History in the making IT SHOULD be remembered that everything that we do or say today will end up in the history books of tomorrow. Our day-to-day activities are indelibly recorded for the sake of posterity and will determine what opinions future generations form of us for eons to come. We need to keep this in mind whenever we consider our actions, because we write our 'future history' everyday. I am afraid that the current picture that we are painting is not one that any of us can be proud of. As things stand, a sampling of multiple-choice history examination questions posed to future students, based on early 21st century Jamaica, may look something like this: Choose one or more of the following answers based on what you deem to be appropriate. Question 1 Why was there such a problematic disparity between the very affluent and the abject poor on this small island advertised as "Paradise" with a "One love" and "No problem" theme? (a) 'One love', 'Paradise' and 'No problem' were only for the tourists bringing in much needed foreign exchange. (b) Nobody with the where-with-all wanted to, cared enough to or was capable of organising programmes aimed at eliminating hunger and destitution within their own society. (c) Concerned with the prospect of a bleak financial future, many Jamaicans went into a 'survival mode', preoccupied themselves with their own existence, and ignored the growing numbers of destitute at their doorsteps. (d)All of the above. Question 2 How was a group of people, too poor to buy basic food items, able to acquire expensive handguns and high powered/high tech automatic rifles used to rain terror within their own communities and on their own people? (a)The weapons fell like manna from Heaven. (b) The weapons washed up on the beaches on a regular basis, source unknown. (c) The poor practised voodoo and obtained the weapons through black magic. (d) None of the above. Question 3 Why were there so many murders on such a small island? (a) The murder rate represented the failure of that society to embrace humanity in a Christian way. (b) Many young, frustrated, anti-social youths who possessed the means to destroy the lives of others chose to do so instead of seeking the means to construct their own lives. (c) The sanctity of God-given life meant nothing to those who perceived their own existence as futile. (d) All of the above. Question 4 Why did the political rhetoric take such a base turn in the first election campaign of the 21st century? (a) Some politicians of that day displayed disrespect and scant regard for the decency and intelligence of the vast majority of Jamaicans. (b) Some politicians still employed inflammatory tactics by pandering to the depraved side of some of their supporters instead of seeking to instill calm and unity among all Jamaicans. (c) With the breakdown of discipline and integrity, it had come to a point in the history of Jamaica that 'anything goes' would have been an apt national theme. (d) All of the above. Question 5 Why did the Prime Minister of that day feel compelled to announce his heterosexuality publicly? (a) Because he was finally goaded into it. (b) Because he succumbed to premeditated, sustained pressure and was drawn down to a level far below the status befitting the elected leader of a nation. (c) Because he felt that history would always insinuate unless he cleared the air once and for all. (d) All of the above. Question (6) What permanent damage did the actions of unaccountable public figures do to the Jamaica of 2001? (a) There was concretisation of the general feeling that Jamaican politics would never come out of the trenches. (b) The intelligent Jamaican felt insulted by the fruitless tenement yard-style bickering. (c) Many Jamaicans believed that if what was transpiring was all the politicians had to offer, they would do better seeking a future elsewhere on the planet. (d) All of the above. The students of the future who select "(D)"as the appropriate response in all cases would be correct. We as a people have the power to write the next chapter of our history. On the one hand we can chose to continue in the vein of indiscipline, aggression, disunity and selfishness. Under these circumstances Question (7) would read like this: Question 7 What was responsible for the socio-economic demise of that island 'paradise' which once possessed such magnificent potential? (a) The people of Jamaica never learnt to live together in the true spirit of their motto "Out of many one people". (b) No one was able to instill any semblance of national pride in the citizenry. (c) The preponderance of corruption, violence, and ignorance triumphed in the end. (d) All of the above. On the other hand we have the ability to steer the course of the nation away from the path of certain destruction and towards the path of unity, peace and prosperity by exercising discipline, courtesy and kindness toward each other. In this atmosphere Question (7) would then read like this: New version of Question 7 What factors played a major role in bringing about the cessation of violence, the upturn in the economy, working social programmes for the poor and a kinder/gentler society? (a) The people of Jamaica finally awoke to the realisation that they, individually, had the power to effect positive changes for the over-all good of society. (b) Party politics was supplanted by the national interest. (c) Faced with the very real possibility of self-destruction, Jamaicans abandoned past hostilities and began the healing process for the sake of their progeny. (d) All of the above. I know what version of Question (7) I would rather see on the exam of the future, how about you? Dr. Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice.
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