Simply, and if you really care to contemplate just briefly the unfortunate sense and culture of contention and confrontation that besets nearly every waking hour. From Guyana’s national existence to your personal life do you realise the conspiracy hatched to disturb you? Whether it is the government providing for debate and decision with respect to sexual preference as a fundamental right or the Broadcasting Bill 2003, the approach of the Disciplined Forces Commission or the real reason for deficiencies in the utility services, the charges and counter charges, the daily explanations and defences by both sides of an argument, often fuelled by party spokesmen, strident captions in the print media and unverified one-sided “reports” on television, bore and stress the poor citizen out.

Much of the fundamental reason for the stress related contention lies in the desire to score political points against each other. I am well aware that a party has to defend its seemingly justified position against distorted or mischievous allegations, but sometimes I feel that it’s unnecessary and useless to respond at all times. This is precisely what the (would-be) protagonist needs to begin, to create a “controversy” from a simple contention or disagreement. Full-fledged confrontation, long and drawn out sometimes, then follows. The result is stress. Especially for those who are exposed to the argument or who bother to be interested.

We must be able to separate the need, necessity and desirability for intellectual exercise whereby a thousand thoughts can contend to strengthen understanding and eventually burnish some wisdom from the frequent cheap motives of promoting people’s partisan, closed, egoistical positions. Their use of media seduction merely to score points whilst pretending to be advocates, “defending constituencies.”

To avoid your participation in their schemes to promote incitement uncertainty, hopelessness and stress, you may do some of the following, if you’re up to it: note the issues being made confrontational from the City Council goings-on to the Procurement Bill; decide whether they’re merely routinely anti-government; check who’s leading the charge - professional letter-writers, opposition politicians who have to be public and to appear to be earning their benefits, or whether the private sector achievers or government spokesmen are merely excusing their failings and latest scandals.

Then my beleaguered friend, decide to ignore most of their goings- on, choose some different location to spend a few days, meditate with your eyes closed for frequent periods. Yes you’ll have to wake up to the contentious realities eventually. But then you’ll be refreshed. And if you’re genuinely religious, at peace with yourself and can generate real love, you’ll be too blessed to be stressed. Or alternatively, you may stop the world and get off!

On manners and morals...

How can we not support this “war on bad manners”? But parental guidance and support are crucial. Do you realise just who constitute the largest body of Guyanese parents these days? Do you realise their ages and circumstances? It is my “contention” that the typical Guyanese “parent knows little about parenting; they need guidance themselves. They are no examples to their offspring. Their church-going is artificial and a sham. The warriors on Bad Manners have to explore these fundamental failings. Even as they encourage queues, good customer service and “Have A Good Day” courtesies.

Again recent political behaviour and the culture of lawlessness that passes for strikes and protests have engendered new norms of gross behaviour in our under-30 citizens. I’m no constant fan of Dr. Walter Ramsahoye but Frankly Speaking, he’s right when he observes that “we cannot ignore the reality that successive administrations have elevated malice, treachery and vindictiveness to statecraft, while sycophancy and incompetence have been revered as virtues”.

From government to the economically challenged homes in depressed communities, where the sense or difference between right and wrong, honesty and lies hardly exist, how can good manners, cultured breeding take place. There is a moral wilderness out there.

The result? Illiteracy, ignorance, gross vulgarity, guns at concerts and boat cruises and ugly heckling at a hundred pageants. Then lay the blame at the “authorities” Ho Hum. My footnote is my being pleased that my recent pieces on the moral dilemma that can arise when we support enterprises built on funds from cocaine trafficking have sparked a few quiet debates. But many of us have to be shy or ashamed. We can’t avoid it, we plead. Even the mini-bus we have to use might have been purchased with blood money. How can we know? Avoid. Turn to some God for Guidance?

Happy August...

(1) Support the UG Warriors on Bad Manners. Be a warrior yourself. Just as the Office of the President is trying the University itself will look inwards.

(2) If I attempt suicide unsuccessfully I should be charged. Or counselled? Or both?

(3) If I rape or steal millions, should compensation or restitution mean I shouldn’t be charged and penalised?

(4) Carifesta next weekend. Are we ready? What are we taking to represent us in our neighbour’s land. The Suriname embassy in Queenstown made me feel as if I was in a typical Guyana Government Office on Wednesday. However, there were the explanations. And the assistance eventually. Dank u wel.

(5) I leave you with this part protest from the Guyana Duck Association:

“For two years now our lives have been subject to wanton waste. We live in fear. Our fear stems from the now annual ‘Duck Curry Competition’ which has claimed the lives of hundreds of us ducks all across Guyana. We have lost most of our regional and national leaders. We are severely traumatised by all our losses but particularly by the loss of the esteemed president of the Guyana Duck Association and his lovely wife. Their three ducklings are now without parents.

I write to you as the hastily elected president, replacing our fallen leader. Their lives have been lost, but we hope that it will not be in vain. We ducks are being discriminated against. Why is there no ‘Fowl Curry Competition’? Or no ‘Beef Curry Competition’?

Not only have we lost many lives to the competition itself but as a result of the heightened publicity there is now greater interest in us as a meal. The effects on our population have been devastating as a result of the mass murders, many of my colleagues have resorted to suicide rather than suffering the indignity of being slaughtered and curried at the whim and fancy of a few sadistic mindless maniacs.”

(6) The President of the Guyana Duck Association is a Mr. Bill T. Quack who has posted the above and more on the World Wide Internet. He has my unstinted support and sympathy.

(7) Please note that the Guyana Cook-Up Show on Mr. Sharma’s Channel Six TV does not use duck meat in any Cook-up Rice meal offered. Watch that show this and tomorrow morning.

Til next week!