‘Speak the truth and speak it ever, cost it what you will,

He who hides the thing he did, does the wrong thing still’ ~ Jamaican Proverb.

Growing up in Jamaica I was exposed to, not only a new language, but a new way of speaking.  The ‘ole time’ country people in particular seemed to speak in parables.  I heard a proverb the other day that I hadn’t heard for a long time: ‘Tek han’ mek fashion’ – in other words, when you don’t have all of the necessary items for a task, you create with what you have.  Thanks to the power of the search engines, and of course nowadays, the worrisome AI, you can readily pull up an assortment of others. ‘One one cocoa full basket’: success doesn’t happen overnight, slow and steady gets the job done.  I was somewhat surprised to learn that ‘many a mickle mek a muckle’ (referring to saving your pennies) was actually Scottish in origin!

In Primary school (elementary in the US system) we would recite poems or sayings that encouraged honesty (like the one cited above), hard work, or perseverance.  One of my favorites was:

There was something very satisfying about shouting that out in a chorus, and we learned many lessons by reciting them together, sing-song fashion.  Multiplication tables (times table) were memorized in that way, making later, more complicated math computations easier.  All we had to do was (silently) chant the relevant table and we were set! Of course, with the easy access to calculators, who needs their times tables any more?

I recently read (listened to, as audio books provide us company on our long road trips) a book by a Nigerian author, narrated by the author.  In the story, many of the characters used proverbs and metaphors to disguise hard facts.  In this way, the ones on the receiving end were spared the cruelty of the truth, and allowed to maintain face. I wouldn’t say that Jamaicans are as reticent in telling the truth.  In fact, Bob Marley’s words are often used to counter a complaint, when the truth hurts: ‘The truth is an offence, but not a sin’. 

I have been thinking of this concept of being honest this week, as the country in which I live celebrates 250 years of independence.  It has been harder and harder, in recent years, to distinguish between the truth and ‘spin’.  And yet, even to call what flies off social media posts in the middle of the night ‘spin’ is not being honest.  The leader of the free world issues so many ‘misstatements’, ‘misleading claims’ and inaccuracies’, that they are too numerous to count.  And yet it is hard to find journalists who label him a liar. The unfortunate consequence of this is that we no longer expect the truth, and instead doubt all information, even when it is fact-based.

In our own lives, we know that the best relationships are those built on honesty.  Anyone who has ever tried to overcome an addiction, or change an unhealthy lifestyle, knows that the only way to change is to first confront and admit the problem.  Any alcoholic who tells you they don’t have a problem with alcohol (in fact, they will probably tell you that you are the one that has a problem with their drinking!) will not stop until something stops them.  Until this country is honest about its origin story, until it is willing to acknowledge the wrongs it has done against its own people, then problems will continue to erupt like abscesses.

When an administration tries to create the narrative that the ‘true story’ of the USA is one that reflects only ‘European values’ it is deliberately manipulating the truth.  When ‘Christian Nationalism’ (covering for White Supremacy) directs policies, it is promoting a narrative that contradicts every teaching of Christ.  When the history of the country ignores the indigenous people and the richness of their culture and their way of living with the land; when it covers over the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade and the wealth that was built on the backs of it; when it diminishes the mistreatment of people of color that did not end with emancipation; when it denies the system that has continued to make it more difficult for people of color to achieve parity; when it fails to acknowledge the richness that exists because of the diversity of the people and the contribution of immigrants; it is hard to imagine that this country will ever deliver on its promise of ‘liberty and justice for all’.  And that is a shame.

One of my friends, a White American, married a Cuban American.  She learned to speak Spanish in order to communicate with her mother-in-law.  I was amused, many years ago, to hear her punish one of her young sons by sending him to his room for ‘penitencias’ – he had to go to his room and think about what he had done. I guess the American equivalent would be a time-out.  Whether or not it worked, I can’t say, but this thought about paying a penalty, about facing up to the consequences of your actions, is one that this nation would do well to think about.

One of the reasons given for this administrations’ orders to remove certain museum exhibits that detail the cruelty of slavery, or that describe the massacres of Native Americans, is that it may make ‘certain people’ (i.e. White people) uncomfortable.  Which is rich, when you consider that the people who really suffered under some of the worst practices of the last six hundred years were not the White people.  If we don’t confront the truth, we will not do everything we can to make sure the evils of the past are not repeated.  Unfortunately, there are still those who are willing to support the status quo, so long as they are benefiting.  But if the shoe were on the other foot?

In the same way that a New Year can be a time of reflection, a time of acknowledging those habits which are not good, and resolving to swap them for good habits, it would be for everyone’s benefit if the anniversary this weekend was dedicated to honesty and reflection.  Perhaps, instead of loud celebrations and fireworks, we should have moments of silence, to think of those who lost their lives fighting for freedom. 

On this Friday morning, I hope you have the privilege of living your best life, able to pursue happiness in your own way.  I hope you are able to express your opinions without fear of repercussions.  I hope you are free to celebrate the many accomplishments of this country.  But I also hope you are willing to fight for the truth, so that this country will one day truly exemplify its declaration: that all men are created equal.

Have a wonderful weekend, Family!

One Love!

Namaste.