What's a well-thinking Jamaican to do?

Wilberne Persaud, Financial Gleaner Columnist
wilbe65@yahoo.com

Are you a 'well-thinking' Jamaican? If so, does this mean that the three pound mass of jelly that is the human brain is functioning properly? That the 100 billion nerve cells interacting with each other are firing normally?

V.S. Ramachandran, director of the Center for Brain and Cognition at the University of California, San Diego, maps functions of the mind to specific physical parts of the brain. He has unearthed some pretty interesting relationships that begin to open our understanding of human consciousness and some of the philosophical conundrums that have been with us, it seems, forever. What is the nature of self? What is human consciousness? What accounts for our ability to contemplate and grasp infinity, concepts of justice and liberty?

At a more mundane level, among many discoveries, he identifies the 'phantom limb'. A person with an amputated limb has sensations of pain in the elbow even though the offending arm no longer exists. This sensation is associated with a particular part of the brain.

He is able to 'cure' this patient using what might appear the crude mechanism of a box and mirror! The existing arm is placed in a position to be reflected in the mirror with the 'phantom' behind the box. The patient sees the mirror image of the real working arm move - fist clenches, fingers wiggle - upon his mental command.

Lo and behold, the patient is cured. The eye-brain nexus works some magic, the nerve cells fire. The 'phantom' actually transmits impulses to the brain through that mirror by way of the eye. A three-dollar contraption cures a decade-long ailment.

So, the brain is an amazing thing. The brain is actually 'thinking well' but needs interaction with other impulses.

Let us look at the notion of well-thinking Jamaicans from another perspective occurring in the press quite frequently these past few weeks. It goes something like this: well- thinking Jamaicans support destruction of garrison con-stituencies and the power bases of dons, harsh criminal legislation to curb violent crime and murder, the rule of law, etc. Does this mean that, among the seven or so garrison constituencies, exists a population of ill-thinking, bad-thinking, unwell or sick-thinking Jamaicans?

What is it that makes a Jamaican well-thinking? Is it: early nurture in the family, education, class and/or income background; cultural influences as in urban or rural background and, perhaps, the messages and media through which some of these cultural influences may be conveyed; or, indeed, finally, a whole heap of unknowns?

Luxury of excursions

If, by chance, it is any of the former attributes, will simple destruction of the garrison and power of dons change the thinking of these populations? More importantly, can people afford the luxury of excursions into thinking well when they cannot feed the physical body that supports the brain to generate the function of thinking?

How and why does a Jamaican 'maths brain' become a don?

And here is the 'whispering death' bouncer: do so-called well-thinking Jamaicans abhor contract rigging, tax evasion, protection rackets, etc.?

Seems to me we need, at minimum, to explore the answers to questions such as these.

And here is the final sense in which we might explore the notion of well-thinking Jamaicans.

A chess, domino or drafts player of any skill must think well. He or she must contemplate both strategy and tactical responses. Similarly, our political representatives and loyal civil servants, in the modified Westminster system of governance we appear to muddle through, must think well. What is the evidence so far?

Sad to say, the preponderance of evidence appears to suggest we are not at all well-thinking in this part of the arena.

From a potentially long list we choose merely two. We ought to have a settled, purpose-driven legislative agenda to be accom-plished by 2012 and credible plans to deal with dislocation occasioned by crime and decay of the city and port of Kingston — a historically remarkable built city and a natural resource abandoned to atrophy; to become, effectively, an amputated yet painful phantom limb.

Is it possible that we might indeed find the smart three-dollar solution: a mirror and a box? Alas, our eyes must grasp and convey true reflections.