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What if sorry could buy a soldier lorry?
As children in school we brushed off apologies with the words "Sorry can't buy soldier lorry". It was done in fun with the primary objective being the need to show the ability to rhyme. Generations after, our society has maintained its ability to rhyme (the lyrics of the dancehall are a case in point). Regrettably, too many of us have taken the nursery rhyme to heart and have developed a deep-seated belief that apologies are of little
value. If I bounce over your soup pot I am not allowed to say I am sorry and pay you more for it than you would have earned selling it.
What if we could say something in the heat of the moment, apologize for it and have the matter settled there and then. What if our 'dissing' of someone did not have to place additional burdens on our creaking health services? What if the constant tension in homes and workplaces were eased by the re-introduction of the word 'forgiveness' in the Jamaican vocabulary. What if we could laugh again and the screw face mask was replaced by
a smile?
It is critical for us to understand that if sorry is to buy a soldier lorry, sorry must be of value. True repentance (i.e. a commitment not to repeat the offence) not 'mouth water' apologies will be required. If we start caring enough for others to genuinely feel sorry about hurting them, then we will try to avoid similar actions in the future. It comes down to the perspective we bring to our relationship with others.
"Respec due" is the popular chant.
What if respect was paid and no longer due
Have you noticed that the rise in popularity of the "Respec due" saying coincided with an unprecedented low in the quality of interpersonal relationships in our society. I would not be surprised to hear the inane muttering even as I was being robbed and brutalized.
What if we actually started paying respect where it was due? What if teachers who have spent 15, 20, 30 years shaping the lives of our highly successful citizens did not have to wonder how their medical bills are going to be settled? What if subordinates in the workforce were treated as intelligent beings sharing common goals? A necessary condition for the achievement of the latter objective is a broad-based understanding of
what it is that is being sought...what is the vision, the mission and related goals.
What if daydreaming gained respectability
A visitor who reads our newspapers and listens to the radio for one day could reasonably be expected to form the impression that this is a society that is in great turmoil and on the brink of disintegration. The hackneyed but useful clichés "As a man thinketh so is he" and "What the mind conceives it will achieve" go right to the heart of our failure as a nation to achieve sustainable growth and marked improvement in
the quality of life. We are too caught up in the throes of our bottom of the barrel environment to recognize that there is an opening at the top that leads to a slew of new and exciting worlds.
What if some of the dreamers (visionaries) among us could get equal air time? What if naysaying was no longer the national pastime and self-fulfilling prophecies became the exception and not the rule? What if the Road to France experience was duplicated in other spheres of endeavour? What if individually and collectively we dared to hope?
What if hope could find a permanent place in the Jamaican breast?
It is not difficult to understand that we are not at our best when we are feeling downhearted and depressed. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that any nation that takes time out for four hours each day to open new wounds and reflect on old sores in a fit of collective depression is not going to win the "most likely to succeed" award.
What if we could set out on a mission to help those around us recognize their true worth? What if the existing and prospective 'dog-hearted' among us could be given a skill, some counselling and concrete pathways to a new way forward? What if a critical mass among us could so renew their minds and increase their faith as to be able to will national hopes and aspirations into fruition?
What if mental renewal accompanied urban renewal?
There is a marked absence of dialogue in the corridors of power in Jamaica on the vital importance of a sound moral underpinning in the achievement of success. Yet it is amazing how many of the internationally recognized success stories point to a deep and abiding faith in God as the cornerstone of their success. Focusing all our attention on material things is an exercise in futility. Things are here today, gone tomorrow. Paul, the apostle, highlights
the fact that those of us whose hope lie only in this world are destined to be the most miserable of men.
What if we took time out to examine ourselves in the context of eternal realities? What if we could find value in things that did not have readily identifiable price tag? What if charity ("Respec paid!"), hope (down with naysaying) and faith (a confidence and will to achieve, whatever the circumstances) could become a way of life for our people?
Trevor Smith
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