Commentary

Wearing that shoe

I WAS TELLING P that My Special F has always said that one should never discuss money or politics with people because you will either embarrass yourself, the person or you both.

And I now say to My Special F to that list we can also add, 'Never discuss the disaster of Hurricane Ivan with people because ...' In fact it is hard to feel the corns on a persons feet till you wear their shoes - and have their feet. Really hard.

If you remember last week I alluded to the whole idea of perspectives when I looked upon my roofless bedroom. And as the days progress it gets even more amazing how many different Jamaicas there were on the days and nights of September 10, 11, and 12 in 2004, and so too the days that have followed.

The Ivan Experience

I have been sharing The Ivan Experience tales with some people who have their Ivan greatest trauma ranging from things like:

Turning on switches in their homes thinking that there is power and 'God damn it - there is none, nothing works';

The wind was making so much noise I could hardly hear my little radio

'Oh my god we had a leak' and we put a basin beneath it [accent on 'a'];

'A window in the back room broke, there was glass everywhere.

'Jesus we lost every tree in the front yard - including the one planted by Grandma Zeta'

'The zinc lifted on the outside empty store room you know'

We lost the roof of the dog shed, but the dogs were safe in the living room with us for the whole time.

'Three rooms of my house have no roof and I lost all my shoes' - [that is my experience].

'Mi entire roof blow way, mussi gone a Cayman, everything wet up.'

The house is cracked in two, I have no home.'

All of my crop is gone, all the chickens dead ­but the house is fine.

'I have had no light or water for the past 12 days. This is unbearable.

Since IVAN mi nuh watch no cable 'cause the cable pon di road pop dung. Caan deal wid dis at all.

'the flood water come in and when they left my child was gone' - dead.

Perspective

All a matter of perspective I say. But be sure that the woman who lost her child would give anything to experience the joys of hugging her child sitting in a four walled room, with no electricity, no water running from her taps, staring at the stars where there should be a roof. Would give anything I say.

And then only last Monday night I heard P's money issue come alive on FAME's Uncensored chat show where they were discussing the issue of rich spoilt brats and the toys that they get from their parents.

That young teen rich kids get spanking new fast cars as gifts from their parents, is probably no different from the dirt poor country teen getting a fine down handle bicycle or say me, not rich, not poor as a kid getting a spin of mom's car - by myself. It is no different ­it is all a matter of perspective.

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