"To be capable of steady friendship or lasting love, are the two greatest proofs, not only of goodness of heart, but of strength of mind."
William Hazlitt
"Leadership is not something that is done to people, like fixing your teeth. Leadership is unlocking people's potential to become better."
Bill Bradley
"A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way."
John C. Maxwell
"A little rudeness and disrespect can elevate a meaningless interaction to a battle of wills and add drama to an otherwise dull day."
Bill Watterson
"When principles that run against your deepest convictions begin to win the day, then battle is your calling, and peace has become sin; you must, at the price of dearest peace, lay your convictions bare before friend and enemy, with all the fire of your faith."
Abraham Kuyper
Aluta Continua is a Portuguese (not Afrikaans) saying meaning "The struggle continues". It is highly believed that it was discovered as an inscription on Kunta Kinte's commemorate. So says Wikipedia and the Wiktionary if you are familiar with the internet like that. Anyway, I always liked that phrase, because in a way I believe it is probably the ultimate summation or word to sum up what life really is... the continuous struggle... the never ending battle to find freedom liberty and peace, to stave off poverty, to escape "sufferation" and feed the constant needs for food, for both belly and brain, to nourish your body, to keep your brain active and stimulated, to find emotion comfort, and those that only the opposite sex can bring (though this seems to be an issue of debate these days...). It sums up also my attitude to the new year. Seeing I had no real holiday as such and no merry making really, I just felt as though the season missed me while I was on the grind and hustling together funds and cobbling together some semblance of a life. Also, I liked the phrase because I remember it from the days of yore when JBC used to sign off and showed Alex Haley's Roots and shows like Shaka Zulu. And of course seeing it is Portuguese and my last name is as well, I think the stars and planets aligned these coincidences for another article. And seeing that since the other day, battles, battlefields, death and warriors has been the theme well it only seems fitting to start the Montegonians year just like mine... "The Struggle Continues."
Well this year I didn't stick around to hear the thunder in the mountains at New Year. Though I did hear from other souljahs in the street that the mountains and valleys of Mobay did rumble and CHK CHK THOOOOM ruled the night, the only difference it seems police sounded sirens to try to quell the bellowing barrels and bullets. The New Year caught me at Sonny Ranking's Ball... watching fools floss their fleeting funds for females who will probably on flirt and flitter away by night, Hennessy by the bottle and Moet by the case, a monumental waste of money eh! When we should be pooling resources to make a better nation, building a city, here was the mass of people who ought to be my peers, my equals, only chasing skirts and playing to the crowd and playing the popularity game, who flossed this, who f—ked her... silly, stupid and inane. I must confess though, the women there did look on the premium side... pity I don't premium style, premium money or premium dress. The women too played the same silly games, looking for pockets to pillage and pilfer, Delilah to play, Jezebel to portray, peddling pelvis or any of the other not so polite P words, simply to pursue flight of fancy and momentary pleasure at the expense of crumbling young men's little empires, putting him back on rent and his car loan. Where are the soldiers... ???
This year though, I am going to be on the "Ooman dem case" because they are laming up in the Gideon too and to be honest I will not deny like a lot of men, that Jamaican society was built on the strength of women, "MAMA and Granny dem" and truth be told I feel the Jamaican empire is falling apart because women have fallen out of line. No more soldiering... just hair, nails, tattoos, sex, money, suss and lies, and I am not one for the subjugation of women but I think their neglect of home and children, the new generation of Baff-hands that can't cook, wash or garden, who need washing machines, TV dinners, pre-seasoned chicken, Superplus ready cook rotisseries, who grow up MTV and KFC... are now the invalids and that are left to herald in new generations and scire the next labour force, yet they themself have no knowledge or skills or valid facts or information to pass on and perpetuate... Yeah man mi a talk it loud and clear, "NUFF OOMAN a move marunga a road and gallang like batta crep, jeye ears and piss'n tail style iyah," "2000 and Love (2008) that cannot work again. Everyday sex and no food, baby at home starving, house a burn down wid pickney true unnu deh a road a gossip, or hitch up pon corners a bun weed wid man, matter still inna eye and white white deh a mouth corner... naaah man..." Anywhere I see them this year 'STRAIGHT FIYAH.'
Ladies and gentlemen, rumhead and stockie, goodas and batta crep, beggar and bleachers, badman and gun boy, this year is a different pattern, it is time to continue the build back. Time to reinitiate progress, finish build that house, buy some more block, fence off your place, garden up, start the empire, fix the roof, get creative, no money thing, start live up and stop flexing like you gonna give up, stop frolicking and gallivanting / gyally-vanting... put more muscle for the hustle, toil and tussle, bounce in the bustle, time to expand the shop, time to re-stock, time to decorate your room, paint it out, if is get back on the school program do that too, start nurturing you talents, it is time to shine, make this year your's and mine, cause this year, this year the weak will be culled from the strong, this year, this year I will be waiting to sight up the movement of Jah people, and if Jah people don't start the movements well... we shall perish...
Yannick N. Pessoa
http://yahnyk.blogspot.com
yannickpessoa@yahoo.com
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