Any ‘I/Thou’ encounter necessarily entails the holding of myriad assumptions, anchored whether in memory or imagination, which represent the climate of a conversation and; depending on the weather, determine the amount of information accurately conveyed and indeed if any real communication happens at all.
Those assumptions become presumptions when imposed upon the other party rather than willingly surrendered when confronted with contrary evidence. This makes mutual determination impossible.
It is unfortunate some people feel the need to impose their reality on others; and devastating, when this behavior becomes normative in a culture.
Here in Jamaica, it seems this is exactly the cultural air we breathe: the oxygen of trust and goodwill almost entirely sucked from the atmosphere, we are left choking in the gaseous effluence of a dark cloud of cumulative ‘badmind’ wherein we routinely, callously and blindly murder each other’s hopes and dreams, and sometimes unhesitatingly, snuff out breath from body as well.
What hopes are left, we guard carefully, refusing to expose them and make ourselves vulnerable to enemies. Jonkro di de aal bout. (Johncrows are everywhere) But then we stagnate in our fears, because dreams are constructed only when visions are voiced. Unexpressed expectations rarely move the spirit…of man or God.
So, for the sake of new life, new perspective, new movement, let me open my gates again: Exactly 15 years ago, I walked away from a movement, spirit unbroken (but not so my heart). Perpetual betrayal is wearisome, and I was totally exhausted.
The last two days for me have been deja vu. Same space. Same spirit (a wind of promise)….and other indicators of a cycle repetition (what goes around comes around…..until it finds a worthy resting place). The winds of change both gather and scatter. It matters how we set our sails.
Fifteen years ago, the same Jamaica Conference Center room was maxed out with students from schools island-wide having to stand in both balconies with no more seats available. This was the 4th Iteration of the Annual Nile Valley Contribution To Civilization seminar, hosted by the African Heritage Studies Association of Jamaica, A promising movement being watched at the time both by leaders in Jamaica’s Pan African community and others of different persuasion.
The past two days, the gathering of The Jamaica Christian Diaspora Conference brought together notable Christian leadership of diasporic communities from Jamaica and the Caribbean; and representative communities from the motherland continent of Africa – a growing change movement, with accelerating momentum, spearheaded by Operation Save Jamaica.
New perspective is the most difficult thing to arrive at. And yet every solution to a prevailing human problem demands it. The only alternative is to point fingers and as the old saying goes, every time you point your finger to blame someone else, the other four are pointing back at you (and neither of the accused are inclined to change and so …. problems prevail).
When we are too exhausted either from the prevailing problem or the senseless naming and blaming, then we might try something else…like gaining perspective…which requires listening….which only works when people tell their truth (hearing only what you want to hear solves nothing)….and that only works when people feel safe….their identities honored…….and that only happens when the attitude of blaming other people for problems that everyone faces changes and we turn our adversaries into stakeholders.
I have been an Afrocentric Christian now for over 30 years. Over the last two days my hope for consequential change within the lifespan of my generation, in the condition of the masses of Black people (Earth’s Original), youth especially; here in Jamaica and scattered the world over in the inner city ghettos of the Caribbean, the favelas of Brazil, barrios of South and Central Americas, the ‘projects’ of North America, The Dalit communities of India, on indigenous land reservations from Australia to North Canada, and on the tribal, rural hinterlands of Africa;….that hope has been rekindled.
Jah grant us the ability to surrender our assumptions and presumptions, so that we might honor the Potential in all of us by making sensible, reasonable and righteous determinations TOGETHER, for the sake of our common hopes and dreams. Let there be life again.
Amen.
YeKengalé 