‘Tis the season to do folly
I read and deeply disturbed by the distressing state that fate and, recently, hoodlums of heartlessness, have visited upon wheelchair-bound Patrick Thomas, who, in the words of the Jamaica Observer article on Monday, December 24, 2018 “had little Christmas cheer” in this so-called season to be jolly. To rob one who begs for alms and who has lost both arms is, to my mind, evil personified — an indignity that no one should ever have to encounter in this adventure and misadventure called life.
Sir, you inspire.
Forced into a life of beggary, and from a wheelchair at that, this can’t be any simple feat for one accustomed to getting by on his feet. One can only imagine how long it takes a lone ranger to beg so as to buy a cellphone Jamaican thieves consider worthy of theft, and a television, two gadgets he has seen fit to attain to assuage the douleur of his existence. All gone, at the hands of lazy, hardened lackeys. Notwithstanding, this man, though hapless, refuses to remain helpless. Why, there is a certain tenacity, a staying power, a strength of will that this beggar gives to any who reads his story. True, he is near to, or at, his wits’ end. But, his face, though! Look at it! Mi still a try heng on, him seh. Now, if that doesn’t inspire, inspire me; an academic, one who, if I am not careful, take for granted the blessings of life, that I have all limbs intact, that I can walk, that I can help myself, that I can put my hands in my pockets, that I can twitch a finger, that I can do this and do that, then I don’t know what will. Look, too, at the logo, for, in the peace of the blue of the shirt he wears beckon the words ‘God centred’, apparently the central means, the anchor, by whom and through whom he is convinced to hold on. My life now begs the question if and whether I truly maximise my day, as this man does, who ekes out a living in these hostile streets. This is, hands down, a story within a story, a story that inspires other stories. All in all, we are reminded of the binary nature of life: This minute we are up and about, the next minute we are down and out, that the coin of life, its head and tail, is two-sided — good and bad, up and down.
Stories that give and inspire giving
It’s one thing to see the hardscrabble lives some lead; it is quite another to learn the reasons behind life’s reversal. Going to work can never be the same. It’s strange, how many a morning I have passed Thomas on my way to work, as he asks for alms on a road leading to the main thoroughfare on which I travel.
Observing and highlighting the plight of this beggar do make a difference and spotlighting more of these stories must only be encouraged. The giving, believe it or not, is mutual. Not only does this beggar’s story give us a reality check, but we should, in the spirit of giving, be moved to give. His story evokes one in Acts of the Apostles (3: 1 – 6), in which a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid at the gate of the temple which is called beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple. The apostle Peter quickly declared that silver and gold have I none; but such as I have I give thee: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth: Get up and walk! Peter and John, it is clear, had what we have not: the power, through the spoken word to restore limbs, restore lives. But in no way are we handicapped, for we have what Peter and John had not: silver and gold (money), whether it is little or whether it is much. And like Peter who restored the man’s limbs through faith, we, through tangible works, can restore what the begging man needs to take a further step in life’s journey — prosthetic arms and a powered wheelchair. Opening such a gate for him would be nothing short of beautiful in this act of modern-day apostleship. This folly should be turned into a success story.
While jolly, be ever mindful of the folly
The folly that marks this season is one that can easily disarm the cautious at heart. The festivities and merrymaking, massive spending and over-mingling, the travelling and family gathering, these all attract the best of humans and the worst of them too. Take a leaf, then, from what is left of the tattered and torn book of Patrick Thomas.
Everyone is a target, especially at this time of the year. None is spared. From young boy to old man, baby to beggar, virgin and experienced, married and unmarried, man and woman, pedestrian and driver, cat and dog, a word to the wise is sufficient. Therefore, as the Trinity of Grand Market, Christmas, and Boxing day draws to a close, let’s keep our guards up and put nothing down to chance. Indeed, as this storm and flurry of activities see the passing of its eye, we, who have eyes of discernment, must ever perceive that we are not, and we are never, outside the danger zone. Whether the State declares it or not, let’s treat with this time of the year especially, and into the new year, considering them to be of such as if they were to warrant a zone of special operations (ZOSO) or state of emergency (SOE).
Practise giving and people will give to you
Like Thomas, who gives a two bills here and there at different times of the year, take another lesson from him, and transcend the season, making gift-giving a part of us. Thomas has given, by the little he has and the great story his life tells, but he is at that state and stage of the game where we, the antitypical Peters and Johns, are encouraged, in the spirit of Monday’s Observer article, to give, and in doing so, see if people do not give to you also.
Warrick Lattibeaudiere lectures full-time in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Technology, Jamaica. Send comments to the Observer or wglatts@yahoo.com