The internal musings of a disorganised mind.
The worst thing about making mistakes… is not learning from it.
We’ve often been taught that’s it’s not okay to make mistakes, as if making mistakes makes you a lesser person. We need to learn that it’s okay to make mistakes but we are often stuck in a loop of making the same mistakes over and over and wondering why.
As George Santayana said in The Life of Reason, Volume 1, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” [Read more…]
If you have been paying attention to the current events in Trinidad and Tobago recently, you would know that many controversies surrounding the current administration. From Reshmi Ramnarine and to the Section 34 fiasco, with many incidents in-between, this administration looks no different, even worse, than the last one.
The current brouhaha has to do with the highway to Point Fortin. There’s a group who call themselves the Highway Re-Route movement who is protesting a particular section of that highway. More particularly, is the link between Debe and Mon Desir. The group claims that this link will disrupt many communities as well as cause irreparable environmental harm. The group has called for a cessation of that link construction, and an independent review of that highway link including a cost-benefit analysis, a hydrology analysis and an social impact analysis. I also doubt that it includes a proper environmental impact assessment.
The government has not been very forthcoming with that information, and as such the protesters have held their resistance, culminating with their leader, Dr. Kublalsingh, going on a hunger strike. At the time of writing, it is now day 13 of the hunger strike.
His actions have been slammed by many, some going as far as wishing that he dies, so that the highway can continue. No matter how much I may disagree with someone’s views, I have never wished that they died because of it. To me this is a really sad, sad reflection on our society. But the saddest part has been the response of the top members of the government.
Here we have people, who we assumed to be the greatest examples of leadership in our country, instead of addressing issues and encouraging debate and discussions about the facts, they choose to personally attack and vilify Dr. Kublalsingh. They have debased themselves to spreading rumors and lies and trying to sully the character of the goodly doctor. And even worse is to hear the mindless people repeat exactly what they have been told.
I will admit that I have not bought into Dr. Kublalsingh’s cause, nor do I know if he has ulterior motives and what they may be, but I admire his strength and determination to fight for it. He has maintained, for the most part, his composure (except when he cursed the Minister of Health). But have yet to hear him personally attack, vilify, spread rumors and lies, or try to sully any of the characters of the people in government.
It is unfortunate that the people we expect the most from that we get the least. We do need leaders like Dr. Kublalsingh, and it is a pity that there’s none of his ilk in the Government. It is hard to not feel disenfranchised.
I had written recently about two phrases that we should eliminate from our normal language — “congratulations” and “good luck”. I explained that these phrases don’t reflect the effort that is put towards doing a job or accomplishing something; that we should recognize the work put towards getting something done.
Here is another phrase that I would like to see removed from our common language — “no problem”. [Read more…]