‘What no cost life, no cost nut’n.’ Jamaican saying.

Yesterday I lost myself in stories of the past.  I was entrusted with some documents belonging to (and written by) a man who is now almost 90 years old.  There were references to people and places of my past, of the church my father was minister of in Jamaica.  Which then sent me looking for some of the papers I had brought back with me from England after my mother died.  These were assorted letters, scraps of my father’s notes for sermons, and other items that also went into the past.  One historical document on the history of the church (Salem United, in Chapelton, Jamaica) refers to the visits of a crucial personality, now a National Hero of Jamaica, George William Gordon.  In the days after emancipation, there was still much unrest among the formerly enslaved, as they had little power, and few opportunities for advancement. The then minister and members of the church met with George William Gordon to discuss these conditions.

Among my parents’ papers I found a copy of a letter my grandmother had written to my sister over 50 years ago, documenting what she could remember of the family tree.  Written in her version of English (she would always tell you that English was her third language: her first was Welsh, and her second Spanish!), with very interesting spelling (she always ended her letters with ‘huggs’) she tried to recall as much as she could about my father’s great and grandparents. 

Her own story was unusual as her parents had emigrated from Liverpool (they were both of Welsh descent) to Patagonia (Argentina) in 1885.  Of course now we understand that countries like Argentina actively recruited emigrants (white) for racial reasons, to maintain the primacy of the dominant race.  My great-grandparents traveled with boatloads of their fellow Welshmen to a country they were told was full of promise and a bright future. The reality was far harsher.  Before they left England their first child died as an infant, and their second child died in Argentina at the age of three.  By the time they left Argentina seventeen years later, only three children survived of seven.  Whether it was the tragedy of burying babies, or the big flood of 1901 that took their home and belongings and ‘unsettled’ them, the family returned to England (which is when my grandmother had to learn to speak English!).  Theirs was a harsh life, but at the end of his life, my great-grandfather told his wife: ‘Life’s voyage was not so rough after all’.  Apparently, at the end of my great-grandmother’s life she was a bit confused (or as my grandmother wrote, she was a bit ‘fuddle’) and in her last illness told my grandmother ‘Well, we’ve lost everything again, oh never mind, we’ll soon gather a few things together to start off again’.

That phrase struck a chord: ‘We’ve lost everything’ as we have heard it over and over again since the deadly fires which have been devastating parts of Los Angeles and surrounding areas.  Most of us cannot conceive of such a thing, to lose literally everything but the clothes you are wearing and anything you managed to grab as you ran for your life.  From this side of the country, we look at the shocking scenes on TV but still cannot really grasp the extent, the heat, the overwhelming sense of loss that the fires have caused.  Here in Florida we reassure ourselves that at least with hurricanes we have days to prepare, plenty of time to plan our escape, or batten down the hatches.

The saying quoted at the top of this piece is a blunt reminder: That which does not cost you your life, costs you nothing.  As hard as it must be to be looking at the loss of all of your worldly possessions, so long as you are alive you have options.  In the Buddhist way of thinking, suffering comes from being attached to things, to outcomes, to people.  All of these things are impermanent or beyond our control.  Once you accept that, and the fact that all of life ends in death, you can handle such crises with equanimity.  This of course is easier said than done, especially as I sit here surrounded by all of my earthly possessions, with a roof over my head!

As we await the next four years, at a time when we are uncertain as to whether there will be changes coming that will have long-term effects both locally and globally, it is good to reflect that throughout the ages, people have survived all manner of challenges.  The human race is resilient, and geared towards not only surviving, but thriving.  The forest fires, although devastating for those who live in their path, create opportunities for new growth in the forests.  When we visited the redwood forests recently, we learned that the giant redwood trees are cleverly designed to survive the fires.  Their branches spring high off their trunks, keeping them out of reach of the fires, and their barks are particularly thick, so that even if damaged, the tree is not killed.  The death of the smaller trees allows for more sunshine and nutrients to ensure the growth of those tall giants of the forest.

Floods, plagues, pestilence, wars, somehow the human race overcomes and (those who make it!) move on to create new realities.  In our individual lives we can all probably tell a story of a time when we thought all was lost, yet it gave way to something even better.  And even if it didn’t, we learned a valuable lesson along the way.  Although the suffering in California is real, perhaps this will provide an opportunity for significant change, not only in building codes, but in home designs; in an understanding of how to live with nature; an opportunity to be more proactive about climate change.  We may not be able to see it now, but when looking back, perhaps these fires will be what brought about a new paradigm and significant growth.

This Friday morning, I hope that, even if you are in a place of thinking all is lost, you will be able to ‘gather a few things together to start again’.  I hope that you have your family stories somewhere safe, so that you can remind yourself that you are here because your ancestors never gave up.  I hope that, whatever the future brings, we can stand tall together, outlasting the fires below, getting stronger and more united in our determination to leave this world better than we found it.  And remember, ‘wha no caws life, no caws nuttn’!!!

Have a wonderful weekend, Family!

One Love!

Namaste.