TUNNEL VISION LOVE

TUNNEL VISION LOVE

This is a story about a love story. This is about how love was funneled through a tunnel.

Two strangers walk pass each other one oblivious to the fact that the other is enamored with her beauty observing her every stride, her pelvic thrusts and she sauntered on through the passageway with purpose and focus.

I had to find a way to at least hear the voice of this beauty, compliment her, even a whiff of her fragrance would suffice. A chance and timely business interaction – asking questions that required her to provide lengthy answers – her intonations, her voice, her knowledge all served to further justify my intrigue.

Confession – I feigned ignorance to solicit her telephone contacts stating I might have further questions that may require a direct inquiry.

Of course there were no such inquiries but that did not prevent me from using said contact for the occasiona, casual greeting. Some of those were responded to with equal amounts of nonchalance and if my memory serves me right some were ignored.

Those non-responses never served as a deterrent, after all the context of the contact was to be casual and occasional.

A chance meeting in Bridgetown and the exchange of some pleasantries kept the interest level above average.

The sporadic texts continued while paying attention to her whtsapp statuses looking for hints into a life I was curious about but had no involvement in.

December 5^th, 2021 another such text was sent but there was a difference this time. There were several exchanges and then an ‘out-of-the-blue’ phone call that opened up the flood gates, to the extent that the tunnel – the place of our first chance meeting would have flooded.

A love story encapsulated in Billy Ocean’s hit tune, “Suddenly” ensued.

An unlikely love story that has it genesis in an unlikely place is now about to enter its second chapter – the stuff of fairy tales and movies.

We plan to make that walk again very soon – two strangers walking in opposite directions through the tunnel. Only in the recreation we do not pass each other but engage in a warm, tight embrace – a ceremonial relaunching of a tunnel vision love story.

LIFE

LIFE

Three words best describes Life – it goes on. Whether we choose to participate in it or we choose to stand by and watch as it passes us by – whatever option we may choose for coping, for enjoyment or simply existing – the fact remains life will always go on.

What we can affect is how it goes on, how we can make that journey more conducive to our needs and wants, how we as individuals can make our lives more livable, more meaningful, and more worthwhile.

A positive outlook on life, surrounding one’s self with the right company, trust and belief in God are some of the measures that lead to a more meaningful and worthwhile life.

Most people spend their existence trying to make a living, always preparing for life as opposed to living it in its present state.

Some people set goals and targets and when they have been met, then their lives are essentially over as they settle into a routine, mundane existence not enjoying the life given to them by the achievement of said goals and targets.

Life for some people are a series of mishaps and constant battle to stay afloat, to survive. These people generally feed into that which is negative, anticipating an unfortunate incident at every turn. They essentially breed and sow negativity into existence.

And there are others who live life with no concern whatsoever, with no regard for consequences and with responsibility being to them just another 14-letter word making up the dictionary.

The perfect life – if there is ever one- or the life that brings one the most joy and fulfillment is one lived with a fair amount of balance. A firm understanding of one’s surroundings, coping skills, an open mind and the ability to make the necessary adjustments related to the aforementioned can put one on a direct path to some modicum of balance and certainly a greater understanding of and appreciation for this dynamic gift we call LIFE!

Dexter Mitchell

DO NOT LABEL ME (part 1)

DO NOT LABEL ME    (Part 1)

In his most recent State of the Union Address President Obama paraphrased President Abraham Lincoln, a phrase that caught my attention and induced me to search for the quote verbatim.

The 1854 quote from President Lincoln’s notes is as follows; The legitimate object of government is to do for a community of people whatever they need to have done, but cannot do at all, or cannot so well do, for themselves, in their separate and individual capacities. In all that the people can individually do as well for themselves, government ought not to interfere. 

It requires reading more than once to grasp the essence of the statement, so simple in its wording yet so profound and relevant and dare I say, timely.

A volcanic eruption over 2 million years ago gave birth to the Island of Grenada and it would not be incorrect to suggest that the political history of the Island since has been fiery and explosive.

The real battle and struggle for control of Grenada began in 1649 between a group of French Settlers and the indigenous Caribs. After driving out the natives, French rule continued until 1762 when Grenada was captured by the British. Among the legacies of the French was the establishment of Port Royal (later St. George) with its natural protective harbor as the Capital.

Between 1763 and 1877 (when Grenada became a Crown Colony) the battles continued, including the Battle of Grenada in 1779 and the Fedon revolt in 1795-1796.

The Representative Government Association was formed in 1917 by TA Marryshow to allow Grenadians to participate in a new constitutional dispensation.

The formation of Eric Gairy’s trade union the Grenada United Labor Party motivated a general strike in 1951 that included unrest and burning buildings and necessitated a military intervention by the British authorities to regain control of the situation. In 1967 Grenada was awarded Associated Statehood status and Gairy served as Premier until full Independence was granted from the British in February of 1974.

It is Independence that has proven the greatest challenge to Grenadians, with Government after Government failing to meet the challenges of their time and the voices, concerns, opinions and needs of the people consistently ignored. However, those same leaders expect us to wear Party colors, pledge blind allegiance and subscribe to ideologies we may not fully grasp, in other words we have been expected to, in one way or the other, label ourselves.

The Post-Independence Grenada has been a succession of trials and failures, for every positive step we somehow manage to take a number of steps in the opposite direction.

The Post-Independence Grenadian is confused, misled and a victim of a group of individuals who have ordained themselves the rightful rulers of Grenada – a post they are all prepared to hold at any and all costs. A quick look through the list of candidates in all elections since 1984 will show the parade of persons who have crossed party lines, seemingly devoid of loyalty, a political philosophy or any kind of ideology but more driven by a desire to be ‘in power’, as opposed to proudly holding Office to serve Grenadians as promised during each preceding election campaign.

While the list of ineffective and inefficient Politicians continues to grow, the lack of proper results has more to do with mis-management and a mis-placed passion for power. I won’t waste space here going through the failures since Independence but will highlight the 1979-1983 revolution as a political failure, with the small fractions of progress attributable to a Public who were desirous of playing a part, as small as it might have been, in their future, the future of their Children and the future of their Country. History will record the revolution as not only a failure, but as time goes on, a continual discomfiture to Grenada – an unsightly scar on the political face of our dear land – and it will remain that way until the truth of the events leading up to and on October 19^th, 1983 are properly and honestly documented by those culpable. There are those who might put forward the theory that had a proper and complete reconciliation taken place, present-day politics in Grenada would not be so self-serving, childish and all together a disgusting embarrassment.

What Post-Independence Grenada was in need of was a Social Revolution; in fact we are still desperately in need of that occurrence to take us out of the constant political quagmire we find ourselves in.

The Post-Independence Grenadian has failed to be independent in thought, has failed to be able to see past political gimmickry, see past those desirous of ‘eating ah food’, with Grenadians left to foot the bill. The foolishness that passes for politics in Grenada these days is accommodated by a Populace that is not prepared to hold persons who offer themselves, voluntarily, for public office to a higher standard. Demands of honesty, integrity, loyalty, commitment to service and good old-fashioned decency are not made often and loud enough. Once we vote them into office, we become their bosses and not the other way around!

With all that God has blessed us with, it is not very difficult to make Grenadians prosper. We are the Isle of Spice, possibly the friendliest people on the face of the earth and even with those unique attributes God continues to bless us. We have three things that can take care of us a people; this is the very simple version.

1.  Tourism – the tourism product is the People of Grenada –it is that simple; and then we build everything around that. What will attract people to Grenada in the numbers we fantasize about is who we are and how we do what we do. Allowing Tourists to interact with us, to share the joy it is to be Grenadian is what will keep them coming back. And get them to spend while they are here. It is not Grand Etang and Annadale and crab racing and one-man orchestras, its oil-down and how we make it, it is our unique musical sound, it is our penchant for “ole talk” , it is the joy we derive from making our guests as happy and as welcome as possible.
2. Agriculture – whatever the reason/reasons that had Grenada importing bananas from Suriname and St. Vincent could never be acceptable and the act – at the risk of exaggeration – borders on treason. Speaking of which, nutmeg farmers’ money was used to build a mall, an economic disaster of Herculean proportions. A proper policy on the way forward for agriculture must be developed, by farmers, and adhered to, in spite of changes in Government. That policy is a matter of urgency since we have no idea what great investment the geniuses on the GCNA Board are planning next. Nutmeg, cocoa, and the others spices must be heavily and appropriately invested in – the Isle of Spice should not just be a tag-line for a consistently ineffective marketing plan.
3. Culture- obviously tied into the tourism plan. Well it has not been so obvious for many years, so please forgive my presumptuousness. Again a policy to act as a guide-line, developed from the persons who have the where-with-all to get things done. For reference and the personnel to assist in that regard see the Mt. Mortiz West Indian Breakfast, the annual Chantimelle Festival and Tallpree to name a few. The proclivity to put away the spirited beverages is not a criterion for determining one’s ability to look after the delicate affairs of Grenada’s extremely distinctive cultural attributes. We are now lagging in Carnival behind Trinidad, Barbados, St. Vincent and Dominica and the downward spiral continues.  In recent times we have used a Trinidad Soca Artiste to promote our carnival product and the sadness of it is the inability of the decision-makers to see the folly of their ways. In blind-man Country the one-eyed man declares himself King. In Grenada’s ‘Cultural Country’ we are not blind, but allow ourselves to be blind-folded handing over the decision-making to mis-guided, egotistically (and otherwise) intoxicated windbags. When it is time to talk, talk about the plans for Seamoons, the revival of Calypso, the legislation to protect the work of our Creators, the support for community cultural projects. Until then, remove the blind-folds and in exchange we will accept another ailment – deafness.

 That is in a nutshell the direction of a Post-Independence Grenada, and even now we still have a chance to make good on the things God has and continues to bless us with. We somehow have found a variety of ways to over-complicate the process, taking Grenada further and further away from its essence, from the prosperity that can exist here even in the face of natural challenges and the unfortunate man-made ones.

 “There is no such thing as a little country. The greatness of a people is no more

determined by their numbers than the greatness of a man is by his height.”

…Victor Hugo

Dexter Mitchell