Athletics Greatness

Once again, the Jamaican athletes have shown that they are the best in the world. The playing field has been levelled. For years we have been competing against artificially enhanced human beings without success. But now, the rules have changed. Initiated by one of the architects of the superhuman, Victor Conte. The new drug testing methods have caused fear among the worlds athletes who have been or were considering performance enhancing drugs. Now the real stars are shining. The former so called super powers of sports are now being brought down to size, by some of the smallest countries in the world, namely Jamaica and others. 

We have always done well, always against the odds, never complaining, just toiling and toiling. We have a great system in place which builds our stars of today and tomorrow, not artificially, but through the natural, careful and guided development of minds and bodies. 

Without question, this little island of 2.5 million plus, was blessed with greatness in all forms. Ever since we were brought to the Caribbean from Africa, we have shown that. Never far behind in anything and always seen, whether for good or ill, Jamaica makes her voice heard.

Lets use these lessons to push us to even higher heights of greatness, realizing that anyone of us doing anything can become a shining light among the worlds greatest.

False sense of security

My parents speak of a time when sleeping with the front door to the house open was a common thing. No one gave much thought to a burglar visiting in the middle of the night, worse the thought of being killed in the process. 

Those it seems are the good old days as they say. So how did we get to this stage? There is no limit to which criminals wont go these days. No one or thing is out of range. An evil cloud has descended upon us like a silent thief in the night. But am sure there were signs. Just as there are signs now of even more impending dangers. Can anyone remember when a day passed without a single murder being reported in the news? I can't, so i don't listen and I don't watch anymore. Where did it begin? More of the young are leaving school functionally illiterate. We bread a culture of violence through our politics, our music and movies and our everyday socialization even from our parents. We tend to be a nation of angry people. 

We need to spend more time talking to each other. We have become social misfits. No longer willing to listen and so, we don't understand. We all say, "its not going to happen to me", if we sit behind our closed doors and our 20 feet fences, then we are safe. Its the case of, if I cant see you, you can't see me. The head in the sand syndrome. Not all of us can run away, some of us have to stay and fight, America can't and won't take all of us. If we don't handle this crisis, a time will come when we really won't be able to leave our homes without a security escort.

A false sense of security is a sure way of biulding a society of insecurity.

On the brink

Its summer again and its hot. I have problems sleeping at night because of this heat. This year, it seems as if it has never been hotter. I would take a shower but wait, the taps a dry, only the gasps of pipes that have nothing to offer like the last breath of the dying. The reservoirs are running at their lowest levels in years, so says the water management authorities. This is the beginnings of a serious drought. But as Jamaicans, have we become use to this all too familiar scenario? No accommodations are being made by the guardians of our fate, those whom we have entrusted with our security and economic well being. Build another water storage facility we plea. But it falls on ears that cannot relate. What has been the perennial excuse? We have no provisions in the budget to undertake such large scale projects. And so, it gets worse. Not only does it get worse but the costs increase exponentially too, at what stage are we going to realize that this is an absolutely essential life giving and life saving commodity. Something has to give. What will it be? Jamaica use to be called the land of wood and water. It was once a favourite tag line when promoting our island. Its ironic that the Land of Wood and Water is hardly able to harness that most precious liquid, even for its inhabitants. Rivers empty there volumes into the sea every day. Why dont we channel them into our homes? Not literelly of course, thats another issue all together which also needs addressing. It is said that people reform or change when they are On The Brink. When are we going to realize that we are there now? On The Brink!