knew, and appreciated silence as a golden rule. Later, I learned that words properly chosen often carry as much weight as silence, and that I should never be surprised by the things people say or do.

Lately, I resolved to display that quality, which I pray is now permanently embedded in me. The ability to survey one’s surroundings from a distance was aroused after I read Rick Wayne’s piece in the STAR of Saturday 12 January, 2019. As a former MP who has not hidden his love for politics, the expressed admiration for Donald Trump by a dinner companion that Rick chose not to identify did not surprise me. I had learned early that even the devil has friends. Besides, it has been reported that at least 3% of African-Americans support Donald Trump. Why wouldn’t there be Saint Lucians here and elsewhere who also adore him? Never mind Donald Trump’s widely reported comments about “shithole countries” and their inhabitants!

What really struck me after reading Rick Wayne’s piece entitled “Be Careful What You Pray For!” was the back story about two businessmen, one an engineer. Rick had posed to him the following question: “Imagine your life depended on lifting a heavy lump of iron from the ground to knee height. You try with one hand. It does not budge. What’s your next move?” The engineer’s response, Rick tells us, was to make that lump of iron lighter. When a perplexed Rick asked the engineer how he planned to do that, he said, so typical of us: “I don’t know!”

Remember, dear reader, this conversation took place about a decade ago. The question was obviously intended to demonstrate that more than one hand might succeed where one had failed. That seems to underpin Rick’s intended lesson in social and economic development, which cannot be faulted here. In her own style, Hillary Clinton would say: “It takes a village.”

‘I remain convinced that the way we think as adults is influenced by how we were raised, and that the disrespect we demonstrate toward others is but a reflection of how we truly feel about ourselves!’

The identities of the businessmen in Rick Wayne’s story is immaterial. In the more recent situation that recalled dinner with two fellow journalists, the same superficial cultural mores of avoiding deep thought and automatically distrusting anything new, resurfaced. One of his dinner companions declared a love and admiration for President Donald Trump. That should not surprise those who dabble in local politics. Saint Lucians love to advocate for strong leaders. But ask what they mean by a strong leader and what they’ll describe is a dictator unrestricted by laws or by parliament. Of course, they’ve not considered the fact that dictators put themselves in office by force. Some even dream of a leader-dictator who will wipe out all of his opponents and theirs. What separates local Trumpophiles from the real McCoy is the line drawn at skin tone. And even that was breached during the 2016 election campaign on the island.

For my part, to dwell on lifting Rick Wayne’s “lump of iron,” or the admiration for Donald Trump by an obvious novice journalist, is too much dead weight so early in a New Year. Still, we must be careful when we compare lecherous Caribbean leaders with Donald Trump who makes no bones about his attitude toward minorities and people of colour. He has consistently tried to degrade the contributions of former US Presidents Obama and Clinton. Bush, too, even though he, like his brother Jeb Bush, are Republicans. Meanwhile he hides his personal income tax returns from the American people, perchance to keep to himself the origin of his wealth and details of his financial dealings.

Any right-thinking person will soon discover that Donald Trump is not our problem or that of America. It’s the US presidency that makes him so influential and dangerous. Catering to a narrow base is a curse on the office of President. Trump is the President of the USA, not President of a particular state or region. His so-called base is a temporary cocoon of blind followers that will disappear like ice in the tropical sun if the US economy should turn south. It is to avoid such childish regurgitation that I have previously attempted to shed light through my columns in this newspaper.

I once opined that every senior government employee should first acquire a second degree at a top university in a temperate country, spending at least three winters. I am satisfied that local time and the weather are impactful elements that skew our minds against change—even as our youth are taught culture is dynamic. In winter, our best and brightest will learn to rise in the cold dark days, board their buses and trains on time, and get to work and/or classes as stipulated. No excuses! They will soon discover that people of all hues and shades aim to send their children to better schools up north to smooth the rough edges of speech and posture. A period of discipline and sacrifice in the cold climes will do no less for our own. They will grow in confidence and learn to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Donald Trumps of the world and their surrogates. They will also learn to measure time in seconds, minutes and seasons; not in vague tomorrows, or later, while steadfastly avoiding their wristwatches. They will learn that hard work and perseverance will take them to the rich banquet God has prepared for those willing to toil and who keep trying. I remain convinced that the way we think as adults is influenced by how we were raised, and that the disrespect we demonstrate toward others is but a reflection of how we truly feel about ourselves.

Finally, if I were to pose Rick Wayne’s “lump of iron” question to one of my grandkids, I would be very disappointed if they did not reply: “Grandad, I would use both hands. If I still could not lift it, I would ask my dad and mom to help me.” I would be careful not to be surprised by such a smart reply!