Time for us to push forward, not look back

By Robert Lalah

The conversation at my barber shop turned to some serious matters during my visit last week. It was this whole business of celebrating Jamaica's Independence that got those involved most worked up.

To be clear, this was only after more popular topics, like the latest trends in bedroom bullyism, the pros and cons of drinking rum before noon, and advances in automobile design had all been exhausted. It was a well-rounded gathering, you see.

Whenever a debate on Indepen-dence takes place, you can pretty much predict the major avenues down which the arguments will go. 'What's there to celebrate? Whad'ya mean what's there to celebrate? Imagine having to always answer to Britain. But we still have to answer to Britain - and the United States - today.'

At its core, though, are issues that really get a lot of people worked up. Did we do all we could in 51 years? Shouldn't we have achieved more? What would a colonised Jamaica be like in 2013? Would its residents be happier than they are now?

independence wasted

It seems there are many who feel that the fight for independence was much ado about nothing since those who have been given the task of running independent Jamaica have largely disappointed and have failed to capitalise on the potential this nation showed 51 years ago.

One opinionated fellow at the barber shop suggested that we've become too complacent over these years and that we believe our athletic abilities and creativity in music make us special in some way.

"We feel like seh because we run fast and sing reggae music, the whole world want to be like we," he said. "Dem don't want to be like we, 'cause we bruk and killing off each other down here. Dem like watch when we run and listen when we sing, but that don't mean dem want to be like we.

"We only put on show fi di world, and when it come on to serious tings, we don't have no clue what we doing."

It was a stinging statement that did the impossible. It silenced the room. Whether the others agreed with his assessment is unclear, but they did appear to be reflecting on the idea.

The fact is that the past 51 years are already gone. What we did with them, though an important issue to consider, is far less significant than what we do with the years ahead of us. We might decide to write off the past half-century as a complete waste, or we could look at it as a great start to build on.

Build better future

Either way, our behaviour from this day onward is crucial. What we do right now will determine the tone of the barber shop conversation to be had when Jamaica celebrates 100 years of independence.

Remember, the idea that our value is determined only by what our politicians do is faulty. It's how we treat each other, the goals we set for ourselves, and how hard we work to achieve them that really demonstrate who we are as a people. We can't just sit around waiting for better days. We have to make them.

So instead of just complaining all the time, we might consider coming up with serious plans to make life better for ourselves and each other. In the same way we make resolutions at the start of a new year, these Independence celebrations could be the ideal backdrop for crafting resolutions of a different kind.

We might, on January 1, resolve to lose weight, quit smoking and call our moms more. On August 6, we could resolve to be friendlier with each other, do more volunteer work, and ensure that our children see the value in helping others.

These are simple things, but they could completely revolutionise the way life unfolds in Jamaica. They could, in fact, determine the kind of country we and our children will be living in 51 years from now.

Robert Lalah is features editor and author of 'Roving with Lalah'. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and robert.lalah@gleanerjm.com.