Oh for a less complicated time!
How many times have many of us looked back at our childhood times and concluded maybe we should have enjoyed them much more?
For instance, from the time we were smaller, one of the key aspects of the experience was the possibility of advancing. We did so in age, knowledge and especially experiences. We strive to advance in school, through promotion exams and looking at reports which showed that we had accomplished enough to advance to the next level. We wanted so bad to become older, but with age comes responsibility.
I know that might seem too heavy, but it was the preamble to a lighter subject. Looking back at my younger days, one thing which I can fondly remember was some of the things which I watched back them – namely cartoons. As a child growing up when cartoons were actually interesting and had a story-line, I can look back at some of the messages which they had, so let us all look back.
One of the first cartoons which stood out was Thundercats. I mean the 1985 version and not the remade one which lasted for half a season. The Thundercats – half cat and half human, left their exploding planet and landed on Third Earth. They colonised the planet and brought morals and decency which appealed to the existing inhabitants, except for the Mutants and Mumm-ra, who ruled through fear and domination.
Mumm-ra used power as a weapon to intimidate. He was loud and it was his way or the highway. He was chosen by the ‘Spirits of Evil’ to dominate on their behalf. They supplied his power and transformed him into their weapon of destruction, but without their power, he was weak and scared of his own reflection – the fear of his own evil was his greatest weakness. He had battles with young Lion-O, the Lord of the Thundercats, who wielded the Sword of Owens, a symbol of power, which Mumm-Ra feared. Mumm-Ra enlisted the Mutants to fight for him, scared of the battles, which he only entered if he thought that the Thundercats were weakened, which never worked. It was a lesson in how those who promoted good always found a way to triumph over evil followers.
The classic battle between the good and evil was always a theme. The good characters were always seen as decent and unassuming while the evil ones always had nefarious intents. They often hid away from the public glare and plotted in secret sessions, before emerging with one goal in mind, domination. They razed down all opponents to achieve their objectives.
They sought like-minded persons to push that narrative and offered their version of hope as the only way forward. They would often wave the means through which they would take that power and often declared that they were invincible. Often that hubris was part of the weakness which they do not see until the last unfortunate moment, when the best laid plans are destroyed.
It may be a less complicated time but it has lessons for this time. The longing for an easier time is buttressed by a longing for a more straightforward time. I noted comments in all the media attributed to the Head of the Homeless Society who sought to chastise the Minister of Social Care for comments made in the House of Assembly. The gist of the response was that based on statistics, according to the Society Head, more people have come for assistance during this recession, than under the BLP.
I saw this story and wondered why the need to get involved, but interestingly add at the end of the statement that the comments were not intended to be political. Both parties have stated that eliminating poverty is a serious challenge, but we must also look at the reasons for the situation which led those affected to report for assistance. Tell us if some of those were involved in domestic issues or were some drug-related? Simply quoting numbers does not explain the problem. Where is the 2009 to 2012 time frame, which includes when this Government took over and when the recession started? Revealing 2012 to 2016 statistics, which include when Government started its retrenchment process, is convenient but does not present the full picture? So present the full picture, if the point was to show that government policies resulted in this upsurge in persons requiring assistance.
What really got me thinking was the statement that the Minister had done little to address homelessness in this country. This came two days after the Government through the National Assistance Board, reopened Lancaster House which is designed to provide people with “temporary accommodation primarily for elderly persons and others in general who have been dislocated by fire, flood and other related circumstances”. The attention was turned on the Clyde Gollop Centre – with no mention of what steps could be taken. Does the gentleman want it to be expanded or for more shelters to be opened. Speak up! Just don’t drop comments without possible solutions. This country is way past that. Also, it is past time for the Minister to respond to this salvo against your performance in office.