[dropcap]I[/dropcap]f one were to carefully distill the biographies of prime ministers and presidents on leaving office, it would be clear to the reader that the challenges of office required more than mere academic preparation and physical well-being. Leaders need to develop connections beyond the walls of academia, and into the secrets and mysteries of religious thought and allegorical ascriptions of the mystic arts and sciences. In other words, leaders must learn to square the circle and appreciate the significance of the centre, being at an equal distance to all men at its circumference. That circle has no limits in time or space. When acting from the centre, a wise leader is less likely to err. He ought also to appreciate the emergence of an equilateral triangle from the square and circle as he uses the compass.
The idea of squaring the circle had its origins in classical antiquity when man first began to develop an inclination towards architecture. As he continued his researches into geometry and mathematics and his nomadic life was replaced by a more sedentary one, it became necessary to mark ground with fixed boundaries. In time, simple survey methods of triangulation developed and permanent markers were established over land and its ownership. Man grew more curious about the connection he perceived between himself, his environment and the universe.
He later discovered that if he is flat on his back, and his hands and feet extended, and a compass centered at his navel, his fingers and toes will touch the circumference of the circle described – the navel to the tip of the extended fingers, the radius. If the distance from the soles of his feet to the top of his head is measured it will be found to be the same as that of his extended arms from which a perfect square can be drawn. Leonardo da Vinci and other great thinkers of the 15th century arrived at the Vitruvian Man. Man was considered a microcosm of the larger world. That information lay open before human eyes of which only few dared to look. It also helps explain why a leader can seem obscure, often looming indistinct through the tissue of lies and misinformation of his opponents, wherein criticisms that matter least can take on a life of their own.
Early peoples who appreciated the ways of the world in relation to other universal bodies shared their knowledge amongst themselves. They were reluctant to share the same with others. Knowledge is still closely guarded, hence the reason it must be pursued cautiously, at many different levels.
The important thing in the context of this narrative is to appreciate the development of religious thought, the evolution of secret societies, especially those of the early stone masons, and the allowance that must be made for agnostics, sceptics, atheists and others. Herein may lie the cast of mind of the true doubters of climate change and the lessons of the great flood dating back to Noah.
One suspects that the reason many former leaders come to a bitter end is that they may not have been schooled in the knowledge of the ancient arts and mysticisms of religious ideas and nature. Apparently simple societies, called lodges, can be valuable sources of information for leaders, if they dare to seek, to ask and to knock. George Washington, the first President of the USA, was known to be a freemason, and Washington DC, the US capita,l was designed along Masonic lines, symbols and knowledge. The all-seeing eye within the walled triangle on the US paper currency is an acknowledged Masonic symbol.
There is hardly a country where the members of lodges will be absent from important world meetings on any topic worthy of discussion. In this context, certain solutions to the Soufriere hospital come to mind. That fire will certainly change the game plan of any prime minister. It is therefore time for the prime minister to take full control, as his portfolios indicate he must. It’s time for the people of Saint Lucia to see, feel and hear the leader of the country every blessed living day. Yes, every living day, especially in the south, south west and south east of the island. The people expect it!
To achieve this, the leader must relocate his living quarters for the next three months. There will be time enough for Christmas. More importantly, Christmas will come to him if he is determined to do right by those patients at Victoria Hospital, St. Jude hospital and Soufriere hospital who are now in distress. He must treat the latest fire as a godsend and an opportunity to show the type of leader he truly is. Now that his tourism agenda has been set, it is time for the farmer and the youth to become the primary focus of his government.
He must take command of the news cycle in a way that has never been done before. He must become the news whether he likes it or not. He has competent ministers that can represent him overseas. I have recommended elsewhere a cabinet reshuffle and the selection of a trusted UWP MP as Deputy Speaker. A three-man team of experts should have already been selected to seek out funds to design and build a new hospital at Soufriere; ditto Vieux Fort. More energy now has to be spent in bringing wrongdoers to justice. The people get it! His positive steps for building the economy and creating jobs are seen and felt. Both approaches will further grow the confidence of the people, which must underpin everything the government undertakes in their name.
‘Your personal contact with others may be circumscribed by the limit of the circle within which your daily life is lived; but your influence passing through and from those whom that circle may surround, will reach further than you can conceive.’
After an arduous year, may the peace of Christ be with you and your loved ones this Christmas. By your performance over the next three months or so, may you square the circle and enter into a new equilateral triangle of hope, of love and of prosperity for all Saint Lucia. May your legacy from a grateful people be the procurement of the best education and health care this side of paradise. Peace be with you, as you continue your exciting national journey in 2018 and beyond.
