Five Lessons Learned from Two Covid Years

For the umpteenth time I will start one of these lamenting how long I haven’t done this but alas its clearly a key element of the “Reasoning” brand. Also, quite cliché is the fact that it is the truing of the calendar to a new 365 that has provided the impetus to end the writing slumber. This slumber has been different from ones before it, however. Rather than the usual nonchalance and indifference, this has felt like a stupor and a stupor it has been, induced by the two years or two “non-years” we have just endured and survived. Nonetheless, even with all the negativity, there is still room for gratitude and giving thanks for all the positives that have coexisted with this peculiar Original and Sequel that 2020 and 2021 has presented us. It is in this ambivalent existence that Reasoning with the Cunning One presents… “A Thing Called Five Lessons Learned from Two Covid Years.” However, fret not, I too am tired of some of the hardcore and divisive debates that have surrounded our covid existence and as such if I even touch on any of those it will be only in passing (hopefully).

Lesson One – Family is very important.

I can forgive you if you say “duh” as this seems like the most obvious thing ever. But still the past two years have driven the point home quite exponentially. A sub lesson is the importance of social interaction. Put most bluntly, we were not built to live the kind of lockdown existence that this pandemic foisted upon us. Never mind that more and more, and whether consciously or subconsciously, we are flouting the “distancing” portion of the pandemic, we nuh really buil’ fi live like that. Stay by yourself, avoid visiting grandma, no friend link ups, stay away from scrimmage football etc. At first it may have seemed doable. I mean all those things we may have taken for granted and at points we have made the choice to stop doing them. But it’s a hell of a thing when the choice is taken away from you. Add to that the inability to tell when it all will be over with. It’s rough.

But what does this have to do with family being important. From my experience for the past two years, what has taken me through some of the rough patches and unfortunately what some other persons have not had, is the ability to have a vibrant, reachable extended family “bubble” so life’s moments have not just been confined to my individual four walls. I am absolutely clear without this, these past two years would have been further hell. I, definitely, will be forever grateful for this and I’m sure the gravity of its impact will be even clearer whenever we get the chance to see covid, or at least covid as a plague, in the rear-view mirror

Lesson Two – Ying/Yang is real.

Whatever philosophical perspective you ascribe to I am sure there exists a component that is in line with the ying and yang reality. That is to say, life is full of counterforces. Some we deem positive whilst others are negative, but they together coexist to make up this thing called life. The past two covid years are no different, in fact one could look at them as the epitome of that reality. On a personal level some of the deepest losses, inclusive of close extended family members has occurred in lock step with some very big personal achievements. November 2020, I attended a funeral that was really hard to attend. However, December 2020 I moved into my own home. For the past two years the child has had to tackle school from behind a tablet screen and that has been rough. However, in that time she has grown so much and so has her feisty vocabulary and understanding of the world around her. Not to mention some new extracurricular activities. The past two years have been perhaps equally some of the best and worst of my life, but such is life, the duality of ying and yang.

Lesson Three – Bad time to be ill/die.

I am aware it might be insensitive and/or offensive to suggest there is a good versus bad time to die or be sick, but this lesson is perhaps the one that has hit me the hardest and heaviest in the past two years. Again, this lesson is predicated on things we would otherwise take for granted. Under normal circumstances you get sick and hospitalized, your family could easily come and check on you during visiting hours. With covid? Not so. Now persons are forced to endure the great unknown all by them self. All the terror, all the anxiety with way less outlets to deal with it. That is indeed a very scary reality that far too many have had to endure over the past two years. This sorrow is only matched and perhaps surpassed by those who pass away or have lost loved ones in this abnormal time. No-one loves bereavement, but at least in “normal times” someone at death’s door would be able to see family members for the last time, perhaps have their last rites and prayers or similar rituals. And having passed, families would be able to have appropriately fulsome “sending off” ceremonies. In this era of “limit the spread” and “maintaining physical distance” it is like a huge chunk of the humanity involved in transcending this earthly plane has been stripped from us. I deeply regret and commiserate with anyone that has had to undergo the earth-shattering experience of losing someone close to them in this time where we are not fully able to express the humanity of such situations.

Lesson Four – In Capitalist Societies: Profit conquers all.

It is said that in capitalism, the bottom line is all that matters. One may have thought that whilst feeling the pangs of global contagion that the world could be driven by imperatives other than, and perhaps more noble than the pursuit of profit and narrowly defined economic growth but alas this has not been the case. In the midst of global spread of this virus it seems that equal to, or exceeding the desire to eliminate said virus has been the need for governments and companies to keep the capitalist wheels turning. Never mind cruise ships serving as floating petri dishes for an ever-evolving virus – lets get back to normal ‘cause arrivals, arrivals, arrivals, spend, spend, spend. Never mind most cases of the original and new variants entering many or most countries by way of international travellers – lets keep the wheels turning. Never mind sports leagues and teams having player after player after player go down with the virus – lets get that TV revenue… and so it goes with many other examples of this same mindset. But perhaps the most recent and most crude example of this mindset, in my view, must be the new guidance provided by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with respect to isolation after testing positive for COVID-19. As at 27 December 2021 the recommendation is that persons who have tested positive for covid should instead of isolating for 10 days, should now do so for five. In the discourse it has emerged that whilst this recommendation is purportedly rooted in the science of the current omicron variant of the virus, it has also been an open secret that a big push factor for this was the desire for big business to reduce the dislocation of missing, sick employees. For many, myself included, this decision had very little to do with the well-being of people, and a lot to do with the pursuit of the almighty dollar at the expense of people’s well-being.

Lesson Five – Too many people have no idea how “Rights” work.

Like it or not, perhaps the biggest source of discourse and discord over the past two years has been the science and non-science of the covid-19 vaccinations and the socio-political furore that has accompanied the development and dissemination of these vaccines. As stated up front,  I would rather not delve heavily into the rudiments of these controversies, save an except to say I firmly believe in the importance of the global vaccination programme in the elimination of the disease. Instead of leaning into the rightness or wrongness of vaccination, I am far more concerned with the conventional wisdom or at least widely held view of “rights” both locally in Jamaica and even more so in the US inspired western world. Even pre-covid a lot of the discourse on “rights” i.e. political and civil liberties or “human rights” is shrouded in a touch of ignorance. So in this vaccine debate as well as in other aspects of life there seems to be this very “western” focus on individual freedom to essentially do whatever I want or not be mandated to do anything, irrespective of the effect of the action or inaction on wider society. The error here is that rights are actually creatures of law/human agreements and most, if not all, rights are crafted in a dual consideration of that individual freedom but simultaneously protecting the common good. As such, all the rights that people are up in arms about saying they are being violated are all crafted so that they serve to protect individuals form the over-reach of the state, but at the same time embedded with exceptions for exceptional circumstances for the furtherance of the common good. It seems that the latter basic principle has escaped far too many people. So before we join the mob of persons who may glibly speak about violation of rights (and sometimes rightly so still) let us actually take a prips at our Constitution, particularly the Charter of Rights in the Jamaican context or any corresponding legislation in any other context, and ensure that when we speak about rights being abrogated, we are indeed sure what we are talking about.

Honourable Mention Lessons

The previous five lessons really represent the things that were at the forefront of my mind but this is clearly a non-exhaustive list and I would love to hear from persons what are some other indelible lessons you have learnt from these past two covid years.  As a parting shot, here are a couple more lessons that didn’t make the “I feel like delving into these” list but definitely have been learned and logged.

• Way too many people are grossly selfish and individualstic
• More people need to do General Science or Integrated Science for longer in school.
• Polticians gonna politick.

Selah.

Michael Jeffrey Jordan – Hero or Villain?: A Short Look at “The Last Dance”

“A couple days ago I said to myself if I ever I were to be addicted to something that thing would be nostalgia. If that is the case, then spending 10 of the greatest hours ever watching this documentary might be what it means to get high or have a fix. There was nothing to 8,9,10 year old me like “and now the starting line-up for your Chicago Bulls.” 20 odd years later you blend childhood enthusiasm with greater insight and boy o boy this was good…clearly this has to transition into a blogpost. #TheLastDance #MichaelJeffreyJordan #GOAT🐐”

The above quote is a caption from a post I made on Instagram exactly one week ago as I completed watching the final two episodes of the instantly, critically acclaimed docuseries: The Last Dance. As a man of my word I feel obligated to put some words together on this epic drama that has consumed a wide swath of sports fans for the past roughly month and a half.

The problem I face however is where to start as the Last Dance, which ebbed and flowed throughout time, culminating in the 1998 NBA Finals and the aftermath, has evoked so much discussion and has taken its viewers in so many directions that it is more difficult than I thought to marshal my thoughts coherently into my version of a think piece. As such here are my rambling thoughts on this documentary that truly has been something special for me.

Perhaps the most obvious place to start is the climate in which it was released. For those of us diehard sports/Michael Jordan/90s Chicago Bulls fans the release of the Last Dance was already set to be a pivotal point of a sporting summer which was going to include all the major global sports not least the fanfare of an Olympic year. The documentary which chronicled the 1998 season for the Chicago Bulls which would turn out to be the end of the Air Jordan era for that franchise, was actually slated to be released in June 2020. But in comes the ethereal COVID-19 global pandemic. For all intents and purposes the world is brought to its knees by this uber contagious enigma of a disease. On, I believe, March 11, 2020, the NBA announced it would be suspending its season in the wake of the global crisis and it seems, at least for sports fans, this was perhaps the first domino that led to the crumbling of the world of sport, perhaps all social activity in general as we knew it and ushering in the vogue nomenclature which is our “new normal.”

This world of limited social interaction and limited entertainment cried out for something to fill the void if even only minimally. Little by little the social media then conventional media overtures for Mr. Michael Jeffrey Jordan and his ESPN counterparts to expedite the release grew louder and louder until we could not be denied. The remainder of this discussion will delve into more substantive aspects of the Series, but with respect to the timing of the release, I can find no other word but perfect. The confluence of such riveting content and the lack of competition for attention meant that at least in sporting circles the documentary easily dominated the discourse, freeing our minds from COVID overload and generating debate on top of debate on top of debate. Without question the world, particularly the sports world got the early Christmas gift of a lifetime.

Having opened and enjoyed this Christmas gift what are the major takeways? Is it that without question MJJ is greatest player ever to grace the parquet of the NBA? Is it the inimitable ability of Phil Jackson to get the best out of his motley crew, epitomised by his handling of Dennis Rodman? Is it the fact that Scottie Pippen might be the most underrated and underpaid superstar ever? Is it that Jerry Krause’s napoleon complex cut the greatest sports run ever short prematurely?

All of these and many more rabbit holes not mentioned would be great to explore but none quite compare to the pandoras box that emerged with respect to Michael Jordan’s insatiable appetite for winning and success and the lengths to which he would go to achieve this success. Was he the greatest competitor ever and the epitome of successful leadership? Or was he a narcissistic and maniacal despot that went too far in the quest for greatness? Like most major sporting topics, this idea of Jordan the leader or Jordan the despicable completely divides opinion. In fact, the inner workings of these championship Bulls teams have always been the subject of speculation and urban legends. What the documentary served to do was pull the curtain back, and boy was the curtain pulled back. With the veil of ignorance fully removed we got very clear insights into the pros and cons of the Michael Jordan school of leadership.

In the documentary we get a front row seat to the thoughts of a man who believed in hard work. A man that exhibited determination. We are re-introduced to a young man who didn’t make his high school basketball team and began working on his craft immediately so that there would be no recurrence. We become re-acquainted with a young NBA superstar that had to endure ferocious beatings on the court but persevered until he was able to vanquish the foes that stood in his way. We revisited highlights that showed that when the moment was the biggest and the lights were the brightest Michael Jordan was the man for the moment. Game winning shots, game clinching defensive stands, you name it he had it. We encounter a man that had the will to overcome anything, from the tragic death of his father, to the flu which we now know was food poisoning (and not the rumoured hangover). We see a tough leader who understood what it takes to win and was willing to push his teammates out of their comfort zones and squeeze every ounce of effort, determination and performance out of them whether they liked it or not, whether they liked him or not.

But beauty is in the eye of the beholder and the previously painted picture, for some, put a misleading gloss over the actions of a man who falls just short of a monster. We are reminded of his almost primal need for conflict to drive his competitive motor, even creating outright false spats in (mostly successful) attempts to psych himself up to perform. We get insights of how some teammates suffered greatly in terms of verbal sparring. Many people left the documentary feeling absolutely sorry for Mr. Scott Burrell who came out being painted as MJ’s number one verbal “victim.” We finally get an behind the scenes look into the infamous moment where MJ punches one Mr Steve Kerr in the face even forcing him to lament beating up the smallest guy on the team. Finally, beyond a particular scene, and in keeping with the very well curated character that is Michael Jordan, the entire documentary could be viewed as a the heavily one sided musings of the then most powerful man in basketball using the power of popularity and a monopoly on the narrative to make all detractors and even seemingly beloved teammates look small.

The complicated part becomes where do I stand on the hero versus villain debate? For me this is a tough one as Michael Jordan represents perhaps my first sporting “idol” and as an adolescent all the stories and issues interrogated in the documentary were viewed through heavily biased and youthfully naïve eyes. Two decades later and life experiences and nuance are more clear and as such I am very ambivalent on this subject matter. In fact, in his heart of hearts I think MJ is ambivalent too. This conflict between the hero and the villain perhaps gives us the most compelling moment of the 10 hours. Asked about his leadership style he went into a deep soliloquy that included two of the most memorable quotes “winning has a price” and “if you don’t wanna play that way, don’t play that way” followed by an emotional, teary eyed request for a break from the interview. My reading of this is I think with the passing of time MJ does have some misgivings about things he has done and what he has sacrificed on the altar of success so it makes him emotional, but ultimately he feels the end justified the means. Ultimately this is the conclusion I come to as well.

I think more than any point in my life I can comfortably say I loved MJ, but in some regards he was a truly horrible person. Simultaneously I am compelled to find favour with the sentiment of “winning has a price.” Sometimes it requires pushing limits, sometimes it requires ruffling feathers, being goal and task oriented versus being “friends.” Still a question for internal contemplation is what value do you or I put on “winning” or even how do we define “winning”? is this MJ approach applicable in our lives and in non-sports related spaces? The ambivalence still detains me as I am not sure I could or would be able to employ the MJ approach. Maybe I’m just not cut out to be the GOAT at anything? Maybe he went too far?  Whichever way you lean in this discussion one thing is sure…Michael Jeffrey Jordan from Wilmington North Carolina who became the greatest ever basketball player as a Chicago Bull is arguably the most influential sports figure ever. His carefully crafted image that blossomed in parallel with brand Nike is perhaps something we will never ever see again and no matter what you think of him he is truly the stuff of legend. I am truly grateful for the time I was born where I have been blessed to experience some of the greatest figures and greatest moments in sporting history.

So, I start where I began. I think I have an unhealthy love and desire for nostalgia. Nostalgia may be my addiction and The Last Dance was truly a substance of the highest grade. We are now living in a crazy time and I am grateful that we had this oasis in the Corona dessert to satiate both our needs for sporting content and social discourse.

 

Selah.

 

 

An Expedition to the Banks of the Hope

Seems like each of the last few times I have “Reasoned” on here I have to preface it with some form of “its been a long time since I’ve done this” kinda vibe. Usually though it tends to be something that I see on the news that rubs me the wrong way and I have to run to the keyboard and abuse it like that meme with Kermit the frog typing. Forgive me for rambling off all the way to green frogs but as I said it really has been a while so maybe the self-control anti-tangent button not working so well…as I go off on a tangent again.

But what is it that provoked me out of this significant blogging slumber you may ask. Well today whilst sitting at my desk and gearing up the brain to do the work of the Nation’s people I get a whatsapp notification from one of my breddrins (English-jamaican juxtaposition can be so awkward at times) with a picture of an album cover. But this is not just any album cover, this is an album cover emblazoned with the face of a young man wearing a shirt that immediately brings back early 90s nostalgia.

But this is not any young man, this young man goes by the name Jeffrey Campbell, known to many as Assassin and even more contemporarily known by the more amiable Agent Sasco. CHECK CHECK CHECK. Now you might ask yourself what is the significance of this album – HOPE RIVER – and why it would be the catalyst for the re-emergence of this fledgling blog. The Answer is more a Journey than a quick destination.

For those of us that have ever been intimate with dancehall music we know that it is a very tribal space and the concept of “Mi Artiste” is a staple. Now for a sheltered young man like yours truly dancehall was not my first love to say the least. The R & B of K-Ci and JoJo was where I truly fell in love with music and as I got a little older, cable became more pervasive and MTV’s TRL took a hold of a significant part of my brain waves…the boy band era took over so much so that a young Cunning One may or may not have sang Backstreet Boys and NSYNC songs to the ladies.  Back to the script though – I say this to say I came late to the dancehall party so when my friends were firmly in the Bounty Killa, Beenie Man and one weird friend Mr Lexx camps, like Jr Gong – I was still searching.

Then it happened – “to make money you know that’s the plan got a lot a dough spend a lot a gran, top class deejay with a lot of fans, girls be like oh Assassin is the man.” At first I was like “a which yute this sound like Baby Cham?” But boy did I learn. Me and this artiste went on a mission where he parked his expedition and rolled out in a tinted Nissan. Me and this artiste locked gun stocked gun etc. As a high schooler in the early 2000s right or wrong there was steady diet of hardcore topics, however this artiste was different. A powerful voice with a knack for a turn of phrase. A part of my fandom for music that remains today, is that either you move me emotionally, tell a good story or cause me to pause at your wit. Even in this nascent fandom for Assassin at the time, at least two out of three boxes tended to get ticked.

But there were many other artistes that fitted this bill in my formative years so why this glee at this Hope River Album? Because something unique has happened in this journey with me and “Mi Artiste.” We started out chasing the paper, telling people we are the roughest and toughest and occasionally brandishing weapons. But as I grew a little more, took stock of the music I was listening to, maturing a little bit and yearning for more substance and balance it is like telepathically that is what happened with the music of “Mi Artiste” so even though a never him mek yuh catty want stray at the same time he told us to check our priorities and stop promoting “eediat ting.” And fast forward even further he told us Something’s Gotta Give we can’t be living negative and it amount to something positive.

Almost perfectly parallel to my own growth, the substance of the music from Mr. Campbell has grown from strength to strength.  So, to come full circle… I took the draw out from my breddrin that sent me that picture of the album cover, got up from my desk at lunch time went to Fontana Pharmacy in Barbican and bought Hope River. From you see me supporting someone with the initials J.C. you know say it deep deep deep.

So here is to the continued journey with “Mi Artiste”. The Expedition still park up, and now wi just a easy pon the Banks of the Hope.

 

Selah.

 

Disclaimer – No Copyright infringement intended below.

YOU ARE NOW RESPONSIBLE FOR SOMEBODY ELSE.

The day is April 26, 2017. Nothing exceptional was expected. Just had an annoying football training session the night before where I seriously considered quitting the workplace team. Got home went to sleep as said before nothing out of the ordinary.

Then in the midst of my sleep I feel like I hear somebody whispering my name. This gets gradually louder till it’s a shout…SHANE. Jump up to see the Mrs. in the bathroom contemplating that she had a toddler moment if you catch my drift. Seeing as though we had an OBGYN appointment later that day my thought was just log it and discuss with the doctor. But that’s when the “fun” started. This fun was happening every few minutes then closer to each other till we started timing and realise it was happening every seven minutes. Still thinking it’s nothing again “log it, discuss it with the doctor.”

But then seven minutes becomes six then six becomes five and then dinner gets tossed in the toilet. Hmmm? This not happening on April 26, a full month before expected? Nah. But let’s be safe and call the doctor. From what I can hear on my end of the phone the doctor also was doubtful until mention of the dinner’s ejection. “Grab the bag and get to the hospital now.”

Such a good thing the bag that we delayed packing was packed two days before. Off to the hospital we go, still in disbelief, still half expecting the nurses to declare a false alarm. Lo and behold 2 centimetres…let the games begin. Not wishing to publish all the gory details and how the Mrs. “head get hot” I will fast forward and say that from that first whisper of my name at around 4:00am and getting to the hospital at 6:00am, 2 centimetres became 10 centimetres probably well before the nurses and doctor realised and just at the moment where the pain was unbearable and an epidural was on the mind…SHOWTIME.

Yes, I was in the delivery room, no I did not flinch, except for when the deeply religious looking nurse’s phone rang to the sound of Pitbull and Stephen Marley. In fact, the Doctor even asked me to assist with some things so I was an active participant. When the doctor emerged with a tiny little human I spun and looked at the clock. 12:25pm on the 26^th day of April 2017…

YOU ARE NOW RESPONSIBLE FOR SOMEBODY ELSE.

Now, if I am to be honest, anti-climax may be way too strong of a word but this magical “I am a whole new person” feeling that Hollywood sells didn’t and still yet in some ways hasn’t arrived. But one thing I know, as Fathers’ Day approaches, I am thankful to my wife aka “The Real MVP” as well as the Doctor and nurses that all played a role in this upcoming Sunday having a new focus for me. But this new focus can never erase the old one. I have an excellent father, one that I repeatedly say if I can be half the father he is then my little lady will be good.

So, in the absence of a baby inspired Damascus road moment, I instead have every cry, every new sound/shriek, each puke and not to mention each diaper change and every now and again a silent moment where our eyes make four. In these moments, it becomes clearer and clearer, I love this little girl and stand in awe of for want of a better word how her “cuteness” in overdrive.

Glory to God for the trinity of blessings, great parents and family, an MVP of a wife and this little diaper user.

 Selah.

 

Wasted Opportunity by “The Terrible Tout”: Campion Story Deserves More Layers

 

Three days ago I sat satisfying my regular need for social media and saw what I thought would be an article par excellence pop up on my newsfeed from one of the regular social commentators in Jamaica that I respect, even if I don’t always agree with the views he espouses. The article I refer to was published in the Jamaica Gleaner on Sunday June 5, 2016 and is entitled “Why Campion is So Loved and Hated” by Gordon Robinson.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/focus/20160605/gordon-robinson-why-campion-so-loved-and-hated

The topic is very near and dear to me due to my being the proud if sometimes reluctant sibling of a Campion alumna and *whispers* a one-time Campion College aspiring student (prior to divine intervention). This experience has made it more obvious to me than the average joe that Campion College may be the most opinion splitting, controversy stirring and divisive institution in Jamaican society and a lot of the reason for this actually is no fault of the institution itself.

So recognizing the above reality and acknowledging the literary prowess and infinitely sharp mind of Sir Robinson I eagerly awaited the well nuanced and balanced discussion of this lightning rod that is Campion. Unfortunately, but not altogether surprisingly, Mr. Robinson took the default position that many more contemporary Campionites take when the rest of society leans in on them with  the mostly unwarranted negative sentiments – he presented us with the combination of the litany of reasons Campion is great, blended with the subtle condescension that “you all really wish you were us.” And to top it off for me on a personal level, for no apparent reason Mr. Robinson sought to juxtapose the virtue of Campion by pejoratively comparing the strong Jesuit ethos of Campion to, what for him is the seemingly useless braggadocio of the motto “The Brave May Fall But Never Yield.”

Don’t get me wrong either, I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Robinson’s quite brilliant depiction of why Campion is a truly great institution that all Jamaicans should be proud of. And indeed we all should really be proud and I go on further to state that the Jesuit principles that have guided the school’s development and that are so ably described by Mr. Robinson should really form a template for the development of truly rounded citizens for the benefit of the Jamaican society.

But what Mr. Robinson has robbed us of is balance. Though mostly unjustified, there are perfectly reasonable explanations as to why Campion is not everybody’s cup of tea, not least of which is the subtle and not so subtle reminders that Campionites give us that we wish we were them. Though the catch 22 there is that sometimes that is the response of an attacked animal backed into a corner. But still what the article I eagerly awaited did not do was adequately account for what Campion has become a symbol of. Though Mr. Robinson merely mentioned it in an almost throw away fashion, Campion for all the developmental strengths it possesses does get the nation’s best students in large measure thus possessing a strong leg up on everyone else. Also a large swath of the school’s modern day population and I may venture to posit its “back in the day” population as well consisted of societies well to do. Simply put, in a gravely inequitable education system which foreshadows a probably more inequitable society on a whole, Campion has unwittingly become to many a symbol of this social stratification.

So I agree with Mr. Robinson that some of the persons who were dying for Campion to lose this years’ School’s Challenge Quiz Final need to grapple with some internal insecurities and perhaps even inferiority complexes. (Although this year people had many legitimate grouses not with Campion but how the Organizers handled Campion’s matches, but that is for another day.) Notwithstanding this agreement, what I expected from Mr. Robinson, and was left disappointed, was an honest acknowledgement that a lot of the anti-Campion sentiment also emerges from it being a symbol, right or wrong, for the social divides that mar our Jamaican existence.

SELAH!!!

PS –  To Sir Robinson, though you may disparage it, beyond the bar talk and the obnoxious bravado, the words “The Brave May Fall But Never Yield” have been a rallying cry that has steered many otherwise rudderless young men from lives of obscurity and strife to the upper echelons of success in their chosen fields of endeavor. And for those who may have not reached such lofty heights, the spirit of the Rt.Reverend PW Gibson, which those words channel gives us a reminder that though we face challenges we can overcome. I am sure you can acknowledge that beyond the Old Boys who won’t grow up, the Fortis ethos is of great value as is that of the strong Jesuit philosophy.

Fortis, Fortes…Respect.

A Random Case of Nostalgia

If you have read my blog before or even perused the archive you will realise that by a country mile my primary focus is usually on the most topical happenings in the social economic and political realms. However there is a category in said archive called “Random Me Stuff.” This episode of Reasoning is definitely a “Random Me Stuff” edition.

Sitting at my desk assisting the work day in becoming palatable by listening to the discography of the legendary Hip Hop/ Neo Soul band “The Roots” the melodies and superb wordplay had my mind drifting to “the good ol days” of my vintage. Overcome with nostalgia my mind couldn’t escape the need to jot down a list of some of the many things from my childhood and youth that I miss greatly.

90’s & Early 2000s Hip Hop/ R&B Music

With the inspiration for this mood outlined above it is only right that this list starts here. Whether it is the playful ABC rhyming of the Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff on songs like “Parents Just Don’t Understand”, the Bipolar, thoughtful and belligerent Tupac Shakur that would “Hit ‘em up” one day and teach us to “Keep ya head up” the next.  Maybe it is the crooning of real singing groups like Boyz II Men and Jodeci. Bringing it forward thoughts move to the undeniable word play of Jay-Z. Tracking back, the more conscious, soulful Hip Hop of Mos Def, Common, The Roots and Talib Kweli. I could ramble on this forever but rather than playing the grumpy grandpa that I have become and bash contemporary music, I’ll just rework the thought from Summertime by the Fresh Prince and Jazzy Jeff and instead of being shocked that “the smell from a (bbq) grill could spark up nostalgia” I’ll blame this feeling on a YouTube suggestion.

Innocent TV Shows About Teenage Years/Puberty

I don’t know about you but there are some TV shows that have a direct connection in my mind with my transition from “likkle pickney” to pubescence. Shows that just got it. Shows that understood the moment the first girl you ever liked looked at you. Shows that knew that friends at school were the first source of information (usually full of crap but still) about relationships and sex. Of Course that is followed by the eternal peer pressure. Shows that depicted family life for all its pros and cons, good days and bad days with siblings good days and bad days with parents. Some that come to mind for me are “Boy Meets world”, “Wonder Years”, to a lesser extent Soul Food: The Series and last but definitely not least The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. This classic show transcended just thoughts of growing up but spanned the gamut of family life and lessons mixed with straight up laughs. TV today is cool and all can’t deny that but… I miss those days.

McDonald’s

Let’s keep this one short as the nutritionist, the doctor, the blood pressure machine and BK loving Jamaicans aren’t going to be happy with me. But for me, and at least three other people I know who will remain nameless, the day that the Golden Arches disappeared from the Jamaican landscape was a true tragedy and a sad day in the annals of Jamaican history. Just typing this right now I can feel the oranegish/yellowish box that held my beloved Quarter Pounder with Cheese on my fingertips. Burger in one half of the box fries in the other. Sad I tell you sad. I have to move on though the depression is steadily growing. Ronald we miss you dawg.

Youth Itself

Rather than continue this list of random memories what is becoming clearer and clearer as I type is that the truth is, sparked by a handful of YouTube videos, I am just really appreciative of the childhood and adolescence that I was blessed with. On the other side of Mother’s Day I must unequivocally declare that I have a pair of parents that I would never ever ever trade for anything and they created an enabling environment that allowed me to just be a child and grow up at my pace. As an adult each day gives me reasons to realise how great they were and how much they did for us without much fanfare.

Pausing the mushy part for a bit, ADULTHOOD IS THE BIGGEST SCAM IN LIFE. As a youth you spend your whole childhood yearning for the day when you get big. “I won’t have to listen to anybody, I do what I want when I want.” The sad part is when it hits you that the thing you want the most now that you have reached this hallowed adulthood, is to reverse the clock and fully spend the time enjoying every single blessed moment of that youth.

And that is the advice I just recently had to leave a young friend with who was cursing her youth. Not even being too far removed from my youth I can honestly look back at it and say those days were legendary and a treasure that I will never forget, and with the exception of a few “perks” of the now, would readily trade for and go back.

But alas, Benjamin Button is but fiction. Life, we must endeavor to move forward and grow and not just in waist size but in mind and relationships and emotional maturity. But lucky for us, although life is a forward trod, it never hurts when we get a chance to look back.

 

SELAH.

 

How Should We Use The Bible? ( My Thoughts as Told By Someone Else)

Have you ever read an article or someone’s post on your favourite social media and feel like that person plagiarised from your thoughts. Well today that has definitely happened to me. I pride myself on being (a low level) wordsmith but the confines of my conscience are forcing me to admit that the words that you will read below represent in large measure a far superior expression of my perspective on a very important, yet at times controversial, subject i.e. THE BIBLE. what it is? What authority does it have? How it should be used etc. In order to not be the perpretrator of the academic/creative capital offence that is plagiarism let me categorically state that the remainder of the body of this blogpost is authoured by John Pavlovitz who is a pastor/blogger from Wake Forest, North Carolina. An 18-year veteran of local church ministry, he currently writes a blog called “Stuff That Needs To Be Said.” For the record i am by no means conferring “authority” status on this man or lining up behind all he believes I am simply sharing my thoughts as ably encapsulated in his article.

What follows is an excerpt from the article 5 Things I Wish Christians Would Admit About the Bible . the full article can be found at the URL at the end of this post.

The Bible.

Christians talk about it all the time, though what they mean by “The Bible” isn’t always clear. That is to say, other than the catch phrase “God’s Word” I’m not sure what the Bible is to many who claim it as the sacred text that guides their life. I’m positive we’re not all on the same page, so to speak.

Some Christians want to make the Bible something it isn’t, and it makes for some disastrous conversations and dangerous assumptions, especially in interactions with other Christians.



Here are 5 things about the Bible I wish more believers would consider:



1. The Bible Isn’t a Magic Book.

The Bible isn’t The Good Book. It isn’t really a book at all. It’s a lot of books. It’s a library.

Its 66 individual books run the diverse gamut of writing styles, (poetry, history, biography, church teachings, letters), and those books have dozens of authors; from shepherds, to prophets, to doctors, to fishermen, to kings. These diverse writers each had very different target audiences, disparate life circumstances and specific agendas for their work; so we don’t approach each book the same way—for the same reason you wouldn’t read a poem about leaves the same way you read a botany textbook. Some are for inspiration and some for information; we receive and see them differently.

If we can see the Scriptures this way; as many diverse works telling one story in one collection, Christians can free themselves from the confusion about what they mean when they say “literal.” We don’t have to equate history with allegory with poetry, or read them in the same way. We can also see the Bible as a record not just of God, but of God’s people, and we can find ourselves within it.

Read more at http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/5-things-i-wish-christians-would-admit-about-bible#5qAbB9wD4hMcDpFR.99

2014: Year In Review

The first Facebook status I wrote for the year Two Thousand and Fourteen clearly was a foreshadowing of things to come. The status read: 2013 was a Good Year, Have a feeling 2014 will be a special one but no matter what i and i still COUNTING MY BLESSINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And as we begin 2015 I and I still counting my blessings and I can definitely affirm that despite some trying times personally, nationally and for the whole world 2014 did turn out to be a very significant year, perhaps even the most significant of this 27 year trod so far.

So many things happened that it would be impossible to do them all justice in a blog post but what I am going to do is break it down into three categories – News, Sports & Personally *insert azonto music* – and highlight some of the major occurrences.

News

Kartel Trial
Whether some persons want to admit it or not, I think easily the undisputed number one story in Jamaica for the year 2014 was the trial of Jamaica’s most notorious musician ever, one Adidjah Palmer aka Vybz Kartel aka the teacher aka World Boss. Totally capturing the minds of a nation for a history making 64 days, many of us spent days at the edge of our seats getting the latest updates from our favourite courtroom source. Special mention must be given to the likes of Ms Live tweet aka Emily Crooks, Dara Smith, Anthony Miller and Abka Fitz-Henley. These people truly brought this courtroom into our respective living rooms.

And so it went on and on and on. The verdict – “Babylon seh jail for [The Teach]” 35 years for murder. Sad on so many levels however the irony must be that the most popular deejay in the country seems to have become even more popular and more prolific in recording since being behind bars…but that’s another story for another blog.

Chik V
One panadol, one panadol
One panadol, one panadol
Cho!
Mosquito one, Mosquito two
Mosquito jump inna hot callaloo…
Mosquito bite me, Mosquito bite you
Mek me tell yuh what a mosquito can do. – Wayne J

If any story/issue is going to rival Mr Palmer for the biggest thing to happen locally it MUST be the monster that was/is Chikungunya. Chik V shocked the nation, never mind that we saw the effects of this crippling disease on our Eastern Caribbean, it was a shock as we didn’t know what to expect and lets just say the government response was not the best. Definitely felt like 90% of the society contracted the disease which kicked off in the east and buzzed its way all the way across the island. Everywhere we turned we saw people hobbling at a snails pace and if that wasn’t bad enough Chik V must hold the world record for relapses and explanations for its “real” cause, because “mosquito alone cudn’t mash wi up suh.”

Eventually, persons getting the Chikungunya will be as mainstream as the flu or pink eye but this 2014 outbreak will forever go down in infamy in the annals of Jamaican history. In the now immortal words of the young Wayne J we all know now what a mosquito bite can do.

US/Cuba Relations
For most people, particularly, people of colour and people of the Caribbean, there are two things that we thought we would never see in our lifetime – a black president and the restoration of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States of America. So imagine the surprise when these two things intersected as President Barack Obama made the announcement out of left field that his administration was about to begin the process of reinstating diplomatic relations with Cuba, a sworn Cold War enemy with whom ties were severed in 1961 in the wake of the nationalisation of US owned businesses under El Comandante Fidel Castro Ruz.

However as ill health meant Raul became the head Castro in charge and with gradual appeasement measures under the Obama Administration in its early stages, maybe this rapproachment should not be as surprising as previously mentioned but still this moment towards the tail end of 2014 must be hailed as one of the most monumental moments in global history. But time will tell, this is an executive action so the next president could reverse it, also it is congress that controls the maintenance of the trade embargo and that will be a far tougher nut to crack. But whatever happens, the lame duck US president has made the next few months an interesting time in global relations.

Sports

LBJ returns to Cleveland
The latest episode in the life of the NBA’s biggest hero/villain is without question the biggest story in basketball, and perhaps all US sports for the year 2014. Lebron James from Akron Ohio, was the hometown sensation for the Cleveland Cavaliers for a 7 year stint which saw him win multiple individual accolades and become arguably the best player in the NBA. On the collective front however the Cavs were always bridesmaids and never the bride. Then he moves from hero to zero when he “took his talents to South Beach” and joined the Miami Heat. Jerseys burned, boos whenever he returned, King James he was hated.

Fast forward to 2014, four years later, the San Antonio Spurs just ended the two year championship streak of the Heat, Lebron James is again a free agent…which is the one place you think he would never end up? Well here we go, the King Returns, forming a new “Big 3” with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. This mega team was to be the conqueror of all conquerors in the eastern conference. It hasn’t been materialising this way but the hype and the big concert that accompanied the return of The King makes this one of the major highlights of 2014.

2014 World Cup
THE BEAUTIFUL GAME – that is the name that football or soccer goes by and the biggest sporting event in the world i.e. the FIFA World Cup was undoubtedly the major event on the year’s sporting calendar. Brazil, arguably the spiritual home of football, was the host nation and the spectacle was one for the ages. What made this World Cup special to me was the barrage of surprises that emerged from this tournament.

The first major surprise was the demise of the defending champions, La furia roja of Spain. They were pummelled in their first game by the Dutch and it was downhill from there. This was even more shocking as Spain had been easily the best and most dominant team in world football for almost as far back as one can remember. Their downfall was truly a revelation.

Another shocker, but more positively, was the success of the Costa Rican team. Representing the unfancied CONCACAF which is home to our underperforming Reggae Boyz, Costa Rica truly punched above its weight TOPPING the supposed “Group of Death” which also contained Italy, England and Uruguay – all major footballing powers. They actually made it to the Quarterfinals where they were only defeated by The Netherlands 4-3 on penalties after a tough 0-0 draw in regulation and extra time. No world cup is complete without a Cinderella story and Costa Rica shone in this role.

Germany won the tournament but by no means was that the major moment of the tournament. Rather the flat out embarrassment of Brazil, the football kings, by the eventual champions and the national mourning that ensued was hands down the top moment. 7-1 in favour of Germany on Brazilian soil must be the most unimaginable result in football history. Watching this game was a surreal experience as every single German attack felt as if a goal would ensue and by the score you can see that was almost the case. Perhaps even more amazing than the result was the largescale mourning that followed. Tears flowed more that the water in the sea at the Copacabana beach and people even feared for the safety of the remainder of the tournament.

As expected the World Cup lived up to its billing as the greatest show on earth and although its hard to admit I miss hearing the silly world cup song and the stupid ads that accompanied the local coverage

Arsenal Football Club FA Cup Glory
Now as we segue from sporting events to events in my life that were special in 2014, this moment truly fit into both categories. Since my beloved Gunnerz of Arsenal Football Club beat a certain Manchester club in the 2005 FA cup the intervening years have been nothing short of suffering. AFC has become synonymous with trophyless campaigns as perennial “nearly men.” But the FA Cup final in May was to be a watershed moment in the life of us Gooners. Now my experience of this glory moment was quite interesting. I was at the wedding of a dear friend thus unable to see the match except through frequent twitter scrolling (don’t judge me). So imagine my conflicted feelings whilst enjoying the “funnest” ceremony ever whilst getting the news that my team was 2-0 down almost immediately in the game that was supposed end this 9 year nightmare. Well 2-0 became 2-1 and eventually 2-1 became 2-2 and then one Aaron Ramsey finished off the incredible fight back and once again the Gunnerz were FA Cup Champions. By this time I was at the wedding reception silently screaming with delight. But before you judge me some more just note that I had to stay updated as even the groom asked me what was up.

My Life

Got engaged
2014 got off to a quick start in terms of major events in my life. On January 4, 2014, the greatest (I don’t wanna brag) proposal ever took place. Rather than bore you with the details lets just say yours truly re-created, in detail, the first day of my relationship with the Lovely Remone Nelson. This concluded with Ms Nelson being brought to the spot of our first kiss where some meticulously placed cue cards were found which were full of lyrics that eventually directed Ms Nelson to the ring that was hidden in the cars glove compartment. Ms Nelson didn’t say yes but the ugly crying suggested we were getting married. More on this to come.

Mexico Trip
June 2014 probably saw the most exciting moment of my professional life as I was selected to represent the Government of Jamaica at a seminar in Mexico City. I have done my fair share of travelling in life for which I am forever indebted to my parents, but this was different, this was not a run of the mill destination. It was just a four day trip but I will never forget it. The seminar itself was brutal – long working hours, translators who coughed in the mics and were clearly tired, a HORRIBLE hotel with staff that only new the word tip in English (slight exaggeration but you get the idea) and last but not least we were conned as we never got our per diem until the end of the trip. Notwithstanding all of the above, as a tourist it was lovely. We were in the heart of the capital and we saw many beautiful historic sites and enjoyed a open top bus ride through the city which was perhaps a few minutes too long. Mexico City was a interesting mixture of the developed and developing world where high rises and modern architecture shared space with makeshift cardboard and tarpaulin homes, a mixture of European and Aztec/Mayan histories. The only disappointment was that the trip to the Aztec Pyramid temples happened before my contingent got there. Mexico City oh I will never forget this trip.

MARRID
Since 2012 November has become a month of milestones in my life. In 2012 I got my first non-academic employment. In 2013 I got a new job in a more senior post. So November has been a time of new jobs so I guess it was appropriate that perhaps the most important and challenging job of being a husband came about in November 2014. Yes I and I in the words of Protoje “walked the plank.” To continue the Protoje references, this moment was a long time coming as we exceeded the 7 Year Itch and made it an 8 Year Affair. Remone Nelson – my beautiful, strong, beloved lady became the newest Mrs Cunningham. Best day of my life doesn’t quite say it but alas the English language limits the way we are able to express ourselves. And the day itself was a blend of stress and outright fun. My wife is clearly a blessing and the preparation and execution of the day was also a clear reminder that good family and good friends are truly a blessing and a blessing that I have received in great measure. So keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I trod on to forever hand in hand with my forever lady. BIG UP DI TEACHER – di chemistry one still not some guy.

So 2014. I’ve heard many a commentary on how 2014 was a horrible year and so many people wishing it good riddance and perhaps with good reason – the world and local economies are still in a negative place, crime is still occurring at alarming levels, governance in Jamaica is not really not showing many signs of improvement. However, and perhaps selfishly, for me it might rank among the best years I’ve ever had. For that like all things I will conclude by simply and repeatedly uttering the most important phrase in life in my opinion:

GIVE THANKS

One Love: Jamaican Blogger Tag

A Blogger Tag is a game (so to speak) where bloggers of all niches endeavor to form links, possibly discover new information and new bloggers and have fun while doing so. It starts with one blogger (in this case, @nasylum of jabajanas.blogspot.com) who chooses the topic of the Tag and then gives a list of questions or one general question which is wide enough to have its answer broken down into list form. After the first blogger answers said question(s), he or she will “tag” other bloggers to continue the tag.

The rules for this tag:
1)Title your post “One Love: Jamaican Blogger Tag
2)Link back to the blogger who tagged you ( you may add a brief definition of what a tag is if you for the benefit of your readers
3)Copy and paste the rules at the beginning of your tag.
4)Copy and paste the questions as well so readers know what’s going on.
5)Answer the questions
6)Tag seven other (untagged) Jamaican bloggers to continue the trend.

The questions are as follows: 1. Why did you give your blog its name? (If it is named directly after you, try and make your answer interesting. eg: Did you feel nervous at all about putting your name out there? Did you just lack creativity at the time?)
2.Why did you start blogging and why do you blog now?
3.Do you think being Jamaican influences your blogging style?
4.What do you think about the increase in bloggers in Jamaica?
5.What is your favourite thing about being Jamaican?
6.Ackee and saltfish or “ (mackerel) run down”?
7.Stew peas or stew chicken?
8.Tastee Patties, Juici Beef Patties or Mother’s?
9.Pantucky or KFC?
10.What do you hope to be the future of blogging in Jamaica?

MY ANSWERS

1) It was a simple play on my surname hence “the cunning one” however I like the idea of me and whoever reads this blog “reasoning” on some topical issue.
2) As I said above I like the idea of me and whoever reads this blog “reasoning” on some topical issue. I do that every day but this medium captures what I was thinking at a particular point in time in a more permanent way and allows others to reason with me or with themselves either way reasoning can only be good.
3) Definitely. Jamaica is at the core of probably 99% of the subject matter that I blog about. I am passionate about Jamaica and seeing it change for the better and deep down I wish my blogging could play even a minuscule part in that process.
4) It’s definitely a good thing and I’m happy to see persons channelling their energies into things that they love as well as some of them even earning from it. The creativity that we see (even if I personally don’t love all the subject matter) highlights the inherent skills and innovation that Jamaica has within her shore which otherwise could go hidden.
5) Can’t pick one but being a part of a little island that has such a big impact on the world – one of my Trinidadian lecturers called us “A Caribbean Greece” due to our impact on global culture a la ancient Greece. DEEP
6) ACKEE AND SALTFISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #NoDebate
7) Chicken is my staple but since the choice is with stew chicken in particular Stew peas can get the edge today.
8) TASTEES!!!!!! Honourable mention to mother’s for being first to run with cheese patties. Juici is just ok nah kill dem just not my fave.
9) Bwoy, having gone to the great St Richard’s Primary where KFC mercilessly killed us with the smell from their chimney EVERYDAY I gotta go with the Colonel.
10) I hope it can be an engine for positive change for the nation and personal development and earnings for the bloggers.

I tag:

Jeffrey of: http://simpleisntalwayseasy.tumblr.com/
Keeta of: http://ultimatebrowning.blogspot.com/
Shawna of: http://iaretheshawna.blogspot.com/
Christine of: http://unadulterated-moves.tumblr.com/
Allele of: http://lleleskitchen.wordpress.com/
Ammesha of: http://hauteconsultants.wordpress.com/
Tetrice (lol) of: http://www.youtube.com/afayah

2012: The Year That Was

I can remember 2012 like it was just days ago… alright kill that corny stuff. As i sit here typing I still can’t fully decide what kind of year last year was. Since I’ve realised I have been abusing the word “paradox” I think I might have to get even more cliché and call 2012 a “mixed bag” or say it had its highs and lows. Long and short is that you get my drift.

Foremost in my mind, the year 2012 will always be inextricably linked with the moniker “Jamaica 50” under which my country Jamaica celebrated 50 years of political independence. With such a momentous occasion attached to it how could 2012 be such a mixed bag. Below are my lists of low and high points of the year.

Lowlights of 2012

• Continued economic hardship in Jamaica – there is so much to say on this topic it could be a series of blogs for itself but alas who feels it knows so no explanation is needed.
• Same old dirty/annoying politics of partisanship. – again examples abound. Just listen to the majority of political utterances made throughout the year and you get a picture as to why after 50 years we have not gone as far as we could have. The pinnacle of this being the degradation of our JA 50 celebrations into just another political volleyball, better yet tracing match.
• Last but definitely not least was the ghastly September into October where almost every other news item made reference to some angry mob killing, maiming or engaging in all manner of evil. To make matters worse the public discourse was awash with persons fully endorsing these killer mobs. It still remains the only period in my life that my patriotism/love for YAAD was shaken.

Highlights of 2012

Despite the negatives described above both personally and nationally even internationally there were several things to smile about.

• Jamaica 50 – for all the negatives surrounding the celebrations, words cannot begin to describe the feeling that took me and i dare say the nation over during the emancipendence period. A country of persons who barely tell each other morning in the streets were bound together in the black green and gold and we all were a part of something bigger than our individual existence. Kudos to the person who thought up the JA 50 village. IT WAS GREAT. If we as a people were able to re-create this vibe more often we would truly be better off. Someday!!!
• London 2012 – this was a highlight on so many levels. Most obviously the exploits of the sprinters from the sprint capital of the world come to mind. From arguably the biggest superstar in the world Mr Bolt, to the pocket Rocket Ms Fraser Pryce, VCB, The Beastly Blake we really were made to feel proud especially coinciding with out JA 50 celebrations. Special note must be made of Hansle Parchment and Warren Weir as their bronze medals brought me the most joy of the Olympics.
• London 2012 was also special to me as I had the great fortune of being in London during the Olympics. A similar camaraderie as felt during the JA 50 in Jamaica swept over the city of London, this one however transcended the colour of flags. Also i was able to visit Jamaica House in London as well as watch some of the events at outdoor public screenings in Hyde Park. I also was able to visit and watch a match at the Emirates Stadium home of my beloved ARSENAL FOOTBALL CLUB!!!! My London Summer was beyond Great and I will never ever forget it.
• EMPLOYMENT – after a brief stint of unemployment I was blessed with a pretty decent job GIVE THANKS!!!!
• WELCOME DECREASES – the year ended with two welcome decreases: Road fatalities and Major Crimes. The downward trajectory in both these areas is truly a blessing we hope continues in that vein.

Mixed bag indeed. But for 2012 I had taken a mantra of “Count Your Blessings” & “Give Thanks” and for me rather than making resolutions and changes my first order of business is to continue with these slogans as my guiding theme for the New Year. Despite all the negatives that abound there are a million and one things that we can truly smile and give God thanks for.

SO HERE’S TO A GOOD 2013 WHERE WE FACE THE INEVITABLE CHALLENGES BUT COME OUT THE OTHER END STILL STANDING!!!!!

BLESSINGS