Thoughts on optimism 3. – I Believe

I have decided to make my third piece of commentary in this series a borrowed piece from the sixth Governor General of Jamaica. This borrowed piece is such a perfect continuation of the sentiments expressed in the second piece. But I also wish to share parts of the speech because of its relevance, timeliness, and certainly because it reflects so much of what optimism is about.

The news have made headlines from this speech, the talk shows have done their spin, the verandah talk will have its time, and editorials and opinion pieces will make reference to how much it reminds them of past locally and internationally famous charismatic leaders and speakers. But I am afraid, that’s where it may just end if we ignore the essence of this great speech which when delivered was missed by most Jamaicans – including myself.

Having read the speech though, I felt so inspired, so motivated – just like the feeling I get from participating in the various projects we do with and on behalf of the children. This is not just a speech asking Jamaicans to believe in ourselves. More importantly for me is its call for all of us to do everything we can to write the words I Believe across the hearts of every man, woman, and child and to “echo the certain sound that we are one” from all corners of this beautiful land to which we so pledge our love and loyalty.

Here are excerpts of the speech delivered by His Excellency The Most Honourable Dr. Patrick Allen, ON, CD on the occasion of his installation as Governor General of Jamaica at King’s House, Thursday February 26, 2009.
…Although it may seem to many persons in Jamaica today that we are in the night of our deepest despair with nothing before us, the night of weeping will not last forever and I prefer to think that we are approaching the morning of hope with everything before us. We have the tomorrows of opportunities and limitless possibilities ahead of us. The possibilities of achieving our God-given potential with creativity and success – despite the odds.

Our history as a people and a nation beckons to us from within the darkness and reminds us to be steadfast, resilient, and cling to hope for we have overcome much and we will do so yet again. I firmly believe that within the crises of our contemporary experiences lie the seeds of opportunity and renewal.

As St Francis of Assisi urged, all of us should ‘act as if everything depended upon [us]’, and ‘pray as if everything depended upon God’.

At the end of the day, every one of us has to participate in the healing, the restoration, and ultimately, the prosperity of this nation. ‘There is nothing wrong with Jamaica that cannot be fixed by what is right with Jamaica.’

…We must return to a value system which ensures that no one is deprived of their God-given rights; where the measure of a real man is not the number of guns he slings, the number of persons he kills, nor the number of children he sires, but the extent to which he cares for and supports his family.

We must engage the youth and adapt to a changing world and the maturing consciousness of our young people. We must believe in them, train them, and have the faith that they will not betray the values of fairness, morality, and justice that we have instilled in them.

I believe that despite our challenges, our setbacks and our despair, we are a nation which has been blessed with a rich heritage, abundant resources, and the prospect of a bright future.

I believe that each of us is placed here by our Creator to enhance the quality of life of those around us.

I believe that the decent, dedicated, hardworking members of our society are in the majority, despite the violence, vulgarity, declining values and economic vicissitudes that confront us.

I believe that Jamaican men and women of every race, color, religion, creed and political affiliation can embrace each other with ‘one love, one heart’ and solve our differences without violence.

I believe that every Jamaican at home and in the Diaspora can say with sincerity, “I pledge the love and loyalty of my heart, the wisdom and courage of my mind, the strength and vigour of my body in the service of my fellow citizens”, in this Island that we call home.

Every Jamaican must know, think, internalize, personalize, and actualize the theme “I believe.” It must echo from the Blue Mountains to the Dolphin Head Mountains. It must ring from the Liguanea Plains of Kingston to the St Georges Plains of Westmoreland.

I believe must be etched in every classroom, the screen saver on every computer and cell phone; it must be internalized in the heart of every student, until dreams are born in the hearts of our children as to who they can become and the contribution they can make to the development of their nation.

Businessmen and entrepreneurs, Professors, Pastors, Politicians, and teachers, Managers and Workers, Employers and Employees must echo the certain sound that we are one nation under God. Let it ring from their lips and let them declare that they believe in the destiny of Jamaica.

I believe must adorn the T-shirts we wear, the sports gear that we brand, the cups from which we drink; it must be the theme in the morning papers, and the optimism of the evening news until the waves wash away our shame and we evolve into a nation ‘destined for greatness’.

When we examine the global canvas we see lines, brush strokes and hatchings that are distinctively Jamaican. We have produced great thinkers and scholars, artists and musicians, the best athletes, sportsmen and women, and have ensured that the rest of the world believe in this island nation. Others believe in us, we must believe in ourselves!

I believe in Jamaica. I believe in the people of Jamaica.

I believe we can and we must. I implore all of us to get a hold of the full text and do what we can to spread confidence, hope and optimism which come with the declaration, I Believe!

As optimists we could not want a better call than this at a time when we must make greater effort at fulfilling our Mission for Tomorrow in this Hi Five Year.

Patrick Prendergast
March 1, 2009

Thoughts on optimism – A series of reflections by Director Patrick

Part II - The future and confidence in being prepared

Optimism is not the same as faith – believing in the unforeseen – but rather, optimism is having confidence in what you know is both possible and will.

In The Harder They Come: Jimmy Cliff declares, as sure as the sun will shine, I’m gonna get my share now of what’s mine. That’s optimism. That is confidence in knowing that tomorrow will come. The question is not whether we will be there to prove it true or not but in how prepared we are to be there when tomorrow comes.

We know the sun will shine and though night may fall there is still light. We know this in the existence of the moon. The moon is merely a reflector but in that projection is the knowledge that sunlight is a constant.

Neither is optimism the negation or counter of pessimism as most people tend to believe. Optimism is an acknowledgement that in every adversity there are opportunities for innovation, for creativity, for uncovering other ways of reaching the goal. In other words, not every dark opening is a cave; some are entrances to a tunnel and we are confident in light at the other end of a tunnel. Some are fountains of life waiting to be tapped.

But again, it is how prepared we are to enter that dark space and discover that it is a tunnel that will make the real difference. It is how prepared we are to enter that dark space and having to create a new pathway to the light that will make the difference. It is how prepared we are for the water that springs from our initiative that will make the real difference.

Despite all the atrocities being committed against our future – and here I speak of our children – we must do everything to prepare them for the day when they will emerge from the troubled times in which we all must survive.

There is a saying that he who fails to plan plans to fail. If adults fail to prepare a solid foundation upon which our children can learn creativity and innovativeness as skills which improve survival, then dark spaces will become prisons of fear, hopelessness, and despair instead of an invitation to confidence, hope, and assurance in their capacity to change the world. Rivers to cross will become embankments of loneliness and playing for time rather than streams of endless possibilities for a different and better way of living.

Viewing optimism this way means therefore that when we as optimists say we are friends of youth, or that we are in the service of children, we have declared a commitment to the future. And by extension we have declared a commitment to the value of being prepared. Children are our future becomes more than a truism. It becomes a philosophy – a guiding mantra. It is an acknowledgement that the future will face its own set of adversities and its own crosses to bear. It is an understanding which fires our confidence as optimists.

The confidence of optimists is not merely in the possibility that tomorrow such troubles can be transformed into victories but more so in the knowledge that our children are prepared to be transformers as much as we are for that transformation.

After all, optimists think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best

Patrick Prendergast
February 2, 2009

Thoughts on Optimism – A series of reflections by Director Patrick

Part One: Finding Hope in History

It is pretty obvious to most people now that Jamaica and the Caribbean are going through very trying times as a country and a region. Of course, it is easy to also say that we are suffering from what's happening in the global economy - and particularly that of our powerful neighbour up North, the USA. Some would say this is what happens when we mistakenly embrace wholeheartedly the notion of one village going global as living in a global village and not knowing what either means for us.  

Anyway, many are referencing the Great Depression of the 1930's – and this is where my comment as part of this great movement (which we must not forget has its roots in the USA) is coming originated.

Of Dreams and Deeds tells us that with the depression of the 1930s there was a critical fall in membership but the resolve to serve youth did not fall. In fact there was more than a doubling of the work done with young people. One of the strategies was in building Junior Optimist Clubs – as we see in club President Phil's commitment for this year.  

Another was in finding creative ways for ensuring that the treasury did not run dry. This of course is probably the more formidable challenge at this time.

The important point though is that the history of the movement shows that optimism finds its best reason in the most difficult of times. These are hard times! But these are also the time for optimists to be there for our children as we were in the 1930s and throughout the war years of the 1940s when a deeper appreciation for community service took hold.
It is interesting that the current president of the USA draws so much on the policies of FDR as both came to power in similarly trying times. FDR had a New Deal, Obama has a New Hope. I have never been too keen on expressing pro-American sentiments but acknowledging the roots of the movement to which I proudly belong, I have to draw the parallel.

Again, these are the times at which optimism and Optimists are most needed. History shows that we have done it before and will affirm our doing it again.

Health, happiness and prosperity one an all.

Patrick Prendergast
January 30, 2009

Gleaner reports on Optimism

- Rudolph Brown/Chief Gleaner Photographer






With the 2009 Budget Debate just a few weeks away, young Jamaicans are calling on the Government to direct its focus at improving the education sector.

Jenielle Edwards, of Wolmer's High School for Girls, was one of many youth leaders who stressed recently that education, or the lack of it, negatively impacts the Jamaican economy.

"I want the Government to spend the money on developing schools and other social institutions. I think that because so many of our young population is uneducated, it tends to impact our economy moving forward," Edwards told The Gleaner.

She was one of many youth in attendance for the Caribbean District Optimist International Second Quarter Conference, held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston last Saturday.

Education absolutely free

Ashlee Anderson, of Campion High School, said she believes the Government should aim to "make education absolutely free" by picking up the tab for the troublesome auxiliary fees that schools still charge despite education's current status as "free".

"We have limited resources and it's kind of hard to split it (how the nation's funds should be directed) because a lot of things that don't concern me directly, as a youth, need to be dealt with too," Anderson said. "But I think the education system needs to be dealt with because, without education, Jamaica is not going anywhere."

She added: "If nothing else is dealt with, I really think the education we receive needs to be stepped up."

Some of the youth suggested that the HEART Trust/National Training Agency be expanded or duplicated, and that more universities and schools at every level be created to provide greater access in terms of both volume and variety.

Divestments

In addition to the discussion about education, Mikhail Webb, of Calabar High School, said he was concerned about how the Government has divested Jamaican companies and how non-Jamaican corporations seem to own the bulk of the island's industries.

"To how I see things, the economy is a foreign economy, most of the things we are supposed to own belong to foreigners," Webb lamented.

Kemar Jennings agreed with Webb's concerns about the the nation's dependence on external entities.

"I want to see us move from a dependent state to a more independent state, using our resources more," Jennings said.

The young thinker went further in his discourse on the nations situation, arguing that the wider citizenry need to play its part in fixing the current situation by paying taxes.

"The tax is a problem. People need to be paying their taxes because without the revenue coming in, the Government can't do what it needs to do like buy proper educational tools and fix the agricultural sector."

Andrew Wildes,
andrew.wildes@gleanerjm.com

Greeting from President Philbert

Fellow Optimists,

Seasons Greetings Sunsetters of Liguanea, I do hope everyone enjoyed the recent Christmas and Boxing holidays. Whether it was filled with party going or just hanging out with family members I am sure it has gone done as cherished memories. As we come to the close of 2008 let me take this opportunity to say thanks for the support given by every single member of the club. The first quarter has had its share of ups and downs, and this forever will be the nature of things. What is important is to appreciate the ups and learn from the downs.

As is customary we will ring in the new year with our usual pot party. I do look forward to seeing as many members as possible, let Dare to Care look like a joke and come out in your numbers. It will be an excellent way to start the year in unison and comradry ie real sunset style.

Looking forward to some great cooking. Start seasoning those goat heads and curry goat etc etc etc.

Haaappy New Yearrrr!!!!!!!!!

President Phil

Sunset brings Santa to Spanish Town

Click on Video Clip above for Comments


It doesn’t matter if you believe in Santa Clause or not, the effect he has on children is definitely real and as the old saying goes...its the thought that counts. Santa doesn't have to be real for his magic to work; the thought of something good happening is a wonderful thing. On Sunday December 14th 2008, Sunset Liguanea members, guests and Santa visited the Dare to Care Children's Home in Spanish Town to find that smiles and laughter was in abundance.

The "Dare to Care" Children’s home is a part of the Mustard Seed Outreach projects in Jamaica. Dare to Care is a particularly special home because they care for orphans infected with HIV/AIDS. Over the years, The Optimist Club of Sunset Liguanea has visited the home and many members have bonded with the children.

On Sunday the club members arrived just in time to see the children saying grace and a few members assisted the aunties with serving dinner. It was obvious the children could not contain their excitement and rushed to finish their meals to give us or take from us all attention. After a brief introduction by their caretaker for the evening, affectionately called Aunty, the club members immediately starting serving the treats brought for the kids.... ice cream and cake!!!

The children were quite respectful; they addressed each adult member of the club as Aunty or Uncle. They were not without the usual distractions you see in kids their age but they all did as they were told and even volunteered to stand in a line when asking for a second or third serving of ice cream. After singing a few Christmas Carols and ice cream for some club members, it was time for the guest of honour to make his entrance. President Philbert tried to convince them that Santa Clause (played this year by Optimist Lance) got stuck in traffic but the kids were not having it, the excitement was boiling over and most of them could not keep still.

So, without further delay, Santa Clause came strutting around the corner carrying his usual bag of goodies. His many “tall” elves that very closely resembled a few club members also accompanied him, but the kids hardly noticed. Not long after he sat down, the kids started singing "Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells " and all their eyes were gleaming at the presents at his feet. One by One, they were called up to sit on his lap and receive their presents. As is tradition with the club's visits: the name and age of each child is given to a club member who volunteers to purchase that child a gift, allowing no one to feel left out. It was truly amazing to see their reactions as they immediately started opening their presents. Those brief moments of joy alone made it all worth it.

On behalf of the club, President Philbert presented the aunties with a few needed supplies such as detergent, treats such as batteries for the toys and fruitcakes. Approximately 22 club members and guests participated in the activities for the day and all agreed that efforts to bring joy into the lives of these children were successful.

Sunset Optimistic about "Love Games"

Photo: Gina.gov.gy

It was the 22nd of October ....2008, the day for the first fundraiser of the "High Five Year".

The Board and its Members agreed to host the returning Play "Love Games".......Whoa! they had no idea what they were getting themselves into. With ten minutes to go before start time; President Philbert settled his financial obligations. Center stage staff with an almost full house was preparing to get started; lights dimmed and cast members; Camille Davis (Gina) and Glen Campbell (Rocky) were rearing to go.....the lights go up and Glen says two words and raucous laughter filled the room!

"Wait no stop.....mek mi ketch mi breth", whoa....mi caan stop laugh" ...."mi belly " the room is filled with comments like these. And so it goes on...for sometime......then its forty minutes and we break for half time. Nuff Saltfish and breadfruit....and Sunsetters get together to say hi and thank their supporters for attending the Play.

Time to go back in.....

Just like the first half the second starts with "nuff more jokes" Now inna di middle a laughing and enjoying the play" Mi si Camille start act stiff .....a wah do da character deh? Any how mi a gwaan watch! Mi seh....mi caan tell yuh wah happen "cause dem swear mi to secrecy" but all mi know seh is dat mi si a certain Club Member inna a pink suit inna di Isle ready fi run out a di playhouse!

Mi seh....one excitement!! All mi can seh is if yuh nuh si di play yet......gwane now! We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support and ask that you continue to do so as we strive to do our best to help our children.....