Inspiration for 2007

Writing this column is a burdensome hobby that I look forward to each week. It gives me a chance to articulate my views, stimulate debate, and make a contribution to the development of my country. Over the years I have received hundreds of emails and calls from critics and supporters alike. 

Most of the emails are actually from overseas Trinis. They are probably more passionate and concerned about the sad state of their homeland than us. Perhaps it’s because they live on developed societies that are more efficiently run. Fortunately, I have managed to make friends with both critics and supporters. Today, I wish to share some poetry and quotes I have received in the hope that you will find them as uplifting and inspirational as I do. 

When I was appointed to serve on the government’s vision 2020 sub-committee I was subjected to some pretty harsh criticism on a radio talk show for ‘selling out’ and Gizelle sent the following gem: "Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better." 

When I refused to accede to frantic calls for me to withdraw the Trinity Cross case I had filed, Karen reminded me of Oliver Holmes’s classic "One's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions". Paul, who has never missed a single column, encouraged me to stand up for what I believe in no matter what and passed on this anonymous quote: "A warrior relaxes and abandons himself; he fears nothing. Only then will the powers that guide human destiny open the road for a warrior and aid him. Only then...." 

After I protested the discriminatory arrest of Dr Kirk Meighoo and some opposition parliamentarians who dared to march in protest against the debilitating kidnappings in central, Avinash from Australia sent this poem to cheer me up: 

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be the blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

J.R.R. Tolkien 

More recently, Anthony, an anti-smelter voice from New Jersey was so outraged by the decision by the Prime Minister to go ahead with the project on the basis that the smelters posed no real threat or danger, he reminded me of Voltaire’s famous statements that ‘those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities’ and ‘Man is free at the moment he wishes to be.’ 

When I lost my cool during an interview, Pastor David drew my attention to Proverbs 12:16 which states that ‘a fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.

At an awards ceremony held on 24th April 1992, former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee recited his poem `Oonchai' (Height) at the reception held in his honour. The poem speaks of Man and the heights of success he can reach. He compares the peaks of success to a mountain peak, rearing up against the sky, alone, isolated and apart from the throbbing pulse of life below. There is no denying its majesty or its splendour. Yet no tree can grow on it or grass take root; no bird can build a nest or a traveller find rest on its snow covered heights; snow, which he calls - `white as shroud and cold as death'.

The reality is that attaining height is never enough; it must be accompanied by expanse as well. Only then can there be sharing, and companionship. The man who puts himself above other humans has no one with whom he can share his burden, to whom he can dare show the regrets behind the smile. The sensitivity of the poet is evident when he says `There is a world of difference between having great height and possessing great depth'. The poem ends with the impassioned prayer:

`My Lord, Never let me climb so high that I can't bend down to embrace another human. Deliver me ever from such arrogance.'

 Happy New Year to all my readers.