No, Mr. Prime Minister. I say, “No!” to what you said and didn’t know you said.
But what is true for Adam, your other children, your wife and you, must be true, not just for y’all, not just for your family, it must be true for the Bahamian family – for this entire country of which you’re Prime Minister. We must all have that right you described – to the Good Life – to life away from nightmare.
This is what Gandhi advocated for India. This is what Christ and what I advocate for mankind – something in which we can all participate fully and equally. You are elitist otherwise as people with education, with affluence are usually inclined to be. Deceived, they see themselves among those who have. The rest of us are among the have-nots – the unfortunate – the misbegotten – les damnés de la terre – the wretched of the earth.
We though are all cells of one body, literally – as body politic implies and means figuratively. But this is how it is. Individuals and families, like prisoners, all live in cells. This though is true for prime minister – church minister – bank manager. We all live in cells. But these are all cells of one body – the body that’s nation or the body that’s mankind. We all belong to one species. Place these cells in a single organism of this species and we see the dynamics in the species clearly.
Cut your toe or cut your finger; bite your lip or tongue; slip and fall or buck your toe; catch a cold or eat something which results in stomach upset or diarrhea and the entire system’s out of whack.
This is where you must exist as Prime Minister or as the lowliest person – as this is what it means to be human. Could you possibly promote or advocate for your body or in your body – well cells and sick cells – rich cells and poor cells? Whether that cell is in the brain or in the bladder or in the spleen (wherever that is), it is equally significant to the wellbeing of the body – of the body politic or to the family of man.
This is Christ’s message. This is truth and cannot be made or made to become false in our present dispensation. We are not now living in heaven and hell though many imagine we are.
What happened on that ship to persons off to an excursion was hell, Mr. Prime Minister. It was hell and it was The Bahamas – our Bahamas – your Bahamas. But that is where some in The Bahamas live 24/7 – in hell and that should not be, especially not in such a small country.
But there are those – you and I among them – who want heaven for ourselves and so what if others catchin’ hell. Let them catch hell eternally – is the attitude of some of us but here and now – here on earth – we want our bit of heaven for ourselves and for our families.
When one cell though is sick, the entire body is unwell. When one person’s in prison or on an unsafe – uninsured ship – just as we were once in misery in holds of ships – the entire body suffers – in spite of our buffers – in spite of our imagined comfort zones. Asses in vehicles with their music loud come to mind, imagining they’ve enclosed themselves – imagining they’re encased in a bubble – traumatizing whoever is on the other side of their wall of music.
The cells of our bodies like the cells we live in – as family or as individual – are encased in what are not cases at all. Cells in our bodies as well as we ourselves, are walled in semi-permeable membrane. Osmosis is without end occurring. And osmosis is the process by which a weaker solution passes through a semi-permeable membrane into a stronger solution. Equilibrium is what is sought as well as promoted in nature – in an amoeba in a pond – in the human body – in society – in the human family – in creation because as large as creation is, it is one thing. It has one God who spoke it into being and who sustains it.
We, Mr. Prime Minister are his agents or are we? Some are paid to be. All are called to be – to create harmony. Is this not what music is – a fitting together of sound?
We in society, Sir, must fit together – must sit together. Not some high and some low. Not some on cushions – some on fire – some on ice. We all want and deserve what’s nice. Some arm themselves with education. Others arm themselves with knives, others with guns. Some arm themselves with peace, others with war; some with honesty others with trickery and with lies. But the wellbeing of the entire body is what each cell must desire just as must every member of society.
A Prime Minister as well as other such leaders must set the example – must promote this spirit. I know Perry Christie has been called. I know you’re on your way. The hand of mercy upon you – upon us – invites you – invites us to extend our hands in mercy – to rest them upon all the suffering.
We need more love in our land and on earth – more wellness – more harmony. Everyone and every family, deserves that zone – that sense of wellbeing you claim for you and yours.
Who, this instant among us is without it? Who in our country at this present moment has something extremely dangerous hanging, hovering over their heads which might, any instant, fall upon them – upon their babies - upon their loved ones to maim them for life or kill them? Wherever this might be so is your concern – is my concern. 6:17 a.m.
Obediah Michael Smith
Saturday, December 23, 2006
But what is true for Adam, your other children, your wife and you, must be true, not just for y’all, not just for your family, it must be true for the Bahamian family – for this entire country of which you’re Prime Minister. We must all have that right you described – to the Good Life – to life away from nightmare.
This is what Gandhi advocated for India. This is what Christ and what I advocate for mankind – something in which we can all participate fully and equally. You are elitist otherwise as people with education, with affluence are usually inclined to be. Deceived, they see themselves among those who have. The rest of us are among the have-nots – the unfortunate – the misbegotten – les damnés de la terre – the wretched of the earth.
We though are all cells of one body, literally – as body politic implies and means figuratively. But this is how it is. Individuals and families, like prisoners, all live in cells. This though is true for prime minister – church minister – bank manager. We all live in cells. But these are all cells of one body – the body that’s nation or the body that’s mankind. We all belong to one species. Place these cells in a single organism of this species and we see the dynamics in the species clearly.
Cut your toe or cut your finger; bite your lip or tongue; slip and fall or buck your toe; catch a cold or eat something which results in stomach upset or diarrhea and the entire system’s out of whack.
This is where you must exist as Prime Minister or as the lowliest person – as this is what it means to be human. Could you possibly promote or advocate for your body or in your body – well cells and sick cells – rich cells and poor cells? Whether that cell is in the brain or in the bladder or in the spleen (wherever that is), it is equally significant to the wellbeing of the body – of the body politic or to the family of man.
This is Christ’s message. This is truth and cannot be made or made to become false in our present dispensation. We are not now living in heaven and hell though many imagine we are.
What happened on that ship to persons off to an excursion was hell, Mr. Prime Minister. It was hell and it was The Bahamas – our Bahamas – your Bahamas. But that is where some in The Bahamas live 24/7 – in hell and that should not be, especially not in such a small country.
But there are those – you and I among them – who want heaven for ourselves and so what if others catchin’ hell. Let them catch hell eternally – is the attitude of some of us but here and now – here on earth – we want our bit of heaven for ourselves and for our families.
When one cell though is sick, the entire body is unwell. When one person’s in prison or on an unsafe – uninsured ship – just as we were once in misery in holds of ships – the entire body suffers – in spite of our buffers – in spite of our imagined comfort zones. Asses in vehicles with their music loud come to mind, imagining they’ve enclosed themselves – imagining they’re encased in a bubble – traumatizing whoever is on the other side of their wall of music.
The cells of our bodies like the cells we live in – as family or as individual – are encased in what are not cases at all. Cells in our bodies as well as we ourselves, are walled in semi-permeable membrane. Osmosis is without end occurring. And osmosis is the process by which a weaker solution passes through a semi-permeable membrane into a stronger solution. Equilibrium is what is sought as well as promoted in nature – in an amoeba in a pond – in the human body – in society – in the human family – in creation because as large as creation is, it is one thing. It has one God who spoke it into being and who sustains it.
We, Mr. Prime Minister are his agents or are we? Some are paid to be. All are called to be – to create harmony. Is this not what music is – a fitting together of sound?
We in society, Sir, must fit together – must sit together. Not some high and some low. Not some on cushions – some on fire – some on ice. We all want and deserve what’s nice. Some arm themselves with education. Others arm themselves with knives, others with guns. Some arm themselves with peace, others with war; some with honesty others with trickery and with lies. But the wellbeing of the entire body is what each cell must desire just as must every member of society.
A Prime Minister as well as other such leaders must set the example – must promote this spirit. I know Perry Christie has been called. I know you’re on your way. The hand of mercy upon you – upon us – invites you – invites us to extend our hands in mercy – to rest them upon all the suffering.
We need more love in our land and on earth – more wellness – more harmony. Everyone and every family, deserves that zone – that sense of wellbeing you claim for you and yours.
Who, this instant among us is without it? Who in our country at this present moment has something extremely dangerous hanging, hovering over their heads which might, any instant, fall upon them – upon their babies - upon their loved ones to maim them for life or kill them? Wherever this might be so is your concern – is my concern. 6:17 a.m.
Obediah Michael Smith
Saturday, December 23, 2006
posted by Obie Quiet at 10:33 PM
12 Comments:
you know , o.b. - i cannot agree with your justification of this! I tried to think of what it was you were talking about and remembered that this was the accident that happened shortly after the PLP got in. I say this to qualify my original assumption that this initially was caused by PLP incompetence when it was a freek of circumstance like many disasters we have had in the Bahamas including the devataions of hurricanes, plane crashes ect - not to mention the personal tragedies people are experincing out there. I was watching this man on 'contreversal' t.v. saying he chained himself to the PM's gate and equated it with the struggle for Majority rule and highlighting an article in the News paper how one man would be prepared to start a riot if he didn't get a job. I just wanted to say that before these people agitate that they be sure they have God on their side. I am not suggessting that some in this political season are politiking on peoples tragedies but I think it is wrong and injust to paint the picture of Perry as uncaring and I think God will see through that. Personally, if the young man wants a jobs - better learn to pump Gas son. These leaders you castigate did just that and more to survive is worst times , during the times of 'Jim crow' who sadly some are trying to under -educate our children that this was not so bad. Wrong!
Personally some of these politians are very tolerant becausee if anyone came to me outside my home I amy not be so patient and thinking it was a threat toward my person and retaliate!!!
If people wan' revolution dey jus' may get it!
I pray for those unfortunate people and will continue to but were are the churches?, where are all these philanthropists we have here? What of your neighbour? There is someting prefoundly missing in our society and people will nto discover it in their Government ti has to come from within our community - that my friend - is the crux of our problems!!
Dawn
hope youre not offended - this 'violence' thing in our society is wrong and people are dying everyday because of it. To continually use it as a threat will absolutley put people on the defensive and one turn of violence evokes another. Peace luv and respect!
Dawn
Sorry just one more final thought- I do have the greatest repect for your keen observations Obediah and was talking to someone just the other day who also expressed that 'you ask the right questions!' I applaud you for still caring.
I don't want to give the appearance that I am insensitive to the plight of these unfortunate people but I put into question our society and wander if we have become so unfeeling on the whole.
I just remember how the whole community rallied after Katrina for New Orleans - corporate Bahamas suited with Charlse Carter et al, church ministers, politicians ect...American flag and brotherhood. where is the rallying cry for this by these people even though their Government was under attack their lack of action. Why are we so prepared it would seem to please the piper who plays the tune and treat ourselves as if we were the rats. Just a thought with my observations.
Dawn
Quoting dawnvictoriahanna:
"... to but were are the churches?, where are all these philanthropists we have here? What of your neighbour?"
Actually, the question should have been where are you Dawn? You are apart of the church, you are their neigbours...
Kindly stop praying and just help the people out. A dollar can go far!
In this Bahamas, we must define our roles. What is the role of our government, our politicians, your religious leaders, our neighbours? What should we expect of them? What should we demand of them? What should we allow them to get away with? Whenever that answer is found, subsequently the checks and balances instituted, we will have a better Bahamas with everyone doing their role and fulfilling their purpose.
Well- I try in my way to help everyday someone some blessing. I know my role as a praying person.
I may not be able to helpo these people but I do help somebody - but thanks for your judgement you obviosly know me and what I do. My point is there is alot of suffering out there i do what I can to help in some small way. Big bussiness and Corporate and cultural agendas seem to be more interested in pleasing 'massa' for their own purposes.
This incident is held up by the courts and the Insurance company - why not protest them. I will give you a way out though if you and I can meet tommorrow and there is some help that both of us can so for anyone who needs help - clothes or food ect... my dollar is short now - please so get in contact with Ob and we can help together - tht is my point and after my prayers I will meet you or them.
Incidently - I will help if you show me where to go - physically
I'm sure I cannot judge you as you have judged me - to God of Little things I know I can be of some service. I f you are busy doing anything else then perhaped we can meet later help but I am free to work tommorrow - let me who which of these people I can be of some assistance that is immediate and I can see how I can help and in what way.
One last thing because obviously my chritianity is something I must hide( and I am not perfect so don't get me when i get it wrong)
Liv and let liv
I have made personal discions of what I will support or not sometimes it is ambiguous I search my conscience - that is how I hope to continue in my life
My spirituality is not a compitition and I am not perfect which is why i pray. I suspect you do the same. I think that the Church is wrong in much of its decisions but quite right in many.
If you don't like me because I pray and pary in the church at a point of my imperfections then i don't know what aninmal you are.
Peace luv and respect.
Dawn, love, many thanks for reading and for responding. This dynamic, this process is precious, is priceless. My thanks to Cecil as well, for visiting and reacting and for translating that reaction into words.
Debate must order our new day and must order a new world. What I wrote is rather stream of consciousness and might mislead as it might not be entirely clear. And what I'm writing here might be more of the same.
Forgive me therefore if this is so. I am most definitely not advocating the modus operandi of those protesters though events throughout history and the world over have taught them well and reinforce their process of protest.
Christ crucified though is antithetical to all these and is the most revolutionary as well as the most efficacious change-bringing act in the history of our species - to my knowledge, I must add. Anything less therefore, is to my mind impure and ineffective.
My spotlight therefore was not at all on their behavior of misbehavior. All that I wrote was instead an attempt to assess Perry Christie's heart - and only because I consider him a good man - an extremely moral person.
My suggestion is that his notion - his sensitivity is entirely correct only that very same sensitivity and protectiveness, rightly placed, for his wife, himself and his children must, as prime minister, extend to the whole Bahamian family - every Bahamian home and those therein, must be as sacrosanct as his own. The love I here invite, is the love of Christ who weeps over Bethlehem.
If not our prime minister, who is to care for one and all? There are those who suggest only God but he must have representatives here on earth.
My article attempts to commend our P.M. but to invite him to multiply his deep affection for family to include the families of the 300,000-plus Bahamians. My own love exercise is a much larger one. My attempt is to include the entire six-plus billion of out species in my heart at once as I am convinced that all of us, excluding no one, is the holy family and every square inch of earth, excluding nowhere, is holy ground.
Is this any clearer? I am an advocate of love and nothing less. Love looks far ahead - sees far and wide to umbrella those resting upon its palms for care - like eggs so very delicate in nests - with leaves for shade beneath a mother's breast - in the crotch of limbs of a tree growing from an earth whirling a thousand miles an hour.
Love oversees all this and protects us. I would not wish to be in a thing - call it nation or whatever, if who runs it is not wise enough or does not love enough to guarantee a certain degree of safety and wellbeing.
Dawn, apart from your misunderstanding what my essay was an attempt to debate, I must disagree with you. That accident is not to be excused as belonging to natural disaster. It should never have happened. That ship with those persons should never have left the harbor - like so many other things happening in our so called nation, which should be disallowed, often allowed because some one is paid off or because someone knows or is related to someone. Such occurrences indicate that our governments are either impotent or irresponsible and we must look elsewhere for leadership or leave home like Haitians who suggest that their overcrowded sloops offer more hope, more safety than Haiti, their country offers. Nation is a place of law and order. Though not as dysfunctional as Haiti, there is too much jungle allowed in our Bahamas and that it is allow more and more to spread, is frightening to me and I criminal on the part of those whose job it is to organize and to run this society with its small population and its many islands.
Again I've opened this debate, like thighs, too wide to close them, to conclude here. We'll need another ten hour conversation - concluding some morning just before dawn.
I agree and if the young lafy contacts you or can direct me in someway to help others than please let her know my number. Yes - i agree and we have spoken about this- there is civil disobediance already in this country. The taxie drivers, the Jitney drivers Govt workers music Religion ect these things are already manifesting as an order of disorder within our community. The protest must be spacific because as your friend may not believe we all care think.,
Do I have the answers - not without you and that is my point!
Excuse my grammar and mistakes...I talkin' creole.
ps- considring Perry - would you not react the same if you thought your family might be under threat..physically. I already tell you what i gone do if they come to me like dat.
Anyway, i understood what you were saying but needed to present another side which muct happen in a debate.
Dawn
Just a controversal after thought..It will be my last I promis... if people coming to this Nation which we agree should be one of order and Laws.. what things are put into place that aclimatizes and socializes indivisuals from other Countries who do not have this? Do they bring this chaos with them. or prejudices (political or racial).
Are we so niave in the Bahamas to think still that all is like we have been brought up in.
I hate romantics because they often forget the important details of life - if we are to address problems in the Bahamas -let us not sugar coat it with too much sentimalism which admittedly, i can be quite guilty of myself. This Nation is at stake!
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