What of a Quality of Bahamian Life Minister, Ministry?
I’d wish to suggest that its chief function be to over-see, to insure that we are not inundated by the gadgets, by the garbage of modernity. One of its chief jobs: to prevent or to regulate the things the uneducated, barely educated or poorly educated among us are so easily seduced to clothe themselves in or climb into even to their discomfort and ours. Whatever suggest they’re it or they’re with it they want. When they know what’s most modern, when they own what’s the latest they’re on top of the world even if the rest of us are under their feet.
What of all these cars in our capital for example? Is this glamorous and modern or is it stupid? Is it commerce run amok: out of hand and out of control? What of all the alarms going off in vehicles and elsewhere, false alarms and a constant nuisance? What of loud music in vehicles, night and day, booming, often setting off these false alarms? Is this modern, is it up to date or are such persons apes?
Should we not have a minister, a ministry to prevent such things getting out of hand? We have anybody importing whatever into our midst, whether it fits or not, to create discomfort for all, to chafe us all?
There are so many discomforts, so many traumas to undergo for the local Bahamian, which are overlooked, which are not addressed. What of the crime and culture of littering which I’ve come to realize is closely related psychologically, with illegitimate birth.
Who is expected to become a proper citizen, falls upon the earth as freely as I see male and female, young and old, let whatever is in their hand and is empty or unwanted, fall to the ground or is thrown as they pass.
Our poor, misguided, overworked police force, its members themselves insufficiently cultivated, insufficiently refined to be offended, to address such issues. Their attitude is that [or seems that] one has to be a sissy or think themselves white to object to or to be annoyed by what rolls off their thick hides.
What is the psychology behind the remark: “You t’ink you white!”? This has to be explored and exploded. Too many quality of life issues and concerns are disqualified by this convenient or rather inconvenient remark.
I do think that the quality of local Bahamian life should be safeguarded with just as much care as the tourist experience is protected or even more. This is our country. We live here and must continue to.
Thinking you’re white is not the issue. Instead it’s thinking you’re divine, human and not animal or beast. But even animals in zoos are pampered like guests in hotels and are carefully protected. I remember a goat at a zoo in Florida, which was fed popcorn by persons who came by to pet it, being quickly carried off to have its stomach pumped.
Toughness for me, involves, not rubbing and being rubbed the wrong way without protestation. Toughness has far more to do with the ability to survive, to endure - the ability to persevere physically, but especially mentally and spiritually.
To be tough is to withstand the times between Christmases, between Easters, between Sundays, between birthdays, holidays, between paydays - to abide all these, always, with grace.
It is important to know that living in society, with and among other people, it just would not do to bludgeon, to annoy, to traumatize your neighbor or your neighborhood to delight or to entertain yourself. This is selfish. This is criminal.
To be tough is to know that we are called by Christ every moment to love our God and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. A functional society or family is impossible otherwise.
The good citizen does not assault, insult or annoy his neighbor. The good citizen instead is a custodian of the good life, of balance, of what is best for all with whom s/he shares community. Without this living contract among all members of a society or family, dog-eat-dog remains and society is reduced to jungle.
Could a ministry be established to oversee these issues? If our tourists have a ministry, should Bahamian people not have one to oversee, to safeguard our quality of life? One might argue that every single government ministry exists for this purpose. In response to which I say: in spite of all these, these issues, these concerns I raise, all fall through the cracks and are overlooked.
This is what culture needs to be about. As Robin Roberts insists, culture has to do with cultivation. This idea and this actually, needs to be insisted upon and safeguarded.
By Obediah Michael Smith, 2006
3:50 a.m. 21/july/06
I’d wish to suggest that its chief function be to over-see, to insure that we are not inundated by the gadgets, by the garbage of modernity. One of its chief jobs: to prevent or to regulate the things the uneducated, barely educated or poorly educated among us are so easily seduced to clothe themselves in or climb into even to their discomfort and ours. Whatever suggest they’re it or they’re with it they want. When they know what’s most modern, when they own what’s the latest they’re on top of the world even if the rest of us are under their feet.
What of all these cars in our capital for example? Is this glamorous and modern or is it stupid? Is it commerce run amok: out of hand and out of control? What of all the alarms going off in vehicles and elsewhere, false alarms and a constant nuisance? What of loud music in vehicles, night and day, booming, often setting off these false alarms? Is this modern, is it up to date or are such persons apes?
Should we not have a minister, a ministry to prevent such things getting out of hand? We have anybody importing whatever into our midst, whether it fits or not, to create discomfort for all, to chafe us all?
There are so many discomforts, so many traumas to undergo for the local Bahamian, which are overlooked, which are not addressed. What of the crime and culture of littering which I’ve come to realize is closely related psychologically, with illegitimate birth.
Who is expected to become a proper citizen, falls upon the earth as freely as I see male and female, young and old, let whatever is in their hand and is empty or unwanted, fall to the ground or is thrown as they pass.
Our poor, misguided, overworked police force, its members themselves insufficiently cultivated, insufficiently refined to be offended, to address such issues. Their attitude is that [or seems that] one has to be a sissy or think themselves white to object to or to be annoyed by what rolls off their thick hides.
What is the psychology behind the remark: “You t’ink you white!”? This has to be explored and exploded. Too many quality of life issues and concerns are disqualified by this convenient or rather inconvenient remark.
I do think that the quality of local Bahamian life should be safeguarded with just as much care as the tourist experience is protected or even more. This is our country. We live here and must continue to.
Thinking you’re white is not the issue. Instead it’s thinking you’re divine, human and not animal or beast. But even animals in zoos are pampered like guests in hotels and are carefully protected. I remember a goat at a zoo in Florida, which was fed popcorn by persons who came by to pet it, being quickly carried off to have its stomach pumped.
Toughness for me, involves, not rubbing and being rubbed the wrong way without protestation. Toughness has far more to do with the ability to survive, to endure - the ability to persevere physically, but especially mentally and spiritually.
To be tough is to withstand the times between Christmases, between Easters, between Sundays, between birthdays, holidays, between paydays - to abide all these, always, with grace.
It is important to know that living in society, with and among other people, it just would not do to bludgeon, to annoy, to traumatize your neighbor or your neighborhood to delight or to entertain yourself. This is selfish. This is criminal.
To be tough is to know that we are called by Christ every moment to love our God and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. A functional society or family is impossible otherwise.
The good citizen does not assault, insult or annoy his neighbor. The good citizen instead is a custodian of the good life, of balance, of what is best for all with whom s/he shares community. Without this living contract among all members of a society or family, dog-eat-dog remains and society is reduced to jungle.
Could a ministry be established to oversee these issues? If our tourists have a ministry, should Bahamian people not have one to oversee, to safeguard our quality of life? One might argue that every single government ministry exists for this purpose. In response to which I say: in spite of all these, these issues, these concerns I raise, all fall through the cracks and are overlooked.
This is what culture needs to be about. As Robin Roberts insists, culture has to do with cultivation. This idea and this actually, needs to be insisted upon and safeguarded.
By Obediah Michael Smith, 2006
3:50 a.m. 21/july/06
posted by Obie Quiet at 5:07 AM
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