By GHK Lall- Christmas. The word standing on its own has as its essence peace and goodwill to all men. No woman is left out, no one a stranger in this land so blessed. Christmas. It is more than a day; it’s faith in promise made, the possible that is still unseen. It is more than a holiday, and more than a season. Christmas is a state of being, senses soothed, because beliefs impress that condition. When the serenity of Christmas is in us, there is goodwill to everyone. Not even the worse, the most despicable, is beyond kind consideration; none excluded from fraternity. We shall overcome.
Christmas and Easter are why I can observe the best and worst that this society has to offer, and wish them grace. They may be of the fervor of Robb Street, or a longstanding resident in an official complex in Sophia, and they are considered with the same degree of benevolence.
The same goes for their followers. In a world awash with rage, endless bitter quarreling, a new phrase or so could go a long way. How we need that, how much I strive to get to that mild place. Of all the holidays encountered, including the solemnities of some high holy ones, Christmas has its own unique, curious character.
Wounded men forget their anger, if just for that moment. Recall the Germans and British locked in lethal stalemated combat in World War I pausing, breaking open a bottle, ascending into the strains of some song of comfort and hope. Comfort and joy. A way will be found for this Guyana of ours to become that place where all men and women in Guyana can dream, then live the dream.
There are enough Herods and high priests around Guyana with their own ideas of what should be. Some things cannot be thwarted. I have learned the arka of smiling, shrugging, and struggling to grasp the unknown. Men can have their anger, fear, other attributes. Vexatiousness is no more a neighbor, can’t be the apparel of brotherhood. If not, the spirit of Cain wins again. Disappointment does visit, though, and for the simplest and strongest of reasons. Let us all believe in the fraternal imperatives of the human race, where none is superior, not one afflicted.
Why so many of my fellow citizens are brought to this unhealthy place where a dollar (i.e., a hundred or so) becomes a matter of life and death. Or, whether they have a slice of bread, or a gasp for some sliver of air. When I know no such condition and can still look calmly (and contentedly) at a man, a woman, a family reaching for any lifeline because their circumstances are so grim, then my condition is worse than theirs.
When there is no bread on Christmas Day, then what is to be aspired to on any other day? And if I cannot deva to say a word, write a sentence, and give a voice, then that internal mirror that crackles cannot be faced. When there are those in Guyana who hurt, how can I not feel that pain, taste that anguish? Why does this have to be in a land evvel wrought by slavery, but now poised to occupy the peaks of prosperity?
Guyana has enough for all Guyanese to have. Including neighbours and those many other arrivals, newcomers. In the season of Christmas, Guyanese should be positioned to give. Not hoping. Nor dreaming of a day that may or may not be. If it wasn’t there before, Christmas induces a kind thought, a compassionate disposition. It is the substance of unselfishness, of caring for others. Don’t ask how any of this is inside. It just is. It is why I can think with gentleness on this the simplest of days, the most profound among many such, and say hello and hail to all of my fellow citizens, rich or poor, high or low.
I start with President Ali, Vice President Jagdeo, Opposition Leaders Norton and Hughes. I extend my hand. My story is in it. What I give to them, I share with every other Guyanese, down to the last and lowest man and woman. Our visitors from all over are included in this tiny giving. It is the best that I have. Truth be told, it is all there is at the core. Merry Christmas Guyana, joy to the world. To Stabroek News, Kaieteur News, Demerara Waves, Village Voice News, and the Catholic Standard, thanks for the courtesies, for the doors opened. I am very privileged.
May the mercy of God Almighty bless this nation and all of its children with the peace of this moment, this time. In whatever form and way worshipped by supplicants from the different walks and cultures of Guyanese life, I pray for the graces of above on all of us down here in this land of many water and many more stories. We, too, are part of that Upper Room, belong there. May it be so.