Hello, mi neighbour! | Activate the good Jamaican spirit of neighbourliness!

Hello, mi neighbour!

Hope you fared well during the passage of Melissa.

Without a pause, it’s time to let our kindness shine again! Can always count on us, as a people, to shower kindness on our neighbours during these ‘unkind in times’. Might be a little different this time around, however, as times a tough! Be that as it may, from experience, our spirit of generosity becomes stronger as times get tougher.

Whether or not you were directly impacted by Melissa, as a nation, we are all feeling the impact of this ‘monstercane’! But, despite the devastation, we must pause to give thanks for the Master’s mercy. Things could been five times worse. A Category 5 hurricane is no cat. It’s a hungry lion seeking to devour everything in its path! Let’s all find something for which to give thanks as well as with putting a smile of the faces of one another as we face the future together.

Whoever you are, wherever you reside, everyone is required to activate the good Jamaican spirit, the spirit of neighbourliness. Like the rising sun after a long, dark and lonely night, the calm after the storm, we move forward shining our light until everyone is able to see again.

With eager anticipation we embrace that spirit which propels us to give a pound of rice, a tin of sardines, a little oil or sugar etc. to a needy neighbour, without expecting anything in return. I recall the good old days ... yes, that spirit will prompt you to prepare a meal for the old lady down the road and even “ride out the storm” with her.

Would be interested to know that, right after the hurricane, a group of citizens who became friends overnight were seen preparing warm food for the less fortunate in a St Andrew community. As the system got closer, those who were already prepared rallied round the unprepared to ensure their preparedness. They cut trees and removed items, which the wind could’ve used as missiles by the Cat 5, out of the way etc. How kind! Pretty sure that, had the spirit of neighbourliness not come to the fore, the casualties could have been greater.

With all eyes now on St Elizabeth and other parishes where the full force of Melissa was unleashed, with all our heart, let’s all play our part to hasten their recovery

So, I ask, having recognised the power of the spirit of generosity in times like these, why not allow the same spirit to order our steps in our day-to-day life? How is this possible? By allowing the Father of Spirit to rule our lives, then we bear fruits, nourish the soul, and enrich the lives our neighbours. These fruits are these nine qualities: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are presented in contrast to the negative/destructive emotions involved in conflict resolution many times!

Let me breakdown these qualities a little further:

* Love: unselfish concern for others.

* Joy: inner gladness and delight.

* Peace: inner tranquillity and calm.

* Patience (or forbearance): the ability to endure difficult circumstances with a good attitude.

* Kindness: being friendly, generous, and considerate.

* Goodness: moral excellence and integrity.

* Faithfulness: being trustworthy and loyal.

* Gentleness: being mild, tender, and humble.

* Self-control: self-restraint and discipline.

As we reflect on what has just happened in Jamaica and how the spirit of neighbourliness can help us to weather storms, let’s together repeat the National Pledge with a commitment to align our behaviour to it:

“Before God and all mankind, 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; I promise to stand up for justice, brotherhood and peace, to work diligently and creatively, to think generously and honestly, so that Jamaica may, under God, increase in beauty, fellowship and prosperity, and play her part in advancing the welfare of the whole human race”.