Contents:
INTRODUCTION
THERE'S
A BROWN GIRL IN THE SQUARE
RELIGIOUS
SYNCRETISM?
DRY CLEANING
AND LIABILITY
FINALLY,
A STUDENT NEWSPAPER
They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery, and in the spirit of that adage, I would like to inaugurate (with a simple ceremony) my periodic “column” to a selected group of email friends, “My Point of View”: reflections on life, as I see it, born out of experiences deemed worthy of sharing, thoughts long harboured, and new insights which have yet to see the light of day.
I hope that you would appreciate my thoughts (if not, let me know and I’ll remove you from my list, so as not to clutter your mailbox with drivel…) and respond from time to time with your own. For we learn as we are exposed to various viewpoints and test them against our own.
I will be careful in my messages not to judge
anyone, not to condemn anyone, but I may from time to time point out inconsistencies
that may make you uncomfortable, or may cause you to think. Thinking
is a good thing… but if I happen to offend, now, or in the future… don’t
forget 70 times 7…. (representing perfection, of course)
THERE’S A BROWN GIRL IN THE SQUARE
… and so I stopped in Woodford Square on my way down to the Angela Joseph concert – I had to direct her choirs – dressed in my suit, carrying a leather brief (causing one of the regulars to comment, “…look like a millionaire,” and causing me to watch my back a little closer than usual… =) They were discussing… I don’t even remember what the topic was this time, but it’s always something interesting and inflammatory, and I like to stop there whenever I can to listen to the words of the professors.
[Writer’s note: Woodford Square is a park in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, where a lot of vagrants sleep on benches, and the “University of Woodford Square” resides, with a chalk board often full of the wisdom of the day, and groups of men (yes, basically men) standing around discussing a variety of topics]
And so as I listened, a young lady passed by, and the speaker said, “Let’s take a brief commercial break,” whereupon he turned and watched the young lady after she had passed the group… As the commercial break ended, I left, signifying my mild rebuke for his display, to which one of the men in the group said, “What’s the matter, didn’t like the commercial break?” whereupon I smiled and continued my departure.
Well, yesterday, on my way to another choir rehearsal, I stopped in again, and found the same man holding session in Woodford Square. This time, he was talking about the police, and how they are chosen from the lower-class neighbourhoods, and then return to terrorise those neighbourhoods now that they have “power” (not necessarily authority, mind you, but the power that comes from being able to beat, and sometimes kill, with impunity) which leads to a lot of bad cops and only a few good ones. The good ones, of course, are very quiet.
He called for a change to the culture of the police services. He spoke about when he was Chair of the Equal Opportunity Commission and his son-in-law went into the police station and found them beating a young boy with the station log book (big, big book), and how he had to go there and in a semi-official capacity question them about it. He also mentioned how in Holland, the police could not get away with such behaviour, that they would be disciplined. He felt it was a problem with the police society…
I pointed out that if in Holland they didn’t use physical discipline in the home, they wouldn’t use it with the police force either, and therefore if we have a problem, it’s beyond the police, but permeates society. At this point, the “professor” recognised the truth in my point, and attributed society’s problems to the blight of slavery – we were emancipated, but we are still in mental slavery, where the one holding the “whip” (or billy stick, or gun) is the one who calls the shots…
On another note, when the focus of conversation
changed, I pulled the ex-Chair of the Equal Opportunity Commission aside
and questioned him about his behaviour during the commercial break, and
his response was, “I know her…” Of course, it’s probably worse to
objectify a friend in front of a group of strangers than it is it objectify
a stranger, but I didn’t want to push him too hard on the point, as the
credibility of these Woodford Square professors is their life… but I thought
it was interesting…
Do you see all Christian religions as doors along a hallway, each door having a particular amount of light coming out of it? And so, one can find Christ, the Source of Light, through any of those doorways, and He will lead you into truth once you have found him? Or, do you see your particular Christian religion as the only true source of light, and others as having varying levels of darkness veiling the Light? It does make a difference… Are we called to be separate from the world? Or to be separate from others in the universal Church who have different beliefs?
When we attempt to refrain from being “unequally
yoked with unbelievers” are those unbelievers in Christ, or unbelievers
in our particular doctrine? Should a conservative Christian shun
a liberal Christian? Should an Adventist choir have a Baptist director?
Should a Lutheran church have an Adventist playing in the band? Can
a Catholic feel comfortable working alongside a Pentecostal on a Food Bank
Board of Directors? Where is the unity? When is division necessary?
Are we one in Christ? Just some thoughts which may or may not express
my point of view, but are certain to make you think…
Ever read the back of your dry cleaning claim check? They’re not responsible for the reaction of synthetic materials to the dry cleaning process… What’s synthetic? Any blend involves synthesis (the combining of elements), anything man-made like nylon or polyester… and if they do destroy your $800TT suit jacket, the most they’ll pay you for it is 5 times the cleaning charge ($125TT)… What’s wrong with this picture?
And have you ever looked at the language you agree
to when you’re using a software package? The famous EULA (End-User
Licensing Agreement): you basically agree that if anything goes wrong,
even if it is the result of negligence on the part of the programmers,
you have no recourse. Of course, a lawyer I spoke with says that
you can’t sign away your rights like that – the court always has the right
to strike down any agreement which is not reasonable. But who wants
to go to court and wait 6 years for the verdict?
Well, the student newspaper finally came out,
on the eve of Final Exams. The cover story: Chapel Time, featuring a week
by week breakdown of the chapel sessions that took place, a rather complete
2 page documentation that would fill in some of the students who seemed
to miss chapel sessions on a regular basis. Some of the interesting
articles:
- Practice what you preach! The Compatibility
of Ethics and Theology
- There’s No Church in the Valley (a cry I’ve
heard since my arrival)
- Just Wonderin’ (if students add value here,
and will add value elsewhere)
- “Holy Jammin” Christian dance-hall alternative
- Non-Adventists Need Not Apply (an interesting
look at our quickly diversifying student body, and the organisation’s response
thereto… perhaps a topic I’ll express a point of view on at some point
in the future)
- Open Your Mouth and Be Educated (a requirement
for students if they want to be educated and not simply spoon-fed)
- Gossip: a Killer Disease (worth a verbatim
reprint)
- Tobagonians vs. “Trickidadians” (an apparently
anonymous piece about the lack of brotherhood/sisterhood felt between the
two islands of the republic)
- an on the street feature: “What do you think
is one of the most pressing issues on campus? Security (x3), Finances,
Apathy… other issues)
and of course, one of my favourites:
- 25 ways to know you’re a Trini…
“you’re always late but you walk in as
if you’re early”
“you cross any street at leisure.
It’s the driver’s responsibility to see you”
“you wash and reuse plastic containers
and styrofoam cups”
etc.
A good paper, on the whole – I’d like to see it more often, of course, especially considering that it’s paid for now, by the year…
Well I think I’ll bring this one to an end… let me know your point of view…